The Power of Music

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Loud-living-dogma said:
Somehow there’s always money / space / priority / staff for football!
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Football makes money for schools. I don’t think choirs make money.

Football and other sports are covered on local news, which makes the school more visible, which attracts new families to the school. Yes, sports cost a lot, but hiring a PR firm and paying for television , radio, and print ads costs even more.

Also, kids are more likely to earn college scholarships (not necessarily to Div. I schools) through sports than music. I know quite a few people with kids who earned Div. 2 full-ride scholarships. It’s wonderful for these families and those students to not have to pay for college and incur that huge loan debt.

Half the adults in the U.S. are obese and suffer from various conditions related to being obese and/or out of shape. Sports at least give a child/teen a chance of staying at a good weight and in good shape, at least until they are in their early 20s and start working.

What I think is strange is that schools USED to offer excellent sports programs AND excellent arts programs, especially music. When I was growing up attending public high schools, there were hundreds of kids involved with several choirs of various levels, including a “select choir” for talented musicians. Both orchestra and band were offered, at various levels, including a “Jazz Band” that had a director who had toured with some of the top jazz musicians in the world. And our sports teams were really good, with lots of kids who were in choir also in the sports teams. If anyone thinks I’m just fantasizing, I can show them my yearbooks, which have pictures of these huge groups!

But no more. Our public schools eliminated music for a few years, and only recently restored orchestra to the schools. It’s sad to see high school students’ orchestra concerts nowadays–they sound like the elementary school concerts used to sound when I was growing up. (Think “Simpsons” school band!)

I know that our large Catholic high school has some of the best sports teams in the State (the teams and individual athletes routinely earn trips down State) because they draw students from all over the area, while the other public high schools are limited to the kids from the neighborhoods assigned to that school. But the Catholic school also has a stellar music program, and many of its graduates have gone on to Broadway, Nashville, Hollywood, and Europe, and have become famous television, and movie stars, professional singers and song writers, production execs and professionals, and professional techies. The school has also had quite a few young men become priests.

We’re fortunate and blessed, I guess!

But somehow, it doesn’t translate into strong music programs in our parishes. I think, sadly, that a lot of those kids who have musical talent move away from our city and our state (Illinois), or even more sadly, stop attending church once they are away from their parents.
 
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VanitasVanitatum said:
Yes and I can play alright. If I spent more time learning the notes I could play some songs. I was just talking about playing the melody and most songs in Mass are fairly simple so it doesn’t take too much work. Really it depends on how many notes you need to play at a time and the tempo.

I’m self taught so I’m not sure what they teach at piano lessons.
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Maybe this is a reason why so many parishes have less-than-beautiful Mass music.

Accompanying a congregation singing hymns is not just a question of playing melody, and playing several notes at the same time.

Accompanying involves selecting a tempo that is appropriate for the hymn, playing an introduction that conveys the mood of the hymn (joyous praise, quiet reflection, grieving, rejoicing, etc.)., playing a strong melody to help people learn the hymn since most people don’t read music, and providing a full accompaniment that supports the congregation and makes the hymn sound full and glorious and beautiful.

It also involves giving the congregation an appropriate and easy-to-follow “break” between each verse. I have trouble with this even with my years of experience. I tend to rush to next verse, and I’m trying to change this pattern–it’s uncomfortable for the congregation.

And if there is a cantor or choir leading the congregational singing, the accompanist must follow the choir or conductor.

Have you ever had a quiet hymn like Come Holy Ghost played like a dirge, so slow that you have to take a breath after every other word? OR even worse, have you heard it played like a hiking song, lively and clipping along so that you don’t even have time to think about the words you are singing?

That’s what happens when the organist or pianist (or guitarist) doesn’t accompany correctly.

I have had hundreds of parishioners tell me that they love it when I play. One woman said, “It just sounds so full.”

