Tag Archives: singers

Utilizing Talents The Right Way – Tips And Thoughts

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Each of us is endowed with unique capabilities, gifts and talents. The difference would be on how we unleash and use the said talents. Normally, these talents are innate in us, it comes naturally and since it is a gift that is bestowed on us by God, regardless of our beliefs, we're supposed to hone and give it back to glorify Him and eventually share the same with others through various ways.

Having a good singing voice is one of the many natural attributes given us. By singing, you get to learn to speak to people, be it in  small or large crowds, entertain them, gain new friends, admirers or even your own fans if you're in the entertainment business. However, there are other singers, despite of lack of formal education in music, are called to serve God by becoming a composer or arranger of spiritual songs, a preacher thru Gospel songs, a parish musical director, a choir head or simply a member. Talent in singing and other related field in music (e.g. playing musical instruments) are gifts to us which can be applied in church related activities and if we have these, we should be grateful and generous enough to share the same as not everyone is gifted with such a natural treasure.  Just like any talent, each one has to develop, sharpen and partake it with everyone to make it more purposeful. As mentioned in myusefultips previous blog on choir organization, singing God's praises in any forum be it in the liturgy or in other spiritual group gatherings, is likened to praying twice especially if you sing the said songs from the heart.

There are only a few of versatile song writers and singers of spiritual songs throughout the world who have been blessed to be able to inspire people, particular the young ones,  either to do the same thing as they do or just bring them closer to the Lord .

One example is Mr. Steve Angrisano, an American who has been very dynamic and mobile from the time he was laden with such a responsibility to proclaim God's words through his songs and by singing the same and other liturgical songs. The same is true with Mr. Arnel de Pano (not the other “Arnel” of Journey!), a Filipino who writes and sings for the LORD as well. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Arnel Pineda, also a Filipino. I admire him as well  for being such a total performer. For those who doesn't know Arnel Pineda as of yet, the guy is the lead vocalist of the famous American rock band “Journey”.

I was fortunate to attend two separate concerts and witness the performances of Msrrs. Angrisano and de Pano here in NYC and yep, they do possess good vocals . Both of these guys are veteran song writers and articulate as well.  They both exude happy and pleasing personalities, reflective of their love for the Lord.  Two of the more popular songs of Steve Angrisano which I've heard in church are “Go Make a Difference” and “Sweet Redeemer” (one of my favorites).  For Arnel de Pano, he was able to compose and arrange  a beautiful song, “Lead Me Lord”, which is popular for some choir groups, and some other equally magnificent pieces.

 

The photos below may not do justice to their songs but the message they would like to convey to us makes it more substantial.  These guys indeed utilized their talents the right way!  The real Maestros!

 

 

Managing A Choir – Relevance of Teamwork – Tips and Thoughts

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Almost five months ago, our choir grew from 1 to 13 members and it has even flourished to 20 more or less. However, as time goes by, the group experienced some ups and downs: a few have expressed to leave for family and work-related reasons and to pursue studies while others just couldn’t attend rehearsals on full time basis so as to focus on personal matters. While I do recognize the fact that these incidents happen naturally in any organization, I didn’t expect that things will go down hill too soon. I thought it was normal to be sad for I would miss the good old days and a bit apprehensive for our choir’s development and future performances. Because of my commitment for the choir, however, I brushed the negativities aside and decided to face the challenges and keep it going, i.e. continue to develop our voices and sing lovingly for the Lord. I considered this a blessing!

It is truly wonderful that whenever our choir needs something, God is always there to provide. As choir members leave, new relatively good singers join and so our repertoire. There was one time that members from other choir groups have to join to share with us and strengthen our musical talents and it was successful.    Teamwork and cooperation among the group made it happen. It was well-applauded and the  congregatioin has greatly appreciated our performance, pleased of the outcome. There was even one comment I received that she felt good about our singing, particularly the last song in the line up , that she even felt goose bumps rising upon her! Gee! That was awesome!

There is nothing wrong in sharing one’s talent with other choir groups and this is where generosity and humility come in. The so-called “reinforcement” via temporary or permanent guest vocal coaches, music teachers, keyboardists, and singers are and will always be warmly welcome in our choir. (photos are personal properties of www.myusefultips.com)

The beauty of this kind of structure is that you are given the opportunity to learn new stuffs, share each other materials and bring in bright perspectives about the craft. And most importantly, there is also a chance to gain new friends who equally share the same passion to sing praises for the Lord and willing to build the so-called camaraderie among the members. And that is imperative in any choir organization.

As I previously said, our choir has been blessed to have members who have no choir singing experience before but are dedicated to come regularly and on time for the rehearsal. At present, we are also blessed to have someone who has that love and zeal for music, to accompany us in our singing with no "frills and laces", no terms and conditions. Isn’t it great? That’s another blessing!

