And 2 hours later I think differently!...slightly!

Yikes!

I am so torn! I truly feel that sacred music has a place in music education, and should be part of a choir's repertoire. With that being said, I think each teaching situation is going to be different. It is important to take into consideration the kinds of students you have in your class, whether it be their religion, upbringing, family experiences. Choosing repertoire that will not strike a "wrong note" with students and their families is going to be the safest decision. At the same time, I do think it is completely possible to teach sacred music without enforcing the text or collectively interpreting the story or meaning behind the music. While historical aspects are important and crucial to understanding the music, the text and meaning of a piece do not need to be believed or practiced, rather they just need to be sung in accordance to the musical style or genre.

The more and more I think about it, the more I'm realizing that this debate has so many variables and factors that can contribute to a "firm" answer. A school in "the bible belt" isn't going to have as many problems as a school, say, in the northeast, where christianity is still dominant, but not by a vast majority. So much to ponder....so much to ponder....

Basically, I'm still very confused. I wish there was a happy medium somewhere! It is all going to depend on the group of students you have, the administration, and the culture of the area.

My brain hurts!!

What is Sacred Music?

From my perspective, sacred music is any music that was written for, or inspired by, religious ceremonies, services, texts, or topics.

I feel that sacred music should be a key part of the music education curriculum. There are several historical aspects to sacred music that should be studied when rehearsing or in the classroom. First, the "evolution" of sacred music is important for students to connect the styles and practices of various music periods: how it was composed/structured regarding voicing, melody, harmonic content, and text, etc. Gregorian chant and sacred motets from the Renaissance and Baroque periods differ greatly from one another, due to the current events of each time period, and the advancement (or lack of!) of music and composition.

Also, it is important to study the composers who wrote some of the great sacred pieces. By eliminating sacred music from study, how would students learn about the "big name" composers? Would they ever hear Handel's Messiah? That would GREATLY disappoint me, because the Hallelujah Chorus is probably one of my favorite choral pieces....EVER.

What about negro spirituals? "My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord"....fantastic piece. This is a genre of music that really needs to be experienced in every choral student's journey.

To me, it's not the content of the music that is being taught, it is the musical elements...the style, the compositional techniques, the composers, and overall structure that is important.

Nope.

This isn't my blog.

But this is. Happy reading!