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
Back Together Again: Mietta Shares About the Journey, The Benefits and Joys of Singing In the School Choir, Throwback Choir Audio
Step into the Choir Room for an insightful exploration into the undeniable power of communal singing and choirs! In this episode, we unpack the significance of choir culture in today's society, addressing the vibrant sense of community that music fosters even in challenging times. With heartfelt anecdotes, co-host Mietta bravely shares her recent health journey and the impact it has had on her, reminding us all of the importance of community and support.
Our discussion also highlights the transformative role of music in educational settings and the need to revive music programs in schools, affirming that singing together creates bonds that withstand life’s trials. We reflect on cherished memories from our own choir experiences, emphasizing that these shared moments not only provide joy but also play a crucial role in maintaining balance between our personal lives and ministry responsibilities.
As we look ahead, we unveil exciting changes coming to the podcast, inviting you to broaden our musical community by sharing your own choir experiences. Join us for this rich dialogue and remember: your story could inspire someone else! Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and connect with us to keep the choral spirit alive!
Perpetuating and Promoting the Christian and Positive Idea Through the Medium of Music and Other Arts.
Welcome to the Choir Room. This is episode 41 of the Choir Room Podcast. Welcome to the Choir Room. I'm Greg Thomas, your host, and I'll soon be joined by my co-hosts, dorian Johnson Welcome to the Choir Room.
Speaker 1:And Mieta Stansil-Farrar. This podcast exists to promote and encourage two longtime 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 and 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. If you haven't done so already, we ask that you subscribe to this podcast. Wherever you listen to podcasts, share it with a friend and then leave us your comments, and we know that many of you are doing that, because we get your emails and we want to address at least one of those during this episode, as Mietta is joining us tonight and we will explain why we've been a little MIA in posting weekly.
Speaker 1:Mietta Stancil-Farrar is with us and she's going to share a little bit of her story and the journey she's been on and you're going to hear more about that over the next few weeks. Now do note that, in spite of the setbacks and the delays, we have been working on a weekly basis in the background. So note that in the coming weeks you're going to begin to hear slightly different changes in the format of the podcast, all still designed to encourage and enlighten our listeners. But for now, let's go straight to our CRQ, as Mietta is with us.
Speaker 2:Thanks, greg. Tonight's CRQ question I heard that Mietta was not doing well. Is this why all have stopped posting new episodes of the podcast? Shouldn't you guys have told your listeners something? Well, since, since I am me at a, let me first start off by saying I'm doing okay, I'm doing well, all is well and I'm here with you tonight.
Speaker 4:I am here and we are.
Speaker 2:So I am sorry for not disclosing all things, as I probably should have, but just know that all is well, I'm back at it, life is good, we're coming along nicely. So the doing well part, and I guess I will disclose a little bit. Yes, there is some health challenges that are occurring at the moment, but I'm able to function and do what I need to do. So, but, continue to pray. If you've been praying for me, continue to pray for me, because I can feel it. It's looking better every day, looking better every day, and please accept our apologies or my apology, I would say for not disclosing my absence.
Speaker 1:And we didn't say anything either. We could have, but I didn't want to jump in front of your disclosing, so we wanted you to be able to say that and we just went silent. We just went silent but we didn't post anything really. We just went silent. But we didn't post anything really since our last podcast. So we didn't post anything for people to know that you weren't here. So they must have gotten that information from somewhere else.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they could have Other sources, other sources.
Speaker 2:It's funny because I've thought about it even today. I'm like now, where could that have come from? And I'm thinking well, I am on social media, yeah, and you know, and I did make, I did make a video, um, concerning my health condition, and I did that for a different reason so I'm wondering that perhaps, maybe they saw that, maybe I'm not sure?
Speaker 1:uh, we did talk about the August concert.
Speaker 2:Oh right, august it was August yeah.
Speaker 1:And so I know we mentioned that in the podcast.
Speaker 2:So it could have come from a number of areas.
Speaker 1:It's probably Rhonda, but don't tell her. I said it. My sister is out here harassing us. But no, all is well.
Speaker 2:To the faithful listeners. All is well, I am doing what God is still healing and bringing me through daily Amen.
Speaker 4:Well, we're glad to have you back and we can see your face.
Speaker 1:We can see you and she looks well To our listeners. This is not an AI, mietta.
Speaker 3:This is the real deal.
Speaker 1:She is with us and we are glad for it. But, thanks for the concern and just know that we will be getting back on our post with posting a little more regularly in the coming weeks. But we need to take that break and pray with and for our dear sister. And then that gave us a break because life was happening with us as well. We just got super busy. And this was around the time, school was just going back into session, and those of us who have little people, well, not little people, not even little people, people at home who are still in school.
