Faith of our Fathers
Soul of my Savior
Godhead here in hiding

Thanks for your suggestions so far, cgz and Adam. I use these already and get some push-back that there are too many lyrics (not enough repeated text) for some of the younger kids.

I think that what some of these people would really like is for us to just sing a bunch of P/W praise choruses, which is something I'd only be open to if my pastor ordered it.

I'm the parish DM. There is a separate music teacher for the parish school, who is a....Protestant!

I pick the music for the school Masses, and regular, sturdy hymns usually work pretty well for the 3-8 grade kids. We chant a little, but not too much, because I don't need that kind of attention, if you know what I mean.

I've used "Jesus in the Morning" with these kids before, and that works pretty well due to the repetition. The pastor and the teachers would really like these K4-2 grade kids to be able to memorize the music and lyrics, as most of them don't read especially well yet. I don't really want to continue using "Jesus in the Morning" because I would like to move to more traditional, more solid hymn tunes. If there were simple, rhyming lyrics that would fit the meters of the tunes, I think that would satisfy a lot of those who are complaining, at least for now.

"Holy, Holy, Holy": can the kids handle "God in three persons, blessed Trinity"?

Irishtenor,

Is the goal child-ish, or simple enough for a child? [Serious question; your assessment of the situation is what I mean]

@cgz -- that's a legitimate question. There are a lot of things that I think are simple enough for a child, which nonetheless require at least a bit of explanation (much of Faith of Our Fathers, for example). The powers that be don't seem to be the least bit interested (perhaps incapable?) in spending any time on these explanations with the children. I do explain the theology and imagery behind some of these verses with the older children, but it is difficult for some of them to grasp, due to poor formation, I suspect. I think that what would be most successful for me in this situation is to find lyrics that are good enough and theologically sound when taken at face value. Perhaps a small, small bit of "explanation necessary" lyrics would be okay.

I guess I just really don't want to dumb everything down for this group. If I have to dumb down the lyrics a bit, at least I could set them to a solid hymn tune that the kids will hopefully recognize in the future.

Here's something.

Sorry I don't have time to do a real setting. For some reason I'm working with an ancient version of Finale Notepad. Can you make out what to do with the accompaniment?

I think it should satisfy the most skittish practitioner of "child-oriented" musical literature. At the same time it's ok on the theology and catechetical in nature. So win-win for everybody.

Don't go selling this for money or anything.

Verses:
No longer wheat, no longer bread,
No longer grapes, no longer wine,
But something more excellent, perfect and true:
The Body and Blood of the Lord,
The Body and Blood of the Lord.

No longer living for ourselves,
No longer dying for ourselves,
But something more excellent, perfect and true:
To live every day for the Lord.
To give every day to the Lord.

Spirit of God, in wind and flame,
Changing our gifts of bread and wine,
Making them excellent, perfect and true:
The Body and Blood of the Lord,
The Body and Blood of the Lord.

Spirit of God, O holy dove,
Filling our days_with the Father’s love,
Making us excellent, perfect and true:
The daughters and sons of the Lord;
The daughters and sons of the Lord.

Praise to the Father and the Son
And Holy Spirit, Three in One:
Perfectly excellent, perfectly true:
Forever and ever the Lord,
Forever and ever the Lord.

Irish tenor,

What seems like eons ago, I tried to explain "sin" to my then 3 yr old son. I said that it was something I do which makes God sad. No, that's not a complete theological treatise on the subject, but it was an age appropriate explanation. Years later, his younger brother asked me "Dad, why does the priest have his back to Jesus in the English Mass?" Is it a theological treatise? No. Does it pose a perfectly good question? Yes.
The Baltimore Catechism proposes this answer for one level of student: Why did God make me: To know Him, love Him and serve Him in this world, so as to be happy forever with him in the next. It's a simple answer, easily learned, and the child makes sense of it as he grows up.

When someone in an adult position of responsibility requires you to work with "age appropriate" music, this doesn't always mean that the children won't understand something meatier. It means that someone has a preconceived idea about what children can and should sound like, and that idea is that the children should be childish. "Barney", as Kathy calls it.

I've been recently teaching a school choir of non-Catholic children to sing the Boar's Head Carol. I asked the children if there were any words they didn't know. There were a few, and so I explained to them what the words meant. Short, sweet, and effective.

Perhaps this...

http://media.musicasacra.com/books/redemption.pdf

Indeed. English chant, illustrated! Really wonderful!!

Check out page 2.

With other boys and girls you can paint a mural of “Paradise”on a long piece of wrapping paper. Plan together what to draw and where each thing should go. Each child may draw something different. DO NOT COPY ANY OF THE PICTURES IN THIS BOOK.

