Super Quick Post...
The odyssey has ended. On Monday, I signed my contract for the Music Director of Traditional Worship at Gethsemane Lutheran in Maplewood, MN. Today, I was offered the 0.6 FTE High School Choir Director Position at Richfield (MN) High School, and have verbally accepted.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Great Day at Iowa Choral Director's Association...
Quick post today...
I had a great day at the Iowa Choral Director's Association's 36th Annual Summer Symposium. The highlight of my day was co-leading the Ethnic and Multicultural Music Reading Session with Nick Page. The session was my last official duty as the out-going Repertoire and Standards Chair for E/M music. It was a pleasure to meet Nick, who is a wonderful person and a strong advocate for multicultural music as a bridge to understanding. Also, a special big thank you to my long-time friend Darcy Hendriks, who accompanied both Nick and I for the reading session.
Another great part of the day was the annual worship service held at the convention. This year's prayer service of hymns and scripture was lead by Michael Burkhardt. Dr. Burkhardt is a nationally renowned church musician, and he did a fantastic job creating this year's prayer service.
Carol Stewart's speech about the importance of our art upon receiving the Robert McCowen Award inspired and empowered. I hope to carry the echoes of her words a long time in my heart.
Finally, it was a bittersweet day for me. I have been an extremely active member of the Iowa Chapter of the American Choral Director's Association since joining in 2005. There are many men and women in the ICDA for whom I have developed a great deal of respect and admiration. Some of these colleagues have become like family. We rejoice in each other's success, and help each other in our moment's of professional frustration. It was humbling to hear so many of my colleagues who I admire, lament my departure from the state. It is great to feel that sense of belonging and appreciation.
As I re-establish myself in my home state of Minnesota, I am hopeful that I can develop similar professional connections. But to those brothers (and sisters) in song from Iowa, I will always remain close. I may make a point to come down to future ICDA conventions from time to time, but I will definitely see you at divisional and national conventions.
I had a great day at the Iowa Choral Director's Association's 36th Annual Summer Symposium. The highlight of my day was co-leading the Ethnic and Multicultural Music Reading Session with Nick Page. The session was my last official duty as the out-going Repertoire and Standards Chair for E/M music. It was a pleasure to meet Nick, who is a wonderful person and a strong advocate for multicultural music as a bridge to understanding. Also, a special big thank you to my long-time friend Darcy Hendriks, who accompanied both Nick and I for the reading session.
Another great part of the day was the annual worship service held at the convention. This year's prayer service of hymns and scripture was lead by Michael Burkhardt. Dr. Burkhardt is a nationally renowned church musician, and he did a fantastic job creating this year's prayer service.
Carol Stewart's speech about the importance of our art upon receiving the Robert McCowen Award inspired and empowered. I hope to carry the echoes of her words a long time in my heart.
Finally, it was a bittersweet day for me. I have been an extremely active member of the Iowa Chapter of the American Choral Director's Association since joining in 2005. There are many men and women in the ICDA for whom I have developed a great deal of respect and admiration. Some of these colleagues have become like family. We rejoice in each other's success, and help each other in our moment's of professional frustration. It was humbling to hear so many of my colleagues who I admire, lament my departure from the state. It is great to feel that sense of belonging and appreciation.
As I re-establish myself in my home state of Minnesota, I am hopeful that I can develop similar professional connections. But to those brothers (and sisters) in song from Iowa, I will always remain close. I may make a point to come down to future ICDA conventions from time to time, but I will definitely see you at divisional and national conventions.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
A preview for the Iowa Choral Director's Association Ethnic and Multicultural Music Reading Session
On Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 I will be presenting the ICDA Ethnic & Multicultural Perspectives reading session with the help of esteemed clinician Nick Page. For more information on Mr. Page please visit his website. The purpose of this blog is to provide as much additional information on the pieces printed for this year's reading session as possible. Where possible, I will provide the publishers link and any performance/recording links available. While compiling this years reading session list we tried to cover a variety of cultures. We also attempted to pick pieces that would cover ensembles from a variety of ages and ability levels. It was my goal to have an elementary music teacher and a collegiate choral director both have a couple pieces from this session worth considering.
I will write a second blog covering pieces suggested by Nick Page and a handful that did not make the final cut that I reviewed. Enjoy.
1. Bowling Green (2 part treble). arranged by Nick Page. Boosey & Hawkes (Hal Leonard) #48005003.
This selection is a Page arrangement of an American Bluegrass piece suitable for a middle school treble choir, originally commissioned by the Central Kentucky Children's Choir. This is an uptempo piece with sections of unison singing and simple harmonies. It is definitely a crowd pleaser. Originally performed and recorded by Cousin Emmy in the 1940s. Here is a decent live performance link via youtube.
2. Great Mornin' (2 part). arranged by Cristi Cary Miller. Hal Leonard #08552267.
This piece is a simple two part arrangement of four different African American Spirituals by Cristi Cary Miller. In my opinion Ms. Miller is one of the finest choral arrangers for developing voices active today. Her ability to interweave melodic material and create counter melodies that makes 2 part and Three Part Mixed choral music interesting for students to sing is outstanding. If you are not familiar with her arrangements, I highly recommend them. Here is the Hal Leonard link, with studio sound clip. Here is a youtube link that I found. Not the greatest video quality, but quality age appropriate performance.
