I finalized the Stake Christmas Music Fireside Plan last night. As I sat down to work on it, I realized I had a little less music than in previous years. That’s OK; the program could be long enough at 50 minutes. But it also left me some room to get creative, and I’m happy with where I landed.
After a friend of mine told me about the practice in his ward some years ago, I’ve tried to introduce the occasional use of a “Hymnal Choir” in Sacrament Meeting services. It means that we select a well-known hymn and instead of having the ward choir perform it alone, we invite anyone in the congregation to sing if they wish.
So, in the Fireside, I’m going to morph that idea a little. Since people like to enjoy singing Christmas songs, I’ll have the congregation sing more than I have in past years. I also want to give them the experience of singing in a choir (of sorts) without the intimidation that some feel in a choir setting. So, here’s the plan:
- For 1 song, I’ll have the congregation sitting in the wings (the rows on the sides) stand and sing to the congregation in the center aisle.
- For 1 song, I’ll have the congregation sitting in the center stand and sing to the wings.
- I’ll coach them like a choir: to “perform” the piece, not sing just as though it were another congregational hymn. Sing with spirit and understanding.
- For a last song, I’ll have them all sing as a normal congregational hymn, but I hope that they hold onto the “choir” idea when they do it.
Finally, I’m going to try to an impromptu Combined Men’s Choir. I’ll have a room full of ward choirs, and I’ll invite all the choir men to join me in singing the primary song, “When Joseph Went to Bethlehem.” I’ll make copies (it’s legal!) and have them ready. It’s the more typical “invite you to sing” approach of a Hymnal Choir, but with a song that I could only get away with if I have a lot of musicians.
I think the congregational angle will work well this year. I’ll let you know later how it actually goes.
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