Nurturing the Parish Choir: Accompaniment & Collaboration, part 1

by

 

This series of three articles will present some ideas and suggestions for conductors working with accompanists, both keyboard players and instrumental ensembles in parish settings. The preparation of sacred choral music is a labor of love, and a gift to the church. This labor is perceptible to and deeply appreciated by the congregation, and the quality of commitment is as important as the quality of performance in building up the Body. It deserves the cantor’s and choir’s best attention and musicianship.

The Lutheran cantor has often been expected to lead the choir as well as the assembly in worship from the keyboard, and is most often the best keyboard performer in the parish. Many other denominations, and some Lutheran churches, divide the keyboard and choral directing responsibilities regularly. Those of us who lead rehearsals and choral service singing from the keyboard realize that our attention to our own playing can compromise our hearing of choral detail such as accuracy, intelligibility, intonation, and expression. Issues of balance and coordination with other instrumentalists also suffer, often in rough proportion to the difficulty of the keyboard part. Recruiting, and even training keyboardists and other instrumentalists from the congregation expands the range of repertoire available, and allows the cantor to focus on the choir and actual sound of its offering to the spiritual life of the parish. It also provides a place in the family of God for those of us with instrumental musical gifts.

Ignoring for now the “who’s in charge?” variables for the cantor/organist who oversees a choral director, these comments are for church choral conductors when leading accompanists.


Keyboard and solo instruments with choir

  • Accompanists are not born, they are recruited and cultivated. The prevalence of karaoke systems in public school choral programs and churches is reducing the opportunity for young keyboard players to learn the art of collaborating. Just as the choir serves as a “small group,” building a connection to the congregation for its members, the invitation to accompany is a call into the holy order of church music leadership.

In the August 2012 issue of the ACDA Choral Journal, Kayla Leichty Paulk gives a thoughtful and well-written discussion of cultivating “the accompanist as collaborating musician and co-trainer.”

  • The playing of a pianist as choral and assembly accompanist requires different balance within the piano part itself than the pianist is used to in solo playing. In accompanying, whether choir or assembly, strength of melody depends on need and familiarity, but most critical is a confident and prominent bass line.

A practical note: When teaching parts, doubling at the same octave tends to be hard for the singers to distinguish. Play parts an octave higher or lower, or even doubled at the octave while the choir is singing.

  • The accompaniment sets the style for the piece. When it doubles parts, the accompaniment provides important cues for breathing and accentuation. Accompaniments also signal and reinforce change of dynamics, tempo, and tonality. Be clear with the accompanist where you expect breaths and other changes, in advance of the rehearsal if possible. Enforce them from the beginning; they are not added easily in later rehearsals.

The piano is a percussion instrument; however, it does not support or model choral sound. Though the organ sustains, and therefore blends with voices more naturally, all notes are equally loud. Subtle dynamic changes and sensitive choral releases are hard to emulate. These points are exactly where the conductor, unencumbered by playing responsibility, can lead the music from prosaic to truly communicative.

  • When accompaniments are particularly difficult, less conducting is more. Correct dynamics or articulation verbally after stopping. Once the music starts, the instrumentalist will play best when allowed to concentrate on what s/he has prepared.
  • Reductions of cantata and oratorio scores are often horrendously hard, and demoralizing (not to mention taxing) to play. Learning what to leave out is a sophisticated skill that must be understood by the conductor and taught if necessary.
  • Solo instruments playing obbligato lines add a beautiful color to the choir’s offering, and make a place for accomplished adult or teenage instrumentalists to share their gifts. Taking an half hour before the choir rehearsal to conduct and rehearse the obbligato with the keyboard accompanist will get the soloist comfortable, give the two of you a chance to develop the part’s expressive potential, and remind you to cue them when the singers arrive! Cuing entrances is essential especially in performance, but except for changes of tempo, you can’t help them play quite in the same way a sensitive conductor encourages a choir. In florid passagework particularly, it’s best to stay out of the way. Scheduling the piece first after warmups uses their time most respectfully.
  • Working with single-line instruments as the only accompaniment requires tremendous virtuosity and stability from the instrumentalist, and pitch consistency from the choir. Works like John Ferguson’s “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” with solo viola can be very striking when accompanied by an accomplished soloist.

Thanks to my colleague Lorraine Brugh for her modeling, and editorial suggestions.

Filed Under: Choral Techniques and Repertoire Tagged With: , , , , ,
avatar
Dennis Friesen-Carper

Dennis Friesen-Carper is Reddel Professor of Music at Valparaiso University where he conducts the Symphony, oratorio and theatrical works, and teaches composition. He is concurrently Principal Guest Conductor of the Wenqin Symphony Orchestra at Zhejiang University in China. He has served as Music Director for Indiana Opera North, the Pasadena Philharmonic, and the Northwest Indiana Youth Symphony. Guest conducting appearances include the Jiangsu Symphony, the Zhejiang Symphony, South Bend Symphony, DuPage Symphony, the Elkhart Symphony and the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra.

Dr. Friesen-Carper has served congregations in the Mennonite, Disciples of Christ, and Lutheran denominations, and plays as a substitute keyboardist in worship at Valparaiso's Chapel of the Resurrection. His keyboard arrangments and compositions are published by both Mennonite and ELCA publishers. He has made presentations to national and regional meetings of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, and led worship music with a mixed ensemble from Valpo at Jubilee 2000 in Chicago. He has also served as Village Musician many summers at Holden Village, Chelan, WA.

