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
Keith Childress: From World Action Singers to Teaching 1st-12th Graders, An Engaging CRQ, And Greg In the Minority.
What creates lasting community in a world of increasing isolation? Musician, vocalist, composer, teacher, and choir director Keith Childress has discovered the answer through decades of choir leadership spanning continents, cultures, and generations.
When a remarkable opportunity took him to Oral Roberts University as part of the World Action Singers, he found himself performing alongside legends like Aretha Franklin and Teddy Pendergrass—a divine appointment that transformed his trajectory. Now teaching first through twelfth graders, Childress brings innovative approaches to music education.
Greg finds himself in the minority amongst his co-hosts and guest (you'll have to listen to figure out why), but they have an engaging conversation while attempting to answer the episodes' CRQ.
Have you experienced the transformative power of singing in community? Share your story with us at thechoirroom@metromusic-arts.com or through our Facebook page, and discover why, as our hosts affirm, choir matters now more than ever.
Perpetuating and Promoting the Christian and Positive Idea Through the Medium of Music and Other Arts.
Welcome to the Choir Room. This is episode 42 of the Choir Room Podcast.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Choir.
Speaker 1:Room. I'm Greg Thomas, your host, and I'll soon be joined by my co-hosts, dorian Johnson Welcome to the Choir Room and Mietta Stansel-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. Last episode, we shared with you that we're going to continue our outreach to schools, colleges and universities, and we'll get to hear from some of those teachers and professors some best practices, tips on how they conduct their rehearsals, how they encourage students to get involved in choir quartets ensembles. We'll also talk to some of the students and hear about their experiences and how being involved in choir and some of the performing arts programs has changed the trajectory of their lives.
Speaker 1:We often talk about the value and the importance and the significance of being involved in choir and singing with an aggregation of people here on this podcast and you'll get to hear it firsthand from some of the school teachers, college professors and the university choir directors. Now, if you or someone you know is involved in any one of those areas, we'd love to talk to you and perhaps interview you here in the choir room. You can email us at thechoirroom, at metromusic-artscom, or you can contact us through the choir room Facebook page. Now, speaking of the Facebook page, we're going to begin to populate that a little more frequently with our CRQs each week, and the CRQ again is a choir room question. These are questions that are sent to us by our listeners and we try to address them in each episode of the podcast. We acknowledge that we don't have all the answers, and so we encourage our listeners to engage in the CRQ via our Facebook page. Now be sure to like the page, share the page and subscribe to the page and this podcast so that your friends and colleagues know that you're in the Choir Room.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Choir Room. He's a musician, vocalist, songwriter, recording artist and a choir director. Our guest this episode in the choir room Keith Childress. Before Keith joins us, dorian has our Hymn of the Week.
Speaker 4:Thanks, greg. This week's Hymn of the Week is the Church's One Foundation. In Acts, chapter 3, peter and John are in the temple, and Peter and John encounter a lame man who is begging and they heal him of his lameness. They then go about preaching in the temple and are eventually arrested and brought before the council. And in their interaction with the council they make a staunch defense of the gospel and their preaching to the people. And as they are doing this, peter says this in verse 10 of chapter 4. Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that, by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead by him, this man is the Lord, jesus Christ and the church is the body. Jesus Christ and the church is the body of Christ and, as Peter states in his defense, christ is the cornerstone and the foundation of the church.
Speaker 4:This hymn was written in response to a controversy that arose in the Anglican church during the late 19th century, where both the accuracy of some of the events of the Bible and some articles of the Christian faith were questioned. And in response to this controversy, samuel John Stone wrote this hymn in 1866, based on Article 9 of the Apostles' Creed, which states the belief in the holy Catholic Church, where Catholic means the true Christian church of all times and all places, stating once again that there is a common communion of the saints. This hymn has six verses and we won't go through all six verses, but I would commend this hymn to you to listen to a recording. But I want to give highlights of the first three verses in particular, because they speak to specific portions of scripture.