3. "We're Goin' Around" from Treemonisha (SSAB). Scott Joplin / arranged by Nick Page. Boosey & Hawkes (Hal Leonard) #48019422.
This piece is another Page arrangement of a piece from Joplin's second opera, Treemonisha. Suitable for high school or more advanced junior high choirs, this piece exposes choral students to the ragtime genre. Ragtime of course is covered prominently by piano students, and its place in the history of African-American music is essential when one seeks to see the evolution of the spiritual to later styles like jazz, blues, and gospel. Here is the Hal Leonard link with a studio recording. Here is a youtube clip from the 2008 Windy City Youth Choir Festival - good quality.
4. Alma Llanera (SATB). Pedro Gutierrez / arranged by Angel Sauce. earthsongs #S-37.
This wonderful Venezuelan piece was selected by both Nick Page and myself separately. An SATB a cappella arrangement suitable for an advanced mixed ensemble (high school, collegiate, or community choir), Alma Llanera "is a joropo, a typical Venezuelan dance rhythm which is based on the simultaneous combination of 3/4 and 6/8 meter" (Maria Guinand's editorial notes at the back of the score). It is an exciting, spirited Latin American piece that will energize your concert program. Here is the earthsongs link on the publisher's website. There are a few youtube clips available. Here is one I found well done. Check out some others that add instrumental accompaniment (drums, guitar) to the piece.
5. Boatmen's Song (SSAA). Bright Sheng. G. Schirmer (Hal Leonard) #50486623.
Bright Sheng's arrangement of a folk song from the Shaanxi Province in China was originally commissioned by the Young People's Chorus of New York City under the direction of Francisco J. Nunez. Sheng is one of the premiere classical composers active today, but many may be unfamiliar with his work. It is a great opportunity to create a bridge for your singers to modern classical composers.
This piece is designed for an ADVANCED women's chorus or children's choir. In my opinion it is the most difficult piece in the session, and quite a challenge, but the end result is worth the effort. Here is the link to the program notes from Bright Sheng's website. Check it out further for more information about Dr. Sheng. Here is the Hal Leonard link with brief audio clip. A recording by the Young People's Chorus of New York can be found on their CD, Transient Glory 2.
6. Desh: An Indian Raga (TTBB). arranged by Ethan Sperry. earthsongs #S-330.
Staying on the Asian continent, we move down to India for an arrangement of Desh by Ethan Sperry, for advanced men's choir. This piece is also available from earthsongs in an SATB arrangement (#S-252). I have personally been intrigued by Indian choral music ever since I first heard, Victor Paranjoti's Dravidian Dithyramb. Dr. Sperry further contributes to this genre for earthsongs. Desh is named for a specific raga (ie. scale) that is similar to the major scale with a lowered seventh on the descent. Sperry provides very detailed ethno-musicological notes at the back of the score. The piece alternates between a slower 7/8 section, followed by a fast 4/4 essentially operating in cut time. Here is a link to the publisher's page. Here is a youtube link of the Miami University of Ohio Collegiate Chorale performing the SATB version, under the direction of Dr. Sperry. Outstanding and it works as a primary resource in your preparation.
7. Fog Elna Khel (SATB). arranged by Salim Bali. earthsongs #S-320.
Moving west to the Middle East, I chose a rare piece: choral music from a Middle Eastern country. Choral music is not a common art form in this part of the world, and Salim Bali's work has been an invaluable resource in cultivating music for this genre. Fog Elna Khel is an arrangement of a folk song with both Iraqi and Syrian origins. The part writing is excellent, and provides an opportunity to explore a non-Bel Canto singing technique with your ensemble (ie. bright and non-vibrato) to attempt to create a sound that is authentic to the Arab World. Although not overly complicated, I would recommend this piece for an advanced high school choir, beginning collegiate, or community ensemble. Here is the link to the publisher's webpage. And here is a youtube link. It appears to be a high school ensemble (unsure?), but fairly well done.
8. N'kosi Sikelel'i Afrika (unison to four parts a cappella). Joseph Shabalala and Nick Page. World Music Press VTS #14.
This another great selection contributed by Nick Page through his collaboration with Joseph Shabalala of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. This is a four part arrangement of the South African National Anthem composed by Enoch Mankay Sontonga in 1897. The voicing is very flexible and therefore it is an approachable and programmable selection for any number of ensembles. Here is the link from World Music Press. Of course here is the famous video of Miriam Makeba, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Paul Simon. In the words of Stan Lee, "Nuff said."
9. Hamisha Asar (3 part treble). Flory Jagoda / arranged by Nick Page. Boosey & Hawkes (Hal Leonard) #48004912.
This piece is an arrangement of a piece by Flory Jagoda by Nick Page. (Page also created an SATB arrangement.) Ms. Jagoda was a descendent of Sephardic Jews living in Bosnia. The lyrics are in Ladino which is a Spanish / Hebrew hybrid language. The piece dances in a fast, 7/8 meter, providing an energetic contrast in your program. Here is the Hal Leonard link. Here is a youtube link of the 2003 New Mexico All-State Women's Choir.