Text/Music Relationship: Imaginative Performance of Renaissance Music (part 2)

by

 

Editor’s Note: This part 2 of John Paulson’s ideas approaches this important music from another angle.

Though it can be a struggle at times, I’ve found that including Renaissance music as a regular part of my choir programming for each year has helped improve the musical skills of my singers; skills such as vocal independence, interpretive creativity and a deeper understanding of the interrelation between text and musical expression. In addition, the work put in always results in a rewarding musical and worship experience for the choir, the congregation and the clergy.

I’d like to focus here on an aspect of performing sacred Renaissance music that I’ve found to be a key to creative, imaginative performances: the relationships between text and music. There are two basic elements to this relationship. One is the way in which the meaning of the text is reflected or magnified by the musical setting of that text. The other is the way in which the pronunciation of the text can inform a musical phrase. I’ll stick with the latter of the two here and take up the former in a second article.

I’ll begin by taking a look at A New Commandment by Thomas Tallis. The opening text, “A new commandment give I unto you, saith the Lord” is sung homophonically in all four voices. Speaking the text with a natural inflection suggests that the strongest points of syllabic stress come on the word “new”, the second syllable of “commandment” and the word “you”. In order to get my singers thinking in that way I would ask them to speak the text in unison ignoring the notated rhythms. I would then work toward a rendering of Tallis’ notation that reflects the natural inflection of the text. How do we go about doing that?

I once heard an excellent conductor say that dynamic gradation should be thought of as hiking up and down a mountain rather than driving up and down a paved road. Hiking includes many smaller ups and downs within your overall direction. Executing a crescendo, or decrescendo, in this way, with micro ups and downs within the macro goal of getting louder, or softer, creates a much more interesting musical phrase. Paying detailed attention to the way syllabic stresses go hand-in-hand with the notation will help us toward this goal. We’ve already noted that there are three main stressed syllables in this opening phrase. In a general sense, the direction of the phrase should build toward “you.”

Within the phrase I try to think of each note/syllable as either building tension or relaxing. The downbeat begins on the word “A”. This is challenging because the tendency is for singers to accent the downbeat. It should instead begin with the sense that it’s building tension toward “new.” The first syllable of “commandment” has both a sense of relaxation after “new” and is building tension toward the second syllable. The third syllable is a definite sense of relaxation. Moving toward the top of the phrase there is a longer buildup of tension toward “you” through “give I unto.” “Saith the Lord” is all relaxation after “you.” I might even ask for a space between “you” and “saith” in order to give a sense of the comma and separate the quote from the attribution.

I mentioned above that “A” begins on the downbeat. Of course the idea of a downbeat is something that was created with the advent of modern notation. Renaissance notation would not have included regular barlines to indicate strong and weak beats. A detailed discussion of notation and mensuration symbols is beyond the scope of this article. But it does bring up another way in which the relationship between music and text informs my ideas about performance. Essentially, I try to get my singers to forget about barlines and instead think and perform in groups of 2 and 3. In the opening of the Tallis there are two groups of 3 and five groups of 2. The groups of three are not triplets. In the notation of the linked edition the quarter note would remain the same for groups of two and three. The two groups of 3 in this opening are on the second and third syllables of “commandment” as well as “give I”. Getting your choir to think and perform beyond the barlines isn’t too difficult for a short, homophonic passage such as this. It helps emphasize the natural cadence of the language and makes a powerful musical statement. Accomplishing this in longer, polyphonic sections can prove extremely challenging.

You probably all know Victoria’s O Magnum Mysterium. Briefly taking a look at the alto part, I would ask my group to group the first three half notes of measure 7 and the last three half notes of measure 8. Everything else in the first 9 measures would be grouped in twos. Without going into detail, I would do much the same thing with the other parts on this opening phrase. I’ve found that getting my choir to think beyond the barlines can bring new life to something familiar like this. A lilting group of three in one part against more driven groups of two in another produces a wonderful effect.

Filed Under: Choral Techniques and Repertoire Tagged With: , , , , ,
avatar
John Paulson

John Paulson graduated with a BA in Music from Luther College in 1991 and earned his Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Boston University in 1998. He currently serves as Music Director/Choir Conductor at University Lutheran in Cambridge, MA, a position he has held since 2003. His additional conducting/teaching experience includes time as the Assistant Choir Conductor at Boston University’s Marsh Chapel, Interim Head of Choral Activities at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Adjunct Faculty in Music at Lesley University and Visiting Music Instructor at Boston College. John currently lives in Boston where he and his wife Brenna Wells work hard to keep up with their two year old son Rowan.

Text/Music Relationship: Imaginative Performance of Renaissance Music

by

 

Though it can be a struggle at times, I’ve found that including Renaissance music as a regular part of my choir programming for each year has helped improve the musical skills of my singers; skills such as vocal independence, interpretive creativity and a deeper understanding of the interrelation between text and musical expression. In addition, the work put in always results in a rewarding musical and worship experience for the choir, the congregation, and the clergy.

I’d like to focus here on an aspect of performing sacred Renaissance music that I’ve found to be a key to creative, imaginative performances: the relationships between text and music. There are two basic elements to this relationship. One is the way in which the meaning of the text is reflected or magnified by the musical setting of that text. The other is the way in which the pronunciation of the text can inform a musical phrase. I’ll stick with the former of the two here and take up the latter in a second article.

