The Children's Church Choir: A Handbook for Children's Choir Directors and Those Desiring to Develop A Ministry of Music for Children

By Phyllis E. Johnson-Porter

This publication is designed to share insights with church children’s choir directors to assist them in using the proper procedures, techniques, and materials to develop their choirs. At the core of this book are life lessons gathered from the author’s years of experience with teaching music in public schools and religious settings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sunday School Publishing Board
• Release date: Apr 20, 2016
• ISBN: 9781939225917

Phyllis E. Johnson-Porter

Phyllis E. Johnson-Porter is a native of Augusta, Georgia. She is a graduate of Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina, and holds a bachelor of arts degree in Music Education. She received her master of music degree and all three levels of certification in Orff-Schulwerk from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio. She received certification in Discipline-based Music Education from Armstrong-Atlantic University in Savannah, Georgia, and the doctor of education degree in Educational Leadership from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Porter has more than twenty-four years of public school teaching experience, and served as general/choral music specialist and director of the Atlanta Public Schools Honor Chorus for six of those years. She currently teaches at Jenkins-White Elementary Charter School, is an adjunct professor in the music department at the University of South Carolina Aiken, and serves as Children's Choir Director at Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia. She has also served as Children's Choir Director at Broadway Baptist Church, Augusta, Georgia; Zion Baptist Church, Cincinnati, Ohio; Mount Bethel Baptist Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and New Hope Baptist Church, Jackson, Mississippi. She is married to Rev. Dr. Donald Porter.

Book preview

THE CHILDREN’S CHURCH CHOIR

A Handbook for Children’s Choir Directors and Those Desiring to Develop a Ministry of Music for Children

PHYLLIS E. JOHNSON-PORTER, Ed.D.

Townsend Press

Nashville, TN

Copyright 2015 Townsend Press

(A division of the Sunday School Publishing Board, NBC, USA, Inc.)

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without the expressed permission in writing from the publisher. Permission requests may be addressed to Townsend Press, 330 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee 37201-1188; or emailed to [e-mail].

ISBN: 978-1-939225-56-6

ISBN: 9781939225917 (ebook)

Printed in the United States of America

23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 — 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are from the New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (The Message) are taken from The Message Bible: New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs by Eugene H. Peterson. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995 by Eugene H. Peterson, NavPress, P.O. Box 35001, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80935.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cover art: Michael Joseph Walton

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER

I. HELPING CHILDREN UNDERSTAND WORSHIP AND MUSIC AS MINISTRY

Biblical Foundations for Music and Worship

The Children’s Choir: A Ministry

II. ORGANIZING A CHILDREN’S CHOIR

Setting Goals

Scheduling Rehearsals

Recruiting and Sustaining Choir Members

The Support System

III. DEVELOPING AN EXCELLENT CHILDREN’S CHOIR

Understanding Children’s Voices

Helping Children Distinguish Speaking and Singing Voices

Helping Children Develop Aural Skills

Posture and Diaphragmatic Breathing

Diction

Selecting Music for the Children’s Choir

Creative Ways of Bringing Children’s and Adult Choirs Together in Song

IV. THE CHILDREN’S CHOIR DIRECTOR: INSIGHTS FOR THE DIRECTOR AND PASTOR

Defining the Children’s Choir Director

Characteristics and Responsibilities of an Excellent Children’s Choir Director

Understanding the Musical Capabilities of Children

Benefits of Having an Accompanist

V. GENRES OF MUSIC FOR THE CHILDREN’S CHURCH CHOIR

The Origin of the Negro Spiritual

Hymns

Gospel Music

VI. EXAMPLES OF BIBLE-BASED, AGE-APPROPRIATE SONGS FOR CHILDREN’S CHOIRS

Thank You for Blessing Me

How Excellent Is Your Name

GLOSSARY

APPENDIX

A. Sample Agenda: Half-day Children’s Choir Workshop

B. Sample Agenda: One-day Children’s Choir Workshop

C. Sample Agenda: One-and-a-half-day Children’s Choir Workshop

D. A Comprehensive List of Child-friendly Negro Spirituals

E. Children’s Hymns

NOTES

REFERENCES

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Langston Hughes is one of my favorite poets. I am drawn to Langston Hughes’s poetry because he moves from inspiration to pen and ink, providing everlasting poems about dreams: Dreams, The Dream Keeper, Dream Variation, and Dream Dust. The first two poems became an important part of my daily life as I encouraged myself to dream dreams, protect them, and create fertile ground that would provide them sustained growth. As a result of my life paths and spiritual growth, I have come to realize the importance of maintaining dreams and developing vision. Where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18a).

I am thankful to many for inspiring me along the way. However, I am most grateful to God for instilling within me the dream and the vision to develop this handbook and for helping me persevere through obstacles and detours that might have otherwise stymied its completion.

I must express a wealth of thanks to my mother, Mrs. Mary L. Johnson, and my father, the late Mr. Charlie Johnson Jr., who with very few financial resources provided me the opportunity to study music privately, thus paving the way for my musical development. They, along with my siblings—Luranie, Barbara, Elizabeth, Gwendolyn, and Henry—played an important role in my life and instilled within me a sense of purpose and the desire to reach my highest God-given potential.

To my husband, the Rev. Dr. Donald Porter, thank you so very kindly for always encouraging, supporting, and helping me increase my faith through the strong faith you exemplify daily.

Lastly, I am thankful to all the children that I have had the opportunity to work with in the church and in private and public school settings. It has been my work with children’s choirs and my observation of other children’s choirs that inspired me in this endeavor.

FOREWORD

Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will