10. "Sano Duso" from Two Serbian Folk Songs (SATB). arranged by Tina Harrington. Pavane Publishing (Hal Leonard) #P1373.
Staying in the former Yugoslavia, I selected an arrangement of a Serbian folk song by Tina Harrington entitled Sano Duso. Oscillating between F minor and F major, the piece is about love and longing. This a great slower and deeply emotional piece for your programming. It sounds like a hybrid between Arabian and Russian influences, and considering the geographic location of Serbia and the country's history, this is not surprising. Here is the Hal Leonard link with a sound clip. And a youtube clip.
11. Ma come bali bene bela bimba (2 part). arranged by Mark Sirett. Boosey & Hawkes (Hal Leonard) #48019930.
This Venetian folk song is beautifully arranged for two part treble choir that would be well suited for an advanced middle school or junior high ensemble, or high school women's choir. A fantastic up tempo Italian piece. Here is the link to the Hal Leonard page with sample audio. And a youtube link, low quality recording, but gives you the idea.
12. D'ou Viens-tu, Bergere (2 part), by Thomas Bell. Hal Leonard #08751311.
An up tempo, French language piece with alternating meter composed by Bell for the Mississauga Children's Choir in Ontario. This is a great piece for middle school treble choirs with great part writing and strong unison sections. Here is the Hal Leonard link, with sample audio. Here is a great youtube clip of the Indianapolis Children's Choir performing the piece.
13. The True Lover's Farewell (SATB). arranged by Reginald Unterseher. Walton Music (Hal Leonard) #08501740.
This piece is a good arrangement of a traditional English folk song. Unterseher's arrangement is designed for female heavy junior high ensembles or beginning high school choirs in which the tenor part frequently doubles the soprano, and the bass line frequently doubles the alto. It is a great approach for developing choirs with changing voices. Here is the link to the Walton Music website with sound clip (very high quality).
Again, I hope this post provides an additional more in depth resource to the piece presented at this summer's reading session. Later, I will post a list of pieces that Nick Page and I considered for the reading session, but did not make the cut.
I will write a second blog covering pieces suggested by Nick Page and a handful that did not make the final cut that I reviewed. Enjoy.
1. Bowling Green (2 part treble). arranged by Nick Page. Boosey & Hawkes (Hal Leonard) #48005003.
This selection is a Page arrangement of an American Bluegrass piece suitable for a middle school treble choir, originally commissioned by the Central Kentucky Children's Choir. This is an uptempo piece with sections of unison singing and simple harmonies. It is definitely a crowd pleaser. Originally performed and recorded by Cousin Emmy in the 1940s. Here is a decent live performance link via youtube.
2. Great Mornin' (2 part). arranged by Cristi Cary Miller. Hal Leonard #08552267.
This piece is a simple two part arrangement of four different African American Spirituals by Cristi Cary Miller. In my opinion Ms. Miller is one of the finest choral arrangers for developing voices active today. Her ability to interweave melodic material and create counter melodies that makes 2 part and Three Part Mixed choral music interesting for students to sing is outstanding. If you are not familiar with her arrangements, I highly recommend them. Here is the Hal Leonard link, with studio sound clip. Here is a youtube link that I found. Not the greatest video quality, but quality age appropriate performance.
3. "We're Goin' Around" from Treemonisha (SSAB). Scott Joplin / arranged by Nick Page. Boosey & Hawkes (Hal Leonard) #48019422.
This piece is another Page arrangement of a piece from Joplin's second opera, Treemonisha. Suitable for high school or more advanced junior high choirs, this piece exposes choral students to the ragtime genre. Ragtime of course is covered prominently by piano students, and its place in the history of African-American music is essential when one seeks to see the evolution of the spiritual to later styles like jazz, blues, and gospel. Here is the Hal Leonard link with a studio recording. Here is a youtube clip from the 2008 Windy City Youth Choir Festival - good quality.
4. Alma Llanera (SATB). Pedro Gutierrez / arranged by Angel Sauce. earthsongs #S-37.
This wonderful Venezuelan piece was selected by both Nick Page and myself separately. An SATB a cappella arrangement suitable for an advanced mixed ensemble (high school, collegiate, or community choir), Alma Llanera "is a joropo, a typical Venezuelan dance rhythm which is based on the simultaneous combination of 3/4 and 6/8 meter" (Maria Guinand's editorial notes at the back of the score). It is an exciting, spirited Latin American piece that will energize your concert program. Here is the earthsongs link on the publisher's website. There are a few youtube clips available. Here is one I found well done. Check out some others that add instrumental accompaniment (drums, guitar) to the piece.
5. Boatmen's Song (SSAA). Bright Sheng. G. Schirmer (Hal Leonard) #50486623.
Bright Sheng's arrangement of a folk song from the Shaanxi Province in China was originally commissioned by the Young People's Chorus of New York City under the direction of Francisco J. Nunez. Sheng is one of the premiere classical composers active today, but many may be unfamiliar with his work. It is a great opportunity to create a bridge for your singers to modern classical composers.
