We are delighted to begin our choral season at the Collaborative, and we are especially thrilled about the debut of the Collaborative Children’s Choir. The Children’s Choir will sing the 9:00am Family Mass weekly during the school year. Its repertoire will be broad and will aim to introduce the singers (and congregation) to music from different parts of the Church’s history up to and including the music of today.
The Children’s Choir is open to grades 3-7 (with some flexibility, just ask!) and meets at 8:15am before the 9:00am Sunday Mass. There are no prerequisites, just an enthusiastic attitude and the desire to sing beautifully.
The goals of this choir are to give the children an opportunity to participate more fully in the liturgy, to enhance its beauty, to help lead the congregation in sung corporate prayer, and to sing and pray well; giving glory to God through music. Outside of these liturgical and ecclesiastical goals, it is also an opportunity for children to learn the skills involved in singing in a choir. These skills include the obvious that you might expect such as music literacy, healthy vocal production, and a better understanding of what sacred music is and why we sing it.
There are also other important things to learn by being in a choir, and these go beyond just the Children’s Choir to every choral ensemble, no matter the age. Singing in a choir is an opportunity to be a part of a team working toward a common goal, an opportunity to listen and follow instructions, to socialize and meet peers and neighbors, and to relieve stress and build confidence. This is not even to mention physiological benefits! Singing improves breathing and can be a total body anaerobic exercise, and it can even strengthen the immune system.
The disadvantages? I have found none yet. To continue to observe the effects (both positive and negative, if the negative exists) we will need larger sample sizes, so tell your friends, neighbors, siblings, parents, children, classmates, colleagues, and strangers on the street to JOIN A CHOIR!
William Endicott, AAGO, Director of Music
To learn more, ask questions, or express interest for your child, please contact William Endicott at william.endicott@sjspwellesley.org or speak to him after Mass.