Speaker 4:In Colossians, 1.18, we read and he, referring to Christ, is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. And in verse 1, we read the church's one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord. She is his new creation by water and the word From heaven he came and sought her to be his holy bride. With his own blood he bought her and for her life he died. Own blood he bought her and for her life he died.
Speaker 4:In Ephesians, chapter 4, verses 4 through 6, we read there is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. In verse 2, we read elect from every nation, yet one or all the earth, her charter of salvation one Lord, one faith, one birth, one holy name. She blesses, partakes, one holy food and to one hope she presses with every grace endued.
Speaker 4:And then, as we go through other parts of this hymn, it talks about the scorn that the church receives from the world. It talks about the internal debates and schisms that occur within the church and ultimately, in verse 6, it points to the church's union with Christ. And in verse 6, we read In this hour where so many truths of Scripture and the truth of the church is under attack and we see so many divisions within the church as well, and we see so many divisions within the church as well, may we once again look to Christ, who is the church's one foundation.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Quiet Room. Keith Childress, our guest for this episode, and we're just going to let our hair down for a little while. I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:I just realized.
Speaker 4:You're in the minority. Greg, You're in the minority. I have my pullback.
Speaker 3:Oh my goodness, Greg, You're in the minority. I have to pull back.
Speaker 1:Oh my goodness, I'm going to put my hair up.
Speaker 1:Moving right along. We haven't been in the company of one another for many years. We both were involved in a recording project many years ago with Revival Temple Mass Choir and I won't say how many many was, but it was a long time ago, to say the least and with the advent of the internet, we've been able to follow each other's work over the years and I'm so glad to have this great man in the choir room. Keith Childress, welcome, thank you. Thanks so much for your yes and agreeing to join us. I trust that you are well.
Speaker 3:Doing great, thank you.
Speaker 1:You know, during the time of that recording I remember being in a very unusual place. The timing was just difficult for me because I think I was in my first or second year of college. What was life like for you at that time?
Speaker 3:I had recently just returned back home to New Jersey from being in living in Oklahoma for 13 years Because I went to Robert Roberts University and I stayed after graduating.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about that experience at the Oral Roberts University, because most of this generation won't know the Oral Roberts University. How did you end up there? Did you choose it or did it choose you?
Speaker 3:It was from being in New Jersey that I ended up there because I had a choir Montclair State. I was the director of Montclair State Gospel Choir back in the day and we traveled around and I became friends. I was a part of Church of God in Christ and I became friends with David Lawrence, who he had a choir at what's this Newark State? They changed it to King College so, but then he started telling me about an opening because you know they had. Well, just to make it plain, they had, it was five black people in the group. So Carlton Pearson was leaving to go on tour with his ministry. He was leaving school to go out. He had a ministry of his own, so he was leaving school. So that space opened up. So David told me about that. I sent my little cassette tape there and they called me one day and said you need to come out tomorrow to audition.
Speaker 3:I'd never flown on a plane before anything and at that time it was at four o'clock in the afternoon when I found out and the flight was the next morning so the banks would be closed. But you know what? I had taken $100 out to a loan to a friend of mine Look how the Lord works. And at that time, just to fly the next day, it cost $138. So my parents gave me the $38. I flew there. My head was stomped up because I didn't know about swallowing, I'd never flown on a plane before and in my audition my friend David was there and he played and he was modulating and I said, oh Lord, please don't let me go flat. And the director of the group his name was Gordon Twist, a little short man with a ton of music in him. He was amazing. He said, oh, you didn't go flat once and that was God letting me know I'm with you. I got you.
