A Publication of the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians

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1 Volume 4 Issue 1 August 2010 YOU HMU%IC CONNECTION APublicationoftheNationalForumofGreekOrthodoxChurchMusicians Welcome to the fourth year of the National Forum s YouthMusic Connection e newsletter! All of us, being well intentioned,haveexperiencedthedesiretoaccomplishimportanttasksthatunintentionallygetputasidewhen lifegets intheway. Thislong awaitedissueofyouthmusicconnection,althoughabitdelayed,isfilledwiththejoyfulnewsof newly emerging youth choir programs, hymnology instruction in the Church schools, youth only choir conferences, multigenerationalchoirparticipation,andothernewsthatstatesclearlyandconciselythatweareonthemovewith regardtoyouthsinginginthegreekorthodoxarchdioceseofamerica! We have turned the tide away from the negative mindset of graying choirs to behold the joy of a blossoming musical and spiritual reality within the church! In fact, Vicki Pappas, encouraged by this good news, has asked us to STOPusingthewords grayingchoirs. Toquote: IttookmeabackatonemeetingwhenIheardpriestsandArchdiocesan leaders use the phrase, and it occurred to me that it has become a mindset that stifles change, and only accentuates the problem.it sactuallybadprthatweourselveshavecreated!whilei mnotrefutingthatwedohavealargeproportionof olderpeopleinourchoirsandthatweareslowinaddingyoungerones,iamproposingthatweconcentrateonthepositives thatarealsohappeningandthatareemergingasverystrongdevelopmentsinourmetropolises. Recently returned from our Clergy Laity Congress in Atlanta last month, I was overwhelmed with the contagious enthusiasmofmynationalforumcolleaguesandfellowyouthmusicpanelistsduringthediscussionsofthisvitaland emergingministry.thesuccessoftheseburgeoningprogramscanbestbeseeninthesmilesonthefacesofthestudents andteachersonthefollowingpages,andalsobythewordsofthestudentsthemselves,excerptedneartheendofthis issue.glorybetogodfortheblessingsthathebestowsonusthroughtheworkofhisdedicatedyouthmusicinstructors andclergy.withthisinmind,ihopeyouenjoyreadingthroughthesepageswithasonginyourheartandasilentprayer forourcontinuedsuccess. I have enjoyed being your editor over these past four years, and I am very happy to announce that we will have DianaOttofStNicholasinStLouissteppinginasthenewYMCeditor.Hercreativespirit,loveforchildren,andpassion forchurchmusicwillserveherwellincarryingthetorchforwardforthispublication!thankstoallofyouforyourwell wishesandsupportthroughtheyears! MusicallyinChrist, JoanneH.Kambouris,Editor MetropolisofDenverHostsAnotherSuccessfulCampEmmanuelinAlbuquerque,NM SummerCampintheMetropolisofDenverisatimeforchildrenandyouthtoreflectupontheirinnerlife,theirrelationship withgodandeachother,andveryimportantly,tolearntherichspiritualtraditionsofourchurchheldwithinitshymnology. TherearenoiPods,iPhones,ortelevisions.Thisyear,ledbyMusicDirectorChrysanthyTherianos,thegentlesoundofvoices sangpraisesbeforeeverymeal,duringchapel,andattheeveningcampfireactivities.eachofthetwelvecabinsrepresented oneofthemajortwelvefeastsofourlordorasaint.the150campers,aged6 th 12 th grades,metfor45minutesperdayfor music where they learned the Divine Liturgy and other special hymns of the day. Hymns that were more difficult to learn (Cherubic Hymn, Se Ymnumen, Axion Estin) were taught in smaller groups. Also, campers learned all of the Odes for the Paraklesis Service, plus other Orthodox folk and camp songs. Additionally, another hour of singing was offered to campers during their free period where they learned about vocalizing, chanting in tune, and how to chant their cabin s Apolytikion.

