Performing Sacred Music

To what extent is performing music of sacred intent acceptable and appropriate in American public schools? Does it have a place in schools at all? According to the National Association for Music Education (NAfME, 2018), abandoning sacred music would be detrimental to a complete experience in music education. NAfME's position that the "study and performance of religious music within an educational context is a vital and appropriate part of a comprehensive music education" is specifically applied to music accompanied with sacred text, which includes music for singing for choirs. However, Drummond (2014) states that music educators, including band directors who intend to perform music without text, are being forced to eliminate all sacred music from performances and curricula.
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The Shepherd's Voice
NAfME's position statement analyzes the First Amendment of the US Constitution and determines its association with religious discussion in schools. The First Amendment does not require that public schools delete and prohibit all conversations of religion and curricular examinations of religion. It does, however, prohibit the infringement and advancement of religious beliefs by schools and government units. Thus, the inclusion of religious topics that are essential to art, history, and music education are entirely constitutional. Music educations need to be aware, though, of the manner in which religious works are presented so as to not offend students and the school community. Drummond (2014) states that the fear of backlash from the school, community, and lawyers after programming sacred music has lead directors away from performing sacred music altogether. 



Ignoring sacred music in a band classroom denies students the opportunity to discover some of the most important concepts in music history. In fact, completing eradicating religious context from music is almost impossible. For example, music education in America began because of the need to educate singers so that church choirs would increase in quality. Furthermore, most bands warm up with a slow, tutti, and intonation-based exercise called a "chorale." Whether or not these chorales are based off of religious texts or written by the director themselves, the term and genre itself describes the transformation of simple melodies from Lutheran hymns. Jazz and blues, the only true original American genres, were developed from African slave spirituals. Sacred music is so much more than Christmas carols and sections of the Mass Ordinary. Avoiding sacred music is avoiding music from the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and most of the Classical period. Have you ever heard of J.S. Bach? More than half of the repertoire he left behind is of sacred intent. Thus, it is paramount for sacred music to be included in public school music curricula. However, both NAfME (2018) and Drummond (2014) insist that the finite decision regarding the appropriate inclusion of sacred music is in the hands of courts of law.

Based on court decisions Lemon vs. Kurtzman in 1971, NAfME (2018) poses a set of criteria music educations should consult in order to confirm the appropriate inclusion of sacred works in concert programs. Music educators should examine if the purpose for studying the music is secular (a specific point in history or a composer's style). Secondly, the effect of the music should be analyzed in order to determine if the music is either enhancing or inhibiting religion. Lastly, directors should avoid any excessive entanglements with a particular religious sect, which includes instances of financial support. These prompts can only serve as guidelines, however, to ensure the highest probability that a performance is not unlawful. Despite the difficulty in interpreting the law, NAfME continues to fight for the inclusion of sacred music due to its composition as a substantial portion of masterwork repertoire. According to Drummond (2014), there is a lack of significant Supreme Court precedent that directs music educators to effectively include sacred music into the curriculum. However, religious music is necessary for not only covering the complete range of composers, historical eras, and styles, but also for applying culturally relevant instruction.

So what must music educators do in order to successfully include this forbidden and murky repertoire into the classroom? Firstly, it is important to communicate to students, parents, the school, and the community why a specific performance is necessary for the musical growth of every individual and the ensemble. Educators should also "use caution and good judgement in selecting sacred music for study and programming for public performances" (NAfME, 2018). Pre-service music educators should be taught to be informed on the secular purpose of religious music. Even in Southern Louisiana, where public schools are still allowing programs to perform explicit Christmas concerts, directors should aim to create what NAfME considers "religiously neutral programs." Moreover, churches are often considered extremely desirable performance settings due to the unbelievable acoustic possibilities contained therein. Both NAfME (2018) and Drummond (2014) discourage the combination of devotional settings with programs of sacred music, however.

In conclusion, whether you are a choir director, percussion private lessons instructor, band director, orchestra director, or marching band drill designer, it is important to be aware of the importance of sacred music education for secular purposes. Our job is to deliver that instruction in the most appropriate and neutral way possible. It is not wrong, for example, to program pieces that appeal to the majority in your classroom. However, the material should be presented for the purpose of creating a masterful group of musicians.

Reference List

Drummond, T. (2014). Singing over the wall: Legal and ethical considerations for sacred music in the public schools. Music Educators Journal, 101(2), 27-31. 

Sacred music in schools (2018). National Association for Music Education. Retrieved from https://nafme.org/about/position-statements/sacred-music-in-schools-position-statement/sacred-music-in-schools/

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