Article
Reflections on Another Worshipful Year with Choristers
by Anna Teagarden
Looking back over the past five years of the SJD Chorister Program, I am exceedingly proud of all we have accomplished. Our choristers are amazing kids, and it is an absolute privilege to work with them each week, to sing with them, and watch them grow musically, emotionally, physically, and spiritually! I would be so bold as to say that now we have one of the best programs around!
Many of our young singers came to me in 2021 with masks on and no background in choir or singing, and this year we enrolled nearly 100 choristers, ranging in age from 3 to 18. We accomplished a great deal this past year, from monthly Evensongs and Advent Lessons and Carols to leading the 3 pm Christmas Eve service, with 800 people in attendance. Winter and spring were jam-packed with a workshop with renowned conductor Richard Webster, Palm Sunday and Holy Week services, the Gulf Coast Chorister Festival in Dallas, and our end-of-year service last Sunday.
What makes a church choir unique is that the experience is not about the individual alone but about something bigger. For our Cherub Choir, Preparatory Choir, and Choristers, the focus is on bringing their very best to God’s glory as a group.
This year, we placed our Choristers (4th – 12th grade) into “houses” named after famous composers, Bach, Beethoven, Handel, and Mozart. Each house competed for points by answering music theory, liturgy, composer facts, and, of course, information about their particular house composer! At our end-of-year banquet, the houses competed by creating a skit/dance, and the winner was awarded the most points of the year. The house cup prize was filled with specialty candy and Baskin-Robbins gift cards! As much fun as the house cup was, it was most special to watch the group bond together and come out of their shells.
Our Cherub Choir (ages 3 – Kinder) and Preparatory Choir (1st – 3rd grade) have the Choristers as models and mentors, learning what it means to be a worship leader, work together in a group, and experience incredible JOY! I’m so proud of how much our youngest singers have improved in their skills throughout this year.
Being in a choir involves much more than singing. It is an amazing and uplifting experience to make music with other people and feel everyone working together toward the same goal. What makes a church choir unique is that the experience is not about the individual alone but about something bigger. For our Cherub Choir, Preparatory Choir, and Choristers, the focus is on bringing their very best to God’s glory as a group.
I am so grateful to everyone at St. John the Divine for their support of this program, our families, staff, and, especially, our singers. We will officially finish our year this Sunday as the Cherub Choir sings the Introit at the 9 am traditional service. We will be planning all summer for an even more amazing year as we embark on a Residency at Durham Cathedral in July 2027!