My first example is the opening of A New Commandment by Thomas Tallis. The first four measures of the piece are set almost completely homophonically to the text “A new commandment give I unto you, saith the Lord.” A quick scan through the piece reveals that other than the last two measures, this is the only place where Tallis uses 4-part homophony. Here’s a fairly obvious relation between the proclamatory nature of the opening text and Tallis’ use of 4-part homophony. And he enhances this relationship through the absence of that type of setting throughout the rest of the piece. The important leap to make is translating these relationships into concrete musical expression.

To me this suggests a bold dynamic opening – mf or possibly even f. It also provides one indication that the tempo shouldn’t be too quick. Of course other musical elements throughout the piece will impact the decision about tempo as well. I personally wouldn’t want to hustle through that opening proclamation. What about the articulation of this opening statement? Keeping with the proclamation theme, I would want to hear this opening sung poco marcato. These would be the marks I put in my score (tactus = 60, mf, poco marcato). In rehearsal I would point out to my choir that the opening text is a proclamation of the Lord and that Tallis has represented this through a homophonic musical setting. I’d ask them to sing it as if they were the voice of the Lord making this proclamation, and of course conduct what I’d like to hear. Hopefully the end result, after some work, reflects the marks I put in my score, achieved in a way that helps get the creative and imaginative juices of my singers flowing.

Let’s look at one other example that’s a bit more subtle, namely the opening section of Victoria’s O Magnum Mysterium. Is there a more perfect musical representation of the meaning behind the first three words than what Victoria has set here? He captures magnum (“great” in the sense of “unfathomable”) through the rhythmic expansiveness of the first three notes combined with the open fifth. Mysterium takes the form of a half step. Victoria even inserts a rest before proceeding, allowing us a moment to regain our composure and continue following our first glimpse of this awe-inspiring sight. Each part sings the opening motive in imitation, though the tenor and bass entries are delayed. This allows the soprano and alto to join the bass on his first entrance creating a moment, lasting two measures, in which there is three-part homophony with only the tenor being “out of sync.” The fulfillment of the four-part texture when the bass enters along with the homophonic reinforcement of the text O magnum helps accentuate the magnitude of the situation.

In the meantime, Victoria continues to give the text et admirabile the same rhythmic and melodic setting in each voice. The rhythmic setting of this text mimics the way one might speak it. I’ll discuss this aspect of text/music relation in more detail in part two of this article. Sacramentum receives a varied and more ornate treatment in each voice.  Perhaps this is a musical expression of a richly ornate sacrament as celebrated in a mass; a reminder that though the scene in the stable is humble it holds a place of esteem worthy of ceremony. Do we know if that’s what Victoria was thinking? No. It is, however, an interpretation that can inspire singers to think beyond notes and rhythms helping produce an engaging musical experience. At the end of this opening section, Victoria spotlights this part of the text by setting it in four-part homophony.

You probably know this piece. You’ve probably done it multiple times. Instead of detailing how my above interpretation would inform my musical decisions, I would encourage you to do your own assessment along these lines.

Filed Under: Choral Techniques and Repertoire Tagged With: , , , , ,
avatar
John Paulson

John Paulson graduated with a BA in Music from Luther College in 1991 and earned his Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Boston University in 1998. He currently serves as Music Director/Choir Conductor at University Lutheran in Cambridge, MA, a position he has held since 2003. His additional conducting/teaching experience includes time as the Assistant Choir Conductor at Boston University’s Marsh Chapel, Interim Head of Choral Activities at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Adjunct Faculty in Music at Lesley University and Visiting Music Instructor at Boston College. John currently lives in Boston where he and his wife Brenna Wells work hard to keep up with their two year old son Rowan.

No Need to Triage: They Can Do It! – Part Two

by

Part Two: A Proposal for Children’s Choir Rehearsals

In Part One, I presented a philosophy of children’s choirs that may have sounded ambitious at best, and crazy at worst. Let me convince you that it can be done, whether you have a 30-minute rehearsal, only a few children, no helpers, or an unruly bunch.

In a previous call, I had the children’s choir for 45 minutes each week, with them leading worship every 5-6 weeks. For various reasons some adjustments had to be made to the choir schedules, and it became made up of 19 children, Kindergarten through 6th grade, including 2 middle schoolers as helpers. Yet each week, we were able to complete the elements described in Part One, sometimes with more grace than others. How? Making sure that not one minute of rehearsal was wasted. Here are some strategies that I used to help accomplish all of these goals:

I. Clear Expectations

Children thrive in environments where they feel safe and accepted. Part of that feeling of safety comes from knowing exactly what is expected of them. When children are unsure of what is acceptable behavior and what is not, they will test the boundaries until they have it figured out in their own minds. Imagine how much time is wasted, if we have to discipline each child as they test the limits!

There are many wonderful ways to express and devise expectations. Covenants have long been an effective way to keep behaviors appropriate and to save time.

  • Create three covenants together at the beginning of the year (a great icebreaker!)—one for singers, one for the conductor, and one for parents.
  • Give yourselves permission to add/edit/remove things from the covenant during the year.
  • Working together to create a covenant also ensures that the children are aware of the expectations and, most importantly, believe in the importance of the expectations!
  • The covenants should use positive but clear language in describing what the singers/conductor/parents will do, not what they shouldn’t do.
  • Post these covenants and, when needed, remind the singers of what is on the covenants.
  • Soon, the children will begin regulating themselves and each other, and you can do what you do best—lead a safe and engaging rehearsal!

