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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Every Church Musician Deserves Music Lessons

Veronica Brandt · March 9, 2019

OLUNTEERING is an opportunity for growth. Just recently I took up organ lessons. I had been looking for lessons for my children. It took me a while to come around to getting lessons for myself. As the following video might illustrate, kids and adults take lessons differently.


Reasons to get music lessons:

You get to talk to a Musician. Strangely enough sometimes the level of musicianship in your church choir may only extend to being able to sing in tune. Having some dedicated music time with someone who is musically ahead of you can really help. There’s a whole universe of musical knowledge out there!

You get to feel more like a Real Musician. Feeling like an imposter when leading a choir can hold you back. Having the trust in yourself to stand up and expect respect doesn’t come automatically for most people. Going through the ordeal of facing up to music lessons and hopefully some level of satisfaction with your achievements can help give you the chutzpah to inspire your choir.

You get a new level of compassion with your own children. Have you ever tried helping a teenager with their mathematics homework? Getting them to show their working? Convincing them that spreading out their work and taking up more room on the page will save time in the long run? As someone who has already taken that journey, it seems as obvious as the nose on your face, but to the child it seems to be a useless sidetrack to the ultimate aim of writing the correct answer on your page. Though they sometimes get it right, mistakes creep in when you skimp on showing your working.

Just like showing working in mathematics, practising hands separately and slowly seems so time-consuming and yet, when you rush headlong into playing all together at speed, getting it right is a matter of luck. With singing there is the importance of good breathing and technique. All takes lots of slow practice. Having someone there with a good sense of when to push forward and when to hold back is a huge help in making progress.

You may get new choir members!!! Networking with other musicians is helpful for meeting more musical people. Attend your local choral concerts and look out for any familiar faces. Maybe there’s a quiet member of your congregation who is really interested in music who just hasn’t thought about joining in.

Although the internet is full of free resources, which are great, putting down some money for music lessons can save you much pain and frustration in the long run. Having a monetary motivation to make the lessons worthwhile feels like a positive sort of stress right now. Finding a way to offset the expense is the next piece of the puzzle. Maybe Patreon?

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 Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 29th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 19 October 2025, which is the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the sensational feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Liturgical Round (“Canon”) in C-Major
    Those who direct children’s choirs are always on the lookout for repertoire that’s dignified, inspired, and pleasing—yet still within reach of young choristers. Such directors will want to investigate this haunting liturgical round (PDF download) which has been married to the KYRIE from Mass VI (EDITIO VATICANA). I have provided an accompaniment, but it’s only for use during rehearsal; i.e. when teaching this round to your choristers. I also provided an organ accompaniment for the KYRIE—which some know by its trope (Kyrie Rex Genitor)—so that your congregation can take part when this round is used as a choral extension during Mass.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Latin Liturgy Association
    We note with pleasure that Mrs. Regina Morris, president of the Latin Liturgy Association, has featured—on page 4 of Volume CXXIX of their official newsletter—the three (3) terrific versions of the Stations of the Cross found in the Brébeuf Hymnal. One of the main authors for the blog of the Church Music Association of America said (6/10/2019) about this pew book: “It is such a fantastic hymnal that it deserves to be in the pews of every Catholic church.”
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“In the 17th century came the crushing blow which destroyed the beauty of all Breviary hymns. Pope Urban VIII (d. 1644) was a Humanist. In a fatal moment he saw that the hymns do not all conform to the rules of classical prosody.”

— Fr. Adrian Fortescue (d. 1923)

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  • Children’s Repertoire • Three More Recommendations by Keven Smith

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