'Festival of Lessons & Carols'
A children's choir during rehearsal at TA2 in Telok Blangah Road.
A FESTIVAL and worship service involving
children's choirs from Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist churches
and congregational singing of Christmas carols, accompanied by
piano/organ, brass ensemble and other instruments will be held
at Paya Lebar Chinese Methodist Church at 299 Upper Paya Lebar
Road on Dec 16, 2006 at 7.30 pm.
Admission is free and all are welcome. This will be the culmination
of a four-day children's choir festival that includes a three-day
children's choir camp, "The Festival of Lessons & Carols"
and the following four workshops for children's choir directors:
1) Forming and Planning Children's Choir Ministry (on Dec 13,
7.30 - 9.30 pm)
2) Creative Rehearsal Techniques for Today's Choral Classroom
(Dec 14, 7.30 - 9.30 pm),
3) Healthy Vocal Techniques for Children (Dec 15, 7.30 - 9.30
pm), and
4) Choral Reading Session and Introduction to Resources (Dec 16,
9.30 - 11.30 am).
The guest clinician and conductor for the camp, workshop and festival
is Dr Pearl Shangkuan, music professor at Calvin College, Grand
Rapids, Michigan.
Co-sponsored by Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, the festival
is organised by the Methodist School of Music (MSM) with the following
objectives: to promote and encourage children's choir ministry
in local churches; to provide an opportunity for children from
different churches to sing together in a joint festival/worship
service; to teach children about worship leading; to teach children
the true meaning of Christmas in an ever-increasing commercialised
Christmas season; and to train children's choir directors.
Registration is required for the workshops. For more information,
please refer to the MSM website at http://www.msmusic.edu.sg/misc/CME2006_CHOIR.pdf
The MSM is committed to promoting children's choir ministry in
local churches. To begin with, a new children's choir ministry
will be launched at the MSM in early 2007 to provide centralised,
comprehensive training for children's choirs.
Churches that wish to establish or strengthen such ministry but
lack resources or personnel are encouraged to contact Ms Mary
Gan, the MSM Principal, at 6767-0532.