CHANT SCHOLA PRACTICES

When alone or with others (your children will think it is fun), practice the following speech and singing exercises. Open wide your mouth and loosen your tongue. Breathe and speak naturally. Enunciate each word with absolute clarity. Remember to gird your loins!


I. DICTION DRILLS

• A-E-I-O-U (10 times)
• "HOW NOW BROWN COW" (10 times)

II. ELOCUTION EXERCISES

• "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers" (10 times)
• "She sells sea shells by the seashore" (10 times)

III. MUSICALITY MOVEMENTS

• "I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree." (10 times)
• "Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow, and everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go." (10 times)

IV. UP AND DOWN USAGES

• Scales - sing a vowel sound going up and then down (10 times)
• "A - B - C" (10 times)

V. SINGING SONGS

• "Doe - a - deer" (YouTube clip) (10 times)
• Kyrie Eleison (mp3) (10 times)

CHANT SCHOLA

WHEN: Saturday, January 10, 2008 - 10:30 A.M. - 11:30 A.M.

WHERE: 10 Dove Road, Hooksett, NH 03106 603-268-0804

WHAT: Attend Chant Schola (Latin for school)

WHY: The Holy Spirit, through the Second Vatican Council, tells us:

1. “All who pray the divine office... should fulfill the task entrusted to them as perfectly as possible: this refers not only to the internal devotion of their minds but also to their external manner of celebration. It is, moreover, fitting that the office, both in choir and in common, be sung when possible.” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy No. 99).
   
2. The laity is encouraged to pray “the Divine Office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually.” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy No. 100).
   
3. “Liturgical worship is given a more noble form when the Divine Offices are celebrated solemnly in song” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy No. 113).
   
4. Gregorian chant, which is specially suited to the Roman Liturgy, “should be given pride of place in liturgical services” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy No. 116).
   

HOW:
Following the call of the Holy Spirit, we will meet on a regular basis to develop a true appreciation for sacred music and to learn how to lead in solemn prayer. Each man, as head of the Domestic Church, can then teach and lead his family at home. The purpose of these sessions is to learn how to pray to our Lord in a “more noble form,” thus, any concerns about the sound of your voice are completely irrelevant.