How to improve music at school Masses?
  • magistra6
    Posts: 15
    I'd like some suggestions from any of you who've worked with children singing for school Masses.

    My husband and I have volunteered to lead the music for the weekly school Mass in a school of about 100 students. The 6th and 7th graders are the "choir" so that includes some who don't sing or struggle to sing on pitch. We meet with them for 45 minutes a week. We also practice with the other grades for about 30 minutes per week. (But when something comes up, music is bumped off the schedule.)

    We have taught them traditional hymns, several Latin hymns, the Heritage and Missal chant Masses, and the weekly responsorial psalms using psalm tones. We've also tried a few Simple English Propers. We have a student organist.

    Unfortunately, our pastor is unhappy with the music because, as he says, the kids don't sing. Apparently they sang well in past years - but they were singing contemporary stuff! He wants us to introduce some propers and Latin, but I don't know how to do that and get a everybody singing energetically as well! Chant just isn't as rousing as hymnody with the organ. It's a foreign type of music (even in English) so the kids don't sing it the way they do "O Sacrament Most Holy." I am teaching "Words with Wings" to the 5th grade so in time things should improve, but what are we going to do for this week's Mass?

    Thanks for any ideas on this...
  • henry
    Posts: 241
    My only contribution is a suggestion for the 6th and 7th Grade Choir: audition them. Only those who can successfully sing "Happy Birthday" or "My Country Tis of Thee" should be admitted. If permitted, I would start auditioning from 4th Grade.
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,605
    May I suggest Attende Domine or a similar chant? And each class sings a verse on their own, then joining all in singing the refrain.

    There's an arrangement of the chant Ave Verum in the Catholic Choirbook 1 (first of the series, not the anthology) that has the first section as a refrain.

    Possibly dividing up the singing between classes so that at times they feel individually responsible and then singing a refrain might "fool" them into singing?

    Father needs to understand that singing softly is more to be valued than singing full and rousing.

    Of course, singing Christus Vincit might work to please him in that way?
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    FNJ, if you'd allow, I'd like to riff briefly upon each of your suggestions
    *Might I suggest the chanted UBI CARITAS as more accessible to a broader range of class ages; first three lines virtually identical, step-wise motion only. Lines 4/5 similar to each other and the skips are sequential and logical.
    *Agree whole heartedly having the younger grades learn the soprano, 5/6/7 alto and tenor (if possible.)
    *I never illustrate the singing of either chant or hymns using musical and analogous terminology. I repeat that they chant/sing at what is clearly "conversational" level; normal speaking volume. They all understand that concept and then I can clearly hear it every Friday morning.
    *Kids singing Christus Vincit? I believe more will be achieved by teaching them Dubois "Adoremus te Christe" (traddie) or "Alleluia, Sing to Jesus (Hyfrydol)" in 2 parts.
    Thanked by 1noel jones, aago
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,499
    Kudos to you for your efforts, particularly b/c you are volunteers. WOW!

    The above advice is great. Is there any way to have the chants piped in a couple of times a day over the P.A. system at the school? The chants will become part of the children, especially the younger ones. Getting the classroom teachers teaching the chants more often would help too.
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    I should point out the obvious, contra Henry: "Happy birthday" is in fact very difficult to sing successfully.
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    It is a bit of a compromise but here is an idea:

    Select 4 or 5 communion hymns.

    In particular I recommend "See Us Lord About Thine Altar" sung to Drake's Broughton, "Soul of My Saviour", "Shepherd of Souls In Love Come Feed Us", "The Lord's My Shepherd", but you might have others. Please avoid "One Bread, One Body"

    Sing these on rotation after singing a communion antiphon. In fact, even 3 communion hymns on regular rotation would work well.

    Another idea is to use an ad libitum communion antiphon. "O Taste and See" from the SEP is the easiest.

    At the offertory, chant only the antiphon then sing another hymn. Again, you can have a few on rotation such as "By All Your Saints Still Striving" set to Aurelia, "Praise to the Lord the Almighty", "O God Our Help in Ages Past" and "Holy God We Praise Thy Name".

    I would suggest singing a Marian Hymn or antiphon at the recessional.

    One pratice that I have used successfully is to have a short hymn sung during the procession. The ministers halt at the foot of the altar and wait for the introit chant to begin and then they incense the altar. This gives you yet another chance for congregational singing but still has the propers and the choir singing their part.
  • Earl_GreyEarl_Grey
    Posts: 891
    I find that strophic hymns are often too difficult for younger children that are still struggling to read in general. That's why antiphons, or songs with refrains work well. Even LASsT UNS ERFREUEN works well since they can at least sing the Alleluias without having to read all the other text. Repetition also helps. Rather than rotating between 3-5 hymns at communion throughout the year, why not sing a seasonal psalm that would be the same for several weeks in a row and help to teach the liturgical calendar? If you have to include popular songs, try to restrict their use to after Mass as recessionals.

