It is simply a way to give credit where credit is due and to formally recognise personal knowledge, expertise, achievement and experience. It allows for diversity yet insists on a minimum set of fundamental skills.

The programme was introduced at DC05 and you can view the presentation that was made there. You can also read some general background information. The details of the programme have changed somewhat since these documents were produced. The main change has been a move away from a points based system to a simpler pass/fail system. Details of the approved modules available are on the Curriculum page. Details of the requirements for each grade level are on the Grade Requirements page. Both of these pages provide links to more detailed documentation.

You will record, in the on-line database, your past experience, qualifications and, on an on-going basis, courses you've attended, assessments and tests you have taken and other relevant information. Courses will continue to be offered by BABS at Harmony College, Directors College, local workshops etc. but external courses will also be recognised.
Each grade level has a number of compulsory requirements and, usually, there is a non-compulsory element as well. To progress to the next grade you must fulfill all of these requirements. Much of the theory is evaluated by on-line tests and these are marked and credited to you automatically. Most of the other assessments will involve submitting tapes or videos or one to one assessment at a convenient location. The results of these will be credited to you by the person doing the assessment.

To progress to the next grade level, you must acquire a certain number of passes in recognised modules. Some of these passes must be in compulsory skills. (For instance, you must have a level of profiency in Directing Technique) You may be proficient in any number of other areas but, if you don't have these compulsory skills, you can't progress to the next grade. The requirements are detailed on the Grade Requirements page.

Quite simply, we're all different and successful chorus directors are not all stamped from the same mould. The programme does not aim to produce clones but to reward real attainments that are relevant to being a successful chorus director.

Of the requirements necessary to progress to a particular grade, only some of them are compulsory. You can obtain the rest from any skill area of your choosing. So, for instance, if you are a skilled musician, you can get extra passes in the Music area but if you are a hot shot leader, then Leadership & Management might satisfy your needs.
These extra passes may come by taking modules from a more advanced grade level. That way, you fulfill the requirements of your current level and also get a head start on the next. Alternatively, there are a number of modules that are not compulsory requirements at any level. They are provided for you to fulfill the non-compulsory elements of the programme.

No!

Personal information and data relating to your achievements will be stored in an on-line database that is accessible only to you and the programme administrators. Your registration provides the 'key' that will allow you, and nobody else, to view and edit that data.

Under the Certification Menu, choose YOUR RECORDS. (Or, click on Certification and then choose YOUR RECORDS from the list). To avoid duplication of data, your initial step must be to register with the BABS Bulletin Board. This provides a secure environment for you to store your username, a password and your email address. The password is encrypted so that your data is secure. Once you have done that, you can return to this site and click on Certification/YOUR RECORDS and you will see a registration form for the Certification programme. Filling this in simply provides some more contact information and a secure area to store your data.

Well, we just want to be sure that malicious individuals are kept at bay as much as reasonably possible.

Yes you can. Once you've registered, you can access your user functions, one of which is to delete yourself. If you do this though, all the records associated with you will also be deleted. It's like erasing part of your past so only do it if you're really, really sure.

Yes you can. Both the Bulletin Board and the Certification programme have Profiles where your contact data and other personal information is kept. Just go to the relevant Profile. The only thing you cannot change is the user name you created when you registered with the Bulletin Board.

There are two tables in the database. One is called CV and is where you enter your past education and experience and also your on-going activities. You can enter anything here that you consider relevant to your qualification as a Director. Only you can add or change what is in this table.

The second table is called Assessments. This is a record of your progress. You cannot add or change anything in this table. It is maintained by the programme moderators who review your CV entries and other information that comes to them and add entries to this table to record pass/fail.

Either click on the Certification button in the menu line and then click on Enter or choose View/Edit Records from the Certification drop-down menu. You'll see a menu of things you can do. The most important thing for you to do is Add/Edit CV Entries. This is where you record your historical education and experience and also log your current activities. You can enter anything you like that you consider relevant to your qualification as a Director. It is a free form text field with no limit on the amount of text you can enter. However, please do not enter your entire life history in one record. Try to separate things out so that one record corresponds to one (or a small number) of skills. This is so that it can be sensibly assessed against established criteria.

The fact that you have entered something is flagged to the Moderators who will, then, assess your entry and make an entry or entries in the Assessments table.

Either click on the Certification button in the menu line and then click on Enter or choose View/Edit Records from the Certification drop-down menu. You'll see a menu of things you can do. Click on View Assessments. You'll see a summary table of your assessments so far. To view an entire assessment, either click on the book icon at the left or, if there is a lot of text, you can click on => more. You will see the text of the assessment, which may contain some or all of your original CV entry, the Moderator who carried out the assessment, the relevant skill set and the result.

Either click on the Certification button in the menu line and then click on Enter or choose View/Edit Records from the Certification drop-down menu. You'll see a menu of things you can do. Click on View Your Summary. You'll see a table that shows you what the requirements are for each grade level and how you are doing against those requirements.

The requirements that you have completed successfully are highlighted in green. Some green highlighting may appear in grade levels above your current level. This will happen if you fulfill some of your non-compulsory requirements by taking a more advanced assessment. It indicates that you have a head start in those areas.

Yes, there is. Either click on the Certification button in the menu line and then click on Curriculum or choose Curriculum from the Certification drop-down menu. You'll see a matrix of links, either book icons or a cross. The cross indicates that the document does not exist yet. Click on a book icon (usually blue) in the Subject Matter column to see the detailed requirements.

Either click on the Certification button in the menu line and then click on Grade Requirements or choose Grade Requirements from the Certification drop-down menu.

Alternatively, your own progress summary shows you what you have done and what still needs to be done.

Every module has an assessment associated with it. Many of the theory modules have on-line, multiple choice tests which you can complete. The result of such a test is automatically logged in your records.

Other assessments involve submitting tapes or having an adjudicator present. The procedure for such an assessment and the criteria for passing are detailed in documents that you can access from a number of places including the Curricum page, the Grades Requirements page and your own progress summary page.

Events dear boy, events. Things like actually earning a living get in the way. If you mail me the questions you'd like answered, I'll include them in the file, if I know the answer.