Sacred music and children/youth
  • PMulholland
    Posts: 120
    The work many of us do as organists, choristers, cantors, directors and clergy is very important for the life of the Church. But how many of us are in a position to directly influence our youth?
    I mean, how many of us are in charge of a curriculum where youth are learning the chants and sacred music and are exposed to beautiful liturgy?
    If the Eucharist is the "Source and summit" of the spiritual life, then how are our children taught to recognize that?
    What impression does Holy Mass leave on them?
    Some of these questions are rhetorical, but the point I am trying to make is that the real work is only just beginning.
    The spiritual life of the Church is certainly enduring a malaise that is far reaching and largely unmitigated. The children of today are growing up in a church that is struggling on many temporal fronts but the worst might be our failure to educate our children. Most of our children experience school Masses that are full of gimicks and silliness. Yet we strive to educate them as best we can when it comes to math, science, English... but the most important thing is most often neglected in our schools: the way we teach our children to pray at Holy Mass.

    So I ask this of the forum:
    How many of us are in a position to work for better catholic education of our youth? Particularly in the area of music.

    "Words with Wings" looks like an excellent aid, but it is still just a drop in the bucket compared to the juggernaut of wayward music that most current catholic elementary schools have to offer.
    Are we positioned to do more?
    In my position, I have children just beginning parochial elementary school and I am the Parish DM. My Pastor and I are trying to turn things around, but the current against us is very strong (or just not interested).

    I think it would benefit the forum to discuss situations and strategies to deal with these issues. It is the spiritual life that is most important, so please keep that in mind.



  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    "Yet we strive to educate them as best we can when it comes to math, science, English..."

    Do "we" (by which I presume you mean the schools) really? I've been around the newer generation of college students... I'm not so sure of this. But that's another topic.

    I'm tempted to say to the point in question, "don't worry, they won't remember any of it anyway," as much as a serious point as a pessimistic lament. For example, I failed music in first grade. My music teacher was a locally prominent folk-Mass musician, and he would bring in his guitar and srum-a-dum-dum, teaching us his songs. I found it all very uninteresting, and sat in the corner with my mouth shut all class. Today, I'd say I have pretty decent taste in church music (though probably a bit more lenient than most on here), so his damage was rather mitigated.
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,499
    I am not in a position to do much with regard to the education of youth, except when it comes to my own children. I work very hard with them and it seems to be paying off. They can read chant fairly well, they understand appropriate church music. They sing in my adult choir and understand the meaning of the Eucharist and the Mass through their education. I think they like church music, though I don't know that they would admit it.

    A while ago, our pastor hired a good church musician to lead the church music choir. He attracted a good many students to his "after-hours" children's choir. The parents liked him and his choir only sang appropriate music. He didn't stay (for reasons that had nothing to do with the church), but I could see that things could flourish if the right person were in charge and was willing to put in the time. I think parishioners are in favour of a great choir, but if they are to put the time into it, they want a great leader who is dynamic, knows their stuff and produces something worthwhile.

    Thanked by 1teachermom24
  • Musicteacher56
    Posts: 621
    My chidren's choir has eagerly been eating up all the chants. To date they know Adoro Te Devote, Salve Regina and Ave Maria. They think it's "fun" and they know it's praying doubly hard. Children are our future and should be encouraged and nurtured into true sacred music. I also sing the propers to the children and they think they are "cool" and have asked to learn some of them. They don't read the neumes, yet, but that will come. Baby steps.
    Thanked by 2Kathy canadash
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,500
    Children from maybe 6-10 are excellent, excellent memorizers. And they won't forget--my oldest choir members still have chants on their hard drives, learned as children. My advice: just do it. Get together whatever kids are willing, and just teach them. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, and hugely rewarding.
    Thanked by 2canadash Jenny
  • KARU27
    Posts: 184
    I thought this was quite interesting.

    http://www.reformedworship.org/article/june-1997/teens-and-church-music-what-do-they-really-think
    One conclusion:
    "A theme that emerged during informal conversations with the students in each school concerned the common purpose of the group of people gathered for worship. Several students mentioned that they themselves might be comfortable with a certain musical style, but that they knew others in the congregation would not be. One girl said that she kept thinking about the "little old ladies" in her church and called inappropriate anything that would upset them, because, in her words, "People shouldn't get upset in church."

    My point is that whether we have direct teaching duties or not, the music that MDs choose helps to form everyone's sense of what "normal" or "acceptable" church music is.
    Thanked by 1Andrew Motyka
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    I teach children much the same way as I teach adults.

