If an English literature teacher assigns the writings of Hunter S. Thompson or Ernest Hemmingway, is she advocating drug or alcohol use? Are choral directors who program a work with a sacred text proselytizing? Is the science teacher explaining human biology being lewd or provocative?
The answer to all three questions is a resounding, “Of course not!”
Yet year after year those of us in the choral music field come under withering fire for programming historically valuable and educationally viable music that just happens to have sacred text.
In the document Music with Sacred Text: Vital to Choral Music and the Choral Art, your association has stated. “It is important to recognize the fact that almost all of the significant choral music composed before the 17th century was associated with a sacred text. Since choral music with a sacred text comprises such a substantial portion of the artistic repertoire representative of the choral medium and the history of music, it should have an important place in music education.”
As you ponder this, enjoy a selection from a recent performance at an ACDA divisional conference. While the text of this work is sacred, the educational intent of its study and performance was not.
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