Children’s and Youth Choirs
Thinking about singing in St. David’s Children’s and Youth Choirs this year? Come out to the PIRATES’ COVE sign-up event on Wednesday, August 24, 2011 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in Eden’s Gym. Cook-out dinner included. All St. David’s children and youth (entering kindergarten through 12th grade) “ARRR” invited to attend to sign up and meet your directors!
For more information on the Children’s and Youth Choirs, please contact coordinator
The Children’s and Youth Choirs rehearse from 6 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday evenings during the school year. This year’s events begin with the Pirates’ Cove sign-up event on Wednesday, August 24, 2011, with rehearsals beginning on Wednesday, August 31. Cafe Divine serves dinner on Wednesdays in Sumners Hall, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Cherub Choir
Children in kindergarten through 2nd grade meet in Crail A (on the 2nd floor) with Claire Trowbridge for music education through fun and games, in preparation for singing with the Middler and Treble Choirs at various Sunday services.
Middler Choir
3rd through 5th graders meet in the Choir Room (on the 3rd floor) with Suzette Puckett to learn songs for worship, beginning music literacy and solfege, and introduction to Orff instruments. Middlers sing for Sunday services in various combinations with Cherub and Treble Choirs.
Youth Choir
Youth in 6th through 12th grades rehearse in Bethell Hall (on the 3rd floor) with Mary Ashton. The Youth Choir serves St. David’s in a variety of worship services, leading the congregation in hymns and service music, and singing their prepared anthems. Youth also have the opportunity to lead and mentor younger singers. In addition, they have the opportunity to sing with (and learn from) the adult choirs in more challenging choral works.
Rejoice and Sing!
Music is a manifestation of the human spirit… It’s greatest practitioners have conveyed to mankind things not possible to say in any other language.
Zoltan Kodaly
Children and Youth Choirs at St. David’s offer our young singers a quality musical education by incorporating the best elements of Kodaly pedagogy and Orff Schulwerk. Younger children learn to sing in true intervals and match pitch while they experience rhythm, tempo and dynamics in song and play. Experience with beat and rhythm prepares singers for playing accompaniments on unpitched instruments (like drum and claves) and tuned instruments (like xylophone and glockenspiel). Older children and youth develop their singing voices, and translate songs to solfege (do-re-mi) and learn to sing from musical notation. Repetoire includes folk songs, classical anthems, traditional hymns, spirituals and contemporary worship music.
What the Choir Experience Offers
Music makes you smarter
There is overwhelming evidence that music does more than teach children to sing. Research has consistently shown that regular exposure to music results in higher standardized test scores. Music education leads to a better understanding of math and a larger vocabulary. Making music together helps a young child with social, motor and memory development. Music is history, geography, foreign languages, literature and math all rolled into one.
Music Sings Our Faith
Children often find a profound and meaningful religious education in church choir. Scripture in song may be kept in music memory for life. In our musicals we learn stories and artistic interpretations of verses from the Bible. Choice of music follows the church calendar, enhancing our experience of liturgical seasons. The songs we learn for Christmas, Easter, Advent and Lent are music and lessons for the journey.
Music Builds Community
Children receive this life-long enrichment in an enjoyable, social and lively setting. We seek to provide our children the opportunity for a positive group experience. We want each child to know that their voice benefits the whole sound, and the sound of the whole group is a gift and a genuine contribution to our worshipping community.