    Start with the Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei. They are simple, short and will be useful at all masses. Mass XVIII is particularly useful since it is meant for weekdays during Lent and Advent. In Australia, this has proven particularly handy since Lent usually starts soon after the start of classes for both the school and academic year. I'm not so sure what the situation is in the Northern Hemisphere.

    Agnus Dei Ad Lib II and Kyrie XII, Kyrie XVI are also good starting points. Then you can move along to Kyrie XI and Sanctus XI, which are a little harder, but quite within their grasp if they have been introduced to the easier chants.

    Then teach them antiphons such as the Simple Tone Salve Regina, Ave Regina Caelorum and Regina Caelis. Adoro Te Devote and other common chant hymns are also admirable and useful.

    I find the key being to get them singing it regularly. Really, at a school mass we should be having these simple chants and simple hymns. The point of a hymn is that it is meant to be a simple pious song which anyone can pick up as they go.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • Abbot Jonathan CoelAbbot Jonathan Coel
    Posts: 167
    It is my hope and prayer that many in the CMAA in the USA will train children much like its done in great English cathedrals, churches and collegiate school situations which have boy choirs and girl choirs.
    Thanked by 1PMulholland
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,500
    It's wonderful if they have the experience of singing in church, but even if they don't, they will like to learn the music.
  • rogue63
    Posts: 410
    I am somewhat unique on this forum in that my full-time gig is teaching music at a Catyholic K-8 school. The many suggestions one hears from well-wishers on this forum sound pleasant---"Just teach them a few simple chants" etc.---but they fail to take into account the general musical poverty that many students experience.

    Do students have a ready repertoire of memorized songs or poems ready to perform? you know, Rain Rain, Mary Had A Little Lamb, Twinkle Twinkle? You might be surprised at how few students can readily sing these things from memory. Or are they coming from a place where they have no exposure to music outside of the radio and maybe the music at Mass, if they come regularly? Throwing the Salve Regina at 3rd or 4th graders in a general music class simply doesn't work because the language and musical idiom are too unfamiliar to them. In our current cultural environment, the ground must be well-prepared by lots of singing and playing before students are ready to approach our own Catholic musical heritage.

    I think my most important weekly duty at school is preparing music for the weekly school Mass, and I am quite fortunate---the organist and pastor are strongly committed to sacred music and have supported my introduction of Offertory and Communion propers and genuine sacred music for the school choir (read: Tallis, Mozart and others instead of the contemporary schlock). I hope that the high-quality musical environment I'm trying to provide at Mass will instill inthem a love of the Beautiful for the rest of their lives.
    Thanked by 1PMulholland
  • PMulholland
    Posts: 120
    Efforts to help Parish musicians bridge some of the gaps with Catholic education and how we expose our children to sacred music are one of the points I am getting at.

    I like what Fr Abbot had to say about those in the CMAA training children like to the English cathedral system. I would like to add to the discussion of training institutes within the diocese. How are we able to convince the diocese that we need training institutes in Sacred Liturgical music?
    AOZ has an excellent program that could be used this way. Are we able to push it at the level of the diocese. (Some of course would be hostile, but not all)

    I am not suggesting here that the effort be to create more undergraduate/graduate level music students and professionals per se, but to expose and nourish Catholic Culture among the youth. To feed the hungry.

    Gavin,
    That's great that you matured to be a musician, but the point I am trying to make is that we educate and expose our youth for the benefit of their Soul first. Musician second. I believe there is an initiative that could take place to that end and a discussion here could help to foster that.




  • Musicteacher56
    Posts: 621
    My children's choir learned the chants much more quickly than the adults. They embraced them and we had a good time learning. There was no "this is long-hair, pre-Vatican II, stuffy, "old Fashioned" music" attitudes....they just learned.
    Thanked by 2canadash noel jones, aago
  • Earl_GreyEarl_Grey
    Posts: 892
    As the parish MD I select the music for school Masses and get a brief rehearsal with the students. Unfortunately it's a constant battle with the teachers and pastor who prefer more trite "kid friendly" songs (i.e. Glory & Praise). Everybody's a music expert. The children don't know what to think since they are getting conflicting messages. I've noticed a steady decline in musical aptitude, and even among my private students I'm apalled by the lack of baisc musicianship and knowlege of simple folk songs. Despite my best efforts the children are not exposed to enough good qulity music at home or in the classroom. I try to instill good singing habits but they still learn to belt banal noise. While they are naturally attracted to beautiful music and art, they are taught to prefer inferior quality by the culture. My four year old knows more songs from memory and can match pitch better than most elementary students just because singing is a normal part of our family life. We haven't even begun formal teaching, but have every intention of home schooling for that very reason.
    Thanked by 7canadash PMulholland Ben rogue63 CHGiffen Jenny Andrew Motyka
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