Views from the Choir Loft

My Personal Lesson Plan for Training Probationers

Lucas Tappan · November 3, 2015

CASE YOU ARE INTERESTED, I thought I would post my entire set of lesson plans I use for training our Probationers, who are generally children in the 3rd and 4th grade with very little (if any) musical training:

* * PDF Download • LESSON PLANS

I am leaving the lessons exactly as they are simply because I don’t have enough time to go through and clean them up right now. Also know that I always plan for more than I have time, so I don’t always get to everything in one lesson. I work with the Probationers for an entire year, so I have plenty of time to extend a lesson over two weeks, focus on music for the Christmas program or make allowance for any number of interruptions that might befall us. For the most part, you should be able to follow them, but if you have questions, please feel free to email me.

On another note, Jeff told me I should share the good news with everyone that my wife and I are expecting our third child, a girl, in the next week-and-a-half. Any prayers you would like to offer up for my wife, the baby and a safe and easy delivery would be greatly appreciated.

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

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).

14 June 2021 • “From Rehearsal…”

One of our choristers recorded this audio excerpt from a recent rehearsal we had. I know there are certain people on the internet who claim that “proper voice leading & harmonies died with Bach in 1750AD…anything goes these days.” But I could not disagree more with such an assertion. The proper rules of harmony and counterpoint make incredible music—and I would suggest that tiny excerpt (from our volunteer choir rehearsal) shows this reality.

—Jeff Ostrowski

3 June 2021 • Re: “Mass of the Angels”

In the past, we have provided thirteen organ accompaniments to Mass VIII (a.k.a. “Missa de Angelis”). Some versions of the KYRIALE use the melody from Sanctus VIII for Agnus VIII also. Dr. Peter Wagner’s 1903 edition of the KYRIALE does this, as we mentioned earlier this month. Please sing through Sanctus VIII and then sing O Quam Suavis Est from the feast of Corpus Christi. Do you hear it?

—Jeff Ostrowski

1 June 2021 • Unsure of Author

The editors of this 1667AD Missale Romanum weren’t sure who wrote the VEXILLA REGIS hymn, so they wrote this in the margin. (To be fair, the original text by Bishop Fortunatus was greatly altered under Pope Urban VIII.)

—Jeff Ostrowski

There is a lack of that kind of organization which favors mature judgment. Move on, move on, get it out. Schemata are multiplied without ever arriving at a considered form. The system of discussion is bad … Often the schemata arrive just before the discussions. Sometimes, and in important matters, such as the new anaphoras, the schema was distributed the evening before the discussion was to take place … Father Bugnini has only one interest: press ahead and finish.

— Cardinal Antonelli (Peritus during the Second Vatican Council)