Speaker 1:Excuse me, right, right, but then business and work schedules, ministry schedules have picked up, and so we're just trying to balance all of that other part of life and while at the same time allow her and our sister to get the care she needs, get the rest she needs, and we're glad to have you back.
Speaker 2:We're glad to have you. It's good to be back. Yeah, it's good to be back. It's also, I think, that you know, moments like this kind of put things in perspective. I think some people think that when you're in ministry music ministry, choir ministry they don't often know how to balance it, and when things happen. Things like that happen challenges. And it doesn't always have to be health, it could just be any type of challenge.
Speaker 1:Sure sure.
Speaker 2:You have to sometimes take a step back you know, and reassess some things and kind of move a little differently, especially when it comes to your family.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that's something we don't often talk about when it comes to music ministry. Yeah, sometimes our family kind of get lost in the sauce sometimes. They get put on the altar of ministry. Yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly, and so this can be a really good learning tool for anybody who is listening, even now listening and trying to figure out well, how do I Moving?
Speaker 2:forward for anybody who is listening, even now, listening and trying to figure out well, how do I, what do I do in a situation where, you know, things come up, how do I balance? And I and this is, and I say this now because this away in 05, but when she was born, she was born with a lot of health challenges and so we had to kind of figure out how to navigate that, you know. And some people would say, well, we kept moving, you know, we kept doing what God called us to do in terms of ministry all the way around, both my husband and I together.
Speaker 2:We served together, and then we also served separately, and then we also had to take care of our daughter at the same time. And so there was. There had to be a lot of sacrifices. Right had a lot to do with reassessing our lives for both natural and spiritual.
Speaker 2:And so I hope that you know people who are in positions like that understand that your family comes first. Your family comes first and you have to make sure that family is good in order for ministry to be what it needs to be. Got to make sure of that. So I'm off my soapbox.
Speaker 1:I think it's a good reminder, though, for all of us and our listeners that serve in leadership areas of ministry. We can't afford to think that it hinges on us, that things should still be able to continue without us If we're sick or if we're absent for any reason. The team needs to be able to step up, but, that's provided you pour it into the team, you're developing people who can carry on in your absence and in your stead, and in some cases, yeah, there's some things that will change or come to a halt for a season, but certainly there's a ram in the bush or at least there should be.
Speaker 3:There's somebody waiting in the wings. The truth will continue to march on.
Speaker 1:Well, as Mietta would say to our listeners, you have received a wealth of information tonight and she'll disclose more when she's ready. But this was a wealth of information tonight and she'll disclose more when she's ready, but this was a wealth of information. Well, we're glad to have you back in the choir room and to our listeners. We thank you for your emails, your prayers, your calls, and we'll be getting back to our regularly scheduled programming. Now Dorian has our hymn of the week.
Speaker 5:Thanks, craig. This week's hymn of the week. Thanks Greg. This week's hymn of the week is Like a River Glorious the last time we looked at it is well which began when peace, like a river, attendeth my way. And this hymn, written by Francis Havergal, who also wrote Take my Life and Let it Be, joins two concepts. One is taken from Psalm 46, which begins this way it says God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah, there is a river whose streams make glad, the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. And it starts that way.
Speaker 5:And then the chorus reminds us of this verse from Isaiah 26.3, which says you keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you. Verse 1 says like a river, glorious is God's perfect peace over all, victorious in its bright increase. Perfect, yet it floweth fuller every day. Perfect, yet it groweth deeper all the way. Verse 2 speaks of the eternal security of the Christian as we sing there, hidden in the hollow of his blessed hand. Never foe can follow, never traitor. Stand, not a surge of worry, not a shade of care, not a blast of hurry. Touch the spirit there, reminding us of the great promise of our Lord and Savior from John 10, verse 28, where he says I give them eternal life and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. And then he says that no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand either in verse 29.
Speaker 5:And then finally, in verse 3, this hymn says Every joy or trial falleth from above, traced upon our dial by the Son of love, and son is actually spelled S-U-N. By the Son of Love, and Son is actually spelled S-U-N. So as you think of that imagery of God being the Son, and he is the one who brings trials into our life and causes us to go through difficulties. But then the last part of that verse says we may trust Him fully. All for us to do. They who trust Him wholly find him wholly true.
Speaker 5:And the chorus says this Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blessed, finding, as he promised, perfect peace and rest. May we be reminded of the great peace that comes from resting in God, and may we also be reminded of the great exhortation given to us by the Apostle Paul in Philippians, chapter 4, verses 6 through 7, which says Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. May you keep your mind stayed upon Jehovah, and may you find that perfect peace and rest that he has promised to those who fully trust in him.
