Music Blog

Musically speaking, the practice of Deep Listening as the theme for October is just right. There are so many ways to listen. To a large ensemble playing is to hear the many parts that make the piece whole. This is true in our choir as we learn individual parts that match with other, differing musical lines. We can also be still to notice the sounds of nature. Might it be meaningful to turn off technology and notice what is left? Less can be more.

Welcome back to our church home! It has been, in some ways, a long, hot summer. These days of lower humidity and cooler temps are making me grateful for fall. And fall brings us back together; I am grateful for weekly church services again with Rev. Sophia. For the year, we share the overarching theme of Relationship and we start with September’s theme, Invitation. As music director and choir director, this is the perfect time to invite returning choir members back to rehearsals that start...

It is the time of the year when we look backward first in order to look forward. We have embraced such transformational change at First Parish this year! Looking back to a few highlights: We reconsidered the surroundings of our sanctuary, narthex, and conference room to open the space to something new. We are accustomed to the liturgy of our worship services. Reverend Sophia with the Worship Committee have brought about a predictable and comfortable order of service. This sense of deep peace...

What a busy time it is, and what a blessing “busy” is! Our theme is “pluralism” and we are busy in many directions. We are also doing things we have not done before. Let me explain. The First Parish Choir would, this very week, be getting ready for Music Sunday, as this has been our usual time for this special service. For many years, this has been our tradition. Music Sunday was in February this year, freeing us to sing songs to honor Memorial Day for the first time ever. Our songs are “In...

I am writing this while in isolation, down with Covid. Maybe my brain is fuzzy, but I am particularly optimistic right now. Our choir sang last week without a conductor, and they sounded great! I cannot tell you how wonderful this feels. They were ready, but who knew that they would need to step up and be proactive to make it happen? I am so proud of them and so affirmed that they heard the messages we worked on at rehearsals.. If sometimes our goal is to “not be needed”, this is one of those...

This is the time to reflect on our world at First Parish, as this month ends the fiscal year at First Parish. Two things come to mind: finding a new song for singing our children out, and adding to the fullness of RE time for our children. First, as I mentioned a couple months ago, the hymn we sing, #413 “Go Now In Peace”, was written by a Methodist minister who requested that her words to the song not be changed. Alas, we do change them from “May the love of God surround you” to “May the...

February is Black History Month. When I think of honoring Black Americans, I think of the wonderful and unique music they brought to our culture: jazz and spirituals come to mind. This makes me think of the Fisk University Jubilee Singers. Fisk University was founded in Nashville to educate Black Americans following the Civil War. It struggled to survive and was in dire  need of financial help. To raise monies to save their school in 1871, a small group of singers embarked on a concert tour....

My view from the chancel on Christmas eve, at both evening services, was a sea of faces. So many people attended church that evening! Coming to OUR church for all the reasons one comes to church: to be uplifted, to be renewed, to be transformed, to be in community, to love knowing that this is where you belong, and to feel love returned. All this speaks to our theme for January, Liberating Love. For an example of Liberating Love in action, let me describe the First Parish choir. Singers...

Happy Holidays! The season, filled with lights and generosity and celebrations has begun. May this season be memorable for each of you in a special way. As I was looking at hymns in our service to write about in “Music Notes”, I started thinking about #413 “Go Now In Peace”, which we have used to sing the children out for many years. It is written by a Methodist composer, Natalie Sleeth. She based the text for the hymn on Luke 2:29. The lyrics are, “Go now in peace, Go now in peace, May the...

This month, our theme is Generosity. The First Parish Choir will be singing two anthems that are about sharing our world with others. We sing about reaching people different from us, ideally, with the generosity of compassion and understanding. Here are the two songs: “Why Do We Build the Wall?” by Anais Mitchell This is from the musical, Hadestown, by Anais Mitchell and it is a conversation between Hades and a chorus that are his subjects. Hades is providing the narrative which the subjects...