Noel,

There was a lot of advice in this article.

But Jonathan gave no before and after samples of his non-singing church to his singing church.

Just what I percieve are his own (and other's) likes and dislikes, to scratch people's backs.

Has his advice worked?

I mean, I like a lot of it, personally, but I disagree following this advice would "get a church singing."

I've been wrong before. Maybe I am again.

It's easier for me to say which of his suggestions I think WILL work,

But then I'm just thinking, no experience or examples here:

1. Teach. Teach your people. Teach them why we sing. Teach them why we sing the songs we sing. Teach them how to sing as well as they possibly can.

9. Encourage and support the arts in the community. Take a group to the symphony. Offer the use of your sanctuary for school and community performances. Though it may not mean immediate results for your congregation, it will promote music-making in your community.

10. Bring the kids back into corporate worship. Honestly, there’s no way congregational singing can survive even another generation unless we start with the youngest worshippers.

Honestly, I don't believe any of the rest of his suggestions will help moving a non-singing congregation to a singing congregation, though a lot of them ARE nice suggestions.

I mean, there is a lot of stuff involved psychologically. "I can't sing." "I just want to go to Mass and get it over with." "The print in the hymnal is too small, I can't read it." "If that baby would stop crying, I'd sing." "The priest has a terrible voice." "I have to know when to stand up to go to the Eucharist line." "I don't even know what 'Sanctus' means, and I'm not going to learn a lot of jibberish I don't understand." "I wish they'd sing in Latin, they keep changing everything on me. What is 'consubstantial' anyway? Sounds like 'concubine'"

Honestly, I think the points he made that I quoted would help, and the rest are all fluff for like-minded people.

But like I said, I'm just thinking, no experience or examples here.

Edit - Postscript as this conversation has moved well beyond my response.

and the rest are all fluff for like-minded people

was certainly not really worded properly in the way I meant to convey my message. I mean, most of Jonathan's other suggestions might really help a singing congregation sing better. But I still think his advice is a laundry list of his personal likes and dislikes, to help bring division and not unity into the congregation of the faithful.

The title of this thread immediately made me think of a congregation chanting things like:

The Restroom is located * on the left- and right-hand sides of the entrance to the church.
Please turn off all cell-phones and pagers, * or put them on silence.
In case of an emergency + exits are located at the front and rear of the Church; * please ask the ushers if anyone near you needs assistance.

One problem is that I don't think the U.S. in general does much to teach children to sing. When they do, it's probably influenced too much by pop culture. If people do not begin singing as children, what is going to suddenly make them desire to when they are older? Not only will it not be habit, but it will also be much more difficult.

I have been to enough congregations that sing well to know that "contemporary culture" issues are not the primary driver for a lack of singing.

Expand...your thoughts are valuable to us.

I have observed the following in the same congregation, those that sing, those that don't and those that pick up the hymnal and want to sing but for reasons close it up and put it back in the pew after the hymn is started. I suspect the reasons are to numerous to mention but certainly starting after a quarter or eight rest is not conducive to good congregational singing, the text is Catechetically weak or just bad poetry. no high d's or I can't sign, etc, etc.

I believe that devotional hymns might solve this singing conundrum. Most if not all were written to be congregationally friendly, are composed with easy singable melodies, everyone starts at the same time, they are effective evangelization tools during Mass and after Mass, the text is focused on God, the Saints, the Blessed Sacrament, the Sacred Heart, the Blessed Mother or Guardian Angles and not the You, Me and I like the contemporary approach we have today that sometimes gives us an identity crisis. (IMHO)

From the article I would have to agree that it's a good practice for cantors to step away from the mic once the hymn is started and also during prayers. You don't kneed to be praying the Confeitor, Creed or the Our Father, from the mic, the same is true for dismissal chants. If the cantor detects the congregation isn't singing then reengage them and help them out. I have found these to be good cantor practices but they are not necessarily effective at improving congregational singing.

Too low and too slow are the usual culprits when singing is difficult for me. I agree with your last statement regarding obvious and easily correctable factors.