Children’s choirs need not be relegated to simply providing entertainment in worship. Instead, they should function as important worship leaders. The imagination and energy that children are capable of bringing to this role will enrich the service and challenge them in their own spiritual journey.
The moment has arrived: Sunday morning; public worship; the youth choir anthem. With precision, the children, music folders in hand, rise in unison from the pew and walk to the front of the sanctuary. They stand along the top step—lined up according to height—and turn toward the congregation. The director steps forward and faces the choir. All eyes focus on the director; hands open the music folders; heads and shoulders straighten. The accompaniment begins as the director raises a hand to indicate the entrance of singing. The congregation sees focused faces hears the melodious music and well-articulated text. At the anthem’s conclusion, the choir, the director, and the congregation quietly beam. The choir methodically returns to their pew, for they have completed the “presentation” of their anthem within the context of worship.
Unfortunately, the children have fallen prey to “presenting” or “performing.” In fact, this performing mode often appears to be an assumed expectation because of the nature of a children’s choir. Congregations look forward to the children’s singing because of their spontaneity and charm; their faces and voices evoke positive, lighthearted feelings. Worshipers unconsciously receive them as entertainers, a brief relief from confessions, affirmations, and Scripture. The children thus become a highlight of worship, rather than an integral part. Directors, parents, and members of the congregation need to ask the following questions:
- In what ways does the youth choir experience themselves as worshiping members of the congregation, rather than performers before the congregation?
- In what ways does the youth choir’s offering of music complement if not enhance other elements of worship?
- In what ways does the youth choir’s offering of music communicate importance and leadership within worship?
- In what ways does the youth choir’s offering of music interact with the congregation?
Youth choirs can be integrated into corporate worship, not as presenters or performers, but as participants, just as any other serving member of the community of faith.
In order for a children’s choir to experience themselves as worshiping members on an equal par with adults, a fundamental understanding of worship must be acknowledged. Throughout the services, people offer praise and prayers and hear the Word. Worship becomes a corporate event—a faith-shaping event. The church embraces corporate worship as the central, constituting an act of the community of faith gathered in the name of Christ. Worship provides the setting where our identity is shaped, and we are one—a reconciled community of all sizes, shapes, colors, and ages. Together, at the table of the Lord and through the work of the Holy Spirit, both children and adults of all ages and stages become one. The gift of the Spirit binds the church together as one family. The response to this gift manifests itself through weekly celebration (i.e., worship). On the Lord’s Day, this oneness is exalted through active participation, by responding to God’s gifts and God’s call. Children may not fully comprehend either why we respond or celebrate, but through their participation in choirs and corporate worship, children can sense they are an important, equal, contributing member among the people of God.
How the Youth Choir Can Become Participants in Worship
Children, as well as adults, learn through multisensory experiences. What multisensory learning could a child experience in worship—especially singing in a youth choir? Consider sight, sound, touch, and taste.
Sight. When the choir arrives before the service, they put on their robes and an appropriate colored stole to match the liturgical season or day (e.g., purple for Lent, white for Easter, red for Pentecost, and green for ordinary time). Among the commotion of dressing, one always hears the question, “What color are we today?” The children know that a particular liturgical color matches the day or season. In the sanctuary, they encounter that same color in banners, paraments, and tablecloths, as well as stoles worn by liturgical leaders and adult choir members. The simple act of matching colors communicates consciously and unconsciously to children a sense of belonging to the whole worshiping community and its environment.
Upon entering the sanctuary, each choir member receives from an usher his or her own order for worship, just like everyone else who comes to worship. The children hold it, read from it, sing from it, pray from it, just like everyone else sitting in the pews around them. To some people, distributing orders for worship to each chorister may seem unnecessary or useless. After all, some children cannot even read, others scribble or draw pictures on it, or even leave it behind on the pew. What the critics fail to realize is that this order for worship tells the children they are significant, contributing members of the church, their presence, and participation in the service are wanted, needed, and valued. Children observe others with the same papers. Whether young or old, tall or short, they see themselves as part of a family. They are brothers and sisters in Christ, accepted and loved.
Sound. Listening to the tone and tempo of service music throughout the service, children differentiate among the various components of worship. An opening hymn of praise such as “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” (hymn to joy, Presbyterian Hymnal #464, sounds radically different from a Kyrie Eleison (“Lord, have mercy”) sung after a prayer of confession. hymn to joy sounds lively, expectant, and optimistic, and is played and sung as such. The Kyrie, on the other hand, frequently conveys a slower, somber, penitent mood that follows a corporate confession of sin.
These auditory shifts in the service signal to the choir that something different is happening in worship, and that we as a congregation are responding accordingly. Children cannot rationally explain how what they hear affects them, but they do experience the changes in sound. It may not be obvious, however, to the average adult how many times the tone and tempo of what we say and sing are directly related to a particular component of worship.
