My Soapbox

Last night I was highly impressed with my junior choir singers.
For those of you who read, and don’t know, I am the Junior Choir director at Zion Mennonite Church in the Middle of Nowhere. We are working on the song “Glory Train” for two voices. It is a great song. Anyway… I have a 4th grader in choir who has the ability to follow a music score, read music, and carry a part by himself while others are singing something different. He is what I would consider a choral genius for someone his age in this day and age of forgotten choral music. I also have a 7th grade boy who is going into the beginnings of his voice change and has a 2 and ½ octave range that is clear and pure as a bell. There is also a 7th grade girl who has absolutely no breathiness in her tone. Seriously! Where do these kids come from? I am becoming more convinced that the music world of elementary schools does not expect enough of its young people. We could offer much more technical training to students. Instead we forget the capability of the students. It is understandable that not all students are going to have the characteristics of these few at Zion, but I believe that if we challenged students in choral singing, we would see talent that used to be seen in youth choirs all over the world just a few hundred years ago.