Last Sunday, we had our first joint musical performance held at Our Lady of Snows in Queens, NY for the feast day of St. Rocco (or San Roque). We went to the venue with convoy of cars courtesy of the members on their own volition. Just like any musical event, there is always a warm-up exercise which takes more or less an hour before the actual performance. Here take a look of how the choir members were so dedicated in their craft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a  solemn con-celebrated mass with 4 priests officiating it.  I observed the choir  was hesitant at first to give their all but eventually they showed their prowess and their love for singing for the Lord.   Here. enjoy browsing at some of the photos taken during and after the mass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Devotees of St. Rocco.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The priest expressed a very inspiring and encouraging comment on the choir's performance, to the extent of informing us that someday he'll bring us to Rome!  St. Peter's Basilica?  Did I hear it right, or was I day dreaming! (pinch, pinch, pinch!)

Look at them, even after the mass, the singing continued!

It is indeed true that for as long as there is still one member standing,  there is still hope and a future for the choir group. 

Please drop a line for me on your thoughts about this post!

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By the way, our singing comrades are from the Himig at Alay Music Ministry. Applause, applause, applause!

Our next music gigs are on September 11 and 12 , a benefit concert for the 9/11 victims and the Fil mass at HCJ.  Watch for it guys!

Organizing A Choir – First Series of Useful Tips And Thoughts

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Last February, I received a communication from the Apostolate requesting me to guide and lead the singing during the mass. Wow, what an effortless request! But little did I know that it was a form of spiritual leadership accompanied by a critical responsibility brought upon on my shoulder.

What could I say? How could I say no to the call for help for God’s glory? I simply responded in affirmative, and everything started there! I thought that was one way of touching me to be of help to others in the humblest way I can, which incidentally is one of my advocacies in life.

As a brief backgrounder, my choir experience dates back during my childhood days. My kids buddies and I used to sing as members of the choir and it can be attributed to our love for any kind of music, from pop to slow rock and …..the liturgical music! I learned my church songs, first from my parents, then from my older siblings, my music teachers who were nuns in our school and from the church where I used to go. But my love for music didn’t stop there, it evolved and it  continued up to these days. 

As I prayed for God’s guidance, the present responsibility wasn’t a burden at all.  Humility aside,  I can sing with a little knowledge of playing the guitar. At first, some generous people from the other parish showed up to help in the singing, then the second time with only one.  But  with God’s blessings, the group blossomed with more or less 15 people volunteering to be part of the team. In all honesty, I felt a sense of relief and the assurance from someone up above that everything will be all right! I realized that the success of the choir does not depend on the person leading it, her talents, her skills but on God’s keeping control of it. And that makes it amazing!

Our kick-off meeting/rehearsal really went well, probably because the members are musically gifted in their own rights but I believe they were also commissioned to be part of the new choir. We started our rehearsal with a prayer and some kid stuffs as part of our agenda. And thereafter the rehearsal began. I say, Amen. Welcome and congratulations to the new members! From one to 15 members – a combination of the young at hearts and the real young ones with the youngest member, Erynn who is only 6 years old! That makes it even more amazing!

As a sense of duty, I felt the need to share series of thoughts and knowledge gained since childhood days from previous choir masters who were experts and considered “maestros” in the field of music. Most probably some of the members may know this already but for purposes of reminding everyone, I would like to share the first batch of the said thoughts with my colleagues and other “newbies” out there who are contemplating to organize one and/or simply be a member of a choir.

 

“Singing is Praying Twice”

I have heard this over and over again as far as church choir singing is concerned. According to some, the said saying was first coined by St. Augustine. However, based on an article published in the Catholic online forum, it was clarified that what St. Augustine wrote simply means that when you praise God thru songs, then something happens to the song of the praiser” because of love. Part of the excerpts of the original translation cited: …”he who sings praise, is not only singing, but also loving Him whom he is singing about/to/for….”.

In any case, the message being conveyed by St. Augustine only implies that whether or not you are a choir member, one should deliver the songs very well, with respect, with love and with the purity of intentions. When the choir sings together with the congregation, it is like everybody is praying together. In fact, Jesus said this that “…when two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”.

 There are also times that when you sing during the mass and the song coincidentally fit well to how you feel at that particular time, like if you feel frustrated, bothered, broken hearted, abandoned or in any state of emotion, you tend to cry out to the Lord thru the songs and then you realize that your eyes start to have “clouds” and even to the extent that the tears start to flow down on your cheeks. But after that , you feel some kind of an unexplainable relief, giving you a new hope and a form of healing from the Almighty. Have you experienced this before? Believe me, it happened to me not only once but many times!

 

Relevance of a Choir

In view of the importance of the choir in the liturgy, it may be imperative that the choir practice very well the songs to be sung so they would be confident during the actual singing presentation. Similarly, a well rehearsed choir would be able to impart the message of the song and eventually be able to shape and pave the way for the true faith of those who worship.

Choir members absolutely doesn’t have to be professional singers….anyone who has the knack, committed and is willing to volunteer their time and talent for the love of God, are the perfect members you could get. What an awesome gift from God! All the best to all of us!

Note: The next topic that I would be blogging on would pertain to the benefits of being in a choir, the choir decorum and some vocalization tips (minus the piano)!

If you feel the article was useful , please feel free to comment and it would be greatly appreciated. If you don’t have comments, it is okay I do understand. But just the same, it would still be good to hear your thoughts , pleasant or unpleasant! :)