“A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people. “Mahatma Gandhi Today we have two more stories from the Choral Ethics mailbag. Both seem pretty topical. One is from a male singer. The other is about three different church musicians who experienced the same thing, on the same day. The […]
Church Choir
The Four Functions of a Church Choir
Since starting at my current church, the choir has rallied behind four “functions” of a church choir and has been central in helping the church become what song-enliveners affectionately call a “singing congregation.” As the director of a church choir I use four functions to explain why the church choir exists. Those priorities help determine […]
GUEST BLOG: “What Powers the Church Choir?” by Thomas Vozzella
WHAT POWERS THE CHURCH CHOIR? by Thomas Vozzella As we begin the 50 days of Easter, following intensive Holy Week worship experiences, I have been renewed with a deeper understanding of why some church choirs give, give and give more, whereas other choirs make the whole experience torture for themselves and their director(s). […]
Conference Morsel: Church Choir Demographics
(An excerpt from the interest session “A Place in the Choir, a Choir in the Place,” presented by Charlotte Kroeker during the 2014 ACDA Southwestern Division Conference) According to a Chorus America study, More choirs are found in churches than anywhere else in the U.S., 216,000 of 270,000. 80% of all choirs in […]
Conference Morsel: Strategies for Smaller Church Choirs
(An excerpt from the interest session “Where 10 or 12 Are Gathered: Strategies for Smaller Church Choirs,” presented by Matt Caine during the 2014 ACDA Southern Division Conference) . . . In any of these situations you may have to help the choir develop a new vision, but in the case of the […]
Conference Morsel: Church Choir Reimagined
(An excerpt from the interest session “Church Choir Reimagined: Priestly, Prophetic, Pastoral, and Participative,” presented by Kai Ton Chau during the 2014 ACDA Central Division Conference) . . . We have just examined the tension between “performance” and “ministry” for the role of a church choir in a Christian worship setting. Then we […]