Speaker 3:I went home, flew back home that night and I could still see as I talk about, I could still see the puddle of tears, puddle of tears on the floor. My mother and father were in bed that night and my mother said, oh, baby, you made it. And I just stood there and tears. It was a puddle, I was just. It was. That was my. I was telling my wife during this summer, during the Olympics. I said that was my Olympics Because it opened doors for me. It exposed me to so much singing with people like Aretha Franklin, and even Teddy Pendergrass was on one of our specials and just going to fly to LA doing singing in the studio, doing pre-records and filming and all of those things, doing TV tapings every month and I kind of had a full scholarship. Wonderful Room board books, lord Jesus.
Speaker 1:So you mentioned traveling and recording. This wasn't one of the regular choirs of the university correct.
Speaker 3:Well, this was not just a choir, this was the World Action Singers, this was a TV group.
Speaker 1:Ah, gotcha. Okay, I see the difference there.
Speaker 3:Because they had other choirs. That's why I'm distinct. Yeah, okay, I see the difference there.
Speaker 1:That's why I'm distinct. Yeah, I knew they had different groups there. What is your affiliation or your connection with Donnie Harper and New Jersey Mass Choir? Did you sing with them?
Speaker 3:No, but he was the musician at my church. Ah, okay, gotcha. Before I went to Church of God and Christ, I was at Zion Hill Baptist Church, gotcha, hawthorne Avenue and Osborne Terrace. That's where I came out of the womb and he was at our church. And Liam Lumpkins was also there at our church, liam, was really a great influence in my life.
Speaker 1:Well, I know choir is a big part of who you are, so tell us where it started for you.
Speaker 3:It started when I was a little boy. I loved the choir. I was like five years old. My brothers, there's five boys in my family- and where do you fall in those five?
Speaker 3:So I'm number four. The first three were born real close together. Then I came five years later. My little brother came six years after me. So I'm up in the front, of course, sitting with mommy and my three older brothers. They're in the balcony. So in the car my brother said we were so embarrassed Because the whole church was looking at me Because I'm a little kid down in the front of the church. They're in the balcony, the balcony's laughing at me. I'm just going wild.
Speaker 1:Well, wild about what. What's happening?
Speaker 3:I loved it and I don't know how to be restrained, so my love for choir started from the very moment I heard choir church, I loved it.
Speaker 1:So when did you start playing piano for the church, and was it this church?
Speaker 3:No, it's funny, I never got to play for the church. I grew up in A play. Well, we call it play on, but we call it Ambula because they're my parents and my best friends. So one time they always call me downstairs, like when people come over the house, keith, come and play an organ for Ambula, or whatever. So Ambula was over there and I come and play the organ for Ambula, or whatever. So Ambula was over there and I came and played the organ. She said well, you know, I'm going to talk to Reverend Irvin because we need an organist for the junior choir. So that's at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Newark.
Speaker 3:So at the age of 15, I started playing for Tabernacle Baptist Church Wow, and that started my music ministry. And also that same year and I don't know to this day, deacon Childress and Sister Childress, let me do this. But I played in a band too. Okay, I started playing in a band and we played. First we started out with the CYO, the Christian Youth Organization. Then we started playing. We played in places like the Cheetah and we opened. We're down at the RKO. We opened for, like, the Delphonics Cooling the Game.
Speaker 1:Okay, so these aren't churches and this clearly wasn't a church band.
Speaker 3:No, oh, no, this was full version, funk Okay. So that's why I said I don't know how mom and daddy say yes, but it was awesome.
Speaker 1:But it opened you up and exposed you to various forms of music and expanded your musicality, if you will. Now you would go on to be a part of choirs and singing groups. You'd go on to form groups and choirs and direct them as well. How would you describe the value and the importance, the significance, of being involved in choir? What are the pros for you?
Speaker 3:There's a camaraderie, there's a team. You feel like you're part of a team, a belonging. You know that these kids, a lot of times they get in these gangs because there's something they belong to. People go to different lifestyles because they've been embraced by a group and so you feel there's a, even even in your section, blending together with the tennis section. You know, sometimes you like to stand by a certain person. You become a part of that thing and then you're learning, even even if you might be living crazy at that time. You know, because we've got to grow, but you're, you're singing the word and that's how faith comes. The Bible says faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God and even singing the word. And that's how faith comes. The Bible says faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God and even singing the word. There are times when you're alone. You start singing and thinking about what you're singing about.