2 Volume 4 Issue 1 August 2010 Every evening, the campers had the opportunity to show what they knew as they walked by the priests on their way to evening chapel. Campers participated musically in daily morning and evening chapel services, a Paraklesis service, and the DivineLiturgyonThursdaymorningwithHisEminenceMetropolitanIsaiah.Ofcourse,campwouldnotbecompletewithout thecampfiresongsleadbyfatherapostoloshill,deanoftheassumptioncathedralindenver,fathermakariosfromkenya, andchrysanthytherianos.notonlydidcamperssingbeforeeverymeal,theyalsohadtosingasonginordertoreceiv sentfromhome!formoreinformationaboutthemusicprogramatcampemmanuel,pleasecontactchrysanthytherianosat orviae mailatluv2chant@aol.com. MetropolisofChicago:MultipleParishes This Metropolis has, for more than a decade, held separate choir conferences for our youth. While joint youth and adult conferences were held in the past, we foundthatchildrenfarprefera youth centered event that permits organizers to schedule programs, workshops,meals,andotheractivitiestosuittheneeds of young people. Additionally, a youth only choir conference requires that the youth learn the entire DivineLiturgyandnotjustselectedsectionsthereof.We have found that the more responsibility is given, the more enthusiastic and engaged they become! This year s conference will be held in the spring of 2011, datestobeannounced.staytuned! DianaOtt,YouthChoirDirector MetropolisofDetroit:HolyTrinity,CarmelIN Our parish s hymnology program is part of its church school program for grades 1 st 5 th, and is coordinated through the priest and church school administrators. The hymnology teachers are choir members who are thought of as one of the church school teachers. Preschoolers and Kindergarteners are taught separately. Hymnology class takes place after communion for 15 minutes per Sunday. Children sing during communion, on Holy Saturday morning, and at otherspecialtimesduringtheyear. VickiPappas,YouthMusicDirector MetropolisofAtlanta:St.Stephen ssummercamp AsthemusicdirectoroftheStStephen ssummercamp, myjobistoteachthedailymusicclassandtoleadthe singing at the worship services. Our classes begin with an opening Trisagion Prayer; we discuss church etiquette, and then begin with vocal warm ups. We learnmusicforthecamp svespersandmatinsservices as well as for the Divine Liturgy, interspersing these with camp songs for our Thursday evening sing along. We end each session with the Jesus Prayer that is said 33times,averycalmingactivity. Fr.SeraphimDedes,MusicDirector St.Katherine syouthchoir,melbourne,fl Our youth choir has taken off with as many children singing every Sunday as senior choir members! At the close of Liturgy we had a small appreciation program. The senior choir sang the dismissal hymn of St. Romanos in Greek, and then the children sang in English. After the hymns, Father Demetri presented every church musician with an icon stand of St. Romanos,andeveryyouthchoirmemberpresentedall the "experienced" church musicians with a rose in appreciation of their years of service, and for the encouragementandsupport they have given the kids as we re establish our little choir. Theyouth choir also sponsored a lovely coffee hour reception in our community center in honor of all the church musicians. Ourchildrenareprecious.Asweteachthemthebeauty of our liturgy and hymnology, it is also important to teach them to appreciate those who have gone before them,whoassistthemintheirpathoflearning.weare so blessed in our community to have a loving cooperative situation between the senior and youth choir members, as well as tender instruction from our psaltaiandorganist.forthiswearetrulygrateful. ValerieKaras,YouthChoirDirector TheOrthodoxYouthChoirofTampaBay The OYCTB will be travelling to Chicago in October as guests of the America s Greek Dance and Choral Competition committee, an event sponsored in part by the Metropolis of Chicagotofosterthelove ofourgreekheritageand Orthodox faith. They will besingingliturgicalhymnsandagreekfolksong. JoanneHKambouris,Director St.StefanosYouthChoir,St.Petersburg,FL Our choir was reactivated in February of It was incorporated as part of our Church School curriculum andwerehearsebeforebeginningouractualclasses.it includes grades This past September, we added ourangelchoir,whichincludesgradesk 3.Thisgroup rehearses at the end of class time. Both choirs have participatedinsingingfortheentiredivineliturgyand on Christmas Eve, and the youth choir participates in the Holy Unction service during Holy Week. Besides

