By: Rev. Abby Vanderbrug
Music has a way of getting into our hearts and creating a visceral response in our bodies. Just think back to being able to attend a music concert with a crowd of people, or the joy that washes over us when a good song comes on the radio, or the way that simple chant can make us breathe a little deeper.
When I started working at Christ Church Greenwich as the Children’s Minister in 2019, I started attending children and youth choir practices. My musical education ended with the recorder so being in a room with the youngest choristers was the perfect fit. I started with the St. Nic’s choir, which included a whole bunch of delightfully spirited preschool and kindergarteners singing things like “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” and my favorite, “Cauliflowers Fluffy.”
This year, I started attending the Novice Boys practices, our choir for boys as young as first grade, and learned basic music education from our choir directors. The first hymn the Novice boys learned was “Seek Ye First” which the boys proudly and marvelously sung at our worship service in Advent.
What is most surprising to me about choir was how many times I found myself singing “Seek Ye First” outside of practice; while I did the dishes, on a walk, in the car. It has taken its place in my heart.
I know so many of us want to give the gift of a rich spiritual foundation to our kids. I hear it from parents all the time. When parents ask me about how we go about teaching our faith, I usually respond, “talk about it together, worship together, grace at dinner goes a long way.” But now I have a new tactic, sing about it.
Perhaps my favorite new practice I have begun since my time in choir is starting to sing “Seek Ye First” as a lullaby to my daughter at bedtime. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you, allelu, alleluia,” I sing as we rock in our chair.
My hope is that she’ll let that song take root in her heart, too. I hope that when she’s feeling lost or unsure in her faith, she’ll be able to pull out these words and remember.
For many of us, we can make teaching faith to our children complicated and often desire something tangible, like a memorized Bible verse. But sometimes all it takes is a song while you do the dishes. Or enrolling kids in a program, like the Novice boys, that gives them the gift of musical education, the opportunity to learn these songs deeply, and a wide variety of other gifts.
Jamie Hitel, Director of Music at Christ Church, says this about the Novice program, “The training each chorister receives provides them with an unparalleled opportunity upon which to build their musical education and, in many cases, to further a career in music. Joining the Christ Church Novice Chorister Program is the first step in an exciting musical journey, one that develops skills, builds self confidence, and forms lasting friendships in a safe environment.”
The novice program is free of charge and open to all, boys and girls, regardless of experience or denominational affiliation. On practice nights, all choristers and their families are invited to sit down together for supper together. It’s not just a first class musical education, it’s a spiritual practice and community that they’ll have for their whole life.
At the end of every practice or worship service, our choristers say this prayer together, “Bless, O Lord, us thy servants, who minister in thy temple. Grant that what we sing with our lips, we may believe in our hearts; and what we believe in our hearts, we may show forth in our lives.” I can think of no greater hope for our world than this.