Speaker 1:You're also working with first grade through 12th grade, I think, teaching and directing choir. What does it do for you and what is it that you see on the faces of those young people?
Speaker 3:That means a lot to me because, you know, just because I'm at a Christian school, everybody doesn't go to church, sure. So we have an experience where, at Christmas, we we sing out. This was the first time I took the group out from the school this is my sixth year at this particular school and we've only done the Christmas concert and the spring concert but we went to a church and did our Christmas concert and we started singing Revelation 19. Hallelujah, and I said the power of the Lord was moving in that place. I looked at the kids. I said y'all haven't seen this side of Mr Children's. This is who I really am. And to see how God was moving and how they're getting exposed to it. Whether they're churched or unchurched, they were being exposed to the presence of God and what he does and how he moves and how he changes the atmosphere. So they're getting used to that and they they're hearing.
Speaker 3:I pray with them every day and, uh, one of the kids and I always end my prayer with that um scripture from Psalms look that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer. One of my kids. He was at the other school, as I said before, so he's been here since he was in kindergarten and he could quote it. He said why do you always end your prayer with that? I said because I want the Lord to be even in what the thing I think, what I ponder on. And I said you know something, you know a scripture, what I ponder on.
Speaker 2:And I said you know something, you know a scripture, and you don't even know that you know a scripture All right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right. We just cannot get out. We just cannot get out. We just cannot get out.
Speaker 1:We just cannot get out the track it's Gonna Be All Right by Keith Childress, and that part is in Swahili. So, speaking of Swahili, tell us where else, outside of the school and the church, your music has taken you.
Speaker 3:Well, actually it's been to Africa, to Europe, to several countries in Africa. In fact I had the pleasure of going with a group doing the first freedom celebration for South Africa, I think that was 1995. And we were there for about three weeks and they were so it was so. It was funny because they said are you a Black American? I said yes, and they and the young lady said, may I hug you?
Speaker 2:I said yes, she hugged me.
Speaker 3:She said I hugged a Black American.
Speaker 2:That's a first, I hope, the black.
Speaker 3:American, but they, they were so happy because they knew that we we protested and we did things that helped them get their freedom, that we were on their side, Gotcha, so they that helped. So that happened so many different times that I was confronted with that. It was such a joy. It was such a joy. It was such a joy.
Speaker 1:You know, when I've traveled to Africa and some other countries as well, I'm always looking for indigenous or authentic worship to that culture. Did you find the impact of Western culture as prominent then in Christian music or choir music as we see it today?
Speaker 3:Yeah, they in South Africa they can sing Lord, have mercy and it, and they sing some of the same things that we, that we sing, but they have their own, their own songs. I remember being in Swaziland and they were singing and they would, but when they they were enjoying it, but when they would the language, then they would the same song. They may be singing something by Israel Horton, then they would start singing it in their language. And you're talking about a move, a it was like a shift. They would go in and I especially love to hear it in South Africa because they have the clicks in their language and it just sounds so beautiful. But there would be such a shift when they would go into their language. And they are worshipers In Zimbabwe, oh my God, there's a church called Celebration Church.
Speaker 3:The pastors are both white, their husband and wife. In fact, the female pastor the reason I ended up there because she sang with me in World Action Singers at All Rocks University and they moved when they. She went to Christ for the Nations after that. Then she got married real quick and then they moved to South Africa, raised all of their kids in South Africa Not South Africa, I mean Zimbabwe and their church. You're talking about worship. It is unbelievable. In fact I was talking I'm supposed to be recording on a label, fresh Wind new label. It'll be distributed by MGM, but that's one on the plan, by God's grace, to record at that church a celebration church in South Africa. I keep calling it South Africa.
