The Choir Room Podcast
This podcast exists to promote and encourage two long-time traditions in our society that seem to be dwindling…The Choir and Corporate Singing. We hope to revive the excitement and joy experienced with singing in a choir, as well as inform and educate the listener on all things singing, and all things choir related.
A weekly podcast featuring discussion and interviews with choir directors, choir members, and other guests representing church choirs, college and university choirs, community choirs, show and theatre choirs, composer of choir music, and other.
Segments include tips and instruction from skilled and professional disciplines within the choir community covering topics such as choir culture and community, choir directing, vocal training, ear training, sight reading, and more. A monthly virtual live audience episode allows the listener to engage with hosts and guests during instructional and Q&A segments via the live recording, chat, email, on various social media platforms.
A production of Metromusic & Arts, Inc.
- www.metromusic-arts.com
- thechoirroom@metromusic-arts.com
- mail@mmertomusic-arts.cm
The Choir Room Podcast
Celebrating the Choir's Voice: Uniting Through Christmas Carols, Worship, and Choir Leadership with Special Guests from Metromusic & Arts. PART 1
Gather 'round the Choir Room's hearth as we kindle the spirit of Christmas with voices that echo the joy of the season. Lend your ear to an episode that promises to rekindle your love for traditional carols and the sense of unity they inspire. The hosts are joined by friends of Metromusic & Arts, we delve into beloved hymns like "What Child Is This?" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," unraveling their biblical roots and the stirring emotions they evoke. We exchange tales that underscore the importance of communal singing in nurturing our faith and togetherness during the festive period.
Fervent worship isn't scripted; it’s a candid cry of the soul, and this episode captures that sentiment in every note. We discuss the delicate dance between spontaneous and rehearsed praise with our guest Chris Monteleone and Alia Gladden, whose Broadway experience brings a compelling perspective on worship's power to connect us with the divine. As a mosaic of voices from different walks of life blend in harmony, we celebrate the church choir's diversity and its singular ability to forge bonds of shared devotion through music—a testament to the unity and emotional resonance that only a choir can provide.
In the quiet backstage of every choir's performance lies the beating heart of leadership and administration, roles we shine a light on in this episode. We explore the indispensable liaison that bridges choir directors and members, ensuring seamless communication and a supportive environment where music and soul-care intertwine. The discussion also ventures into the journey from a voiceless individual to a resonating force within a college gospel choir, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity, mentorship, and spiritual guidance. Join us as we share the stories that celebrate not only the art of choral singing but also the profound community it fosters, reminding us why lifting our voices in unison remains an enduring and vital tradition.
Perpetuating and Promoting the Christian and Positive Idea Through the Medium of Music and Other Arts.
Welcome to the choir room.
Speaker 2:Season 1, episode 31 of the Choir Room podcast.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the choir room.
Speaker 2:I'm Greg Thomas, your host, and I'll soon be joined by my co-host, dorian Johnson. Welcome to the choir room, mieta Stanselfarer and who we like to call the fourth wheel, coleman Smart. This podcast is a production of Metro Music and Arts, whose purpose is to perpetuate and promote the Christian and positive idea through the medium of music and other arts, and this podcast exists to promote and encourage two long-time traditions in our society that seem to be dwindling away, and that is choir and corporate singing. We hope to revive the excitement and joy experienced with singing in a choir, as well as inform and educate the listener on all things singing and all things choir. If you haven't done so already, be sure to subscribe so that you can stay informed on what's happening with the choir room and what's happening with Metro Music and Arts. And, of course, you can do that anywhere you listen to your favorite podcast. Leave an honest review, and then we encourage you to join the choir room Facebook group, where you can engage in conversation and leave additional comments with your choir room peers.
Speaker 2:Christmas is here and many are still hustling and bustling and doing whatever it is that they do in preparation for the holiday.
