Practice Resources:
Each category below is a link to another page with video/audio resources
One of our goals this year is to look to the heritage of the Church for the music that we sing at Mass. In the wake of the New Translation where our Holy Mother Church pushed us to closely examine the words we say at Mass, it is equally if not more important to heed the words we sing at Mass. Inspired by that, our goal is to defer to the texts of the Readings and the Propers as much as we can with the music we sing for every Mass. While this will be more interesting for the children, it will also be a challenge for us to prepare new music on a continual basis. I am hoping that by providing these practice resources here on the website that the children can take advantage of the opportunity to practice OUTSIDE of rehearsal as well, thus freeing us to spend our limited rehearsal time shaping and fine-tuning as opposed to reinventing the wheel every week ;)
Also, especially when there are links to chant pieces, if you do your own search around YouTube, you will notice that there is a VAST spectrum of styles (and quality!). I would encourage you and your child to explore these different interpretations when you have time and for you all to listen and think about how other recordings differ from those I have posted. Is it better, worse, or just different? I will do my best to seek out recordings that match what I have in my head (and those that are in a key appropriate for the children's voices) if I don't end up making them myself, but the beauty of chant is that while it is universal, there is also no one right answer, although some interpretations are more generally accepted than others.
Have fun, and if there's another resource beyond YouTube that could be more helpful, please feel free to let us know!
- Nicole
Also, especially when there are links to chant pieces, if you do your own search around YouTube, you will notice that there is a VAST spectrum of styles (and quality!). I would encourage you and your child to explore these different interpretations when you have time and for you all to listen and think about how other recordings differ from those I have posted. Is it better, worse, or just different? I will do my best to seek out recordings that match what I have in my head (and those that are in a key appropriate for the children's voices) if I don't end up making them myself, but the beauty of chant is that while it is universal, there is also no one right answer, although some interpretations are more generally accepted than others.
Have fun, and if there's another resource beyond YouTube that could be more helpful, please feel free to let us know!
- Nicole