Speaker 1:Zimbabwe.
Speaker 3:In Zimbabwe.
Speaker 4:South Africa, zimbabwe, zimbabwe. Yeah, actually it's interesting that you mentioned sort of this connection to the past and, as Greg was introducing us and letting you know about what we do on the podcast, I actually usually or I usually do the hymn of the week, and so I take an opportunity to take a hymn and study the author and the writer of it and talk about its connection to the Word of God. And so, as you are working with young people, how do you go about sort of connecting them to the hymns of the past, perhaps, or maybe some of the anthems of the past, and how do you see their response to that? Because oftentimes, if they know that they're singing something that's 50 years old or 60 years old, they automatically sort of want to reject it. But if you just introduce it to them and then they find out how old it is, it can often have a different impact. Have you had that experience at all?
Speaker 3:Well, you know, I think a lot of people send their kids to Christian schools because they feel they're safer for some reason. So I'm saying that because a lot of times they don't know what's old because they know more about secular music than they know about gospel music, so they're not like the church church kids. So we know whatever the latest thing is Maverick City is doing or something like that. Because I play the song that I written by Micah Stampley, and I asked have you heard of Micah Stampley? No, they don't know who Micah Stampley is. You want to say you don't know what church people are.
Speaker 3:You can't say that. You have to say, oh okay, so I get to teach them different things, and they don't. They just they like it.
Speaker 1:I imagine you taught your kids the song All Right, it's catchy, it's easy. How did they respond to that?
Speaker 3:I started teaching it a couple of years ago, but I started teaching recently and I'm teaching them. I don't even though on the in this cause, I did the video in Zimbabwe. So when, um, when Timber Timbalami started singing, he sang in Shona, but when my, when I first wrote it, my friend in South Africa translated it for me into Zulu, so I started teaching them.
Speaker 1:the song is Zulu I bet they learned to love that, yeah, at first they start to love that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, at first they start making faces. And so what? I tell them because most of all the kids in my choir are black. So I said you know what? And I don't want to hear anybody laughing at any of these languages, because if it wasn't for slavery, you'd probably be speaking these languages For sure. So I said when you start doing that, that's ignorance. You're not ignorant, you're going to do great things. I want you to get used to the whole world.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah my question is have you always taught in Christian schools? Have you ever taught in well, I hate to call it a secular school, but you know, outside of the Christian education have have you taught in any other school?
Speaker 3:No, I haven't. No, I haven't. Actually, seemingly it even happened by accident, because I never thought in a million years that I would be teaching in any school. And what happened? My son was in a Christian school and they would have me come once a month. They started out, they found out I was a worship leader so I'd come and lead worship and they would give me a discount, a little take off his tuition. I want to do that every week.
Speaker 2:You become a regular, I said I'm going to do that every week. Come on, you become a regular.
Speaker 3:I'm serious. I was going to ask you now, do y'all need me to come? But what happened? The people that were doing the music, I don't know. You know stuff happens in church and I don't know to this day all the things that happen. But then I was going to ask them. It's funny, I was going to ask him. It's funny, I was going to ask him. You know, I'll come and do janitorial work if that'll help. And then, but the spirit of the lord said, no, I'll put something else in you. There's nothing wrong, janitorial, but I gave you something else that you can take and I, I went there and it just so happened that situation came about.
Speaker 3:And then next thing, I knew I was the music director at that school, the first school, and so I never thought I'd be teaching Then I never thought I'd be teaching little kids. My wife was telling me oh no, you got that. I said, no, I don't, but I love it. And I have my first graders. Like for the Christmas concert, I taught the first graders I'll teach no, what you usually want to have the Christmas concert. I'll teach the first graders the melody and I'll teach the second graders the harmony. Interesting, and as we get close to the time we bring it together, we do a few train wrecks and then we get on track. Very interesting, but I never thought back to the question.
