Covid, Church Music, and Stories
Several survey participants agreed to participate in follow-up interviews. Through these interviews some obvious common themes emerged. Although each attends a different church and had different levels of musical experience – one a cellist and life-long chorister, another choir member, and one who was not a musician, each described the joy of singing with other members of their church community, of listening to music, and of being physically present to worship together. The respondents noted that physical participation in the church services is significantly missed – especially hugging and greeting other church members, watching the children dance in the aisles, and playing music for the church services.
All three mentioned the music especially during the special seasons of the church calendar – Lent, Easter, Advent, and Christmas – as something they look forward to, and that has been a highlight in past years. Advent and Christmas will look different this year – with most church choirs still on hiatus. Despite the lack of music or the ability to fully participate in person, each interviewee also referred to the numerous positive opportunities they have had to participate or make connection outside of the regular Sunday services. Almost all of these were offered on Zoom - including extra prayer services during the week, “worship jams” where people remained muted but could be seen singing or playing their instruments on screen and “choir hangouts” as an opportunity to visit and connect even if when the choir could not sing together.
For Clint Houston, a cellist and chorister with a background in both the United and Anglican churches, participating in the church choir was always the natural expectation for people who could sing. Music shapes an essential part of the church service and it has shaped an essential part of Clint’s life and the lives of his daughters (three of the four of whom have gone on to become church musicians). Music has been the means through which Clint learns and expresses his faith.
Erika Robinson attends St Peter and St Paul’s Anglican Church in Ottawa, where music forms a central part of the liturgy. Although Erika is not a musician herself, she spoke positively of the variety of music at the church, and recalled the joy of singing as a member of the congregation, as well as listening to the choir at Easter and Christmas.
Gary MacDonell’s story demonstrates the importance of community and connection that occurs in choir participation. He met his wife in the church choir at Fourth Avenue Baptist Church in Ottawa. Although they aren’t singing in the choir right now, they are grateful it brought them together and they still sing around the house. In the video below, Gary mentions “dating the choir,” he explains: “I had "won" a silent auction at a charity. I paid for a dozen pairs of tickets to live presentations, IMAX films etc. So I put them on the piano at the end of a Thursday evening practise. If anyone was interested in attending any of the events, I agreed to pick them up and take them. So, in a sense, I dated the choir.”