Taste and Touch. Youth choirs have another opportunity to experience the oneness of a church family through the celebration of the Eucharist. During the distribution and serving of the elements, allow the children to serve each other just as the adult members do. (If younger children are present, it might be a good idea for “choir parents” to be interspersed among the group.) Let each child hold the bread or plate, and offer it to whoever sits beside him or herself. Allow them to speak to one another, offering words of care and friendship. Encourage the children to serve their neighbor before themselves, proclaiming a simple act of servanthood. Let them eat the bread and drink the wine as a celebratory meal that we share as the body of Christ—a meal that might be served differently from that at home, and a meal that satisfies us though we do not feel stuffed. As a choir, they are introduced to a new concept of being “fed” within the family of God, and not by their nuclear family in their home.
Most of the time, children do worship while in a pew with their nuclear family. How does attending worship with your family differ from sitting together as a youth choir? If one constantly sits with his or her parents and siblings, constant tension and confusion exist about the concept of family. The child may wonder, “What is this family of God? I have a family; I don’t need another one.” Sitting together as a choir gives them the opportunity to serve someone other than their immediate family and to experience a bond outside of their home—a bond that exists because of being called together as the body of Christ.
A choir can experience this oneness with the congregation if we allow members to be present and to be participants, not performers. As adults, we need to recognize and encourage these nonverbal mysteries of worship (sight, sound, touch, and taste) that shape the liturgy and give it meaning to our children.
How the Youth Choir Can Enhance Other Elements of Worship
Most directors spend time planning appropriate music to complement the Scripture or liturgical season. But often the offering of music still looks and feels like an intrusion on the normal flow of worship. Consider the following placements and purposes of an anthem:
1. Normally anthems are sung during a traditional “offering of music” slot. Consider shifting the anthem to a different element of worship. For example, let the anthem serve as the psalm or scripture reading. On the Day of Pentecost, they could sing Hal H. Hopson’s version of Psalm 104, “O Lord, Send Down Your Spirit” (from Ten Psalms [Carol Stream, Ill.: Hope Publishing Company, 1986], 12-13).
• The choir introduces the antiphon by singing it alone.
• The choir and congregation repeat the antiphon.
• The choir alone sings each stanza, followed by the congregation singing the antiphon.
Singing the Psalms with the youth choir as a leader is a welcome relief to the commonly spoken responsive readings or even to adults who sing the stanzas as cantors. The Psalms come alive, take on new meaning, and give the children a feeling of importance because they are the psalm reading for the day.
Allow the youth choir to sing a Scripture reading for the day, as an alternative to hearing just the spoken Word and, again, to give the choir a purpose for singing other than entertaining. “The Song of Mary” (morning song, Presbyterian Hymnal #600, tells the story in Luke 1:46–55. A lector can read Luke 1:39–45, introducing Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, followed by the choir singing her song. What an effective way to actually hear the sung “song of praise” and to interweave an anthem into worship. The choir then becomes leaders of worship by offering the Scripture and, at the same time, learns the words and stories of the Bible. Learning occurs as a by-product of proclaiming to others.
2. Music supplemented with instruments can also enhance worship. A hymn sung by the choir can radiate new meaning if accompanied by an instrument. “Cantad al Senor” (“O Sing to the Lord”) (Presbyterian Hymnal #472 clamors for maracas or sand blocks to impart the Brazilian folk melody. It is a rare organist who can play this hymn with its natural Brazilian beat and aura that surrounds this type of folk music. Let the children’s choir, with all of their innocence and spontaneity, expand the horizons of hymns.
Handbells also can enliven hymns—not played as a handbell solo but as a complement to the anthem. Children in youth choirs are very capable of playing handbells, with proper handling and ringing instruction. What better way to accentuate the anticipated joy of a Christmas Eve service than for the children to sing In Bethlehem a Babe was Born (discovery, Presbyterian Hymnal #34, supplemented by a simple handbell arrangement for the refrain. The combination of music and children possesses a power beyond explanation which greatly invigorates the liturgy. How adults employ this power to broaden and strengthen worship remains a challenge to us all.
3. A choir can participate in worship without offering music. For example, during Lent, worship assumes a more solemn, contemplative atmosphere. So refrain from singing joyous, resounding hymns accompanied by trumpets. Suspend shouting praises and loud alleluias. In fact, on the Sunday of the Transfiguration of the Lord (immediately prior to Ash Wednesday), let the choir creatively design and decorate their own individual alleluia posters or banners. During the concluding hymn of corporate worship, the choir then carries their alleluia posters or banners to the front of the sanctuary, places them in a box or cabinet labeled “alleluia chest,” and literally “locks up” the alleluias for Lent. After this time and all through Lent, no alleluias are spoken or sung in church, at choir practice, or at home. The children will truly more fully experience and understand the mood of the season of Lent. As a choir director, try rehearsing your Easter anthem with the choir refusing to sing alleluia! It’s no easy task! With the alleluia chest “locked up” and visible in the sanctuary for all of Lent, both choir and congregation are reminded that worship in Lent assumes a unique tone. The youth choir in this example has taken on a leadership role by teaching and showing a different way of living during Lent.