Speaker 1:I know I'm doing these rabbit trails, but no, it's actually very interesting because, having taught the same age groups, I've never thought to give one class one part of the harmony and another class the other part of the harmony. Essentially, I was teaching harmony to every class, but sometimes having multiple choirs within the student body, but then still having them sing together on certain songs. So we just learned a different approach, thank you.
Speaker 3:Ouch, thank you, because a lot of the first graders they had never sung anything but they were in kindergarten to sing in unison Right. So to introduce and then explain to them, and then I also teach them a song called the orchestra song. Have you ever heard that?
Speaker 1:Maybe, if I heard it.
Speaker 3:Well, there's one, the violins ring. Oh yes, oh yes, I'm familiar with that exercise. And there's one, the violin's ringing. Oh yes, oh yes, I'm familiar with that exercise and all those different parts, and then I start explaining about what harmony is, and I talk about blending and all that, and then you know, little kids try to scream. Oh no, no, in Mr Children's class we never scream, we never. So they know not to scream, awesome.
Speaker 4:It's interesting to hear about all your different experiences and I guess you sort of have a captive audience in your classroom. I guess you sort of have a captive audience in your in your classroom, but as you've done recordings and had different groups and things like that, what have you, I guess, found has been the best way to keep that group together as as one? Because I'm not in the recording industry Greg and Mieta can speak to that but it's very easy sometimes for the big eyes to show up and people seek to promote themselves. How have you found the best ways to keep that from happening with the groups that you've worked with?
Speaker 3:you've worked with, when you do more than just sing, when you care about people, when you share your, your, your uh wins and your losses, when you just when you're vulnerable to one another and you show that you genuinely care about you. I can't come to rehearsal or I can't come disengagement because blah, blah, blah that, oh no what, what. You can't come to rehearsal or I can't come to this engagement because blah, blah, blah that, oh no what. You can't come. You know what's going on my mother's sick or something, or I can't pay my bills. I have to work extra hard and we care, we give. I think that really keeps people together because it's that sense of community, the sense of belonging, the sense that someone loves me, someone cares about me, for more than what I can do if I can't do anything for them that they care about.
Speaker 4:Amen Thank you.
Speaker 2:We often talk about that regarding our groups and groups and community, groups and groups and community, and I often say I made a statement once before to Greg and Dorian about I have a group and we're approaching about 30 years. We're approaching 30 years of ministry this year and one of the things I had shared with them that this group of people they come to my house and they just kind of take over my house and we laughed about that. But it is such a true statement that we genuinely care for one another and care about what goes on in their lives outside of the music, and I've always thought it to be important, but it's more important today than it was 30 years ago. Yes, so to hear you say that I'm not too far off.
Speaker 3:Are you?
Speaker 2:related to Lorraine. I am, I'm her niece. Okay, I know.
Speaker 3:Lorraine.
Speaker 2:Well who doesn't know?
Speaker 3:Lorraine Stamps or Lawson who doesn't know her?
Speaker 2:yeah, but I do have a question about because you're a writer, composer, do you have a specific? I guess, if you've been doing it as long as you have, you just do it because you love it, but do you have a specific targeted audience? Or have you ever thought about an audience you know?
Speaker 3:what I get asked that question when we get ready to record, not a question. They say no, you have to remember who are you targeting. I've never been able to answer. When I'm trying to choose songs I'm like because if I do this then I'm going to be pigeonholed to do this, because I like something contemporary, I like something traditional, I like him. So you know, when you're writing and you want to like, I want to show everybody everything I do. They sing like you're not supposed to do that. You're supposed to. So what do you do? That's hard to me. That's a hard thing for me.
Speaker 2:I can believe that I can relate to that to our listening audience.