3 Volume 4 singing the responses and the Troparia, seven of our youth participated by reading the Epistle. They did a wonderful job and the choir was well received by our community. This year, we hope to also have them participate in a Vesper service. St. Stefanos is dedicated to furthering the spiritual growth of our youth, through the teaching of our beautiful hymns and active participation in our liturgical services. Stavrula Crafa, Youth/Angel Choir Director Metropolis of Denver: St. George, Oklahoma City, OK St. George Church is very blessed with vital participation of our Children s Choir. They sang for the feast day of St Nicholas, and performed a play about his life, written and directed by Amy Vaughn. They also participated in Holy Friday Vespers, Holy Saturday Morning services, and often sing the Holy Anaphora through Koinonika on Sundays. The children are very excited to join the adults who are singing four part harmony. St. George Choir Direct Archdiocesan District: Archangel Michael Youth Choir, Port Washington, NY This year s Saturday of Lazarus was celebrated with the angelic voices of the Archangel Michael Youth Choir as they chanted a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy together with Archbishop Demetrios. Also, the choir chanted during the 4th Friday Salutations service where two choir members chanted the Aspile and the Ke Dhos Imin. On Holy Friday, many alumni of the Byzantine Youth Choir who are currently in college or working came to join their voices with the group. Georgia Kaufman, Director St. Paraskevi Youth Choir, Greenlawn, NY Our youth choir ministry consists of 2 groups: A Byzanteen Choir for singers aged 12 and up, as well as a Junior Choir for children from 1st grade through 5th. Several of the older students sing with the adult choir, one of whom acts as an assistant to the youth choir directors when needed. Fay Pavlidis, St. Paraskevi Choir Assumption Church Youth Choir, Danbury, CT Our Youth Choir sings during the Divine Liturgy twice a month, and we are so proud of them! They sang Christmas carols on Christmas Eve with Julianne Papdopoulos and Robin Rockwell sharing their clarinet talents as well. Therese Papdopoulos, Director Issue 1 August 2010 St. John s Church School, Blue Point, NY Our Church School children continue to visit the choir loft every Sunday, and are rapidly becoming accustomed to the rigors of singing every Sunday. They form the foundation of what will ultimately become, we hope and pray, a robust Junior Choir and, as every church choir hopes, a feeder group for the church s adult choir. Marcelle Wheeler, Choir Director Metropolis of New Jersey: Eastern Federation On October 24, 2009, the Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musician (EFGOCM) New Jersey District sponsored the first Youth Singers Workshop of the Metropolis at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Westfield, NJ. The Youth throughout New Jersey were invited. We had a total of 27 talented youth singers from 5 parishes and their ages were from Marina Alexander was the clinician and guided the youth through breathing and vocal warm up exercises. She taught them songs and hymns in Greek and English in both the Choral and Byzantine styles. The day concluded with a short program of some of the pieces learned during the day. The youth wore the t shirts that were provided for them in their packets and they looked and sounded great. Since our Metropolitan was traveling with the Patriarch, Chancellor Fr. George Nikas represented His Eminence and spoke to the youth. At each of our workshops or CMIs, we ask the participants to complete an evaluation form. The youth responded positively