This piece is designed for an ADVANCED women's chorus or children's choir. In my opinion it is the most difficult piece in the session, and quite a challenge, but the end result is worth the effort. Here is the link to the program notes from Bright Sheng's website. Check it out further for more information about Dr. Sheng. Here is the Hal Leonard link with brief audio clip. A recording by the Young People's Chorus of New York can be found on their CD, Transient Glory 2.
6. Desh: An Indian Raga (TTBB). arranged by Ethan Sperry. earthsongs #S-330.
Staying on the Asian continent, we move down to India for an arrangement of Desh by Ethan Sperry, for advanced men's choir. This piece is also available from earthsongs in an SATB arrangement (#S-252). I have personally been intrigued by Indian choral music ever since I first heard, Victor Paranjoti's Dravidian Dithyramb. Dr. Sperry further contributes to this genre for earthsongs. Desh is named for a specific raga (ie. scale) that is similar to the major scale with a lowered seventh on the descent. Sperry provides very detailed ethno-musicological notes at the back of the score. The piece alternates between a slower 7/8 section, followed by a fast 4/4 essentially operating in cut time. Here is a link to the publisher's page. Here is a youtube link of the Miami University of Ohio Collegiate Chorale performing the SATB version, under the direction of Dr. Sperry. Outstanding and it works as a primary resource in your preparation.
7. Fog Elna Khel (SATB). arranged by Salim Bali. earthsongs #S-320.
Moving west to the Middle East, I chose a rare piece: choral music from a Middle Eastern country. Choral music is not a common art form in this part of the world, and Salim Bali's work has been an invaluable resource in cultivating music for this genre. Fog Elna Khel is an arrangement of a folk song with both Iraqi and Syrian origins. The part writing is excellent, and provides an opportunity to explore a non-Bel Canto singing technique with your ensemble (ie. bright and non-vibrato) to attempt to create a sound that is authentic to the Arab World. Although not overly complicated, I would recommend this piece for an advanced high school choir, beginning collegiate, or community ensemble. Here is the link to the publisher's webpage. And here is a youtube link. It appears to be a high school ensemble (unsure?), but fairly well done.
8. N'kosi Sikelel'i Afrika (unison to four parts a cappella). Joseph Shabalala and Nick Page. World Music Press VTS #14.
This another great selection contributed by Nick Page through his collaboration with Joseph Shabalala of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. This is a four part arrangement of the South African National Anthem composed by Enoch Mankay Sontonga in 1897. The voicing is very flexible and therefore it is an approachable and programmable selection for any number of ensembles. Here is the link from World Music Press. Of course here is the famous video of Miriam Makeba, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Paul Simon. In the words of Stan Lee, "Nuff said."
9. Hamisha Asar (3 part treble). Flory Jagoda / arranged by Nick Page. Boosey & Hawkes (Hal Leonard) #48004912.
This piece is an arrangement of a piece by Flory Jagoda by Nick Page. (Page also created an SATB arrangement.) Ms. Jagoda was a descendent of Sephardic Jews living in Bosnia. The lyrics are in Ladino which is a Spanish / Hebrew hybrid language. The piece dances in a fast, 7/8 meter, providing an energetic contrast in your program. Here is the Hal Leonard link. Here is a youtube link of the 2003 New Mexico All-State Women's Choir.
10. "Sano Duso" from Two Serbian Folk Songs (SATB). arranged by Tina Harrington. Pavane Publishing (Hal Leonard) #P1373.
Staying in the former Yugoslavia, I selected an arrangement of a Serbian folk song by Tina Harrington entitled Sano Duso. Oscillating between F minor and F major, the piece is about love and longing. This a great slower and deeply emotional piece for your programming. It sounds like a hybrid between Arabian and Russian influences, and considering the geographic location of Serbia and the country's history, this is not surprising. Here is the Hal Leonard link with a sound clip. And a youtube clip.
11. Ma come bali bene bela bimba (2 part). arranged by Mark Sirett. Boosey & Hawkes (Hal Leonard) #48019930.
This Venetian folk song is beautifully arranged for two part treble choir that would be well suited for an advanced middle school or junior high ensemble, or high school women's choir. A fantastic up tempo Italian piece. Here is the link to the Hal Leonard page with sample audio. And a youtube link, low quality recording, but gives you the idea.
12. D'ou Viens-tu, Bergere (2 part), by Thomas Bell. Hal Leonard #08751311.
An up tempo, French language piece with alternating meter composed by Bell for the Mississauga Children's Choir in Ontario. This is a great piece for middle school treble choirs with great part writing and strong unison sections. Here is the Hal Leonard link, with sample audio. Here is a great youtube clip of the Indianapolis Children's Choir performing the piece.
13. The True Lover's Farewell (SATB). arranged by Reginald Unterseher. Walton Music (Hal Leonard) #08501740.
This piece is a good arrangement of a traditional English folk song. Unterseher's arrangement is designed for female heavy junior high ensembles or beginning high school choirs in which the tenor part frequently doubles the soprano, and the bass line frequently doubles the alto. It is a great approach for developing choirs with changing voices. Here is the link to the Walton Music website with sound clip (very high quality).
