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Choirs for Boys and Girls

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Choirs for Men and Women

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Saint Mary's Organ

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Saint Mary's Minister of Music

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Choirs for Boys and Girls  

St. Mary’s Treble Choir and Girls Choir provide a tuition-free music education and a wealth of fantastic opportunities for fun and growth. The choirs are affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music in America which offers incentives such as ribbons and summer courses to assist in the development of each singer. As each chorister grows and develops, the hope is that the skills and core values that are learned in choir will result a lifelong desire to sing, giving God the praise not only of our lips but of our lives.

Bless, O Lord, us thy servants who minister in Thy temple. Grant that what we sing with our lips, we may believe in our hearts, and what we believe in our hearts, we may shew forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

                                                -Royal School of Church Music Chorister’s Prayer

Treble Choir (Boys and Girls, Kindergarten through 3^rd grade)

Singing Dates for 2007-2008 Season

Sings for special services at St. Mary’s

Sings once a month at 9:00 a.m. Eucharist

Rehearses Thursdays 6:30-7:00 p.m. throughout the school year.

Dinner is provided by a different parent team each week.

4^th grade and older boys are welcome to remain singing with the Treble Choir.

Treble Choir Skills and Core Values

Each chorister (pronounced core-ist-er) learns

Vocal skills

matching pitch

discovering the singing voice and the speaking voice

singing with expression

producing a pleasing tone

pronouncing words clearly

learning singing posture

breathe like a singer

Music skills

reading and performing rhythms

quarter, eighths, hole, half notes and their rests

reading music signs and terms

piano, forte, staff, treble clef

the musical scale

learning hand signals for the musical scale

singing scale on solfege (do, re, mi, ...)

reading steps and skips

singing steps and skips

Worship skills

singing is a gift we give to God

singing in a choir helps other people worship God

We are worship leaders

what the words to the song mean

to which portion of the liturgy we are contributing on a particular Sunday or a particular season of the church year

Choir skills/Teamwork skills

listening to the instructions of the director during rehearsals

watching the director

for the tempo, when to breathe, how loud to sing, how to shape your mouth for the best sound, help with expression and energy

blending the voice with the sound of the choir

making friendships as a result of singing together

because everyone makes a contribution, we encourage regular attendance

making our play like work and our work like play

Our repertoire comes from folk songs, children’s songs and hymns of the church.

Incentives for Participation in Treble Choir

White cottas are awarded to third graders after they have learned some basic musical and liturgical information: the names of the notes on the treble clef, reading one verse of a hymn aloud, performing simple rhythm patterns and reciting the Lord’s prayer from memory.

In May at the annual Choir Banquet certificates and crosses are awarded based on years of service.

Boys & Girls Choir (4^th grade and up)

Community Performances

Regional Royal School of Church Music Choir Events

Weekend Tours

Fall 07, Bruton Parish, Williamsburg, VA

Spring 07, Christ Church, Philadelphia

Fall 07, St. Michael and All Angels, Baltimore

Spring 08, St. James, New York City

Special Services at St. Mary’s       

Advent Lessons and Carols

Epiphany Feast of Light

Choral Evensong

Choir Recognition Sunday

Sings twice a month at 9:00 a.m. Eucharist at St. Mary’s

Also any Boys & Girls Choir Chorister participate with Adult   Choir during summer and other occasions throughout the year.

Rehearses Thursdays 7:00-7:55 p.m. throughout the school year with Music Skill Training from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Boys & Girls Choir Skills and Core Values

Each chorister learns …

Vocal Skills

producing a pleasing singing tone

singing with greater depth of expression

consistently pronouncing words so that they are understood

expanding the vocal range

consistent singing posture

breathing at ends of phrases, stagger breathing to sustain long

       phrases

Music Skills

reading/performing all but the most complex rhythms

understanding time signatures

reading/performing an expanded vocabulary of music signs and

     terms

knowing note names of the treble clef          

the musical scale

singing scale on numbers

                                  reading and singing all basic intervals of the scale

understanding key signatures

learning the basic concepts of singing music at sight

Worship skills

the distinctive purpose of church choirs in contrast to other choirs

            using the Book of Common Prayer, the Hymnal 1982 and the

                 leaflet to fully

participating and leading services

greater understanding of the meaning of what we sing

understanding the basic elements of the Eucharist and

     evensong

knowing the purpose, location, spelling and pronunciation of

     areas and objects in the church

processing, standing and sitting as a choir

knowing the seasons of the church year and its major feasts

Choir skills/Teamwork skills

taking proper care of music, folder, pencil, vestments, cross,

     ribbon

watching the director without being reminded

blending the voice with the sound of the choir without being

     reminded

listening to the instructions of the director during rehearsals

     without being reminded

developing a family approach to relationships in the choir

attending faithfully because each contribution is valued

finding fulfillment in striving for excellence

Our repertoire is drawn mainly from easy as well as more challenging anthems from the Anglican choral tradition and classical and folk music of every era.