There are lots of resources out there that discuss classroom management and community building. While most of these resources are designed for classroom teachers, the principles are easily adapted for choir rehearsals. I encourage you to check out these two websites that I have found useful:

Responsive Classroom

Bucket Fillers

II. Ritual

Have a ritualized rehearsal where each “rite” is predictable for the children, including a “Gathering” & “Sending.” Imagine your rehearsal like worship. There’s ritual, predictability, flow, transitions between “rites.” Liturgy is specifically designed for all-young and old, readers and non-readers. Why should your rehearsals be any different?

When children know what it going to happen next, behavior is rarely a problem. If rehearsal always starts the same way, maybe with a certain hello song, conversations stop, all eyes turn to the conductor, and all lips are joining in on the song. There’s no need to get their attention through talking or clapping—just start and they’ll know it’s time!

Here’s a sample of a rehearsal ritual that has worked for me:

  • Hello Song
  • Movement activity
  • Vocal Warm-up
  • Chorister’s Prayer (led by CotW)
  • Segment of Hard anthem (discuss what about, for what liturgical season, why)
  • Segment of Easy anthem
  • Hymn of the Month
  • Segment of Medium anthem
  • Announcements
  • Goodbye song

III. Transitions

Keep the kids constantly engaged by using quick & active transitions between “rites.” All too often, this is where the most time gets wasted in rehearsal and when behavior issues crop up. If children are actively engaged in singing and music-making, they can’t fool around, and they will not lose focus. Prior to rehearsal, have the entire rehearsal plan on the board. Use those visuals (as well as some pantomime, too!) to aid you in showing what will come next. If you need to give some sort of verbal instructions (try to cut down on those as much as possible-they really take up time and can break up the concentration that you might have just cultivated), sing the instructions. The use of ritual will also cut down on wasted transition time.

IV. Less IS More

Teach musical, theological, liturgical elements in small, quick bites. Teeny, tiny bites. Repeated many times over a period of weeks. All too often, conductors (guilty!) get bogged down in long explanations of historical liturgical theology, or why the colors of Advent are now blue. I believe with my whole heart that children can and should learn this stuff, but we don’t need to give lectures on them, either.

Plan your teaching segments of anthems/hymns in short segments. For a lower elementary aged choir, each segment would be 7-10 minutes or so. Older ones can handle 10-15 minute segments (if they’re allowed to be active learners). Preschoolers can handle 5-7 minutes. As crass as it may seem, think of the time between commercials in TV shows. If we exceed that length of time on one teaching moment, we are not getting them at their most alert and focused.

V. Get Up and Go!

Start rehearsal with a movement activity. Children have been sitting most of the day. My first three years, I put the movement activity at the end of rehearsal as a sort of reward. Unfortunately, we almost never got to it and movement is not a reward. It is intrinsic to rehearsing and learning. Believe it or not, once we began rehearsals with movement (a folk dance, a creative movement piece, a singing game), we got MORE accomplished in each rehearsal than I ever expected. Children need to MOVE and they learn best when their WHOLE bodies are engaged. Our movement activity got the wiggles out and helped them to focus. Another bonus of starting off with a movement activity is if you tend to have latecomers (who doesn’t?), they are not missing rehearsal of a piece. AND, because no one wants to miss the fun movement activity, the children beg the parents to make sure they are on time or, even better, early!

Use movement during rehearsal. Again, children have been sitting much of the day. We also have many children in there who are kinesthetic learners. When we use our bodies to keep the beat, show the phrase, get a certain articulation, we are engaging every child. If you are doing something in compound meter, have the kids skip around as they sing. If the piece is very legato, have the children use their arms to sing the phrase musically. Be creative. Have fun with movement!

VI. Shake It Up

Alternate the difficulty levels of anthems. And, do not be afraid to simplify an anthem when you need to. We all have had those weeks with half of our singers sick or on vacation (especially when we have many children from the same family. One family’s illness could alter rehearsal plans for a couple of weeks.) A rotation that has worked well for me is easy-medium-easy-hard. This way, you could begin the tricky parts of the medium and hard anthems well in advance without panicking or crash learning—something discouraging for you and the singers. Yes, we want to challenge them, but we want them to always be able to feel successful about what they are doing. Joyful learning should always be at the heart of what we do.

VII. Empower Them

A teacher-friend of mine gave me the idea of Conductor(s) of the Week. (Side note: If you don’t have friends who are elementary classroom teachers, make some. They are INVALUABLE resources.) Her school uses “Teachers of the Day,” so I adapted this for church choir. Each week, two singers became the Conductors of the Week (CotW, from here on). The CotW were in charge of leading the Chorister’s Prayer, passing out/collecting music/instruments/pencils, behavior modeling, and anything else that I needed them to do! Each child was thrilled when it was his/her turn to be CotW and took the role very seriously.

Have a middle schooler or a high schooler from your older choirs to be your assistant. My older assistants were always called “Ms. (first name)” (I haven’t had any young men yet). Giving them that slight status boost was so helpful! The assistants stood up a little straighter and took initiative to help the little ones. Plus, my assistants always had younger siblings in the choir. By empowering the assistant the younger siblings treated them with just a little bit more respect.

Children’s choirs are critical to the worship life of a faith community. As such, much care and thought should be put into this ministry. There is time enough to create a well-rounded learning environment for these children-there’s no need to triage! Thanks be to God!

