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| Verse 1 of Ave Maris Stella |
As I wrote about several months ago, it’s clear that children are often more receptive to our heritage of sacred music than adults can be. CMAA member, Mary Ann Carr-Wilson, the parish’s director of music, has been capitalizing on children’s willingness and openness to sacred music by leading an annual “Chant Camp” for children in her parish, St. Anne’s. Yes, I know, Kathy posted it earlier again, but this sort of thing is so exciting it’s worth posting again!
I know first hand that young children are not only much more receptive to chant, but also they can learn it much quicker! As I was subbing for a class of several young children (probably around 10 years old), one of the things I was assigned to do was teach them the Marian hymn Ave Maris Stella. I wasn’t as advanced as I am now, so it took me a solid half an hour to internalize the melody and be ready to teach it. When I got to class, the kids floored me by learning it in 10-15 minutes without much trouble (and had I known this, I probably would have even moved through it even more quickly!). As Mary Ann said in the video, it really isn’t that difficult, particularly for young minds who are not yet turned away from it.
Thanks to Fr. Z for this!