Incentives for Participation in Boys & Girls Choir

In addition to the joy of singing and sharing our musical gifts, points are awarded for attendance, punctuality, notification of absences, attentiveness in rehearsal, care of music and vestments and musical progress. At the end of each month Baskin & Robbins gift certificates are awarded to the first and second place prize winners. First place prize winners also receive a tour of the inside of the church organ. The ten-minute tour is scheduled at a convenient time for parent, chorister and choirmaster.

Bonus points are awarded for make-up sessions (due to absence or extra enthusiasm). These last for about 30 minutes and can be arranged by appointment with me. Bonus points are also awarded for singing on any Sunday with the Parish Choir on a date not scheduled as a Girls Choir Sunday. On these Sundays girls would arrive at 8:15 a.m. for the 9:00 Eucharist or 10:30 a.m. for the 11:15 Eucharist, robe and sing the hymns, psalm and service music and process with the Parish Choir.

In addition, work completed in Voice for Life workbooks is rewarded by receiving Royal School of Church Music medals and ribbons:

Novice singers are awarded white cottas to wear over their red cassocks  (typically in the 3^rd grade in the Treble Choir.)

Beginning choristers are awarded light blue ribbons,

Junior choristers are awarded dark blue ribbons and

Senior choristers are awarded red ribbons.

Work towards completion of the Voice for Life workbooks occurs Thursdays from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. Ribbons are awarded at ceremonies in November and May. In May at the annual Choir Banquet certificates and crosses are awarded based on years of service.

Royal School of Church Music Summer Choir Courses

Attendance at Royal School of Church Music Summer Courses is encouraged. These week-long courses are highly organized with expert adult leadership.  Each day includes services, rehearsals and recreational activities. The courses have a major impact on the spiritual and musical life of those who attending, singing under internationally acclaimed music directors and with choristers from all over North America. RSCM courses are held at locations throughout the United States. See www.rscmamerica.org or Gregory for more information. Scholarships are available.

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Choirs for Men and Women  

Compline Schola

Compline is sung each Sunday evening September through May at 9:00 p.m. A Men’s Schola alternates with a Women’s Schola. Each group rehearses at 8:15 p.m. to sing for this 20-minute service of meditation at the the days’ end. The music is plainchant and polyphonic settings of the service in both English and Latin. If you are interested in singing, please contact our Minister of Music Gregory Hooker at 703-527-6800 or Gregory.hooker@stmarysarlington.org

The Handbell Choir

The Handbell Choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. and contributes several times a year to the 9:00  and 11:15 a.m. Eucharist.

About all of our Choirs

Saint Mary’s Choirs are affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music in America.  The RSCM’s goals are to promote the use of music to enrich Christian worship and to provide the practical means of achieving the highest possible performance standards for music in worship.

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Saint Mary's Organ  

In 1998 as part of the church renovation and expansion, the Saint Mary's organ was installed by Lively-Fulcher Pipe Organ Builders of Washington, D.C. This organ was crafted foremost to support hymn singing, accompany choral anthems and play organ literature spanning many periods. The instrument currently has 25 speaking stops with preparations for two further voices to be added as funds permit. The key action is mechanical and the stop action is electric, complete with combination action and eight levels of memory. The tonal inspiration for the instrument is firmly based in England but with a dash of French color and exuberance that was so common in English-built organs of the 18th and 19th centuries. The support of the robust hymn singing coupled with the varied and ambitious choral program at Saint Mary's is the driving force behind the tonal aesthetic of the instrument.
-edited from Paul Fulcher and Mark Lively, Inaugural Recital Program Notes, September 1998

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Saint Mary's Minister of Music  

Prior to his appointment at St. Mary’s, Gregory was Associate Director of Music and Organist, Cathedral Church of the Advent, Birmingham, Alabama, where he assisted Dr. Stephen G. Schaeffer, Director of Music and Organist, in all musical and administrative aspects of the cathedral music program. Previously he served as interim Assistant Organist-Choirmaster at St. Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo, New York, with Dr. Dale Adelmann, Organist-Choirmaster.

Gregory is in the final stages of completing the Doctor of Music degree in organ and church music at Indiana University where he studied organ with Marilyn Keiser and Larry Smith and studied harpsichord with Elisabeth Wright. While at Indiana University Mr. Hooker was an Associate Instructor in piano. His previous organ study was with David Mulbury at the College Conservatory of Music/University of Cincinnati where he received the Master of Music degree.  He also holds the Master of Church Music degree with a second major in piano performance from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky.  His piano studies at Southern were with renowned pedagogue and piano music editor Maurice Hinson. Gregory has performed recitals across the eastern United States at parishes and cathedrals including Washington National Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis, and the Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta.

Gregory has served as Housemaster for the RSCM Washington Course for Advanced Trebles in residence at St. Alban’s School and performing at the National Cathedral in 2006 and 2007. In 2002 he was a Housemaster for the RSCM Gulf Coast Course for Girls and Adults with Music Director Paul Trepte of Ely Cathedral. He has had church music articles published by The Christian Standard, The Anglican Digest, and The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians. Gregory has served as dean of the Bloomington, Indiana, chapter of the American Guild of Organists and presented a lecture on English Choral Literature for the Northern Virginia chapter’s March 2007 meeting.