Again, I hope this post provides an additional more in depth resource to the piece presented at this summer's reading session. Later, I will post a list of pieces that Nick Page and I considered for the reading session, but did not make the cut.
Monday, June 13, 2011
The interview process...
This evening I will be interviewing for a church music position in the Twin Cities metro area, and in preparation for the interview the pastor sent me two questions to contemplate ahead of time. I appreciate it when future employers give me opportunities to think of my answers ahead of time. In this situation, I found the questions to be quite thought provoking. So much so, that the questions alone make me more excited at the prospect of working for this particular church.
As I began meditating upon these questions, I thought, "This would make a good blog entry, and making it a blog entry may help me articulate my answers better." Out of respect for the church, I will keep the identity of the church and its denomination out of my answers below.
Question #1 - Being a choral director in a church involves the intersection of music, theology, and the worship life of the church. How do you understand these multiple aspects of the job?
This question describes the essential distinction between the job of the church choir director, and a choir director in any other position. I believe it is the job of the church choir director to enhance the worship experience of the congregation. However this "enhancement" is not done by merely adding wonderful choral anthems to the worship setting, but by inviting and encouraging the members of the congregation to become more actively engaged in worship. As a church musician, it is my job to prevent congregants from becoming mere spectators in the liturgy. Too often in recent years, I have observed congregants of various denominations and social make ups exist as non-participating members of the worship service. As a musician and person of faith who believes that speaking the prayers and singing the liturgy is an essential part of the worship experience this trend baffles, and to an extent, frightens me.
Early on in my professional career I had the fortune of working for two ELCA churches that were very traditional in their liturgy, but also maintained strong congregational participation. As a liturgical snob/traditionalist, I took great pride to work for such churches. I realize now that this is the exception. However over the past decade, I have attended churches that utilize worship and praise bands and a more contemporary liturgy, but suffer from the same spectator worship. This has lead me to the conclusion that it is not entirely the music, nor is it the fault of the congregation.
The worship leadership must find a way to implement music in the liturgy that members of the congregation will feel comfortable singing. Part of this process is selecting quality music in a singable range. Some older hymns and contemporary worship songs have melodic material that ranges to wide or sits in a higher tessitura. The other part is educating the congregation. The choir can be utilized either directly or indirectly when introducing new music to educate and provide support to the congregation. If a new hymn is being introduced, it would be wise to teach it to the choir the week before, and then allow them to sit with their families throughout the sanctuary to provide a security net for the remainder of the congregation. If an unfamiliar or new liturgy is implemented for a portion of the church year (ie. Lent), I have found it is beneficial to educate the congregation regarding the unfamiliar music with the choir and cantors directly. More often than not, congregants want to participate in the liturgy, but if they are unfamiliar with the text or music they do not feel comfortable doing so.
In conclusion, the choir director can provide very beneficial leadership within the worship team to invite the congregation to actively participate in the liturgical celebration. In the end this is what we all want when we attend worship. We want to "get something out of it", but to do so we must participate, and help others to do so.
Question #2: (The church) designates two Sundays each year - one in Advent and one in the Spring - as "Choral Music Sundays." The choir director has the creative license to design the entire service. What kinds of "all music" Sundays would you envision?
I am certain other choir directors who might read this blog share my view that his aspect of the job is awesome. To be entrusted with the planning of two worship services in a year that features your preferred art form as a central component to worship is a tremendous honor and responsibility. This is an extremely exciting aspect of this particular position, because it hints to the importance that the congregation and pastor holds the use of music within the liturgy. As a choral musician how I could help but not want to work in an environment like that.
Enough of my gushing... onto the actual answering of the question...
As a member of the American Choral Director's Association and specifically and extremely active member of the Iowa chapter over the past five years, I have participated in and witnessed some wonderful worship and music sessions and services at regional and national conventions, and state summer conventions. Clinicians that particularly struck a chord with me include Dr. John Ferguson of St. Olaf College and Dr. Joey Martin of Texas State University - San Marcos. Ferguson and Martin have drastically different approaches to music in worship with the former taking a more traditional approach, and the latter using a more eclectic/contemporary approach. However both are successful in touching the congregation on a musical and spiritual level. That is what is important.
Advent...
During the Advent season the natural approach is to have a service of lessons and carols, which is an Anglican tradition that many denominations have embraced. (Forgive the wikipedia reference, not very "academic.") The options vary. The most obvious is to begin with the established Nine Lesson and Carols tradition at King's College, and modify the selection of hymns and carols based upon the traditions of the church and the ability of the choral ensemble. One would be to create my own selecting readings, hymns, and anthems that interconnect from the church's established choral library, with a few newer purchases depending on the allowance of the budget. In this approach, I sometimes like to replace some of the scriptural reading with sacred poetry. This was an approach I used frequently as a Catholic high school choir director in Iowa. This particular thread from Choralnet was invaluable in developing this idea. Another idea is to purchase a complete published Lessons and Carols service from a music publisher. In recent years composers and librettists have created entire compositions around this idea. Some publishers that have these compositions within their catalogues include: Augusburg Fortress, MorningStar, Concordia Publishing, among others. I would admittedly need to more fully examine each potential composition before recommending this approach.
