Singing Christian Music (Part III)

The last two posts (here and here) dealt with some of the problems that arise when we sing in choirs in public school settings. The problems happen all over, and are not new. I think I may have one way that we can help to make thing better.

I believe that we need to start, before we do anything else, by letting parents and students know up front about the inherent Christian-ness of choral singing, and allow them to make a decision whether participating in the art form is something they are interested in. Denying it, or neglecting to mention the strong tradition in the form, sets the choir director, the parents, and the singers up for a potential clash (a clash we repeat over and over again across the country), which benefits no one. We need to let everyone know that there is a strong Christian tradition in this art form, and that we will be performing many sacred Christian pieces at the same time that we are committed to inclusion and diversity. The parents and the students must also know that we are willing to make accommodations for students who feel that this piece or that one makes them feel uncomfortable. 

By letting it be known right away that this is what the student is getting into, I think we empower young singers and their parents to make informed choices about whether they should participate or not, and to go into the situation with open eyes and minds. We have tried for decades to evade, minimize, obfuscate or even deny the Christian-ness of the art form. Perhaps it is time to acknowledge the truth of the matter…I would wager that many of the fights we engage in might be eliminated or minimized with this upfront discussion. The parent of the young singer would not have been forced to react to Silent Night, but could have had the discussion with their child at the very beginning, before problems arose. Of course the young singer could still have felt uncomfortable, which is why we also commit to accommodations, or could have elected not to participate, but at least they would be doing so proactively and honestly.

The next most important thing to remember is that the need for a diversified program does not go away when we decide to be open and up-front about the inherent Christian-ness of choral music. I want to reiterate and emphasize that this approach that I advocate for does not mean abandoning in any way our committment to inclusion, accommodation, and diversity. In fact, by taking this open, honest stance, we must work even harder to show our young pupils what is all out there in the choral world. This is our duty as educators.

In my next post I will talk about the factors that contribute to the appropriateness, and the perceived appropriateness of specific choral pieces on a choir concert program. Some are legal (as in, the supreme court) and some are cultural. Stay tuned for that discussion. For now, I’m sure there is more to say on this topic, so I will let the commentators chime in…they always have good stuff to add.