I would suggest that if you are interested in parish music that you consider taking piano and/or organ lessons from someone who is experienced in teaching adults. Good piano/organ teachers use different methods to teach adults than they would with children. Even if you never play for Mass, you would certainly appreciate the accompanists that you hear.
 
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Does orchestra / choir make money for schools? No, but kids playing string instruments look great in advertising, I have noticed! 😅
Does history make money for schools? Languages, etc…
I’m going to say something politically incorrect here! I personally think that when there was the federal mandate for public schools to educate all special needs kids, that’s when the money slide for the arts in public school began. I’m not saying we shouldn’t educate or care for those children, it’s just that I don’t think that school district budgets are transparent about the costs of educating “typical” vs special needs kids. When districts say they are spending $10,000 per student, I suspect it’s more like $7000 per typical student, $25,000 per special needs student. Just to hazard a wild guess for numbers. Anyone know more about this topic / funding?
Edit - numbers from 2004:

 
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I agree with your politically-incorrect assessment of public school funding, unless someone else with more expertise can show us differently.

And I’ll raise you and make my own politically-correct statement by saying that I think a lot of boys don’t do choir or any kind of music because they think it’s “gay.” I have no idea how this weird view developed, but I’ve heard it over and over again, enough that I think it’s pervasive in schools beginning even at the elementary school level.

When I was in high school, most of the football players were also the leading singers in the choirs and the best instrumentalists in the jazz band, and the leads in the school plays! And a lot of these boys grew up and still live and work in our city and are definitely not gay, unless they are hiding it by being married to a woman for many decades and having several children!

And even it IS gay–what’s so bad about that, at least according to PRIDE month?! Doesn’t everyone love gay people now?
 
Yes, I agree that boys are afraid to be involved in choir because they are afraid it will be seen as effeminate.
Much much cultural baggage – some cultures seem to still “allow” men / boys to sing. I guess not contemporary American culture!
 
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Apparently this is the only Catholic boys’ “choir school” in the US. This is pretty involved but it seems like to this could be done to some degree in some cities / schools.

 
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The Catholic sacred music tradition, the one that Vatican II called “a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than any other art,” is what brought me back to the Church after being away for 30 years. So I know first hand the power of music. And I know that this treasure of inestimable value has been hidden from most Catholics for a long, long time, and that is inexcusable. If you want to know why so many young Catholics drift away from the Church, the trite, uninspiring, embarrassing music they have to experience week after week in Mass is one major factor.
 
It was a bit part in my reversion as well, specifically, Gregorian chant; 17 years ago I joined a monastery, as oblate, that uses it daily and around the same time, a Gregorian schola.

It’s mostly hidden though, through lack of resources able to sing it. At least partly. There are some folks, particularly here in Quebec, very allergic to Latin, but the reality is just that there are so few people trained to do it, or willing to jump the hoops to learn it.
 
I do think that it (liturgical music) contributes to a general sense of “this is serious, solemn stuff, lifting me up to heaven” or “this is goofy music and I don’t want to have anything to do with it”. One way to think of it, especially for a younger person, is - would I be excited to bring a non-Catholic friend to their first Mass, or would I be embarrassed? I know a woman who taught faith formation for inquiring adults in a large city. She said her most depressing moment was when they attended their first Mass together, where the reality of how the liturgy is celebrated in most parishes hit these people in the face for the first time.
 
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snarflemike said:
where the reality of how the liturgy is celebrated in most parishes hit these people in the face for the first time.
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See, I would say that most parishes I have been in have wonderful Masses that I would gladly bring someone to. I guess what is “most” is just a guess based on experience and tastes.
 
Peeps said:
It also involves giving the congregation an appropriate and easy-to-follow “break” between each verse. I have trouble with this even with my years of experience. I tend to rush to next verse, and I’m trying to change this pattern–it’s uncomfortable for the congregation.
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Great points. I usually roll in tempo verse to verse, but using volume and transition notes to make it clear. Like I said, I am a percussionists, and shudder at the idea of the retard (with a few exceptions).

