Children’s Repertoire • Three More Recommendations by Keven Smith
Don’t give up. Your work with young singers today will continue to bear fruit for decades after you die.
Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”
Keven Smith is the music director at St. Stephen the First Martyr Catholic Church, an apostolate of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) in Sacramento, California. He trains and directs a mixed choir that sings full Gregorian propers, ordinaries, and sacred polyphony at more than 100 traditional Latin Masses per year. Keven lives in Sacramento with his wife and five musical children.—Read full biography (with photographs).

Don’t give up. Your work with young singers today will continue to bear fruit for decades after you die.

Save this delightful Ascension motet for next spring. It’s well within reach for even beginning choirs.

Isn’t it wonderful to come back to rehearsals after a brief Christmas recess and realize Easter doesn’t come until April 20? It’s tempting to be very relaxed about progress, but I’m trying to keep a sense of momentum. Though I will probably spend a bit of extra time working on vocal production issues with my […]

How to achieve outstanding intonation without making your rehearsals tedious and stressful.
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It strikes me that many of the best motets my choir sings are ones I found by accident. These are motets that popped up as YouTube suggestions, or that someone mentioned in a Facebook thread and I casually gave them a listen. The lesson? Be open to finding good sacred music even when you’re not […]

How a simple technique called “SSS” can bring out the elegance of any phrase.
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Here’s what you can learn from this Florida-based artist.
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How to sell the idea to your singers, and what to teach them. (Part 2 of 2)
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The case for offering private lessons to your singers. (Part 1 of 2.)
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Here’s where to find improvisation recordings you can actually emulate.
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Keep a repository of your choir-related thoughts and feelings. You’ll thank yourself someday.
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Are you aware of your legs? And do you know why that matters for a choir conductor?
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This sweet, simple SATB motet provides a contrast to heavier, darker Lenten repertoire. But it’s going out of season soon.
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