Speaker 1:The three pieces of music you've been hearing playing underneath are written by Keith and you can tell that they are three different styles of music and so he's got a well-rounded repertoire. But, keith, before we go into our CRQ and we want you to stick around for that and chime in on that give our listening audience some final thoughts on the value, the importance, the significance of singing in choir.
Speaker 3:You don't have to be this great leader, but you know you have the sense of picture. You want to sing in the choir. There's that community and that's that coming together, the gathering of singing to the Lord together and you're encouraging the congregation, You're encouraging one another, you're encouraging yourself because you're singing back to yourself those things that are, and you're exalting the Lord. It is a. It's a great, great opportunity to be a part of the choir and then you're being, you're learning about vocal technique. You know you're not getting a vocal lesson per se, but you're learning some things. You're learning Because I was telling my kids about day crescendos and crescendos, and you don't just let the note fall out like a gumball and they'll finish. They'll finish my sentence. I do it at the country, so the parents know that I am teaching something and so I say practice doesn't make perfect. Then you hear all the kids in unison perfect, practice makes perfect. And I'll say singers are. And there come thinkers. Because I tell them that singers are thinkers.
Speaker 3:You have to think about the pitch. You have to think about the words. You have to think about how to phrase the words. You have to think about how to express the words. You have to think about how to express the words, the day crescendos and the crescendos, and you have to think about even the rest and the breathing and all that. And you have to think about resonance, how to project your voice through the mask of your face a whole lot of stuff. So you got to think about a lot of things.
Speaker 3:And it's just impactful when you're together with people and then you see God move, you see God doing things in the congregation, you see God moving through somebody in the choir who may be going through they may have just lost a child, a loved one and you see God move and God heal and God massage, and so there's just things that we know about each other. I used to do one of the choirs I had before we even had rehearsal. I would call it a scripture shower and we would all just come together, different scriptures that different ones would say, and every time there was somebody going through a situation where that scripture was the answer, that scripture blessed them and gave them strength to go on. So you have strength in numbers when you're together with one mind and being in a choir, when you can do those kinds of things and you can be vulnerable to one another. It's really a great impactful experience, Indeed.
Speaker 1:Keith, tell our listeners where they can find your music and more about you.
Speaker 3:All the platforms, on Amazon, on Apple Music, and I guess I was about to say the wrong word. I was about to say Styrofoam Spotify Spotify.
Speaker 4:Spotify. Spotify, not styrofoam.
Speaker 1:Keith Childress Mietta is going to take us to our CRQ.
Speaker 2:Thanks, greg. Today's CRQ sound before sight. Let's keep that in mind. Sound before sight is a phrase I've heard from my church choir director. Now that I'm in university choir, I realize that the importance of it. But our director is pushing sight and sound. Can you elaborate on the difference in how one is better than the other?
Speaker 2:Now, listener, we have a couple of views on this question tonight or today. There's a real, there's a real political. It's a nice, nicely political answer, and then a couple of us have gone extremely carnal and came came about this in a different direction. My interpretation of this um particular question is, um, sound meaning how you vocally sound and sight being how you look, sounding like you sound. If that makes any sense and I hope I'm making sense in that, um, I personally they both go hand in hand.
Speaker 2:I think that, whoever the director is, I think they're right in pushing for both sight, sight and sound. You should look, uh, visually, like you're enjoying yourself and you believe what it is you're singing. That's how you should look. You should look like you're having the best time ever, and it doesn't matter what genre of music you're singing Could be it gospel, be it secular, be it classical, whatever it is, you should look like you're having the best time ever and have the skill to sound like you're having the best time ever and have the skill to sound like you're having the best time ever at the same time. So that's my short answer, but I'm sure we're going to talk about this a little longer than my answer.
Speaker 2:So what say you, gentlemen?
Speaker 4:Well, I agree with you, Mietta, in interpreting this in the way that you interpret it.
