Music in Worship and Renewal DM 9344 (Updated 15 October 2015) Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University January 5-13, 2016 C. Michael Hawn, University Distinguished Professor of Church Music Email: mhawn@smu.edu NOTE: This course will meet on the weekend (including Friday evening, January 8, though Sunday, January 10) for field observations in worship. Because of this, the final day of class will be Wednesday, January 13, rather than Friday, January 15. Please make arrangements to be present during the weekend. Course Purpose: This course will focus on recent trends and resources on music and worship in order to gain a historical perspective and greater understanding of the nature and role of congregational song in worship and ways to improve congregational singing. Course Objectives: 1) To engage pastors and worship leaders in a discussion of music in worship. While musically trained persons are welcome and will benefit from the theological discussions, this is NOT a course for musical specialists only. 2) To understand the broad historical sweep of Western church music and broaden the student s experience in church music. 3) To examine the theological foundations of church music and apply these to worship in the student s church. 4) To survey the range of congregational song available in the 21 st century and discern the theological focus(i) of the people s song and develop strategies for broadening the theological perspective of the people s song in worship. 5) To develop skills in analyzing the use of music in worship through field observation. 6) To conduct a deep analysis of the use of music in the student s congregation in light of the historical, theological, and cultural perspectives presented in the course texts and in class.
Course Outline: Day Topic Text Reference Jan 5 (Tuesday) Course Orientation Theology in Song: Creation through the Ages Saliers Theology Jan 6 (Wednesday) Jan 7 (Thursday) Jan 8 (Friday) Jan 9 (Saturday) Jan 10 (Sunday) Jan 11 (Monday) Jan 12 (Tuesday) Jan 13 (Wednesday) Roman Catholic Stream Westermeyer, Te Deum Protestant Classic Hymns Westermeyer, Te Deum African American and Gospel Styles A Sound Experience Friday Night - Attend Erev Shabbat Service at Temple Emanu-El at 6:15PM Attend Saturday evening worship service. Options TBA Attend Sunday morning worship service. Options TBA Dinner/Discussion Folk Traditions A Sound Experience Pentecostal Song Cultural Awareness Global Ecumenical Song Cultural Awareness Hawn, New Songs of Celebration, Introduction Saliers, Music and Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapters 3 and 4 Worship: Guidelines for Participant-Observers (pp. 187-189) Worship: (pp. 187-189) Worship: (pp. 187-189) Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7
Course Texts: Tim Dowley. Christian Music: A Global History (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2011) C. Michael Hawn. New Songs of Celebration Render: Congregational Song in the Twenty-First Century (Chicago: GIA Publications, Inc. 2013). One Bread, One Body: Exploring Cultural Diversity in Worship (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2003) Don E. Saliers. Music and Theology (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007) Paul Westermeyer. Te Deum: The Church and Music (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998) Course Assignments and Grading: 1) 25%. Pre-Class Reflection Paper: Theological Thinking. Drawing upon Westermeyer, Te Deum, choose five major historical and theological trends and/or controversies in church music from the biblical era through the 18 th century (pp. 1-221; Chapters 1-13). Briefly discuss each of them. Summarize by describing how these trends and/or controversies are/are not in play in the 21 st century. Length: 6-8 pages. Cite page numbers in the body of the paper. Due Date (by email): January 5. 2) 25% In-Class Reflection Paper: Cultural Awareness. Drawing up Hawn, One Bread, One Body, prepare a paper that includes the following components: (Note: A draft could be prepared in advance of class.) - A two-page analysis of your congregation s worship based on the Nairobi Statement (Appendix A, pp. 177-183) including: Transcultural aspects Contextual aspects Counter-cultural aspects Cross-cultural aspects - A five-page reflection on the cultural context of your congregation s worship practice (Cultural Audit) based on Part I (pp. 1-34) (Hint: you may find it helpful to read one or two of the case studies provided in Part II.) See a summary in Appendix C (pp. 187-189). - A two-page analysis on the role of music in your worship and musical leadership provided based on Part III: Section 1 (pp. 113-140). Note also Appendix D (pp. 190-194). - A two-page analysis of possible strategies for helping your congregation become more culturally aware over the next three years based on Part III: Section 2 (pp. 141-176) - Length: 10-12 pages. Cite pages number in the body of the text. Due Date (by email): January 12.
3) 25% In-Class Class Discussions and Field Experiences. A. Each session, the class will allot one hour to class discussion of the students response to the assignments above. Generally, we will employ Eric Law s process of Mutual Invitation (See One Bread, One Body, Appendix F, pp. 200-202) to guide the discussion. Bring talking sheets or one-page notes and discussion points that you wish to bring to the group s attention. B. On Friday evening (January 7) we will attend a Erev Shabbat Service (6:15 PM) at Temple Emanu-El. On Saturday afternoon/evening (January 8) and Sunday morning (January 9), we will divide in smaller groups and attend two services over the weekend. On Sunday evening, we will gather for dinner and discuss these experiences following the rubric provided in Appendix B (One Bread, One Body, pp. 184-186). C. The first class will be given to a discussion of Saliers, Music and Theology. No written assignment is required. Be prepared to highlight two salient features in this short book that challenge or clarify your assumptions of church music. D. Most classes will be given to the exploration of various streams of congregational song. The guide for this will be Hawn, New Songs of Celebration Render. Be prepared to highlight one or two aspects of each chapter assigned for the day that relate the piety of each stream and how this relates to your ministry context. 4) 25%. Post-Class Reflection Paper: A Sound Experience. Drawing upon Dowley, Christian Music, choose chapters as indicated below (these are short): - Two Chapters from Chapters 1-6 - Two Chapters from Chapters 7-11 - One Chapter from Chapters 12-14 - Three Chapters from Chapters 15-16, 18-21 - One Composer from Chapter 17 A. Read the chosen chapters. B. Based on the chapters chosen (nine total chapters), find YouTube performances of two selections from each chapter and listen to them (18 total selections). C. Submit a paper with the following structure: *List each chapter along with the titles of music listened to (nine chapters) Provide the YouTube link for each selection under each chapter heading (18 links) *At the conclusion of the links listened to in each chapter, provide a 250- word discussion that touches the following points:
Your previous experience with the music listened to: what does this music say to you? Theological implications of the musical selections: what does this music say about faith and Christian experience? (Hint: May draw upon Westermeyer) Liturgical applications of the music listened to: what role might this music play in Christian worship as you have experienced it or could imagine it? *Thus, you would provide nine (9) 250-word essays total in addition to the links to the music listened to in the chosen chapters. Due Date (by email: January 18)