How does all this play into a church music program? If we are to take our cue from the successful school programs mentioned above, choral music would have the same positive effects on the young people in our congregations. This is exactly the situation found in Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas Texas, where they have an incredible music program offering 24 choirs, ensembles, and orchestras. With over 1000 people involved in the total music program, they have 1 junior high and 1 senior high school choir, each with about 50 singers. They are involved in choral competitions and their leaders hold high standards of attendance and behavior. The First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, CA also offers a strong youth choir program, with 1 junior high choir, 1 senior high choir, and 3 graded elementary choirs singing a wide range of musical styles. All this information is available on these churches' individual web sites.
I have my own personal experience with high school singers. This fall, I was asked to direct a new choral ensemble in a large Christian high school in San Diego, and I must admit that my students' response to being part of this group has pleasantly surprised me. While our school has had a strong academic reputation and great athletic involvement, the high school music program has been some what neglected. I accepted this position with many reservations because I, too, believed that youth choirs were a thing of the past, and no one would want to be involved. After all, the ‘cool factor' (or lack thereof) would be just too great an obstacle for me to overcome. Well, I am pleased to say that I was proven wrong!
I have been very impressed, on many levels, with my fledgling group. First, their enthusiasm has amazed me! No piece I have presented to them has been rejected, no matter the difficulty. Second, they want to learn how to read music, understand the basics of theory (intervals, time and key signatures, etc.), and become good singers. I have offered private voice lessons during their free periods, and to my amazement I have had to turn students away due to time restraints. Third, they are recruiting new singers constantly. Imagine my surprise when the quarter back of the football team asked me if he could join ensemble midway through the semester! We're still beginners, but with all this enthusiasm, I predict we will advance quickly and soon be able to enter our Southern California choral competition, holding our heads high. If all this can happen in laid back, surfin' San Diego, imagine what you might expect!
These choirs are representative of what is taking place across our nation. From Massachusetts to California, in secular and sacred formats, teenagers are singing! Not only are they singing in bands, which offer one type of musical training, but also in the more traditional choral format. Let's take encouragement from this and begin to rebuild our youth choirs. Kids want to be challenged and will rise to the occasion if we give them the opportunity. They deserve the opportunity to learn how to sing. After all, we're told that we will all be part of the greatest choir in Heaven, so why not give our kids a head start here?
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Experiencing Worship, The Study