Speaker 1:That first CRQ was for Mietta, so why don't we go ahead and do the next one?
Speaker 2:Tonight's CRQ. What happened to the school choir interviews? Will they be coming soon? What happened to the school choir interviews? Will they be coming soon? I hope so. What say you, Greg?
Speaker 1:Well, this is a CRQ that I obviously need to answer. We did mention the fact that we'd be visiting high schools, colleges and universities on last summer, and now you know we took a break in the summer so that Mietta could get the treatment and rest that she needed. That's number one. And then we were still recording over that time that's number one. And then we were still recording over that time almost every week and managed to get to a few schools in September and October, but then by that time the schools were already preparing for the Christmas holiday, and so to post those now would not be great timing. So you'll hear some more of those later this year.
Speaker 1:However, we have some exciting interviews scheduled for this spring season, the Easter season and as the schools start to get into their spring concerts and end-of-the-year concerts this year.
Speaker 1:So we haven't forsaken it. We just needed that break so that we could regroup. And then note and I'll talk more about this later that there's a new work coming through Metro Music and Arts, and in that new work you're going to hear segments from the Choir Room podcast in addition to new segments that we're working on now that speak to the back end of Christian performing arts, and that is in the financial area, the management area, the development area and other aspects of the performing arts that I think are going to be very educational and informative for our listeners. So note that we haven't forsaken the school choir segment. We're coming back to that, but we needed that break in the middle of the summer of 24. And that has given birth to some new things that we're pretty excited about sharing with you. Now, when I heard this CRQ, I was reminded of how much fun it was to be involved in choir in elementary school and in high school. Y'all remember that.
Speaker 2:When we were in grammar school I'm sure Greg remembers this, I don't know if Dorian had it wherever he might have gone to elementary school but we had something that they called inner city ensemble yeah, that was something and that included all of the children of the city in their elementary classes or elementary schools where they could be a part of choir, and we used to go up to the I remember in eighth grade doing this, starting in eighth grade, having to go up to the high school To the high school, yeah.
Speaker 2:For the rehearsal and we had kids from all over the city.
Speaker 1:All city band, all city choir.
Speaker 2:Yeah, all city, all of that stuff. We lived on the north side of town of Patterson but there were kids from the east side of Patterson that I had no clue as to who these people were, but we all gathered in this one high school and we sang. And even in our own individual elementary schools we had music, we had music teacher and and we had that a few times a week and I'm and now I'm hearing that that doesn't exist anymore my music class was and I came from a good home.
Speaker 2:You know good church background and all of that stuff. But my music class in elementary school in particular was such a safe place for me and I didn't, and that's where I learned now you, you sing on your choirs at churches because I sang on my junior choir at churches.
Speaker 2:But I had more fun in my elementary school music class because in that class and I'm still trying to find this teacher now and I hope through this podcast somebody's finder for me. Her name was miss morris, um little lady she had. You know she was a caucasian woman with this really funny haircut but. I don't the haircut used to stress me out but why are you kidding me?
Speaker 2:this was this haircut, but she was an excellent music teacher and I don't think she got the credit she deserved with us. She bought music that I did not listen to to our classroom Did not. I knew nothing about Broadway music. I did gospel music. That's what we did in the house, that's what we did at the church, that's what we did on the playground, but when it came to coming to her class, she got us into all different types of music and I was so impressed by that.
Speaker 4:I was coming home.
Speaker 2:Singing happiness is two kinds of ice cream finding your skate key, telling the time, this is learning to whistle.
Speaker 1:Tying your shoe for the very first time I remember those lyrics she got us into fame. The whole production and those were pretty clean songs Clean songs I still sing.
Speaker 2:I sing the body electric right now.
Speaker 1:I celebrate the me yet to come. I celebrate the me yet to come.
Speaker 3:I toast to my own reunion.
Speaker 1:I toast to my own reunion when I become one With the sun. What sun? One with the sun? We didn't know. And funnier, I celebrate Venus. Right, you celebrate Mars. Celebrate Mars, you kind of lose your mind.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right, right, right but that's the kind, but we had fun doing it. We didn't mind. Some of the stuff wasn't biblically correct at all.
Speaker 4:No.
Speaker 1:We knew it no not at all, but we did get into high school and we did learn bigger songs, songs like Challenge, never Alone, and a host of other hymns and spirituals that mentioned the name of God and it was okay. Nobody was offended by that.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 3:What's funny for me, though, thinking about high school is I went to a more fluent high school, but the music teacher there would make a point of including Black spirituals. So you'd have these choirs of, like, white kids, asian kids, one Black kid, indian I mean, but we're up there singing. I got to crown up into that kingdom.