I am getting ready for Pentacost. I will play “Come Holy Ghost” with light rolling chords. (Eighth notes maybe?)
 
snarflemike said:
One way to think of it, especially for a younger person, is - would I be excited to bring a non-Catholic friend to their first Mass, or would I be embarrassed?
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Well my wife’s Anglican parish has goofy praise-band style music which I find embarrassing, I feel for them since Anglicanism has such a rich treasure of beautiful hymnody. Personally I think anything I’ve heard in a Catholic parish in recent years would be a cut above that. Maybe sometimes embarrassing, but certainly less embarrassing than at my wife’s Anglican parish.
 
Pnewton - can I ask how big your parish is? Roughly how many people?
 
Thanks I just wondered. Curious what size parish would or would not pay for musicians.
 
Oh, there is a pay per Mass. There is no staff musician. In fact, the priest insists on paying something, as it seems to increase dependability, at least in theory, covers expenses, and reimburses some of the lost time from work. Forty a Mass.
 
goout said:
My own son is musician in the Marine Corp.
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My son is a Marine, too!
goout said:
My son watched Lord of the Rings etc…which has a fairly substantial score or classic music. Listened to more intense popular music.
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Almost all of the musical scores on video games are classical.
goout said:
Baby boomer music directors please listen:
If you want young people to have an intense experience of the faith, the music cannot be innocuous and bland. I t should convey something of the sacred and have some spiritual intensity to it. Christianity is supposed to be a life changing experience and music should reflect that.
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Extremely well said. I would also like to note that most people who walk into a church for the first time expect something different, something transcendent. Most of them recognize that they are walking into someone else’s house and they wish to respect and maybe even learn to understand the different culture.

That being said, I want to stress that I try to stay open to secular cultures - mostly so that I can learn the language in order to better evangelize.

For instance, when I was binging on YouTube videos about Joan of Arc, a suggestion came up in my feed from Epic Rap Battles of History: Miley Cyrus vs. Joan of Arc. It is not a Catholic channel; it is a comedy rap channel, but I watched. I loved it!

Of course it’s entirely unfit for Mass, but it was a great tool in spurring conversation at work. All the whippersnappers enjoyed it. They all agreed Joan won, and I got to talk a bit about Joan because they asked me follow-up questions.

Here it is, in case anyone is interested. Be advised that it is adult subject matter.

[
](http://joan of Arc Rap Video)
 
JanetF said:
my biggest peeve is the overuse of Beethoven’s 9th symphony aka Ode to Joy being used as the music to 10,000 different sets of lyrics. 🤷‍♀️
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Lol, would you be willing to critique #10,001 if I promise there are no fountains or birdies in it?

Fr. Mitch Pacwa once made a joke about B’s 9th: “Leave it to a German to make Joy sound like a military march.” (Apologies to German readers!) ;p

Anyway, it got me thinking as to whether or not there would ever be a perfect time for Joy to sound like a military march, and I decided it was Easter. So here’s my B9th Easter song:

TRIUMPH!

Triumph! Victory! Conquest! Glory! Death is vanquished! Freedom reigns!
Fear not mortals, fear not sinners: Christ is risen from the grave!
Mercy given, Liberty purchased by the One we crucified.
God Himself forgives us and extends new life in Paradise.

Now before His holy altar, knees shall bend and tongues confess:
Christ demolished Satan’s victory! Death is rendered powerless!
Lamb, once slaughtered, risen before us, Food for wayward, hungry souls.
Jesus Christ redeemed His people - fall before the God of old!

Praise the ever-faithful Father, Source of sacrificial love.
Praise the High Priest; praise the Victim; praise the Son who reigns above.
Praise the Spirit, holy and fearsome, Voice of the prophets, Sacred Sword.
Praise the Triune Seat of Glory! Praise the Godhead! Praise the Lord!
 
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