Choral program themes

Have you ever struggled to choose music for your choir? If you have, join the crowd. I used to choose music pretty haphazardly. After collecting a stack of pieces of music appropriate for the choir I was planning to direct, I would arrange the pieces according to subject and style putting praise pieces at the beginning, a prayer or soft closer at the end, a crowd-pleaser near the end, and slow and fast pieces mixed up throughout the program.

I would then choose one of the song titles to put on the front of the bulletin, and presto , I had a program. Celebrate the vitality and breadth of NYC music-making with this sampling of tracks on our platform.

On Demand Playlists and Tracks Enjoy our featured playlists, browse videos and audio organized by theme or instrumentation, or just cue up a random track. Discover New Music. My Playlist. Want to share your playlist?

Use this link: Facebook. Copy Link. Reminiscent of stained glass windows, the idea of a mosaic - whether in sound or visual art - offers a wealth of ideas and inspiration for creating meaningful concert programs. You might make a musical mosaic, of sorts, with short, contrasting works that fit together into a greater whole.

Or, you could incorporate visual art by pairing images of paintings, sculptures, carvings, etc. Make sure you have permission to project or display artwork that is still under copyright. If you have artists in your church, consider making your own mosaic using magazine clippings, tissue paper, or torn pieces of construction paper here's a great step-by-step tutorial. Create the mosaic live during the program, adding pieces to the art work during the narration and maybe even during some of the music , or prepare in advance, divide into blocks or tiles, and piece it back together during the program.

Remember, these are just for inspiration! Create your own art by drawing it yourself, using images in the public domain, or using royalty-free stock images or graphics.

Based on the anthem by Paul A. Tate, this theme is centered on unity and 1 Corinthians 12 the "many parts, one body" section. Choose music and readings Scripture, poetry, other books that talk about unity, togetherness, and peace. At a time when there is so much violence in our world, these are reminders we all need to hold on to.

Choose hymns, anthems, and songs to teach to the congregation from around the world, organized by country. This is a great opportunity to introduce other languages to your choir! Consider adding in prayers from around the world to help tie it all together. Here is a list of hymns, prayers, and sacred songs organized by language to help get you started.

I always pick a theme — it helps me focus my repertoire search. We sing contemporary music, so these themes were broad enough to be able to choose songs of a wide variety.

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