How the Youth Choir Can Communicate Importance and Leadership Within Worship
One elementary way is through the simple act of wearing choir robes. The robes mark the choristers as leaders, particularly in that they visually match and equal the robed adults who have a special role Sunday after Sunday. Occasionally, plan a joint children’s and adult anthem to provide an experience for the young choristers to look, feel, and sound like one of the major contributors to worship. Again, the children also will experience the oneness of the worshiping community.
Another way to link their offering of music to their role of leadership can present a real challenge to the director. Utilize your hymnal to its fullest. After all, hymns teach the children (and us adults) the church’s song and theology throughout all the ages. So, take a break from printed sheet music and sing a hymn for each offering of music. Hymn singing introduces the children to the hymnal and allows them to feel comfortable using it, for they can recognize and sing with fervor the hymns they know well.
It is the responsibility of pastors, musicians, and worship planners to offer opportunities for our children for ongoing nurture in the faith—to tell them the story through words, actions, and music. Hymns offer such opportunities in that they are sung repeatedly throughout the church’s life and liturgy. The church’s song will never disappear; it continues month to month, year to year, and from generation to generation. Hymns provide a portable foundation for everyone’s journey of faith. Let us not underestimate the lifelong power of text and tune.
Moreover, through the singing of hymns, the choir can teach themselves—as well as the congregation—hymns that are new to the hymnal or seldom sung. This is hardly a novel idea, for on 16 January 1537, William Farel and John Calvin laid before the Council of Geneva their Articles on the Organization of the Church and its Worship at Geneva. Their recommendations are modest at first appearance, but far-reaching in their implications. For instance:
worship should include the congregational singing of psalms, so as to give fervor and ardor to the prayers which otherwise are apt to be dead and cold. Since, however, neither tunes nor words are known to the congregation, many of whom are probably illiterate, there shall be a children’s choir which shall sing clearly. The people for their part shall listen “with all attention” and gradually pick up the words and music.” (T. H. L. Parker, John Calvin: A Biography [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1976], 63)
By teaching the congregation new tunes and texts, the youth choir then becomes a leader in worship. In the community of faith of all ages and stages, we frequently become both teachers and learners with one another. This oneness continues when the youth choir’s anthem encourages an interactive role with the congregation.
How a Youth Choir Can Interact with the Congregation
In what ways can all choirs complement the choir of the congregation? When the children offer a hymn, invite the congregation to sing alternate stanzas or join in on the refrain (given the citation or printed material from which to sing). The anthem then becomes a corporate congregational (concertato-like) anthem where all participate and no one performs.
For the benediction, let everyone sing “Go With Us, Lord” (tallis’ canon, Presbyterian Hymnal #535. The children can sing it themselves the first time, with everyone joining in the second time; the third time, divide the congregation into three sections and sing it as a canon. The tune will surround the entire community, again making it a corporate contribution of music.
Choir and congregation can interact musically not just with their voices but also with their bodies. During the Christmas season, sing “Angels We Have Heard on High” (Gloria, Presbyterian Hymnal #23. Let the choir come forward, dance to the stanzas, and sign the words with their hands and arms on the refrain. The congregation, seated, can mimic the signing so they too can respond to the music and experience text, tune, and movement.
The purpose of worship is for all to come together to respond and to receive. This togetherness can happen only if the choir’s role becomes one of the participant rather than a performer. Let their music involve and interact with the congregation. Let their music relate to and enhance the total worship experience. Let their music emanate leadership within the body of Christ. When this happens, worship helps us catch a glimpse of the kingdom to come, where all are one.
Youth choir rehearsal begins. The children eagerly arrive, having just enjoyed refreshments with the adults. Susan wants to show you the Noah’s ark she created in church school; Joseph wishes to tell you about his vacation, and Ezra thanks you for the choir’s note he received in the mail acknowledging the day of his baptismal anniversary. All are settled. The piano music introduces the warm-up song, Psalm 118, “This is the Day the Lord Has Made,” sung with crescendos and decrescendos. The psalm is followed by the choir’s favorite, “Come, Christians, Join to Sing” (Madrid, Presbyterian Hymnal #150, sung in ascending keys. Rehearsal continues with action songs, “silly song,” and worship responses. Today the children concentrate on “I Danced in the Morning” (simple gifts, Presbyterian Hymnal #302. The choir discusses the text and the importance of clearly communicating this story through their singing. They listen intently to the tune and then respond to the text and tune through dance and body movements. Next Sunday, they will offer this hymn during corporate worship. They shall stand tall and sing joyously (with no printed music) as they offer this music to God on behalf of the congregation. They shall contribute to the service not by entertaining or through their “charm,” but as active, participating members of the worshiping congregation.