What would you use . . .
  • teachermom24
    Posts: 327
    . . . to teach Gregorian chant to youth and adults (ages 12 and up) with no background in sacred music? I am proposing a class in sacred music for our parish (and would even like to open it up to nearby parishes) drawn from what I am doing with the sacred music class I have developed for our homeschool and am teaching to my 13 and 14 yo children (though they are really ahead of me at this point having just spent a week at Gregorian chant camp). I am using Words With Wings with my children but the language really is geared toward younger children. So what would the equivalent of WWW be for adults?

    If any of you would like to see the syllabus for my at-home class, I'd be happy to send it to you if you send me a pm with your e-mail address. I still have a lot of work to do on it but it is complete through week 8 and I have the outline and some detail through week 32. We just started this past week and I think it is going to be great! I do think I stand to learn the most.

    Kathy
  • ClergetKubiszClergetKubisz
    Posts: 1,912
    I'd probably start with basic solfege, then how to sing solfege by reading from a page of printed music. That is the foundation that they need unless you are planning to teach everything by rote.
  • Musicteacher56
    Posts: 621
    Don't forget proper Latin phonics.
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,369
    If they are absolute beginners, one of the best ways to start off is to teach a few hymns that they cannot fail to learn without even working at it: such as Jesu dulcis, Adoro te, Veni Creator, and so forth. Then, some short and simple psalmody to the Gregorian tones and the St Meinrad tones. Do this before solfege or anything else! After they have experienced the joy of actually singing, go immediately into teaching about solfege and your choice of subject matter and approach. I have found the Liber Cantualis a good book for beginners. It has many not-difficult chants usable for a variety of occasions, such as masses and eucharistic devotion, psalmody, Marian, hymnody, etc.

    Also, make it a point to teach both English and Latin versions of some of the chants, particularly the hymns and settings of the ordinary (see Fr Columba's English adaptation of the Gregorian masses). Are you a good singer yourself? If so, teach from scratch to sing without any instrumental interference. People can do this if you guide them. I have never ever used an instrument for so much as giving a pitch in teaching chant.

    Teach solfege early, and never use anything but chant notation. Square notes are a given.
    Thanked by 5CHGiffen teachermom24 Ruth Lapeyre fp Gavin
  • MaryAnn Carr WilsonMaryAnn Carr Wilson
    Posts: 1,738
    I use the materials and process that MJO describes, except I don't use the St. Meinrad tones. I heartily agree that chant is best introduced in a way that they can sing immediately- staple chant hymns. Get people loving those, and go from there.

    The Parish Book of Chant is an excellent resource, much like the LC, with the added benefit of the order of mass and translations to English. For my area, I wish we had a Spanish version, too.

    Thanked by 4Ruth Lapeyre M. Jackson Osborn Kathy fp
  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    http://www.amazon.com/Square-notes-workbook-Gregorian-chant/dp/B0007EC4J4
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