Filed Under: Choral Techniques and Repertoire Tagged With: ,
avatar
Bekah Schulz

Rebekah Schulz, AiM, holds a Bachelor of Music-Church Music degree from St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN) and a Master of Sacred Music degree from Luther Seminary (St. Paul, MN). She is on the middle school choir faculty at the International Music Camp (on the border of Manitoba and North Dakota), serves on the Board of the New Hampshire Council of Churches, and teaches early childhood music in Nashua & Manchester, NH. A certified Kindermusik teacher, Rebekah is completing her certifications in Orff‐Schulwerk and Kodály music education philosophies from the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN). She has served congregations in Minnesota and Connecticut. While in Minnesota, Rebekah was the soprano section leader of the National Lutheran Choir (Minneapolis), interim conductor of the Treble Choir of the Northfield Youth Choirs (Northfield, MN), and adjunct faculty at Luther Seminary. She is a member of ALCM, AOSA, OAKE, the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, and the Choristers Guild. She lives in Nashua, NH, with her husband, Rev. Matthew Tingler.

No Need to Triage: They Can Do It!

by

Part One: A Philosophy of the Children’s Choir

Last fall, a friend and I met for a brainstorming session about children’s choirs. During the course of our conversation, my friend posed a question that has been following (haunting?) me ever since: What is the role of the children’s choir ministry?

Sometimes this question is explored and answered with deep forethought and intention, sometimes not. There are many models of children’s choir ministries out there. Some children’s choirs’ role is merely to bring the “cute” factor (or, unfortunately, the “humor”) into worship. Others take the route of the lowest expectations, what I call the “we’re-just-glad-they-come” approach, never mind the quality of their contribution to worship. Some aim for the highest caliber in music making, but neglect the rich liturgy and worship life that we Lutherans are so proud of. Worse yet, there’s the belief that the purpose of the children’s choir is to parade them in front of the congregation like bait to get people to come and/or join the church! I’m not denying that they can be cute, nor am I denying that we shouldn’t be grateful that they are there! Of course we should celebrate the commitment that both child and parent makes to get their young singer there. However, there is much more to it and the kids can do it.

So, what is the role of the children’s choir? I believe there are several and that each is critical to creating an effective ministry. The role of the children’s choir is:

  1. To provide worship leadership through knowledge of the liturgy and hymn-singing.
  2. To provide music for the worship service to enhance the worship life of the assembly.
  3. To learn about the liturgy and the liturgical calendar.
  4. To learn the faith.
  5. To learn the fundamentals of music and healthy vocal technique.
  6. To learn how to live as a community.

 

I hope that, at some point, each of us as thoughtful cantors/conductors/music ministers/whatever-your-title has reflected on our role and its true meaning. As the musical leaders of the church, we should not be satisfied to merely go through the motions and become what Paul Westermeyer refers to as “music grinders.”[1] We strive to think about the meaning of all that we do. Perhaps we’ve even given this deep thought in regards to our adult choirs. But, have we really taken the time to think about our children’s music ministries?

A colleague once said, the children are the body of Christ, right here, right now. They are not the future of the church, they are the church. Through the anthems that they sing, the children are enriching the worship life of the assembly. But, do not resort them to merely becoming an anthem choir (read: music grinder)! In addition to participating fully in the entire service (sitting/standing/singing/praying), the children are more than capable of leading the Kyrie, the Psalm, a hymn stanza, etc.

Children’s choirs do not exist solely to serve the assembly. They are also for the edification of the young singers in our care. As leaders of these choirs, we have an opportunity and responsibility to help them to grow as Christians, as musicians, as citizens of the world. Using the church year, the liturgy and hymns, and our anthems as starting points, we can explore faith, Bible stories, why we do what we do in liturgy. We are not a replacement for the Christian education that they are receiving at Sunday School, but, why miss a chance to explore more of what it means to follow Jesus?

In an era when music education (and all arts education) is often on the chopping block in our public school systems, church choir might be the only chance for many to learn how to read music or how to sing in a beautiful, healthy way. How can we not help children to become life-long music makers?

As the church in a country where individualism is celebrated (I live in the “Live Free or Die” state), and in a world where electronics are redefining social interactions, we need to practice how to live with one another in a community, amid disagreements and conflicts. Choir is an incredible place to teach this. Choir is not a utopia, just as the church is not utopia. It may be made up of people who disagree with you, who you don’t know, who are not your favorite people. For children’s choirs, the most annoying people might be there–your siblings! I have always maintained that choir is a team, no matter what. Your little brother is not your little brother in choir; he is your teammate. How would you act toward a teammate? You don’t have to love the teammate, but you have to be able to live with him/her. There are many, many ways to build a community within your choir. Here are just a few: sharing prayer concerns, congratulations to each other on a job well done, group work, movement activities, service projects, get-to-know-you games, etc.

I insist that every children’s choir should and can contain all of these elements. Now, many of you are probably wondering if I am completely insane. (That part may be true.) Some of us are just grateful to survive rehearsals with all participants in tact! And there will be some days where that may be all that happens—survival. And, that’s ok! However, with a lot of planning and creativity, you—and, more importantly, the kids—can do this, even under the least ideal of conditions. In Part Two, we’ll explore some creative techniques to fit everything into our precious choir rehearsals.

[1] Paul Westermeyer, The Church Musician. Revised edition. (Augsburg Fortress: Minneapolis, 1997), 6.

