The future looks bright...

I had the great opportunity to sit in with a men's schola rehearsal last night. They are all young Catholic men working together to sing chant in the liturgy. They currently sing the Communion proper each week at a local parish here in the diocese. They are all very strong note-readers and have a very nice sound. They have a very nice group.

I shared a little information that I gleaned from Scott Turkington's course this past summer. I showed them the method he used in teaching us new propers...

... proper Latin pronunciation
... Ictus marking (we went over the main four rules that are also in the back of the Parish book of Chant -- p. 175)
... Singing the chant using solfege
... Singing the chant with rhythmic counting -- groups of 2's and 3's.
... Putting it all together... Latin and notes.

I may have changed the order a bit, but I think all the steps are there. They picked it up very quickly and I think it will help them in the future more as they get used to it.

I was so very impressed with these men and can see that the future of Sacred Music in the parishes will be improved by their participation and the spreading of the chant by them in the years to come. I was so happy to get to see them in action! For more information about this group and their singing schedule, check out their blogsite here: http://stmaryoftheassumption.blogspot.com/ .