Make a Joyful Noise!

By Kathleen Turner

When the pandemic hit, choirs worldwide had to navigate unchartered waters. Most musicians, myself included, had to get creative to keep our choirs alive. We learned more about technology than we ever thought possible. About a third of the way into our shutdown, I downloaded a recording App of higher quality than the standard voice memo App on my phone. Last I checked, there are close to two thousand tracks on the App recorded for the music we offer on our livestream services. 

Brian Hehn, the director of The Center for Congregational Song of The Hymn Society of America and Canada states there are four areas of importance of a Choir:

• The church choir leads and enlivens the congregation’s song.
• The church choir sings music that the congregation cannot.
• The church choir serves as a small-group within the church for faith formation.
• The church choir sings beautiful and challenging music to praise God and edify the congregation.

I’d like to personalize these points and share thoughts about the Choirs of our parish. 

The church choir leads and enlivens the congregation’s song.

To quote noted church musician John Ferguson: it is important to view the congregation as the “big choir,” and the church choir as the “little choir.”

The Choir’s most important role is to lead congregational song. Singing together creates an unspoken bond. This past month is the first we have been able to sing full tilt in the historic church in a long while. So, as we ease into live music let your voice be heard. Make a joyful sound unto the Lord!

There are several hymns in our Hymnal not intended for congregational singing but are meant for the Choir to share. When teaching children the music of our faith I explain how the music came to be. They might learn of a composer just down the street or of music composed by folks hundreds of years ago. Music offered by our choirs is methodically rehearsed weeks in advance so to add exuberance on feast days, or soothe in times of crisis, or to draw the listener inward in our more penitential seasons. 

The church choir serves as a small-group within the church for faith formation.

God created certain people with music in their DNA. Each of our choirs is a family. We offer choirs for all ages and not just singing ensembles. Our Handbell Choir, for example, played a crucial role in music ministry when our voices were silenced. We share a love for music, we support one another in times of sadness and need, and we celebrate milestones with exuberance. My role in music ministry is to offer musical and spiritual direction. The one central element in our ensembles under my leadership is to glorify God in our sounds and in our actions. 

The church choir sings beautiful and challenging music to praise God and edify the congregation.

Don’t tell the choirs this, but a primary goal of mine is to raise their level of competency each season. At the end of a season, especially with the children’s choirs, we review all that we’ve learned and accomplished, especially the dedication and discipline needed to sing in a choir. It is crucial that choirs learn music literacy. It is equally important for directors to teach this in a loving, supportive atmosphere. There are no mistakes in our rehearsal, instead we call them “learning process moments”. There are no cliques in our ensembles. We are a team with a common purpose to glorify God though sound.

I look forward to the upcoming choir season and I know the choirs are excited, too. 

So, which choir would you like to join?

Cum laude digma (with joyful voice),

Kathleen Turner

Organist and Choirmaster