Filed Under: Choral Techniques and Repertoire Tagged With: ,
avatar
Bekah Schulz

Rebekah Schulz, AiM, holds a Bachelor of Music-Church Music degree from St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN) and a Master of Sacred Music degree from Luther Seminary (St. Paul, MN). She is on the middle school choir faculty at the International Music Camp (on the border of Manitoba and North Dakota), serves on the Board of the New Hampshire Council of Churches, and teaches early childhood music in Nashua & Manchester, NH. A certified Kindermusik teacher, Rebekah is completing her certifications in Orff‐Schulwerk and Kodály music education philosophies from the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN). She has served congregations in Minnesota and Connecticut. While in Minnesota, Rebekah was the soprano section leader of the National Lutheran Choir (Minneapolis), interim conductor of the Treble Choir of the Northfield Youth Choirs (Northfield, MN), and adjunct faculty at Luther Seminary. She is a member of ALCM, AOSA, OAKE, the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, and the Choristers Guild. She lives in Nashua, NH, with her husband, Rev. Matthew Tingler.

A Few Thoughts on Rehearsal Techniques

by

“I don’t feel I should work my Church choir too hard. After all, most of them have worked hard all day.”

How many of us have been guilty of this assumption?  My singers may think they don’t want to work hard, but while a dull and dragging session may leave us all exhausted, a stimulating, intensive rehearsal that accomplishes a lot with an infectious spirit of excitement will leave them (and me!) less tired when they leave than when they came – and looking forward to another hard-working session next week. This is especially true if none of their precious time is wasted.

And how might I avoid wasting time?  For one thing, I must be prepared – not only knowing the music, but anticipating mistakes and dealing with them before they are “learned.”

As an example – in studying the new anthem I plan to introduce this week, I notice that in measure 15 the tenors sing an E while the basses are supposed to sing F a major 7th below (SA notes above are A and C.)  Aha!  Knowing my basses, I’m pretty sure they will sing the octave E in that spot, because it will “sound right” – settling for an a minor 6/4 chord instead of an F major 7th.  So at the very first rehearsal I will deal with that potential problem.  How?  Going over the bass part alone in that spot will seldom avoid the problem.  They may still revert to the E when singing with the whole group.  No, they must hear that F along with the tenor E and the upper voices as well, enough to get it in their ears and “make friends” with it.

That’s one part of being sure I deal with the “whole problem.”  Getting into and out of that dissonance is also important.  Too many directors will begin to deal with a wrong note right AT the note itself, not realizing that the real problem is getting there from the preceding notes.  Robert Shaw used to test his summer festival choirs by asking them to approach the note or chord in question and then sing it staccato.  (No time to “adjust!”)  If it comes off muddled or indistinct, it needs more work – and more listening.

What about mistakes that I have not anticipated?  In this case, what if I have not noticed in the score that major 7th dissonance between bass and tenor – and what if the basses do sing the octave instead?  Will I hear it?  Or – because it “sounds right,” will I let it go – or not notice it until it has become an ingrained habit?  This brings up the whole question of ear training.

At a workshop a few years ago, the leader tested his group by playing several hymns while they followed the harmonizations in the hymnal provided.  He warned them that in each hymn there would be just one wrong note in one of the four voice parts, and they were to try to detect it from looking at the notes in front of them while listening to what was played.  In the first examples the mistake was obvious – and dissonant.  But then the leader simply substituted one note that sounded right for another – finally just adding a 5th to a final chord that was printed with only roots and a third.  That was the real stickler!  No one in the group heard it.

How much is such a “sharp ear” inherited, and how much can it be developed?  One thing is sure: we can improve our ears in this and other ways.  Hearing what is actually happening may be the most important time saver of all!  Many commonly-used anthems can be heard these days on the internet – some in several different renditions.  Getting the correct sound firmly into my ears before presenting the piece to the choir will help these  ears to “raise a red flag” at any wrong notes.  Perhaps other directors can share ideas here about this important task of “ear development” – possibly the most common weakness among us.

How much do I talk vs. how much they sing?  My first conducting teacher (in high school) would set a stopwatch going every time the music stopped and I began talking.  At the end of the session I would always get scolded for too much talk.  “They come to sing, not to hear you talk” was his constant reminder.  So in correcting things such as dynamics, variations in tempo, etc. why not ask myself if it can be done entirely with my conducting gestures (and facial expressions?), without saying a word?

Of course, this assumes that the singers are watching!  Since church choir singers can be notorious for keeping their eyes and noses in their (lowered) music, how can I train them to keep both eyes and music up?  For one thing, by never letting them take my tempo for granted – changing it often without warning during rehearsals.  After they are caught several times in this way, they may begin to pay better attention.  Surprise changes in dynamics and mood may also be used to hold their eyes.

Pauses between singing while I stop to think what to do next can be another problem.  Again recalling my old mentor’s advice, my brain needs to be “multi-tasking” throughout the rehearsal.  While listening for accuracy as the choir is singing, I am also deciding what to do next, so that when the singing stops I can immediately say (in his words), “Page 3, measure 17: tenors – SING!”  (This happens before they can begin talking – and my accompanist must be quick to give them an instant pitch!)

“OK, let’s just go through it again,” may be an all-too-common weakness of the amateur choir director.  Just going over an anthem a second (or third) time may correct a few things, but it also may simply reinforce mistakes. Why are we going through it again? What is the goal of this run-through?  Have I prepared for this rehearsal on the basis of what happened last week?

Change of pace and change of approach for each piece being rehearsed is vital to keeping my rehearsals alive.  If I am prepared, I won’t begin every piece by running it through from beginning to end.  Beginning with the toughest spots will earn their respect as well as save their time.  Alternation of easy and challenging music as well as what needs to be done on each can be carefully planned ahead of time – with flexibility as needed, depending on what happens.  And I need to alternate the more somber Advent and Lenten music with the joyful and rhythmic things I are preparing for Christmas and Easter.

