Originally published in the GIA Quarterly, Volume 35, Issue 3
All God’s People Sing
Nick Wagner
I feel blessed because my parish sings! I have not always been so blessed. It is not hard at all to find Catholic parishes that do not sing well or enthusiastically. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In this issue, Kathleen Basi writes of four(!) different parishes she has been involved with that all “raise the roof.”
What is common to all of them is common sense. The music ministry in each of these singing parishes, according to Basi, springs from “the fertile ground of well-formed ministers, a culture of servant leadership, and community” (page 12).
For me, as a musically challenged assembly member, the most important of Basi’s characteristics of singing parishes is servant leadership. I can usually tell from the first note of the opening song if the leadership wants to hear me sing or wants me to hear them sing. Now, if you have a strong ego (who doesn’t?), that doesn’t mean you have to show false humility. Rather, Basi says, music leaders have to “put our egos in service of discipleship” (page 13).
I think she has an important insight when she says music leaders can disrupt an ego-driven culture by involving more people. Basi says, “The deeper and wider your pool of cantors, soloists, psalmists, and instrumentalists is, the better” (page 13). The more people you have, the harder it is to let a few egos dominate.
In his article “Building a Dynamic Choir,” Christian Cosas offers some practical tips for widening your talent pool. He suggests having current choir members invite friends and family to join the music ministry, since “there’s a long history of mothers, daughters, fathers, and sons sharing their heritage through song” (page 9).
He also suggests an intriguing “spy technique”—keeping an ear out for strong voices in the pews and personally inviting them to consider joining the choir. He says something I hadn’t thought of before. If someone is new to the parish and is “shopping” for a church home, they are likely to sit near the music ministry if they have musical talent themselves. Cosas makes a point of meeting the singing newcomers after Mass, which has resulted in “a surprising number of choir members” for his parish. What a great way to make newcomers feel welcome!
Reflecting on my own parish, one important factor in inviting folks to sing is to acknowledge with song what is on their hearts. As I write this, Israel and Hamas are engaged in a brutal war that—as in all wars—is destroying innocent life and causing unimaginable grief and trauma. When we sing “Soon and Very Soon” or “Rejoice! Your Blessing’s on the Way” (M. Roger Holland II, ©GIA), we share renewed hope and courage.
Judith Kubicki makes exactly that point in her Hymn Text Master Class in this issue:
At this moment, our world cries out for solace, prayerful and humanitarian support, healing, and peace. Worship assemblies search for ways to make sense of the violence and divisions and to respond as faith-filled witnesses to a God who desires a radical and profound unity within the human family. The hymns we sing become sung prayer crying out to God for strength, light in the darkness, and courage. (page 18)
I feel blessed that my parish sings. Our music ministry bears all the marks Kathleen Basi lifts up: “well-formed ministers, a culture of servant leadership, and community.” But it isn’t just about the singing. The singing is a sign of something deeper. In my parish, I see people leaning on each other, caring for each other, praying for each other. When new members join, they are embraced and welcomed as members of the family. When tragedy strikes, we do what we can to bind up wounds and pray to God to do what we cannot do on our own.
That’s something to sing about.
NICK WAGNER, editor of the GIA Quarterly, is a writer and editor in San José, California. He is also the cofounder of TeamRCIA.com. Send comments to Nick at [email protected].
