Choral Caffeine: Church Music

Part of the normal musical week for some choral conductors is service to a local church or synagogue.  I suppose it stands to reason, given that a large portion of the history of choral music is tied in one form or another to the church.  Of course, trying to understand the term “church music” is like buying a bag of chips – the variety is dizzying.

 

In his concise article, “Creating and Sustaining Choral Programs in Today’s Churches” (Nebraska Short Notes, Winter 2010), Greg Zielke discusses a variety of factors pertaining to the merits of a church choral program.  While some folks see church music as nothing more than an argument about the praise team vs. traditional choir (and there have been numerous Choral Journal articles on this topic), Greg sums it up thusly:

 

“People are looking for ways to give, to use their talents. Praise teams allow a limited group of people to use their musical gifts in the church, whereas choral music is far more inclusive. Consider this approach. Use the same mindset as you do at your school where the students come to you steeped in a culture of American Idol, pop singing styles, etc. Do you just throw up your hands and say that choir doesn’t fit our contemporary music culture or that your choir program doesn’t have the support of the parents and administration? No, of course you don’t.”

 

Just like the chip isle in the grocery store, there’s a flavor for everyone.  (Subtle Hint: next week we'll look at a way to increase the number of singers in a church choir.)

 

(To access the full article, simply click the highlighted title. For additional articles on a dazzling array of choral topics, visit  ChorTeach.)