Perhaps one of the rarest things among church choirs is a genuine and beautiful pianissimo.  Being strict about pp where indicated in the score can work wonders in developing a lovely sound as well as critical listening among my singers.  “Keeping it alive” while singing pianissimo must also be stressed; otherwise they will surely lose pitch.  Shaw would have his chorus rehearse even the loudest passages pianissimo (to save the voices), and then switch to fortissimo, but “never louder than lovely!”

How often I have found myself getting so carried away with the notes – the music itself – that I have forgotten that choral music also involves words -words which indicate how the music should be sung, and should stimulate the singers’ interpretation and imagination.  More than one director facing singers proclaiming the resurrection with long faces has been moved to say, “I don’t believe you.”  Instead of an “opening devotion” for a choir rehearsal, might our anthem texts become devotions within the rehearsal – even without much talking about them?  But whether the deeper meaning of a sacred piece or the whimsy of a nonsense song – how can we make it believable?

The importance of effective rehearsal techniques cannot be over-emphasized.  A former St. Olaf Choir member recently said that she enjoyed rehearsals even more than performances of that choir.  Shouldn’t that be the conductor’s goal as well?  When singers and director find themselves aspiring together toward a “higher good,” wonderful, even life-changing things can happen!

Filed Under: Choral Techniques and Repertoire Tagged With: ,
avatar
Ronald A. Nelson

With degrees from St. Olaf College and the University of Wisconsin - Madison, Ronald A. Nelson served for 37 years as Director of Music at Westwood Lutheran Church in suburban Minneapolis, where he has been named Cantor Emeritus and now serves as a choir member. In 1999 he was one of 50 composers chosen to write music for the "Continental Harmony" project of the American Composers Forum and National Endowment for the Arts to celebrate the new millennium. He is the recipient of a Distinguished Alumnus Award from St. Olaf College, the F. Melius Christiansen Award from the Minnesota ACDA, and the Faithful Servant Award from the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians.

Scripture Based Children’s Anthems

by

The texts we choose for children to sing are as important as the musical qualities of an anthem. What better texts are there to teach our children than words of scripture? The following anthems are just a few of the ones I have found to be worth teaching and repeating.

Use Your Gifts by Lynn Shaw Bailey and Becki Slagle Mayo (Choristers Guild)

Luke 16:1-13

Based on the parable of the dishonest manager, which appears in Lectionary 25, Year C, this would be an excellent anthem anytime during stewardship season. It is unison with an optional 2nd part.

This is the Day by Robert Lau (Choristers Guild)

Psalm 118:24

This is a good choice for the Easter season, but appropriate for almost any Sunday, except during Lent because of the alleluias. While there are several good songs with this text, I find this anthem particularly useful as the first anthem of the choir year, as it is repetitive and can be quickly learned. There is an optional flute part.

God is Our Hope by John Bertalot (Choristers Guild)

I have used this many times on Reformation Sunday. The two part writing is excellent and accomplishable (with some work) with elementary singers. The dynamic contrasts are particularly effective.

The Lord Is My Shepherd by David G. Allen (St. James Music Press)

Psalm 23 with some additional text

This is a beautiful unison anthem with a flowing piano accompaniment. There are some optional alto notes. It is perfect for “Good Shepherd Sunday,” (Fourth Sunday of Easter) and other occasions.

Sing Joyfully to God by Michael Joseph (St. James Music Press)

Psalm 95

These first verses, known as the Venite, often begin the psalmody portion of Morning Prayer. This psalm of praise is appropriate for numerous occasions.  The anthem is unison with an optional descant at the end, which could be vocal or instrumental.  The accompaniment can be piano or organ.

Jubilate! by Michael Bedford (St. James Music Press)

Psalm 100:1, 3

Another psalm of praise, this text is sung in both Latin and English. The optional 2nd part at the end is mostly in canon. This festive anthem works very well for a Thanksgiving service or Christ the King Sunday.

Show Me Thy Ways by Mark Patterson (from Children Sing: Seven Anthems for Elementary Age Singers, Augsburg Fortress)

Based on Psalm 25:4-5

Psalm 25 appears in the lectionary several times, so plan this beautiful anthem for one of those occasions or anytime during Lent. The optional second part is a descant, and the accompaniment is for piano.

Psalm 51 by Mark Patterson (from Children Sing Psalms, Marilyn Comer, editor, Augsburg Fortress)

Psalm 51:1-2, 10

This is the appointed psalm for Ash Wednesday, and other times during the lectionary cycle. The music is easy and lyrical, so take this excellent opportunity to teach the more difficult text, with words like “transgressions”, “compassion”, and “iniquity.” Sing this one as an anthem, or have the congregation join on the refrain.

Yo Soy la Luz del Mundo (from Part-Singing Global Style by Michael Burkhardt, Morningstar Music Publishers)

John 8:12

This song from Mexico is appropriate during the season of Epiphany. It is arranged in the form of a partner song, and can be sung in two parts or in three parts. There is a piano accompaniment, as well as parts for maracas and shakers, which can be played by the children.

A Blessing of Grace from Worship Leaders Volume 2 by Mark Patterson (Choristers Guild)

Based on Psalm 67:1

I like having children make connections by singing words that they regularly hear in worship. This benediction has an optional second vocal part on the Amen. The keyboard part can be enhanced by two optional handchimes. Singing a benediction in worship involves children as worship leaders. I also find a benediction each choir year to sing at the end of every rehearsal. Again, this helps to make the connection between Sunday morning worship and Wednesday night choir rehearsal.