Speaker 2:Personally, I try to avoid the malls and the stores and all of that stuff and really try to focus my attention and energy on the true reason for the season, and that is Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:Now, granted, part of the festivities is connecting and reconnecting with friends and family and a few weeks ago, arizona phone call with a friend who had inquired about what was happening with Metro Music and myself, and as I begin to share what was happening, she went a little silent for a second and then she came back with this statement Greg, that sounds wonderful and exciting, but I just want to sing. I just want to sing and that stuck in my ear, like like tonight is for several weeks. I shared that thought with a few friends over the next few days, not sharing who said it, but just sharing with them how important it was and all of them begin to respond very differently that I invited them all to join us today in the podcast. So today is a very special day with some very special friends. They're going to join the conversation as Mi'eta takes us to our CRQ and then each of them will share their own opinion on the joy, the value, the excitement of singing during the holidays. But before they come, dorian has our Christmas hymn of the week.
Speaker 3:Thanks, greg. Last week we looked at the hymn Hark, the Herald Angels Sing and we looked at the narrative surrounding Jesus' birth from Luke 2, verses 8 through 14. This week's hymn of the week brings us to the response to the news that the angels brought to the shepherds. The response to the news of the angels we read in Luke 2, 15 through 19. When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. This week's hymn of the week is what child is this? This mid-19th century hymn was not written by a pastor or someone else from the clergy, but was actually written by a businessman, and it's often sung, most likely sung in the versions that we've heard to the famous tune Green Sleeves. In verse 1 of the hymn we hear the echoes of all that was read in verses 8 through 15 of the Luke 2 narrative and what is read in verses 16 through 19, where it says and they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger and when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child, and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. Verse 1 says what child is this? Who lay to rest on Mary's lap, is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems, sweet, while shepherds watch, are keeping, bringing us to that night when Christ was born and the shepherds visit.
Speaker 3:Verse 2 of the hymn points to the Isaiah 53 prophecy of the suffering servant Dreads in verse 2 of that chapter. For he grew up before him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground. He had no form or majesty that we should look at him and no beauty that we should desire him. Verse 2 of the hymn says why lies he in such mean estate? And that might ring odd to us, but in old English that mean estate was referring to the very modest, the almost insulting nature of the fact that the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the very Lord of glory, would be born in a stable, would be born where the very livestock he created are feeding, and he simply did not come to live amongst us. Isaiah 53.4 says Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, and as he is laid in that manger. The very one who came from heaven to earth, came in order for us to be saved. In the end of verse 2 says Good Christian fear. Where sinners hear a silent word is pleading. The word became flesh and dwelt among us and in your mind's eye look upon the infant, the Lord Jesus Christ in his coming in the flesh, lying there silently. The very word of God who became flesh, the very fulfillment of the prophecies of the coming of the Messiah.
Speaker 3:In verse 3 we're pointed to the visit of the Magi, the wise men who set off and journeyed to find the King of the Jews. In Matthew 10, verses 10 and 11, we read when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy and, going into the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him and, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts gold and frankincense and myrrh. Verse 3 says so bring him incense, gold and myrrh. Come, peasant king, to own him. The king of kings salvation brings, but loving hearts enthroned him.
Speaker 3:And the chorus chorus which is sung after each of the verses simply says this this is Christ, the king from shepherd's guard, an angel saying haste, haste to bring him Lord, the babe the son of Mary. In this season, when we remember the incarnation, the coming in the flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who is the Messiah, the anointed one, we are all called to respond. To respond to this one who came to die for sinners, the one who is God, a very God, and just as the hymn says, we should haste to bring him Lord, to bring him praise, for, while in that time he was the babe, the son of Mary, we also look forward to that day when he will return again, not in humility, but in great power, great joy.
Speaker 1:He will be clarified by the king of totals.
Speaker 2:He will be the son of Mary. Since you left New York, I know you are a big time real estate agent now. How much singing are you doing in between selling houses?
