all who sing will grow into deeper musical maturity.... We also hope the student grows spiritually in the
broadest sense. The sharing, the cooperative venture in great art helps to make the singers more alive, more sensitive, and more perceptive as human beings
with an awareness of something beyond themselves. - Kenneth Jennings
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We hope that through the choral experience |
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When we perform choral music with passion, we combine our spirits, voices, minds, and hearts to produce a product far more powerful than that which any
of us can accomplish alone. That alone, to say nothing of its timeless beauty, makes it a vital art form for this time in history. Choral music can help
us move beyond our self-absorption, connecting us to a reality far larger than ourselves. It deserves a vital place in our communities, churches, and schools.Our students need the beauty provided by music now more than ever. The benefits of music education in public schools are even more vital for our most vulnerable children, many of whom lack the resources for private study. Music educators must engage an increasingly diverse student population with meaningful learning experiences that successfully teach musical skills and concepts. Yet, music educators are too often content to maintain the status quo, teaching as we were taught. Simultaneously, we are continually buffeted by other policy agendas, educational fads and cultural trends which often interfere with meeting the needs of children and providing quality music instruction. As an educator, I want my students to realize how much they can achieve, even though substantive achievement does not come easily. I want to help form self-disciplined young people unafraid of hard work. Most of all, I want to help my students transcend their often narrow horizons. I want them to be curious about the world around them, and to approach new or unfamiliar people, things, and experiences with an open mind. At the end of the day, I suppose I teach because I like to see human beings maximize their potential. Our churches need musical leadership unafraid of what Paul Westermeyer calls their "prophetic vocation." For me, as a church musician, this means serving my community well by meeting it where it is, but pushing it, ever so gently, beyond complacency, and allowing church music to become neither museum nor shopping mall. Thank you for visiting my website. |
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