The JCPC music program for adults and kids is an energetic one, to say the least. The Chancel Choir for adults is directed by Music Director Bart Hewitt. Rehearsals are at 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. each Thursday, plus a mini-rehearsal and warm-up at 9:15 a.m. each Sunday morning. Kids in Junior and Senior High are also encouraged to sing in the Chancel Choir. The music is eclectic, ranging from anthems by Renaissance, Baroque and Classic period composers to the best anthems being written by today’s contemporary composers. For singers who, due to other commitments, cannot attend Thursday rehearsals, we have a special program whereby singers can attend just the Sunday morning mini-rehearsals. Music can be made available to these folks ahead of time.
Music for our youngsters is also directed by Bart Hewitt, with the support of the Sunday School teachers. Practice is done during the first period of the Sunday school time, and the kids sing regularly at worship services. In addition, a voluntary program of Orff instrument playing for kids of all ages is offered after each Sunday worship service. This excellent program is directed by Dianne Bodeen, who prepares music to be performed periodically at worship services, and in the bargain, teaches kids the elements of music reading and theory. All of our activities and efforts stem from our belief that music is an essential part of the corporate and individual worship experience, for as Aldous Huxley once wrote: “After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is Music.”
Our Chancel Choir participated recently with the choirs of several other nearby churches in the annual Thanksgiving Eve Ecumenical service. The current emphasis for all choirs is the preparation of music for the holidays. The kids’ music is carefully integrated with the Sunday School curriculum.