Speaker 4:I am not really singing much anymore. I've done some stuff with my sister and when I came back to Virginia I did a show. This musical theater is my background. I actually was up in New York a few weeks ago and I did a workshop a weekend workshop. But I was there for two days and we brought the kids.
Speaker 6:So there was no answer to being anyone out.
Speaker 4:If we had been there longer I wouldn't have totally told people, but it was so quick. It was a workshop with my old vocal coach and it was kind of cool. It was nice to see if I can even still do it.
Speaker 2:I'm sure I'm riding a bike for you. Yeah, exactly, it turns out I can't. I mean it was fine.
Speaker 4:But yeah, so I'm not really singing much just with my kids in the kitchen most of the time nowadays.
Speaker 2:Well, that's great, we're working on it, hopefully.
Speaker 4:I'll do something soon, but still haven't found that I, in a way, working with you guys kind of like ruined me, because now I go to churches and I'm just like, oh no, like everything feels rehearsed and it doesn't feel like about Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2:And I'm like, oh, it feels like you know what's funny, as soon as you said that five people shook their heads.
Speaker 4:Yes, I know, I see everything shaking hard, cause you can relate, it really did like and I feel bad to compare, cause you don't want to that's not the right heart, right, and I need to get beyond it.
Speaker 4:But it really does. Just worship that feels led by the Holy Spirit feels so hard to find and I don't know why that is, but I just feel like I go in and immediately I'm like okay, I know they're listening to a click track, I know they're being told what verse to sing, I know they're going to the chorus and I know and I can, like you, just know how it played out. You know that they got that list of songs week in advance to match the sermon and I just I, as terrifying as it was to lead worship without rehearsing, there was just something so authentic and so genuine about coming to the Lord with I don't know no, no rehearsal to back. It was just very raw and real and I really miss that and I have not, I will say, since I left here, I have not been able to find that or have that same kind of feeling during worship.
Speaker 4:And I know everyone agrees with it, because I can see it all over your faces, because it's the truth and I miss it. I do really, really miss it.
Speaker 2:And it seems everyone here can relate I can see a witness here. But for clarity's sake for those who are not a part of the church choir circle, it doesn't mean that we didn't rehearse. We did that every week, but we did not plan what was going to happen on Sunday. From week to week, it was completely spontaneous. Now, in light of that, I know that you love the Lord. You love to worship. What was your why, outside of your love for him? What was your why for singing?
Speaker 4:That's so tough. So for me, leading worship was never on my radar. I mean, I always loved worship in church. So because my background was in theater, I can speak from that experience and I don't really know how to put words into it. I just know that when I, you know, around the age of 14, when I started singing and doing musical theater, it was kind of like I found my saying that, like you knew God was calling you to like okay, lord, this is what I'm good at, this is what you've created me for, you want me to use this. And up until that point I had never really had anything like that where I felt like, oh, this is what I'm really good at, you know. Until it came to like singing.
Speaker 4:But it wasn't just the singing For me, it was also the telling the story behind the song. That was always very important for me and I know Chris can probably relate to this. But there's just something so I don't even know how to describe it it just you know it was right and it wasn't the singing alone, it was the telling the story. And I think when it comes to singing in church, it's almost the same thing, minus the performance element, but it is that telling the story of the Lord's goodness, you know, and being authentic. Obviously we take the acting part out of it. But yeah, I don't know. I don't know how to describe it other than it's just what I knew was what I was supposed to do.
Speaker 2:Right right.
Speaker 4:I don't know how else to describe it.
Speaker 2:That makes total sense. Chris, you've been there before, you've been on Broadway as a singer and choir person. Tell our audience a bit of your experience.
Speaker 6:Yeah, so. So I was on Broadway for about 10 years and left the business about 18 years ago already. Hard to believe. But, like Ali has said, when you're performing, it's you putting all of you into the piece and into the work. And I remember, greg, when you asked me to be part of a, just a choir, and I got up there and I was so out of my element because here I was, this opera, trained, now Broadway, big voice, with all of these people that worshiped, and I was just in awe.