    To be sure, there is a difference between actively participating in the singing and singing loudly. I would contend that it would be better to expose them to good liturgy and music rather than having everyone sing everything enthusiastically be the goal, but not all pastors would agree. Good music and good singing takes more time to develop, but the long term benefits are greater. Pop tunes are instantly gratifying (at least to some) because they're catchy, but there's no substance or long term benefit.

    You're actually quite fortunate to have a pastor that allows you to work with the kids as often as you do and desires at least some Latin and propers. It sounds like he is still under the false impression that kids should sing louder to prove something. If the kids are reverently praying then why worry about how loudly they sing? If they are zoning out in general and not praying the Mass, then why blame the music?
    Thanked by 1magistra6
  • Andrew_Malton
    Posts: 1,159
    If your goal and Father's is a more musically prayerful and traditional liturgy, then do not omit to teach the children (and the priest!) the responses and dialogues. Anyone and everyone can and will sing these: the music is all in the new Missal and is very very simple. Those chants are really a needful first step in musical liturgy, since they set the ears and hearts towards chanted prayer. They are the very essence of active participation for the faithful.
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen Earl_Grey magistra6
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,605
    Forgot to purple my prose. Fixed, see above.
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,605
    I should point out the obvious, contra Henry: "Happy birthday" is in fact very difficult to sing successfully.


    Which explains very clearly why Henry chose it! MCToT is no easier. oh, no, mr. bill, not the dreaded auditions discussion again, please, please, please....

    I believe Henry is more a Helden Tenor than a Contrabass.
  • magistra6
    Posts: 15
    Thank you, everyone, for your responses! I think some of my frustration comes from wanting to do too much at once. I'm thinking that maybe our goal is just to introduce the children to the idea of chanted prayer - a paradigm shift in what they usually experience at Mass. We'll work on a few key things like the dialogues and a seasonal communion chant with lots of repetition.
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    m6,
    I have taught our kids (consistently 2 thru 8) to readily identify the qualities differentiating chant, hymnody and sacred song, all of which we employ at the weekly school Mass.
    Just last week, the primary lesson was to tie their fundamental "love" for Bob Hurd's setting of Ubi caritas to the strophic chant. Hurd's setting has been acquired sequentially by kindergartners by rote, that is to say both the melody and Latin refrain, and as their reading skills improve 1-2nd they acquire the English verses. But in this lesson, I emphasized recognizing step wise v. skip motion in the chanted version (as I mentioned above), identifying where the relatively small interval leaps of a third occur exactly, and the one leap of a P5, which actually doesn't seem large at all. Well, come Friday, and having only used one whole verse in Latin, as the EHMC's (principal/sec'ty) received after celebrant, the whole student body quite audibly (I had no amplification assisting my "leadership") chanted it beautifully. Another thing I started 8 years ago was the greeting of each class with an erzatz "sursum corda" "The Lord be with you" AND ALSO WITH YOU....(which is now quite appropriate for a layperson initiating the greeting.) So, when we have a celebrant intone his orations, they respond strongly in kind. I think your idea to target specific goals, have and demonstrate the kids' mastery of them, and then consistently use them while increasing new goals is a great strategy.
    Thanked by 4Gavin noel jones, aago CHGiffen SamuelDorlaque
  • SamuelDorlaque
    Posts: 318
    I would like to "second" Charles' advice re: Sursum corda & the Our Father. We started first with the Snow in English, later learned the "Pater noster." Remember that children don't have preconceived prejudices, they are drawn instinctively to beauty. We sing now Masses XVI & XVIII, the "Pueri Cantores" Mass (K, G & AD from VIII, S from XVIII, Myst & Amen from Proulx's "Festival Eucharist), Community Mass of Proulx and the Sanctus & Amen from the Schubert "Deutsche Messe." The Choristers can sing Masses VIII, IX, XVI. XVII & XVIII. We are starting to use some of the Simple English Propers Introits & Communios at the school masses as well as the week-end masses with organ/cantor. It seems thus far that the assembly is more apt to try the SEP antiphons with a choir than with cantor alone. I've noticed this with the adults as well as the children. It sounds as though you are doing great work. Be patient. My pastor and I started this quest in 2005. If you pastor is with you, it will turn out splendidly in not so long a time! I wish you all the best!
  • G
    Posts: 1,397
    Concentrate on the dialogues and one appropriately loud chant -Christus Vincit, sung antiphonally.

    (Save the Liturgy, Save the World)
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    The Chanting of the Pater Noster... so painfully obvious that I failed to mention it!

    However, I feel that the ICEL chant tone is poor. In Australia we use a chant tone which is morely closely based on the Latin and I think works better.
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