Spring...
When examining potential options for Choral Music Sundays during the spring there are many more variables. Is this particular Sunday occurring in Lent, during the Easter Season, or after Pentecost? What are the scheduled readings for that Sunday? Is there a special occasion that occurs on this Sunday? Hymn sings are a possibility. However in these incidents, I am inclined to explore unique worship music possibilities. In recent years I have been increasingly interested in the work of the All Saints Company attached with St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco. The ASC's program of Music that Makes Community focuses upon learning congregational music from rote based upon the folk traditions of the past. I have only scratched the surface of ASC's ideas, but I think it is something worth exploring and has great potential.
Well the interview is tonight. Hopefully, my thoughts on the questions above will help me in the interview process. If nothing else, the questions have helped me in greater depth about the role of the choral director in a church setting.
As I began meditating upon these questions, I thought, "This would make a good blog entry, and making it a blog entry may help me articulate my answers better." Out of respect for the church, I will keep the identity of the church and its denomination out of my answers below.
Question #1 - Being a choral director in a church involves the intersection of music, theology, and the worship life of the church. How do you understand these multiple aspects of the job?
This question describes the essential distinction between the job of the church choir director, and a choir director in any other position. I believe it is the job of the church choir director to enhance the worship experience of the congregation. However this "enhancement" is not done by merely adding wonderful choral anthems to the worship setting, but by inviting and encouraging the members of the congregation to become more actively engaged in worship. As a church musician, it is my job to prevent congregants from becoming mere spectators in the liturgy. Too often in recent years, I have observed congregants of various denominations and social make ups exist as non-participating members of the worship service. As a musician and person of faith who believes that speaking the prayers and singing the liturgy is an essential part of the worship experience this trend baffles, and to an extent, frightens me.
Early on in my professional career I had the fortune of working for two ELCA churches that were very traditional in their liturgy, but also maintained strong congregational participation. As a liturgical snob/traditionalist, I took great pride to work for such churches. I realize now that this is the exception. However over the past decade, I have attended churches that utilize worship and praise bands and a more contemporary liturgy, but suffer from the same spectator worship. This has lead me to the conclusion that it is not entirely the music, nor is it the fault of the congregation.
The worship leadership must find a way to implement music in the liturgy that members of the congregation will feel comfortable singing. Part of this process is selecting quality music in a singable range. Some older hymns and contemporary worship songs have melodic material that ranges to wide or sits in a higher tessitura. The other part is educating the congregation. The choir can be utilized either directly or indirectly when introducing new music to educate and provide support to the congregation. If a new hymn is being introduced, it would be wise to teach it to the choir the week before, and then allow them to sit with their families throughout the sanctuary to provide a security net for the remainder of the congregation. If an unfamiliar or new liturgy is implemented for a portion of the church year (ie. Lent), I have found it is beneficial to educate the congregation regarding the unfamiliar music with the choir and cantors directly. More often than not, congregants want to participate in the liturgy, but if they are unfamiliar with the text or music they do not feel comfortable doing so.
In conclusion, the choir director can provide very beneficial leadership within the worship team to invite the congregation to actively participate in the liturgical celebration. In the end this is what we all want when we attend worship. We want to "get something out of it", but to do so we must participate, and help others to do so.
Question #2: (The church) designates two Sundays each year - one in Advent and one in the Spring - as "Choral Music Sundays." The choir director has the creative license to design the entire service. What kinds of "all music" Sundays would you envision?
I am certain other choir directors who might read this blog share my view that his aspect of the job is awesome. To be entrusted with the planning of two worship services in a year that features your preferred art form as a central component to worship is a tremendous honor and responsibility. This is an extremely exciting aspect of this particular position, because it hints to the importance that the congregation and pastor holds the use of music within the liturgy. As a choral musician how I could help but not want to work in an environment like that.
Enough of my gushing... onto the actual answering of the question...
As a member of the American Choral Director's Association and specifically and extremely active member of the Iowa chapter over the past five years, I have participated in and witnessed some wonderful worship and music sessions and services at regional and national conventions, and state summer conventions. Clinicians that particularly struck a chord with me include Dr. John Ferguson of St. Olaf College and Dr. Joey Martin of Texas State University - San Marcos. Ferguson and Martin have drastically different approaches to music in worship with the former taking a more traditional approach, and the latter using a more eclectic/contemporary approach. However both are successful in touching the congregation on a musical and spiritual level. That is what is important.
Advent...