Speaker 6:And when I was given the chance to get up and sing for the Lord, it was not a body experience and it changed me forever. When you allow him to use you and use your voice, there's nothing like it. I think where I got one up to you, it was I don't know if it was during the, when we sang for the Father's Day or one of the productions I came up and I said nothing. What happened to me tonight? No, I think it was Mary.
Speaker 6:Gentlemen, I had never experienced the Holy Spirit flying through me and I could feel him just going out into the congregation. And it wasn't performance, it was just being mightily used and you just letting go and letting him go where he wants to take the gifts that he's given you, and it changed me forever. I was like I don't, I don't ever wanna do what I was doing down the street, and now I have a longing for it because I don't have an outlet. I'm not singing, I'm not performing, I'm not creating right now, but it's just a totally different feeling when you're doing it for him and you see how powerful he is through worship.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah. Yeah Well, alia. Chris, thanks for sharing. In the background, you're listening to that choir that Chris made reference to. Mary, gentlemen, a little over 100 men of various ages and cultures, the choir organized and under the direction of yours truly, a 17 piece big band under the direction of Professor Todd Lee.
Speaker 1:The songs, the songs. They come from afar. The angels sing the king was born today and then we'll live for evermore. Because our Christmas Day, mary's born child, jesus Christ, was born our Christmas Day. Jesus Christ was born our Christmas Day. Christmas Day. Christmas Day Christmas Day the angels sing. The king was born today and then we'll live for evermore. Because our Christmas Day, mary's born child, jesus Christ, was born our Christmas Day. Welcome to the choir.
Speaker 8:Yeah, for me it was probably a little bit selfish to be part of the choir, because for me it was an opportunity to be free to worship unhindered, without interruptions. No one's saying.
Speaker 2:Interruptions? Are you referring to children and husbands and stuff like that?
Speaker 8:Yeah, things like that, things like that. But I mean honestly, I was inspired before that. They all came along anyway, right right.
Speaker 8:But with life in New York, you're always busy here there doing this and doing that, and it was just a moment to just come and be in his presence without any distractions, and so I looked forward to it. And in the worship I got the message before the preaching came. It was just, and then his presence would come and it was just worth it all. It was worth it all and yeah, it was kind of selfish on my part because I just got so blessed just to be in his presence without any interruptions and to just flow and to just sing together and after a while you know where the worship leader's gonna go and you don't have to look at the words and you just flow and it was just wonderful. It was wonderful and really, really was.
Speaker 2:Yeah, all the more reason why we should be finding a place to land and be singing, especially during the holiday, and I want to talk a little bit more about that, but before we do, mieta has our CRQ and I want all of you to engage in the CRQ.
Speaker 7:Mieta. So tonight's CRQ what are some choir leader positions and what are their roles? What are some choir leader positions and what are their roles? Now, greg said that there are two here. I didn't get the names, but he said there are at least two people here who can answer this question with no problem.
Speaker 2:I think everybody here can answer it, but Allie and Angel can certainly kick it off.
Speaker 7:I'm going to let you go for it.
Speaker 4:Okay, so I know that I helped with the Youth Praise Choir. Basically, I was the point person for communicating with that particular choir. We were the liaison between Greg and the choir. We would communicate. We'd make sure they knew what the schedules were. We would facilitate them entering into the rehearsal. We were the point person. If they had questions, I would meet one-on-one with some of them. If they needed to voice concerns, or if they need to meet with Greg directly, I would schedule those meetings. What else Am I missing anything, greg? I don't think they're doing correctly.
Speaker 2:I'm sure you did a whole lot more than that, but that's.
Speaker 4:There's more.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:For the most part, I think I was just the liaison between the choir and Greg.
