Timothy Shaw’s anthem “Give Praise to God” (Choristers Guild) is one of four pieces on the repertoire list for the Choristers Guild Atlanta Chapter 2019 Children’s Choir Festival. The event is for grades 3-6 and will take place at Marietta First United Methodist Church on February 9, 2019, with clinician Dr. Martha Shaw. Take a look at the anthem, based on Psalm 150, here.
Two- and Three-Part Choir Music
Choosing repertoire for church choirs is one of the most difficult, time-consuming tasks of all choir directors, whether they direct larger or smaller choirs. There are some unique challenges facing those who direct smaller choirs, though. To support you in your work, Timothy Shaw has written a blog post on the topic (with 25 anthem suggestions) on Prelude Music Planner. Check it out here.
Blog Post on Prelude Music Planner
Timothy Shaw’s premiere blog post on Prelude Music Planner (Augsburg Fortress) is now up. It’s titled, “Thanksgiving: The Antidote to Worry,” and church musicians may find it helpful during this month of thankfulness.
A Word of Thanks to a Former Teacher
I have had many teachers throughout my life, but the one who looms largest in my mind is my first piano teacher, a quiet, elegant woman who lives simply and is, like many artists, frequently misunderstood (some might even say “eccentric”). Like countless people around the world, I began piano lessons as an eight-year-old child. This makes me extremely ordinary. But, in my memory at least, my teacher was anything but ordinary. Today, after years in the music profession, I look back on my lessons with her and feel nostalgic. And so, in this month of thanksgiving, I want to express my thanks to her by highlighting those qualities that made her effective as a teacher, qualities worthy of emulation. (I do so without mentioning her by name, since she has always been one who eschews the limelight.)
Her love of music was contagious. When I began lessons, I had an interest in music, but music was not my passion. She changed everything. She appreciated music more deeply than most, and she spoke about music with an understanding few possess. She enjoyed French music in particular, and her performances of Ravel’s Jeux d’eau and Debussy’s Clair de lune at annual recitals are permanent fixtures in my memory. Every time she played the piano, people were mesmerized by her exquisite artistry. Making music meant more than playing the right notes and rhythms—it meant understanding and internalizing the piece until it became your own. She loved to write and arrange music, too, and she found pleasure in its performance. I always marvel when her chord voicings and favored harmonic progressions appear in my own music, and I am grateful for her influence.
Her teaching seemed effortless. Music is difficult to learn. The grammar and syntax of music is complicated; practicing is done in isolation; and, the more advanced one becomes, the more effort it takes to reach the next level. Teaching music is equally difficult. She was a naturally gifted pedagogue. In lessons, despite all my mistakes, she was always calm. She understood each one of her students and adjusted her teaching to meet their particular needs. Long before individualized instruction was in vogue among professional educators, she taught that way. Every time I thought something was impossible, she would say, “Just do.” She knew this no nonsense admonition was exactly what I needed to hear. She was always prepared, never hurried, always composed. During recitals she would sit in the front row, ready to rescue students from those inevitable memory lapses. She was always patient and kind.
She modeled grace and humility. In the five years I studied with her (1985-1990), weekly half-hour lessons cost an unbelievably low three dollars—the price never went up! She lived in a humble house, dressed practically, and taught many children who took lessons only because their parents insisted. After I finished playing in one of her annual recitals, she whispered to my mother, “The student has surpassed the teacher.” Many would find it difficult to make such a statement. When I found a new teacher, she attended my recitals. She even took piano lessons with my new teacher. She was a lifelong learner, eager to develop and grow, always striving for more. She never concertized publicly, and her beautiful pieces have never been published. No one in the music industry knows her name. But, I do. And I owe her a debt of gratitude for graciously sharing with me her profound love of music.
© 2015 Timothy Shaw. All rights reserved.
New Music week 13 (Bonus!): AR HYD Y NOS
On this week before Thanksgiving, here is another hymn setting: AR HYD Y NOS, “For the Fruit of All Creation” (other common hymn texts include “God, That Made the Earth and Heaven” and “Go, My Children, with My Blessing”). This tune is frequently found in both F and G major, so I’ve included both keys here.
2014 Florida Choristers Guild Children’s Choir Festival
My children’s anthem A Psalm of Thanksgiving is one of three pieces for Junior Choir (grades 3-6) at the upcoming 23rd annual Choristers Guild Children’s Choir Festival, Orlando, FL, March 8, 2014. The festival’s director, Suzanne Gifford has written a helpful note about how to rehearse the piece.
“A Psalm of Thanksgiving” Reviewed in CrossAccent
The November 2013 edition of the ALCM’s journal CrossAccent contains the following review of my anthem A Psalm of Thanksgiving:
Based on Psalm 100, this is an attractive, cheerful piece for one- or two-part children’s choir. It is in an ABA form, the A being “Come, all the earth, and praise the Lord, Be joyful and sing, for the Lord is good,” and the gentler B section being, “You know the Lord is God who made us, and we are his.” The A material returns with a fun Alleluia descant. Shaw gives kids a singable, solid piece for Thanksgiving or throughout the year.
TCDA 2013
The 58th Annual Convention of the Texas Choral Directors Association (July 21-24, 2013) includes my children’s choir anthem A Psalm of Thanksgiving in a reading session of unison/two-part sacred choral music. This is a huge convention, and I’m pleased to be on the program.
A Psalm of Thanksgiving published by Choristers Guild
Choristers Guild has released my setting of Psalm 100, A Psalm of Thanksgiving, for Unison/2-part voices with piano and optional treble instrument. You can view sample pages of the score online and listen to a demo mp3, featuring the Chattanooga Boys Choir (Vincent Oakes, director), here.