in their evaluation and they gave us their highlights and impressions of the day. They were asked if they would they like to be informed of any other workshops and the response was an overwhelming yes! We look forward to sponsoring other workshops for our youth. E. Hope Demitry, Youth Choir Director Metropolis of Boston: Transfiguration Church Children s Lenten Retreat, Lowell, MA Approximately 45 children took part in the Lenten Retreat Camp led by the Vacation Church Camp staff and committee on Saturday, February 6 at the Transfiguration Church of Lowell, MA. Following the First Saturday of Souls Liturgy, Father Stephen Lawrence, parish priest, welcomed the children and after a delicious snack, the children participated in the

4 Volume 4 Issue 1 August 2010 following activities: music, arts and crafts, indoor games, and Orthodoxlife.Duringthemusic session, Toula Sparages reviewedthechurch shymn(in English) and went over the Hymn of the Three Youths that is sung on Holy Saturday morning. Almost all those present had participated in the summer and fall retreats and werehappytosingsomeofthe VCC favorites with Toula once again. Among the favorites are Father I Adore You, Lia s Alphabet Song, I Am a CHRISTIAN, and many others. The younger children enjoyed playing rhythm instruments and marchingtothetuneof TenLittleAngels. Allinall,it was a wonderful Saturday full of friendship, songs, games, and knowledge of our faith. The children are looking forward to the Saturday of Lazarus and the GoodFridayretreatsthiscomingspring. Metropolis of San Francisco: Holy Cross Belmont, CA ReligiousEducationstudentscelebratedtheSt.Nicholas FeastdayonDecember6 th insong.the3rdthrough8th graders proudly ascended the choir loft to sing four hymns:thest.nicholasapolytikion,theapolytikionfor the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Pre Christmas Kontakion, and the Thrice Holy Hymn. At the coffee hour after church, the group did a reprise of the St. Nicholashymnandalsosangabeautifulsongaboutthe Saint,writtenbyFrancesCorcoranandElainePassaris. The children devote one Church School lesson per monthtothestudyofchurchhymnology.amemberof our adult choir, Chris Canellos, provides musical instruction as well as the liturgical context and history behindeachhymn. Metropolis of Pittsburgh: St. Demetrios Church, RockyRiver,OH I was introduced to choir singing at the age of 12 through the kindness of a choir member who volunteered to drive my sister and me to rehearsals every week. Now, in like manner, I often provide transportationtomystudents,forthosewhoareunable to make it to church on time for Liturgy. I have discoveredthatchildrenlovetodoadultthings,suchas readingprayersiftheyarenotnaturalsingers,wearing robes,singingwiththeadultchoironsundaymornings, singing the Liturgy by themselves once a month, and votingonthelanguagethattheywillusefortheliturgy thatday.wepracticeonsaturdayswiththestudentsof the Sunday school, after which I provide pizza, drinks, and brownies. I believe it is important to explain the Divine Liturgy as well as teach the hymns in a loving, supportive,andspirituallyupliftingenvironment. DianeMatzorkis,YouthChoirDirector ClergyLaityChurchMusicWorkshop FocusesonYouthMusic Priests, youth music workers, and other interested persons had the opportunity to attend a workshop entitled Gather The Youth: Ideas for Youth Music Programs in Your Parish during July s Biennial Clergy Laity Congress in Atlanta. The program included an introduction by National Forum Chairman, Dr. Vicki Pappas,apanelpresentationfromyouthmusicexperts, ahymn SingusingtheNF snewlycompletedoloimazi hymns in English, and a question answer session. Panelists included Dr. Vicki Pappas, the Very Reverend Seraphim Dedes, E. Hope Demitry, Presvytera Maria Hondros, Joanne H. Kambouris, Diana Ott, Chysanthy Therianos,andDr.TikeyZes.Thewealthofinformation provided by the panel was exceptional in scope and quality. The handout packet for this workshop is availableonthenationalforumwebsiteat: sources.html NationalForum syouthandchurchmusic InitiativesSurveyResultsAreIn! Have you ever wondered what the percentages are for youngsingersinourchoirs,onaverage?whatliturgical music arrangements are most often used to teach children? What is the average size for a youth choir? Thesequestionsandmorecanbeansweredbyreading the newly published National Forum Survey that was completed by 281 individuals from every Metropolis. Youmayviewtheseresultsat Direct Archdiocesan District Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians Second Annual Youth Conference Saturday, Oct 16, 2010 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, New Rochelle, NY