Speaker 5:This question doesn't have one set answer. I think multiple choirs, different choirs, kind of organically set themselves up in the way that best fits them. I know in our experience we had the overall leadership. You know there's tiered systems of leadership. Sometimes if you have a large choir, if your choir is a bit smaller than you don't necessarily need that. But when you're looking at a choir of 100 and plus people, even having your director and your administrator who was handling anything that they can handle the safeguard and keep a buffer between everybody coming out, the director, who really needs to be focusing on the music and working with musicians and bringing all the creative forces Together. So I think it's great if you have that person or persons underneath the director. That kind of helps alleviate a bit of taking up a lot of time from the director who's trying to really get us all singing, getting the parts straight, making sure all the musicians are working to get their music straight for that as well. But then sometimes you need another layer of leadership.
Speaker 5:I know we had section leaders and that can be broken down based on soprano, alto, tenor. You know you can break them down as as you need them. You may have multiple per section. You may divvy them out based on who you think is going to have a good rapport, mentoring and acquire that spirit lead, and you're really. It's more than just about singing. You want to make sure that you're not just coming here singing but you have people who have real issues, real struggles, real needs that we need to be addressed. Having someone that they a safe place, a trusted person, who can be discreet, who can keep confidence is, who can become a prayer warrior, who can rally the troops if they're necessary.
Speaker 5:If you got someone who's in a bind because you become a family and they may not have dependable family, they may not have family at all in the area and so you become more than just the musical group. So having someone who can be that go to person to kind of filter those needs and push them up the chain if necessary, and also kind of help, because with humans in general, you can send out an email, you can send out the message all you want, but you need reminders. We all are inundated day in and day out with tons of text messages and emails. So having the ability to have someone to reiterate the message that the administrator has sent out, just to make sure everybody's on the same page and gets to where you need to be, when you need to be there with what they need to have and prepare.
Speaker 5:It's a lot, so I think there's no one set up, but you can have as many as you need. If you've got talented group of people, you can even have leaders that strictly work on technical vocal training or any additional needs, or leaders for section parts so that you can have groups break out individually so someone who may not be as musically gifted can handle administrative needs and you may have someone else who comes from a musical background. They can at least pick parts out on the keyboard and you can send groups off together so that you save time collectively when you come together. That's just my thoughts on it.
Speaker 2:Well, as I expected, two good answers. Question answered.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 7:That question was answered. I don't know if any question has ever been answered so perfectly.
Speaker 2:And she used the word context, which is in Coleman's absence. That's our word of the year. But let me add a couple thoughts to both answers and then pose another question In terms of context. Not every choir, obviously, is going to be 150, 175, 200 voices, and so you're not going to have an organization or ministry that always has a personnel or staff to support that larger group. However, regardless of the size of your choir, when you don't have organization and cooperation and a level of of processes, it creates chaos and disorganization and that has a direct effect on the choir's ability to be a choir and to be a cohesive unit and to be a community or family or in the context of church. It makes it very difficult to worship freely when you have chaos on every level. It happens before service, it can happen during rehearsals, and so the need to have leadership and some level of administration is necessary, regardless of the size of your choir, because you need the right people in the right position to handle some of the right choir business. So, again, when you don't have these levels of leadership and administration, you risk introducing needless, avoidable levels of chaos and confusion because you don't have organization. So, regardless of the size of your choir. You need leadership and you need administration, and sometime that person is the same person.
Speaker 2:Now, having said that, I have seen choirs have officers, presidents, vice presidents, secretaries, treasurers and even chaplains, and that's on top of having section leaders and, in some cases, multiple section leaders, and again, that will depend on the size of the choir and the needs of the people in the choir. Now I've seen some of those positions filled by the choir director asking people to serve. In some cases they were appointed to serve and then in other cases I've seen choir organizations vote people in like they were running for Congress and you know, when it becomes political it can become pretty messy, and that's in and outside of the church and so, and again, it doesn't mean you can't vote, but but you do run the risk of people voting for their peers who are friends and not necessarily because they are fit for the position, and so you can indeed have the wrong people and areas of leadership and that will have a direct effect on the cohesiveness and the community and the family of choir. Anybody want to speak to that?