During the Advent season the natural approach is to have a service of lessons and carols, which is an Anglican tradition that many denominations have embraced. (Forgive the wikipedia reference, not very "academic.") The options vary. The most obvious is to begin with the established Nine Lesson and Carols tradition at King's College, and modify the selection of hymns and carols based upon the traditions of the church and the ability of the choral ensemble. One would be to create my own selecting readings, hymns, and anthems that interconnect from the church's established choral library, with a few newer purchases depending on the allowance of the budget. In this approach, I sometimes like to replace some of the scriptural reading with sacred poetry. This was an approach I used frequently as a Catholic high school choir director in Iowa. This particular thread from Choralnet was invaluable in developing this idea. Another idea is to purchase a complete published Lessons and Carols service from a music publisher. In recent years composers and librettists have created entire compositions around this idea. Some publishers that have these compositions within their catalogues include: Augusburg Fortress, MorningStar, Concordia Publishing, among others. I would admittedly need to more fully examine each potential composition before recommending this approach.
Spring...
When examining potential options for Choral Music Sundays during the spring there are many more variables. Is this particular Sunday occurring in Lent, during the Easter Season, or after Pentecost? What are the scheduled readings for that Sunday? Is there a special occasion that occurs on this Sunday? Hymn sings are a possibility. However in these incidents, I am inclined to explore unique worship music possibilities. In recent years I have been increasingly interested in the work of the All Saints Company attached with St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco. The ASC's program of Music that Makes Community focuses upon learning congregational music from rote based upon the folk traditions of the past. I have only scratched the surface of ASC's ideas, but I think it is something worth exploring and has great potential.
Well the interview is tonight. Hopefully, my thoughts on the questions above will help me in the interview process. If nothing else, the questions have helped me in greater depth about the role of the choral director in a church setting.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Sifting through the trash to find treasure...
One of my greatest joys over the past year was serving as the R&S Chair of Ethnic and Multicultural Music for the Iowa Choral Director's Association. Part of the fun was sifting through all of the new octavos published by the various music publishers in the past year and determining which had value. That was also a major part of the burden of the position. "Value" is a difficult label, because much of what is published does not excite me as a "choral snob", but one must look at each score from different perspectives to determine its merit. To be perfectly honest too much of what is published is not worth performing.
First and foremost, one must determine the intended audience of each octavo. Was this piece written for elementary choir or an advanced collegiate / professional ensemble (or somewhere in between)? How well does this piece serve the purpose for the given ensemble? Admittedly, there is a lot of music written for elementary and middle school choirs that lacks substance and quality, and I as an educator would avoid programming many of these pieces. There are composers and arrangers for young voices who do outstanding work to create worthwhile octavos for those embryonic performers. (Christi Cary Miller is an arranger that is outstanding for young choirs.) Conversely, there is also repertoire written for advanced ensembles that appear composed as a compositional exercise, and fail to move me as a listener. Difficulty for the sake of difficulty.
How do we find pieces that inspire and move? None of what I will say here is ground breaking. In fact these are beliefs "stolen" from teachers and colleagues with whom I have had the fortune to come in contact over the course of my career. Often these same inspiring mentors unabashadly admit they "stole" their successful ideas from someone else. I am merely paying it forward.
My first qualifier is the text. Do the words inspire me? Now granted there are moments in concerts where we as directors will program pieces from the popular or broadway repertoire that are meant to humor or entertain an audience. But, if you look closely, even those pieces grab us because of the lyrics.
My second qualifier is the part writing. Is the melodic line that the composer shapes memorable? Are the harmonic parts accessible for the interior voices without being too dull (poor altos). Are the root movements in the bass line singable for those men? Are the different voice parts written in a manner that all components can be heard, or is the part writing too dense to reveal the true beauty of the piece.
My third qualifier is generally a result of the sum of the previous two: Does the piece have a moment that leaves the audience moved in some way (awestruck, shaken, smiling, or entertained)? For a piece of music to be memorable for conductor, performer, and audience alike it needs to have a moment that stands from the rest, some sort of "climax" if you will. However the climax does not have to be loud or audacious, it can be as simple as one lone voice pleading for forgiveness.
Over the course of my time writing this web-log, I intend to look through my stacks of choral rep (multicultural or otherwise) and give my thoughts on the subject. If anyone follows, it would be great to hear your thoughts on the manner. I wish I had started this venture sooner, I am excited for the intellectual stimulation it may create. Admittedly, I will post about other aspects of a life as a choral director and educator, but as my graduate school mentor Dr. Brad Barrett always said, "Repertoire, repertoire, repertoire."
First and foremost, one must determine the intended audience of each octavo. Was this piece written for elementary choir or an advanced collegiate / professional ensemble (or somewhere in between)? How well does this piece serve the purpose for the given ensemble? Admittedly, there is a lot of music written for elementary and middle school choirs that lacks substance and quality, and I as an educator would avoid programming many of these pieces. There are composers and arrangers for young voices who do outstanding work to create worthwhile octavos for those embryonic performers. (Christi Cary Miller is an arranger that is outstanding for young choirs.) Conversely, there is also repertoire written for advanced ensembles that appear composed as a compositional exercise, and fail to move me as a listener. Difficulty for the sake of difficulty.
How do we find pieces that inspire and move? None of what I will say here is ground breaking. In fact these are beliefs "stolen" from teachers and colleagues with whom I have had the fortune to come in contact over the course of my career. Often these same inspiring mentors unabashadly admit they "stole" their successful ideas from someone else. I am merely paying it forward.
