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Views from the Choir Loft

Patience, Patience, Patience

Lucas Tappan · February 5, 2015

352 Children OR SEVERAL WEEKS I stood in front of fourteen probationers during our weekly rehearsal. (Yes, that is too large a group, but more about that in another post.) This lively bunch of 8 boys and 6 girls had been working hard, but knew they were nearing break time—the rehearsal is 2 hours long with a 10 minute break in the middle—and of course a couple of boys were getting restless. (What boy wouldn’t in an after school rehearsal like this, right?)

I decided to take a moment to teach a lesson as well as impart some culture before the really important stuff—like snack time—began. I started recounting a story from Hillaire Belloc’s Cautionary Tales for Children 1 about a boy named Jim and the importance of listening to those in authority. I barely had time to tell them about “Jim, who ran away from his nurse” when a little girl got so excited that she stammered, “and, and…and he was eaten by a lion.” Right afterward a boy mentioned another story he knew out of the same book and now all the kids were talking and laughing. It wasn’t long before I had lost all control—time for break! True, my plan didn’t work, but at least they knew about Hillaire Belloc; I guess Catholic culture isn’t completely dead!

I bring this up because before you ever begin working with children you must realize that while it is fun, it can be overwhelming at times. I have known people who began teaching music in the class room and within a couple of years decided they would rather work for a bank. So, I tell you Patience, Patience, Patience in Adversity. You will make it in the end!

Lastly, as I begin blogging here, I have decided to make two weekly posts: one around Monday that will deal with the practical aspects of children’s choirs and choir schools in general; and one around Thursday dealing with the practical aspects of sight-singing and ear training. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   If you have never read these stories, read them with your children TONIGHT! They make for great, very politically incorrect bed time reading

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Lucas Tappan

Dr. Lucas Tappan is a conductor and organist whose specialty is working with children. He lives in Kansas with his wife and four children.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    Vespers Booklet (4th Sunday of Lent)
    The organ accompaniment booklet (24 pages) which I created for the 4th Sunday of Lent (“Lætare Sunday”) may now be downloaded, for those who desire such a thing.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Vespers Booklet, 3rd Sunday of Lent
    The organ accompaniment I created for the 3rd Sunday of Lent (“Extraordinary Form”) may now be downloaded, if anyone is interested in this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Weeping For Joy! (We Hope!)
    Listening to this Easter Alleluia—an SATB arrangement I made twenty years ago based on the work of Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel—one of our readers left this comment: “I get tears in my eyes each time I sing to this hymn.” I hope this person is weeping for joy!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“How can we account for differences in the Gospel accounts? Well, suppose after we left Church today, there was a terrible accident or explosion or fire. Soon the news media would be here, interviewing people as to what they saw or heard. Each person would probably say or report what struck him—or what he saw or noticed. All these reports would be different and yet they would be true.”

— Fr. Valentine Young (February 2019)

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