Recommendations for Summer Ward Method Training
  • StimsonInRehabStimsonInRehab
    Posts: 1,916
    Howdy all,

    I’m back on break from seminary for a few days, so I thought I’d drop in and catch up. The current music director of the seminary has asked for my help in bringing him up to speed on proper technique for conducting chant, so I figured that it’s about time I bit the bullet and became certified in the Ward Method.

    Are there any seminars or instructors that I might be able to attend from late June to early August in order to begin this process? Is Ward Method part of the annual chant colloquium put on by CMAA? Of course, this is all subject to whether or not Coronapalooza restrictions will still be in effect, but it’s best to plan ahead.

    I’m heading back to school on Thursday, so if you could let me know before then it would be much appreciated.
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,296
    You could try getting in touch with Alise Brown at the University of Northern Colorado. I believe she offers Ward Certification courses every summer, though COVID may have altered those plans. https://www.unco.edu/news/newsroom/expert/alise-brown.aspx
    Thanked by 2sdtalley3 StimsonInRehab
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,160
    The official source for Ward Method study is at the music school of Catholic University. The courses are pricey, but scholarships are available.

    Having taken the first-level course there, I don't think it's really a suitable route for learning chant conducting in general, since Ward Method is mainly about learning a method of music instruction for children in classroom settings: teaching basic skills about rhythm, pitch, and scales, and leading to sight-singing and eventually chant, among other types of song.

    Probably the Laus in Ecclesia program offered through Clear Creek is more directed to your needs. For the course beyond the first level, you may have to go to France for it.

    CMAA has offered unofficial courses in Ward instruction in some past summers, as a week-long event prior to the Colloquium, but those were not for people seeking certification.
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