My first qualifier is the text. Do the words inspire me? Now granted there are moments in concerts where we as directors will program pieces from the popular or broadway repertoire that are meant to humor or entertain an audience. But, if you look closely, even those pieces grab us because of the lyrics.
My second qualifier is the part writing. Is the melodic line that the composer shapes memorable? Are the harmonic parts accessible for the interior voices without being too dull (poor altos). Are the root movements in the bass line singable for those men? Are the different voice parts written in a manner that all components can be heard, or is the part writing too dense to reveal the true beauty of the piece.
My third qualifier is generally a result of the sum of the previous two: Does the piece have a moment that leaves the audience moved in some way (awestruck, shaken, smiling, or entertained)? For a piece of music to be memorable for conductor, performer, and audience alike it needs to have a moment that stands from the rest, some sort of "climax" if you will. However the climax does not have to be loud or audacious, it can be as simple as one lone voice pleading for forgiveness.
Over the course of my time writing this web-log, I intend to look through my stacks of choral rep (multicultural or otherwise) and give my thoughts on the subject. If anyone follows, it would be great to hear your thoughts on the manner. I wish I had started this venture sooner, I am excited for the intellectual stimulation it may create. Admittedly, I will post about other aspects of a life as a choral director and educator, but as my graduate school mentor Dr. Brad Barrett always said, "Repertoire, repertoire, repertoire."
Choral Conductor as "Addict"
So what is the purpose of this blog? Will anyone read it? Or is this merely an exercise for me to work out my own intelluctual problems?
First the genesis of the title of this blog, which is a long convaluted story. Recently, I have been reading a book that I have been planning to read for a long time, Parker's "Once a Runner". I was a competitive distance runner in high school and college, and took pride in my athletic achievements no matter how humble. Early in the book Parker describes the obsessively regimented life of a competitive distance runner. I remember it well. My entire schedule was centered around when I was going to "get my miles in" for the day to contribute to my ever increasing weekly mileage goal. I miss that compulsion, which leads me to the greater realization I have what one might call an "addictive personality".
How so...
It is human nature for people to harbor some sort of compulsion or addictive behavior. I would venture to label my compulsion is border line hoarding. Looking back on my life I have collected or horded a lot of things: comic books, sports cards, video games, CDs, books, and now choral music octavos. Unfortunately, I still possess many of these items, which reminds of the idea that we can be "weighed down by our possessions." I need to declutter, especially now
Conversely, I would argue that being single-minded or compulsive in our pursuits and behavior is not all bad. As long as I pick and choose where I allow my addictive behavior to manifest itself, it can contribute positively to my life. So I have decided to be addicted to these things:
1.) My family - my wife and children always number one on my list.
2.) My faith - when I remain active in a faith a community, and my own spiritual development, that is when I feel focused.
3.) Running - I know I won't run a mile in about 4:45 again, but I could sure stand to get back in the healthy habit of distance running. I often equated my distance running sessions in my youth as "mobile meditation".
4.) Choral music - however, admittedly I could stand to pair down the choral octavo library, and book collection. This blog will serve as an outlet for this addiction as I write about choral topics I find interest in.
That means all the fairly meaningless distractions of my long ago youth need to be sold off, given away, or just thrown out. Only by simplification and focus can we maximize our potential.
First the genesis of the title of this blog, which is a long convaluted story. Recently, I have been reading a book that I have been planning to read for a long time, Parker's "Once a Runner". I was a competitive distance runner in high school and college, and took pride in my athletic achievements no matter how humble. Early in the book Parker describes the obsessively regimented life of a competitive distance runner. I remember it well. My entire schedule was centered around when I was going to "get my miles in" for the day to contribute to my ever increasing weekly mileage goal. I miss that compulsion, which leads me to the greater realization I have what one might call an "addictive personality".
How so...
It is human nature for people to harbor some sort of compulsion or addictive behavior. I would venture to label my compulsion is border line hoarding. Looking back on my life I have collected or horded a lot of things: comic books, sports cards, video games, CDs, books, and now choral music octavos. Unfortunately, I still possess many of these items, which reminds of the idea that we can be "weighed down by our possessions." I need to declutter, especially now
Conversely, I would argue that being single-minded or compulsive in our pursuits and behavior is not all bad. As long as I pick and choose where I allow my addictive behavior to manifest itself, it can contribute positively to my life. So I have decided to be addicted to these things:
1.) My family - my wife and children always number one on my list.
2.) My faith - when I remain active in a faith a community, and my own spiritual development, that is when I feel focused.
3.) Running - I know I won't run a mile in about 4:45 again, but I could sure stand to get back in the healthy habit of distance running. I often equated my distance running sessions in my youth as "mobile meditation".
4.) Choral music - however, admittedly I could stand to pair down the choral octavo library, and book collection. This blog will serve as an outlet for this addiction as I write about choral topics I find interest in.
That means all the fairly meaningless distractions of my long ago youth need to be sold off, given away, or just thrown out. Only by simplification and focus can we maximize our potential.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
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