Speaker 4:But it is interesting that the end of the question says can you elaborate on the difference in how one is better than the other? And I would say that sight and sound are important. However, I think we're in an age where it has become about performance, and so it's become about how you can attract attention, how you can have the best moves, how all of these other things in addition to the sound and I would say, in addition to that, it's what it's the words that you're singing as well, because I mean, you can have the right sound, you can look the right way, but if the words that you're singing aren't impacting people, then it's all for naught. So I don't know if I've necessarily answered the question about how one is better than the other, answered the question about how one is better than the other. I do see both as important, but I can also see where we've definitely seen the pushing of the envelope about how a choir is supposed to look and what they're supposed to do when they're singing as a group.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm going to defer to our guest and stand down for a moment, because I totally didn't interpret the question the way you guys did. So I'm going to let him go, and if I deem it necessary afterwards, I'll lend my two cents.
Speaker 3:I think they're equally important on the way that the last two gave. I think they're equally important because you can sound good and look a hot mess and you're not expressing your face. So that's one thing. So that's one thing. In my experience doing the TV, we had mirrors in our rehearsal room, wall-to-wall mirrors, so that the words that we say, our expressions, would match those words, because we're reaching out to millions of people. So it was important what we looked like and that we were expressing to them. So it was important what we look like and that we were expressing to them, that we were reaching out with our ministry of song to all of those millions of people. So that was important and I think you're going to take the side of sight reading.
Speaker 1:Well, you know they beat me up so bad offline because of my interpretation of the question that I'm not sure I want to even answer it at this point. But here's my thought. I'm sorry, keith, were you done?
Speaker 3:Yes, all right.
Speaker 1:So here was my interpretation of the question. First, let me say I agree with all of you. I agree that you need to look the part as much as you need to sound the part. I don't think they're equal. However, I think you need to sound well, because if you don't sound well, it doesn't matter what you look like. People are going to remember what you sound like. They'll get past what you look like, but if you sound that as a choir, they're going to remember that forever. So to Dorian's point. No doubt we are in an age where there seems to be an increased focus on the outward appearance.
Speaker 1:And that's from the platform to the pew, from the stage to the door, and many choirs have forsaken the choir robe or even any kind of choir uniform and now it's become as you are and unfortunately with that we've gotten holy jeans and spandex to index. I mean everything you know.
Speaker 2:But did you say spandex to index?
Speaker 1:I ran out of words, but everything in between as well.
Speaker 2:We call it flesh on parade where I come from.
Speaker 1:It's like nothing is out of bounds, you know a little less the flash thing.
Speaker 2:So what you're saying, greg, is bring back the choir room.
Speaker 1:I am all for it. In many cases now, when I read the question, I interpreted it differently, because the writer said sound before sight is a phrase I've heard from my church choir and now that I'm in university choir I realize the importance of it. But our director is pushing sight and sound. So now that you are in university choir, sight and sound are likely equally important to your choir director, meaning that it's part of your grade that you learn to sight read, and it's also part of your grade that you learn to sight read and it's also part of your grade that you learn to perform well, sound, well, learn the techniques that he or she is teaching. So clearly I'm in the minority with this question's interpretation and maybe with hair.
Speaker 4:That's not what they were asking.
Speaker 1:Well, at least we answered the question from every angle, and so we're going to ask the person who sent the question in to write us again and tell us what you meant. Hopefully we answered your question.
Speaker 2:Well, listeners, you have received a wealth of information tonight. Prayerfully, we were able to assist you in furthering the gospel through Saul. Stay the course beloved, because choir matters.
Speaker 1:Yes, choir matters and we couldn't agree more To our listeners. Be sure to go to iTunes, amazon Music, spotify or wherever you go to get your music. Pick up the track All Right by Keith Childress, our guest. Pick up the track All Right by Keith Childress, our guest. And, as a reminder to our listeners, if you haven't done so already, subscribe, share and like this podcast and tell a friend that you were in the choir room. 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 next week right here in the choir room.