It's like if Matthew Meloche's lawyer wrote the instructions.

How cool!

Please don't assume that because the kids are "little" that they can't be taught good, solid sacred music. I teach Grades K-8 and have taught the kids the Ave Maria chant, which we do after communion every school mass. Teach it like a game. The younger children love being able to speak in "a different language" and don't have trouble with the sounds. I've had quite a bit of success.

With the mid-grades (3-4-5), I've been able to do Panis Angelicus, Soul of My Savior, Jesus, Jesus Come to Me and the Taize Laudate Dominum (with the descant--divide the choir in half and enjoy it).

I'm not kidding, really. Please don't "dumb down" liturgical music because classroom teachers feel their students "can't handle it". This morning when we sang Laudate Dominum, I had the teachers come up afterwards in amazement at how good the children sounded.

Litany of the Saints

Absolute stupidity:

Our God is an awesome God (point up, thumbs up, point up)
He reigns from heaven above (rain hands down, hands raised)
With wisdom, power, and love (point to head, show muscles, cross arms in front of body)
Our God is an awesome God (point up, thumbs up, point up)

Dick and Jane Speak:

Jane says, "Dick! Look! It's reigning cats and dogs out there!"

Parochial Hymn Book, numbers 106-122

I have an obscure and unique publication called "The Child's Book of Hymns," published in 1927 by the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Dubuque, Iowa. Nearly all of the 40 English hymns are original with the music by Sister Mary Editha, B.V.M. A few of the hymns are traditional with new melodies (i.e., Dear Little One; Jesus, Thou Art Coming). The title pages states: "Approved: Dr. Otta A. Singenberger, Director of Music." Some of the art work in this book is really beautiful. Perhaps if you called the archivist of this community of sisters, she may be able to send you a copy.

Check out the Ward hymnal.

Adults who insist on dumbing things down for children verywell may be my biggest petpeve! And this is why we are homeschooling.

Although not strictly Catholic, spirituals work well with children and help to pacify the adults and preserve your position. Anything call and response.

Short, simple but beautiful antiphons work best for Mass. Write them yourself if you need to. Look at the Ward method book for examples of melodies and the psalms are the only lyrics you really need. Better yet, have the children compose them!

Hymns with any sort of repetition work such as LASST UNS ERFREUEN. The younger ones can sing the alleluias. All Things Bright and Beautiful-repeating refrain.

Teach the children music they will grow into-not out of. Yes that includes chant.

Barney type songs are a waste of everyone's time, if not demeaning, especially for the children. Teach the children how to think musically. They will be naturally drawn to true beauty. As long as the lyrics are true to Catholic teaching, the only problem will be to many words to digest at one time. That's why strophic hymns aren't the best choice for real young ones. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't listen to them.

barneyosity, (or is the word "barnitude"?)

barnicopia
barnificense
barnirrea
barnishambles

aka twaddle

"That song couldn't hit the broad side of a Barney."

Dumbing down music is very counterproductive. The children will eventually grow out of it, or become resentful of it. There is no reason why, with love and patience, children cannot learn some easy chants and basic hymns. I would suggest starting out with the Ave Maria chant. It's easy enough for the kids and they already know the Hail Mary Prayer. A good hymn to start out with is "Jesus, Jesus Come to Me" or "Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All".

Anything "Barneyesque" should be avoided at all costs.

Along these lines--I have a small children's choir that sings once a month--should I focus on teaching them one Latin chant (like Ave Maria) or let them sing the SEP Communion Antiphon each time?

I have adults asking me to dumb it down too, and I only get to practice with the kids once!

You really can't do any better than "O Sacrament Most Holy" or "Holy God We Praise Thu Name"

Some Suggestions:

Soul of My Saviour/Anima Christi
God-Head Here in Hiding/Adoro Te Devote
Praise to the Lord the Almighty
Holy God We Praise Thy Name
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
Firmly I Believe and Truly (Drake's Broughton)
By All Your Saints Still Striving (Aurelia)
Most Ancient of All Mysteries (St Flavian)
Lord Jesus Think on Me
Forty Days and Forty Nights
Glory Be to Jesus
Alleluia Sing to Jesus (Hyfradol)
God Christian Men Rejoice and Sing (Vulpius)
All People That on Earth Do Dwell
All Creatures of Our God and King
Christ is the World's Light (Christe Sanctorum)
Be Thou My Vision.

(Come to think of it, that list is probably broader than the repertoire of most parishes, but they are all good hymns worth teaching to children)