Tagged: teaching liturgy in music classroom
Children’s Mass: All Saints
Prelude: All Saints Entrance Antiphon (Rice)
Entrance Hymn: All Night, All Day
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 34 Taste and See the goodness of the Lord (Guimont – Singing Our Faith)
Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia from Mass for John Carroll
Prayers of the Faithful: O God, Hear Us, Hear Our Prayer
Presentation of the Gifts: Christ Is the King (GELOBT SEI GOTT)
Eucharistic Acclamations and Lamb of God: Mass of Joy and Peace (Manolo)
Communion: Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All (SWEET SACRAMENT)
Closing Hymn: Go Now In Peace (Sleeth)
Music Class Liturgy Prep
The third grade “hosted” this celebration of All Saints. Their classroom teacher assigned them a saint, whom they depicted in costume on the day of mass. We practiced the Entrance Antiphon during their music class. The 6th grade choir sang the verses from the cantor stand, while the 3rd grade class stood in two rows on the steps to the altar to sing the antiphon refrain.
Two third grade students did an excellent job singing the psalm and gospel acclamation. We worked on singing the chant verses as if you are telling someone a good story, with pauses and punctuation. They also got over the “loud does not equal good” hump. I can’t wait for them to cantor the psalm again!
Christ Is the King (GELOBT SEI GOTT) has a very teachable rhythmic scheme that alternates between “long short long” and “short long long.” I used “human” quarter notes and half notes to highlight the rhythm. Verses 2,3,&4 are centered on the holy men and women.
Children’s Mass: Memorial of the Guardian Angels – Blue Mass
Music Class Liturgy Prep:
All Night, All Day (Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th)
Singing this song gave a us a chance to address a couple aspects of this particular liturgy:
1) the theme of the mass: Guardian Angels/Blue Mass, our angels in heaven and our angels on earth
2) why we sing a particular song or hymn as the gifts are presented
“All Night, All Day” is an easy, familiar song, that contains the famous “Now I lay me down to sleep” bedtime prayer.
Students, young and old, loved dramatizing the lines of the song with simple, symbolic, repetitive actions.:
Narrators: “All night, all day” Lay head on hands as if sleeping, then bring head up and motion with hand to show the sun rising
Angels: “Angels watching over me, (my Lord)” Wave big majestic angel wings (Be sure to plug the masculine nature of angels for the boys.)
Praying Children: “Now I lay me down to sleep” Kneel with praying hands, head looking down to floor “Pray the Lord, my soul to keep” Kneel with praying hands, head looking up to heaven
Scared Children: “Lord, stay with me through the night” Lay head on hands as if sleeping; suddenly awake looking frightened on the word, “night” “Wake me with the morning light” Smile, looking comforted, on the word, “light”
Once everyone knows their parts, the dramatization can take place while everyone sings the song. Students from Kindergarten to 5th grade quickly caught onto the song and started chiming in. You could also practice solo singing by assigning lines of the verses to individual students.
Holy, God We Praise Thy Name (3rd, 4th, 5th)
Ringing a C-4 tone chime on the big beat of this tune was a great motivator to keep everyone singing!
Choir and Tone Chime Ensemble
The choir members rang tone chimes on the I and V chords of “All Night, All Day.”
“Introit” is a wonderful beginning of the year piece for Orff instruments and children’s choir that I collected years ago from an old Choristers Guild magazine. I have written the composer for permission to publish here. The piece was a perfect fit for my first-time-ever-in-a-choir students who sang it along with a small tone chime ensemble.
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