Speaker 9:Well, yeah, I mean, I don't know that I just came from New Zealand and so I had two weeks with this group of seven young people. They range in age from 19 to 23 and we also had three members of this production company that was coming out of Malaysia and I was also part of that team to help train these people for on camera work and they're doing the new alpha youth series. I don't know if you're familiar with that, but it's a video series that encourages conversations about God in the Bible and Christianity, and so we were there for two weeks to kind of like a off the grid boot camp. So it was very physical, very spiritual form, spiritual, foundational type type work. And then there was the practical work that I was a part of also and just with scripts and production and that kind of thing on camera work. But what, what we did there?
Speaker 9:Anytime you have a community, there's potential for politics. Politics is just a way for a way for communication away, for things to happen. Politics in and of itself is not a bad thing, so I don't think it. I don't think we need to look at politics as a bad thing. People are. God calls people to go into politics to help be a voice for their constituents and for the voiceless and that kind of thing.
Speaker 9:What was so beautiful about the experience of the last of those two weeks with with this group? Everybody had such an attitude of humility and teachability and respect for each other those who were in positions of authority, but also the the responsibility that those who are in leadership to really love and nurture and help and teach and train and and all of those things. And so when you have that going on, holy Spirit led. It's so next level, like the worship is next level, and there's the worship that is done through music, but then there's the worship of living life together, how we live life together, and I look at that as also a form of worship, how we worship the Lord with in whatever context, and obviously specifically here we're talking about music, but I look at it and in different contexts, to use that word here again and we are all of the same heart, heart position and mind and mind and spirit, body position to, you know, to the Lord, vertically first, vertically, always to the Lord, and we're all doing that individually and thus collectively. The power of that is is just incredible, the joy of that is just incredible, it's overwhelming, and I just came back from this trip so incredibly encouraged. So I'm excited that we're having this conversation that we're talking about in the context of choir and music, and I think that's one of the things that I miss the most.
Speaker 9:And this goes back to the first question that you asked to me, when I, when I, first got saved at age 16. My voice was stuck. I you know as culturally and as a family we say we sing a lot, but I felt like my voice was stuck. But when I got saved, I was like Lord, my heart's cry was Lord, I just, I really want to worship you with my voice and I want you to answer. It feels like I stuck here. I want you to open it up, please open it up. And the expression of that was through gospel music.
Speaker 9:Like I love gospel music and when I was in college we had a gospel choir, so I auditioned, I got in. I was one of two Asians in the group. I was so grateful to be able to be a part of that group, to be included, to be accepted into that group. But that was my initial formation and always my intention was to worship the Lord. So when you asked that question, greg, and you've said that before. You've asked that question before and talked about it.
Speaker 9:You know, in choir rehearsals and stuff, when we were all together and I always said that's such a weird question To me. It seems like such a weird question because for me it has always single-mindedly single. It's always been to worship the Lord. So I'm like, why would you do it? Why would you do it for any other reason but to worship the Lord? And that's what I miss so much. And you know, we all have a voice, we all can sing on our own. But the thing that I miss the most can I get emotional here? The thing that I miss the most is the other voices, all of us collectively coming together to have that harmony. You know, for me it's like, yeah, okay, I can sing on my own, but to hear us all blending together, that's what I miss the most.
Speaker 2:Thanks, peggy. I think that good choir leadership and good choir administration lends to the family, the community, the cohesiveness coming together of choir. It makes for a healthy choir. And so I think Peggy's response to the question comes from a totally different angle. It is beyond our natural ability to just be cohesive. Every heart has to want that and has to pursue that, has to acknowledge that without the Spirit of Christ we can't do this on our own. But when you do have it, you want more of it Concentrate, keep going.
