Advise for teaching chant to 400 high schoolers?
  • mjcurtis
    Posts: 62
    Hi everyone.

    I am teaching a 1 hour 15 minute chant class to 400+ high schoolers over three periods next weekend. It is designed to be a completely basic class assuming that they know nothing, which is most likely the case. Any suggestions or fun exercises that have worked for you? I plan on including mode singing and fixed do solfege, notation, and performing, stylistic considerations. Keep in mind that time and the classroom situation will be difficult with over 100 kids in a class at a time. Thanks for the help!

    Matt
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,696
    I regularly wake up in cold sweats after having dreams of doing such things.

    A class size that large, that (likely) hyper, and talkative is going to be a nightmare.

    I'd start out talking about WHY chant is important. You have to convince them that its worth their effort before they'll try it. Talk a bit about history.

    Then I'd teach the very, very basics of neume reading. My choir became motivated to learn how to read neumes when I told them it was like suduku or a crossword puzzle (they never asked any questions as to how it was like those things - thank God because it's really not).

    Then I'd teach them to sing something interesting that they've never heard before. If they've never heard any chant before (or very little), how about the Kyrie from Mass VIII. It has practical applicaions, since if they ever find themselves at a random Missa Cantata of the EF they're likely to hear it.

    And some here will scoff at this.. but it'll help if you bring candy and give it to those who "actively participate" as a reward. It's a cheap trick, but if some people start participating to get the candy, others might join in just because everyone else is doing it.
  • gregpgregp
    Posts: 632
    "Cheap tricks" in dealing with adolescents are always helpful. Right, Charles?

    (and maybe not only adolescents......)
  • Chris_McAvoyChris_McAvoy
    Posts: 389
    Hosanna to the Son of David !

    Please forgive the late response, I would recommend using material in english as well as latin. I think it will make it more relevant to someone who is entirely unfamiliar with latin and can ease a person into it. hearing the same melody in both english and latin is very fun.

    I think parts of the that ordinary, office hymns and proper introits/communions should be useful for beginners.
    Psalm tones are also important though some of that might bore people who are new to this and need a good first impression. Here's a few materials I found.

    I would particularly recommend the Paschal Antiphone : Alleluia Pascha Nostrum found on page 6 of that first pdf.
    I also think you should read some of Fr. Samuel F Weber's 2007 Zenit interview on why gregorian chant has pride of place in the mass. That is the best introduction for a beginner I believe. "A Living Gregorian Chant" by László Dobszay on musicasacra is almost as useful.

    Beginner's Gregorian Plainchant Material in English

    An English Kyriale

    A Table of Sarum Tones
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