chant for children
  • frater
    Posts: 16
    Hello and greetings to all -- Is there a basic chant book for children. Our Catholic school (Pre-K through 7th grade)is trying to start a music program, just vocal, to get the kids to sing chant and hymns for Mass. Any and all suggestions about how to start would be appreciated. Any good book/s to get for kids and chant too.

    Thank you sincerely.
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    For grades 3-6, I've success with Justine Ward's "STORY OF REDEMPTION" (1954) with both parochial school and vacation bible school this last year. It's available at the MS main site, free pdf download.
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,510
    Take a look at the Parish Book of Chant: http://onlinecatholicstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=8838
  • ChrisPT
    Posts: 9
    I'm a newbie to the MS forums, and a long-time amateur chant enthusiast. This week I had my first experience working with the parish kids via our Vacation Bible School. I wanted to try an experiment with them (all 35 of the restless little darlings). I divided them up into three groups. I taught one group the text "Ubi caritas," the next group "et amor," and the third, "Deus ibi est." (Explaining what it meant, of course.) Then I taught them each chant melody fragment. When we put it all together - first group 1, then 2, then 3 - it was great! By the time we'd gone through just that part a few times, many of the kids could sing the whole phrase. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time for them to learn more. But as easily as they picked it up, I have no doubt I'll be able to teach chant to a good number of the kids when the religious ed. program picks up again this fall.

    I just wanted to share that.

    - Chris
  • miacoyne
    Posts: 1,805
    Thanks, Chris. What a good Idea! Hope you help them keep chanting!
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