These are only a few anthems, but check out the collections mentioned as well. Of course, one way to really delve into scripture with children’s choirs is – you guessed it – a musical! That’s a topic for another blog.

Filed Under: Choral Techniques and Repertoire Tagged With: , ,
avatar
Sarah Hawbecker

Sarah J. Hawbecker is a graduate of St. Olaf College and the Eastman School of Music. Since 1996, she has served as Organist and Director of Children's Music at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Atlanta, GA, overseeing a program of two children's choirs, three handbell choirs, a summer music camp, and a concert series. She has performed for and presented workshops at regional and national gatherings of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, and of the American Guild of Organists, and has served as adjudicator for several organ competitions.

Teaching Hymns and Liturgy to the Children’s Choir

by

I no longer assume that the children entering into my choir are familiar with the Lutheran liturgy and standard hymns, even Christmas carols. There are several reasons, including the lack of sacred music in the schools, families’ sporadic worship attendance, and attendance at “alternative” services.  Our staff is making more deliberate efforts to encourage families to worship together regularly. I schedule our 2nd-6th grade choir to sing for worship at least once a month. One of the third grade boys recently told his mother that church was more fun when he was in the choir, because he had more to do. Yes, indeed – church is much more fun when you can participate because you have rehearsed the responses and know the hymns!

One of my main goals as a children’s choir leader is to enable the children to become lifelong full participants in worship. How do we accomplish this?

1.     Constantly teach the parents, children, and congregation that when the children’s choir sings in worship, they are worship leaders, not entertainers.

  • Have the choir wear robes. (This can even calm nerves for children who don’t like to be in front of crowds. Tell them that, like the pastors, we all look alike by wearing special “servant uniforms” to draw attention away from ourselves and toward God.)
  • Have them sit together as a group for the entire service. Parading them in to sing and then immediately out sends the message that their offering is a special interruption, and not really an integral part of worship.
  • Have the children process, if your regular worship practice includes a procession.
  • Let them sing other parts of the service, in addition to an anthem. They can serve as cantor for the Kyrie or a psalm, or sing a descant on a hymn. The first time my elementary choir sang the Kyrie in worship, some in the congregation were emotionally moved to tears. Now the children always serve as cantor at their scheduled services, and a couple of choristers who are now teens “go solo.”

2.     Teach liturgy and hymns at every single rehearsal.

  • Physically use the hymnal. Practice looking up page numbers, psalms, and hymns. Teach them how to use the indexes. Make it into a game: Who can be the first one to turn to page 147 in the front of your hymnal? Can you find the hymn number for “Silent Night?” What are the two hymns listed that can be sung to the tune “Azmon?” Who can tell me which hymn in our hymnal was written by George Frideric Handel? Make it age appropriate. Some younger children will need a lot of practice just to find and differentiate between page numbers and hymn numbers in the ELW. Challenge the older children with the indexes, starting with First Lines and Titles.
  • Explain all the information on each hymn page. Talk about the author of the text and the composer of the tune, and when they lived. (The ELW Hymnal Companion is a great resource.) Tell them that the tune name is different than the title of the hymn. Have them sing the words to a different tune (try singing “I Am So Glad Each Christmas Eve” to the tune of “Amazing Grace.”). They will think it’s cool and fun! Explain what the funny little numbers (the hymn meter) at the bottom of the page mean.
  • Use hymns to teach music reading and vocal techniques. Use the refrain of “Angels We Have Heard on High” as a vocal warm-up: it’s great for range, flexibility, and breath control. Ask questions about a hymn: Are there two lines of music that are the same? Does the melody go up or down on the third line? Is that a half note or a whole note on the word “grace?” How many beats are in each measure? Reading four-part multiple stanza hymns can be confusing compared to unison or two-part choral music. Practice following the music in this way: Play the hymn and stop at various places. Have them tell you the word or syllable on which you stopped. When singing the hymn, strive for beautiful tone, accurate rhythm and good diction.
  • As much as you practice reading fluency, work toward memorization on some things, too. The result is that even when minds wander during worship, they will come back when they hear “The Lord be with you,” and can easily respond “And also with you.” If you have taught them “Lamb of God,” they will sing it from memory on their way to receive communion.

3.     Don’t “dumb down” for the children. Challenge them! There is nothing in the hymnal that they cannot learn.

  • Children will learn many things faster than adults. They learn foreign languages more easily and memorize quickly.
  • Yes, poetic texts can be difficult, especially older texts and translations. There will be many new vocabulary words. Talk about what the text means. Is this a statement of praise or a prayer? Is this hymn telling a story? Who is speaking, and to whom? If it is based on a scripture passage, discuss that.

Most things worth learning take work. You may even find that it takes less effort than you first thought to teach hymns and liturgy to children. Approach it intentionally, and these young people will gain skills and develop their faith in a way that will stay with them forever.

Filed Under: Choral Techniques and Repertoire Tagged With: , , , ,
avatar
Sarah Hawbecker

Sarah J. Hawbecker is a graduate of St. Olaf College and the Eastman School of Music. Since 1996, she has served as Organist and Director of Children's Music at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Atlanta, GA, overseeing a program of two children's choirs, three handbell choirs, a summer music camp, and a concert series. She has performed for and presented workshops at regional and national gatherings of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, and of the American Guild of Organists, and has served as adjudicator for several organ competitions.