5 Volume 4 Issue 1 August 2010 NationalForumWebSite: Acomprehensivelistingofresourcematerialsforyouth musicislocatedat urces.html FindusonFacebook! OrthodoxYouthMusic StartingaYouthMusicPrograminYourParish A practical guide for starting and maintaining a quality youth music program from the ground up. Includes many usefulideasandsuggestions,anextensivelistofavailable resources, and frequently asked questions. By Joanne H. Kambouris and Lynne Jebeles. Contact Vicki Pappas to orderacopy.costis$15plusshippingandhandling. 2009SummerInstituteonYouthMusicPacket An invaluable 160 page compilation of materials distributed at last summer s National Youth Music Institute sponsored by the National Forum in Boston. Materials on various topics are included: panelist discussion handouts, Hymns for Young People, Helping Children Experience Byzantine Chant, Practical Tips and TechniquesforYouthChoirs, JamSession handouts,and other pertinent materials. Cost is $22 dollars plus $5.50 shippingandhandlingforeachbookordered. HymnsOfTheOrthodoxChurch: Teaching booklets and a CD for 12 hymns of the Divine Liturgy.EachbookletincludesmusicforGreekandEnglish texts, information about the hymn; scriptural references; an associated icon, and teaching suggestions. The CD features EIKONA singing the hymns. Various ordering optionsareavailable: (1) Family Packet (CD plus a children s booklet for eachhymn):$20each. (2) 20 copypacketsofbookletsforanyonehymn:$9 each. (3) ClassroomSpecial(all12hymnswith20booklets eachplusacd):$110. (4) CDonlyis$15. Shipping and handling will be added to your order. You will receive the materials with an invoice to send back withyourcheck.noneedtopre pay. Pleasesendallcorrespondence,questions,ideas, andinformationto: JoanneH.Kambouris,YouthInitiativeChairman NationalForumofGreekOrthodoxChurchMusicians 2855CountryWoodsLane PalmHarbor,Fl E mail:jhkambouris@gmail.com orto Dr.VickiPappas,NationalChairman NationalForumofGreekOrthodoxChurchMusicians 3814RegentsCircle Bloomington,IN E mail:pappas@indiana.edu ThefollowingquotesareexcerptsfromspeechesgivenattheSt.JohnOratoricalFestivalheldatSt.MichaelChurchinPort Washington,NY.BothstudentsaremembersoftheArchangelMichaelYouthChoir,GeorgiaKaufman,Director. AlexiaEfstathiadis:.WhenIsinginthechoir,IpraiseGod,pray,andlearn.Hymnsareteachingtools[that]enrichtheOrthodoxexperience.I havegrowninpersonalspiritualityeversinceijoinedthechoirandenjoysingingourbeautifulhymns.ifeelthatiam participatingintheliturgy.st.john[ofdamascus]hasbeengiventhetitleof TheDoctorofChristianArt. [He]codifieda systemofeightmusicalnotes,whichmakeupascale.theyarealsoknownas(ochtoechos:eighttones.)currently,ascale consistsofeightmusicalsyllables:do,re,mi,fa,so,la,ti,anddowhichallhavedifferentpitches.st.johnmadeascale consistingofdifferentsyllables:ni,pa,vu,gha,dhi,ke,zo,[and]ni.hishymnshavereallyinspiredme.asisingthehymns,i feeltheyaremorethanjustnotesandwords.pleasejoinmeinsingingoneofmyfavoritehymns EisAyios. Rememberto alwayssingfromtheheart;notonlythetongue. AngieDeDona: Hymnsareoftenoverlookedbymanypeople;thingswenoticeleastarethethingsthataremostexpected,justlikehymns inchurch.canyouimaginechurchwithoutmusicthatyoucansingalongto?youwouldlosesomethingmuchgreaterthan atuneinchurchbecauseit smuchmorethanthattosomepeople,andme.andwhenyousingalongwiththechoirand everyoneinchurch,youfeellikeyouareapartofsomethingamazing!youfeelunitedwiththemembersinchurch,even peopleyou venevermetbefore.that sthetruepowerofmusic unityasonecommunity.thehymnsofst.johnofdamascus trulybringustogetherinchurch.