Speaker 2:Or Ezekiel saw the wheel, I mean yeah, yeah, we can look back on that yeah, we can look back on that and really I appreciate it more. It's sad that I really did not appreciate it as I should have then, but now you know you sit back and you're a little older a little older a little.
Speaker 2:This was good stuff and, and unfortunately, the the generations now, they really don't have that. They don't they? Just I don't know how, how you can get it. I'm not sure, um, but it is, it's a loss all the reason we have to keep this podcast going.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, we have to continue to share the value and the importance and the significant benefits of of singing, playing an instrument, singing in choir, playing with a band and the value of christian and positive ideas in the performing arts. You know, and I was just reminded that my elementary school music teacher, who taught us singing and music, was the son of my high school choral teacher. I mean, go figure, it was all in the family. I mean, those were the best years, by far the best of the school years.
Speaker 4:What is that to me? I will celebrate Nativity, for it has a place in history. Sure, he came to set his people free. What is that to me? To my faith, I met him face to face and I felt the wonder of his grace. Then I knew that he was more than just a God who didn't care. There lived a way out there. And Now he walks beside me day by day, never watching. No, he lays astray, telling me to find a narrow way. He's everything to me.
Speaker 2:This is why I say that if you put music back in the schools, you won't have so many psychologists having to come in Wow, we've seen the decline. It helps with the cerebral health. It really does, because it's a space in which you can express and be creative and get some of whatever that is going on in here. You can release that and people don't believe that. I don't think people really understand how important those things are, because they look at a lot of our children.
Speaker 2:They just want to play sports but not all not every child can play football, not every child can play basketball, but there's a child out there somewhere that loves music. And if the schools because you spend most of your day in the schools if the schools are not challenged to find a way to get those simple things back in the school, you might find that, you know, you might have a little less of the chaos that you because, now listen.
Speaker 2:I went to an elementary school that was in the hood, because I lived in the hood, right. So I went that type of school and you had all types of children in there from all types of backgrounds, but when it came to the music, that was the one thing we all had in common and you didn't have a whole bunch of craziness very little, little drama.
Speaker 4:Very little drama. There was no drama, not in choir. I'm just saying.
Speaker 2:Just trying to.
Speaker 1:In choir. Ultimately we ended up singing songs that were really prayers over our own lives. We just didn't know it, you know, and we didn't realize it. But later in life we realized, wow, we were allowed, afforded the opportunity to sing some of these rich hymns and spirituals and anthems that really spoke life to us and spoke life in us, and then later we would go to church and find some of those same lyrics and some hymns, and so it was an awesome opportunity.
Speaker 1:But I want to say to the listener who sent the question in regarding school choir and this is for any of our listeners as we build up to our school choir episodes here in the choir room, tell us about your school choir experience, whether that's elementary school, high school, college, university. You can email us at thechoir at Metro music dash artscom, or you can write on our Facebook page at the choir room. We just want to know about your experiences and if you are involved in a current program, we want to know who your teacher or professor is and perhaps we can have one of them as our guests here in the choir room.
Speaker 2:Now, dorian, I have a question. Did you, were you ever a part of a any type of singing group growing up?
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, I mean I, I, I sung in choirs and things like that at church, and even in high school I was part of school choirs, both the concert choir and a smaller choir as well.
Speaker 1:So yeah, Now, don't let that short and sweet response cause you to underestimate Dorian. I've got videos of him.
Speaker 3:He's got evidence on everybody. How do you think he keeps us here right?
Speaker 4:He does.
Speaker 1:Don't underestimate his choir skills.
Speaker 2:Blink if you need help. Blink once, if you need help.
Speaker 1:I'm feeling a throwback here where we're going to have to do a podcast with all of the throwbacks, so people will understand that we're not just shooting from the hip with these ideas. We have done choir, we've been doing choir and we continue to do this in different respects. Oh yeah, but we do it.
Speaker 2:Right, right. Well, that's true.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you, listener. You have received again a wealth of information tonight.
Speaker 3:More than you asked for Wealth of information More than you asked for.
Speaker 2:Well, I like it.
Speaker 1:Now around minute 21,. You heard a clip from a choir. I won't tell you who that was, but I'll let you try to figure it out. If you think you know, send us an email at thechoirroomatmetromusic-artscom or on our Facebook page. Here's another clip from that school choir.
Speaker 4:Sing each day, each amen, amen, amen, amen, amen. Join me, sisters, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen. Can you guys sing? Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, hallelujah. Amen, let's offer and sing. Amen, let's offer and sing.
Speaker 1:Amen, Amen. If you haven't done so already, make sure that you subscribe, share and like this podcast and remember, if ever we put the messenger before the message, we have failed to present an unblemished gospel. I'm Greg Thomas. Join us again right here next week in the choir room.