Speaker 1:Before you go, and you are expected to bring you three voices. No care for the bed. The little Lord Jesus made down his sweet head. The stars in the sky look down where he made and the little Lord Jesus has sleep on the ground. Gloria in excelsis Deo In ecstasy's test. Gloria, gloria, gloria. The cattle are lovin' the baby away. The little Lord Jesus, no cry he makes. I love the Lord Jesus, look down from the sky and stay by my cradle till morning. Gloria, gloria In ecstasy's day, gloria, gloria In ecstasy's day, gloria, gloria, gloria, gloria, gloria, gloria.
Speaker 2:Gloria, gloria, gloria, gloria. We're gonna get back into our conversation. Angel has a thought.
Speaker 5:I can bear witness to that. I have been part of the ministry that has kind of had several leaders come and go and in the interim what I'll say is God is good and he still shows up in the spite of us because he cares about his house, his people. But I know what that battle feels like. I know what it looks like when you have cable and talented people coming together but you don't have the leadership to kind of bring people together. And so you can. You can keep things floating, you can get it done, and most people would not even have a clue, except for those who are stepping up to do battle.
Speaker 5:And you know that feeling that you have before you even leave your home. You know that feeling you get when you get there that morning and you began to rehearse and began to pray and you know that we're always crying out for God to show up. But that prayer and that cry has a whole lot more gusto when that unity, that cohesiveness because, especially for someone who has been in an environment where, when the Holy Spirit is flowing through and you guys are just so connected, you don't even have to look at each other you can hear in their voice when something's shifting. You can hear when the song is about to change, you can know when to pull back because a new song is being birthed.
Speaker 5:And then, when you don't have that, you don't know and there's really no room for it because you don't know. So the best you can do is stick with the program that you kind of set forth to hold on to, Kind of like Ally was mentioning before. You know you could tell when they've got their list of songs, the click track and everything. Because when you don't have a leader who has been shepherding the group or a leader who has been creating that foundational base and the atmosphere to keep us all together, then it's hard work and there's always a fear of showing up, trusting in your own strengths, Because you know you can come into an atmosphere and you feel the difference. People in the room feel the difference and it's a scary place to be in.
Speaker 6:I feel like I had to share it like as an outsider, because I wasn't involved in a gospel choir except being kind of grafted in for specials. You know, I sang in a lot of choirs when I studied opera and some was. We had a men's Glee Club, we had 20. And it was intense and it was one of the best choir experiences I've ever had because of that unity and I do.
Speaker 6:I miss that, hearing all the voices around and just connecting chord by chord and just all of the emotion in it. But as an observer of watching a choir where everybody is united and everything that you've said, what gets me very emotional to my older age is when you see the unity of the Holy Spirit while you're worshiping and it's not going this way. You have an entire choir where it's just going this way and that's what gets the congregation, because they're witnessing worship and they're being pulled in. And that's what's missing from so many churches now, because next verse, here's the next song. Put the click track in, because they're not trusting the Holy Spirit. That's why I love acapella singing, because there's nothing that's just voices and a melody and a heart, and that's what's missing from so many churches now. There's so much power, so much power in that unity as a choir.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and Chris, that's the purpose of this podcast.
Speaker 2:It was created to encourage and enhance and I use the word perpetuate a lot because we don't want it to just be an event of singing, we want it to continue and that the joy and the lasting effect of singing together affects your generation and the next generation and the next generation, because it does affect us spiritually, emotionally, physically, you know, in other cases financially and relationally, and so we want that to be perpetuated through these relationships.
Speaker 2:And so I think we have a responsibility as directors, as administrators, as choir people, as leaders whether you're pastors or conductors to foster an environment that is not just musical and enjoyable, but one that encourages us to be a part of something that's bigger than ourselves, where we are discerning the needs of the body, and if one of us is hurting, then the rest of us run to the place that hurts the most. It's just like the blood in your body, the shed blood of Christ, the love of Christ, and so that cooperation, that collaboration, that family environment really starts at the head and it works through those layers of leadership, through those layers of responsibility, and that is what helps create a healthy choir environment that people don't want to leave, and when they don't have it, they miss it. But they also know what to look for when they go to the next place.
