IN 18. Renewing Congregational Song

Patrick Evans, Yale Institute of Sacred Music/Yale Divinity School
1:30 – 4:00 PM, June 15-19
$325

How do we help the members of our congregations reclaim or cultivate their own musicianship? This is an important pastoral ministry, and an essential aspect of liturgy.
Many, if not most, of the “people in the pews” in our churches have been vocally disenfranchised by some personal experience in which they were told their singing was not good enough; by the perfection of the recorded music which they listen to on a daily basis, as enabled by ever-advancing technology; and/or by a cultural message, both outside and inside the church, overt or covert, which says that only those who are “trained” singers really need to contribute to the sung portions of the liturgy. Overwhelming cultural forces create passivity and discourage inherent musicianship in all but the trained or highly skilled.
This course will examine the theological meaning of the embodied act of singing, as well as the spiritual loss that arises when members of the community are cut off from that act. We will address practical, musical, pastoral ways to help the members of the assembly reclaim their voices and their own musicianship. We will examine space, instrumentation, leadership of cantors and choirs, hymnody, service music, congregational repertoire, and will imagine new ways to be sure that “ALL the earth” is well-prepared and invited to “sing a new song.”

Book List

Syllabus

Questions? Call 203-432-9526