Speaker 3:Dorian. Yeah, I was going to say Greg, I mean what you're saying. As soon as you talk about family it's. We look around this Zoom room and we see all of these different colors and different backgrounds and what is it that makes us family? It's the blood of Christ, and so the role of any leader and a choir has to be one that sees their primary responsibility of being one of pointing people back to the gospel and pointing people back to the reason that they're singing.
Speaker 3:And so often what has happened is that there has been this focus on just the music making sure the music sounds right, making sure that the music gets people jumping and clapping or crying or whatever, and all of that happens. But at the same time, if it's totally without the foundation, which is what Christ has done, what God has done for us in Christ, then it's going to die out, it's going to be totally empty. And so all of the leaders, whether they are the director, the administrator, the section leaders, they have to be people of the word. Yeah, because they're. This choir thing isn't just going to be about singing. It is going to be about sitting down and praying with folks when they're going through struggles. It's going to be about calling people on the carpet when they're out there not living what they're singing and not living what they say they believe it's going to be. All of these things, because all of those things affect who we are in terms of our relationship with God, but it also affects our relationship to one another as well, and so it's vital that any kind of leadership role in a choir they see themselves as being someone, that it's a spiritual leader. It's not just music, but but you have to know that this is far more than putting notes together and making sure that harmony sound right.
Speaker 8:You know how the saying goes the family that prays together stays together. And one of the biggest thing, I think, was our times of prayer, whether it was on the platform before rehearsal, before we did anything. The foundation of prayer, I think, is what knitted our hearts together, even more so than just sitting next to each other, because, I tell you, I would get on that platform and once the worship started I couldn't remember who was next to me because I was just worship. You know what I mean. But the fact that we have had those times of prayer, I think was pivotal and I think it really really did knit our hearts together and made us feel like a family, because it's in the presence of the Lord, when you're in prayer, that you're vulnerable, that we are who we are and we see each other for who we are and still rally around and still love and still support and still encourage. And that's what built the family, you know, and we really were. We were a choir family and I miss my choir family. I really really do.
Speaker 8:There are very, very few places where I have gone, where I have felt safe, where the worship starts and you can raise your hands and not just stand there repenting because God, what are they doing? Why don't they be quiet? Stop? What is this? That doesn't make any sense. What are these lyrics? I say repenting Sunday mornings or all the things I'm trying worship because I just it's hard, I just don't feel safe. You know there's. I went to a couple of churches. I went to one in Florida, little old church, but from the parking lot I was in worship. I was like you know, it was a little church, a very small party, like 30 people in the congregation, but they worship and it was safe and I was able to enter in with no problem. It's not easy in many, many places it's not yeah.
Speaker 8:So I yeah, we needed to be, we were a family, yeah indeed, indeed.
Speaker 2:Well, I think the CRQ has been answered, but we are moving on into more of our discussion with regards to the joy, the excitement and even the need for Corporate singing and choir and everything that comes with that. Before we go back into it, we're gonna get into some music. At the moment, it's Christmas all around the world and so we want to get into some Christmas music and then come back with our guests to finish our discussion on the joy, the Excitement and the need to be singing, particularly during this holiday. West and jelly most proclaim Christ is born in Bethlehem.
Speaker 1:Heart the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King. Oh, the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King. Born earth and mercy, vile Blood and sinners red the sign. Join full on the nation's rise, join the triumph of the sky West and jelly most proclaim Christ is born in Bethlehem Heart. The herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King. Glory, glory, glory to the newborn King, glory, glory, glory, glory to the newborn King.
Speaker 2:High, high, highest heaven on earth. Christ, the everlasting Lord, may in time behold Him come all swing of the burdens. Melt in flesh the Godhead see Melt in kindness the atee. Make a man with men. To dwell Jesus, our Emmanuel Heart. The herald angels sing. Glory to the newborn King. Glory to the newborn King. Glory to the newborn King. Glory to the newborn King. Glory to the newborn King. Glory to the newborn King.
