Resolutions…

Years ago, a close friend, the godmother of my youngest daughter, presented me with the Inventory of Charisms by the Catherine of Siena Institute. It was a great opportunity to reflect and think about what God wanted of me based on the Charisms the Holy Spirit had manifested through me in my life. But, in reflecting on where the Lord has led me now, as a wife, mother, and co-founder of Making Music Praying Twice, I find that the inventory brings me to my knees. I need God to fill me with His power with charisms that make up for my failings so I can serve Him better.

So, here are my very personal prayer resolutions:

That will be for all the people…

Christmas is a time for worship, family, and giving. It is also an excellent time for evangelization. The angel told the shepherds at that first Christmas, “I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.” (NAB Luke 2: 4-5) For all the people. The shepherds were not chosen only as the first witnesses and worshipers but as early evangelists. They were called to spread the Good News! They returned from the Manger, not in silence, but “glorifying and praising God”.

Here we come a caroling…

Perhaps things are different in your neck of the woods, but around here, Christmas caroling has become a lost art. We haven’t had a caroling troop come to our home in over 20 years. Two years ago, my sisters and I threw on our coats and grabbed the kids on Christmas evening and made it to a few houses. The people were overwhelmed. Parents woke sleeping children so they could experience good old-fashioned Christmas caroling.

It is time to resurrect this community-oriented tradition. Chosen carefully, these songs help remind us all of the true meaning of Christmas. Here are three ways you can make this happen this year:

Caroling, Caroling

Growing up attending Catholic Schools and participating in choirs and choruses, a good part of my repertoire from September to December each year centered around Christmas Carols. My friends who attended public schools may not have learned as many songs and verses as I did, but they had a healthy knowledge of the classics.

Unfortunately, our new obsession with political correctness means that most of us cannot rely on the schools to pass on our Christmas traditions, beyond Rudolph and Jingle Bells. Passing on both our faith and our culture is now entirely our responsibility, unless you are fortunate to be part of a quality Catholic school in which case you'll have some help.

Here are some techniques you can use for a carol-rich home:

The Lure of the Drum

There is something amazingly attractive about a drum. I have yet to meet a man, woman or child who can walk by an unattended drum without having a go. In my classes I have learned that free instrument play must include several drums or what should be a fun time will turn into a fight and may end in tears.

This takes on a new meaning in our house, because Dad is a drummer. So my children grew up with drumsticks in hand trying to imitate Daddy while he practiced. Through the practice session Daddy has to frequently trade drumsticks with his protege, because he mysteriously always seems to have the pair that work better. Over the last 10 years, Dad has exchanged the sticks for blisters as he moved his focus to international hand drums. Even with the continued model of hand drums, my children usually search for sticks when the drum bug bites.

It is important that we encourage children to explore

Music First

You may already know that we homeschool our children. This has changed in the last several years from Mom doing all the schooling with Dad's support, to a true collaborative family effort. At this point, both Mom and Dad are working, so the structure of "school" has changed. Mom manages our middleschooler, who now does most of her work independently on her no-internet laptop (Thanks Aunt Jen). Our preschooler enjoys a day of preK at our homeschool coop and SEVERAL music classes each week. Our boys are working on first grade and require the most teaching time right now. To help balance this with work, Mom teaches Reading and Religion; Cousin Katlyn teaches Phonics and Handwriting and provides storytime and gametime; and Dad teaches Math and Music. This division of labor ensures that if one adult is too busy with work, the boys will at least cover 2/3 of their subjects for the day and ultimately, it all balances out.

Yesterday we were faced with an interesting dilemma.

Chant.

This past weekend, I had an intensive day of Chant Camp with Susan Hellauer of Anonymous 4. This was a real treat as Anonymous 4 is one of our favorite sources for Chant, with artistic interpretations, sensitive to the lyrics and history of each piece and exceptionally high-quality in vocal tone and diction. While I asked several beginner questions, Susan patiently answered and shared some amazing Medieval Sequences with us that she has dug up in her research. The time, effort, and great faith of "Anonymous" who wrote these chants a thousand years ago, only for the Glory of God, is amply evident in the beauty of the work.

In addition to giving my vocal chords a good workout as I tried to keep up with some incredibly talented comrades, Susan shared how

Back in the Saddle

After a 3 month hiatus from our eBlog, we are happy to be back in the saddle and blogging again. October is coming to a close and it is a good time to reassess how we are doing on maintaining schedules and reaching goals. For me, that means keeping up with the blogs, getting to bed earlier, and recommitting to daily prayer. For our teachers, it may mean taking stock of teaching strengths and weaknesses, reviewing the Teacher Training Manual and making a point to improve and grow. For those using the Family and Homeschool Editions, it may be time to check in with the plans made earlier in the year and reorganize.

The cycles of our life may include falling off the wagon of our commitments and climbing back on, but this mirrors the cycles of learning our children are experiencing. As children learn, their brains are constantly

Music in the Womb

It was Christo’s first time in class. At eight weeks old, his mother decided it was time to get back to life as usual, which included Making Music Praying Twice class that his older brother had been attending for over a year. His mom was amazed that every time I started to sing, Christo turned to me with purposeful attention. After weeks of this, we discussed it after class and his mom shared that this was a unique response. “He must know your voice from the womb!”

Continually, I find that younger siblings who started “attending” classes before birth, show amazing sensitivity to class and maintain extremely high music aptitudes. This is true of my youngest child. I taught several classes a week through my pregnancy until about 2 weeks before she was born. None of the other children had this advantage. The powerful depth of her tonal development is not a coincidence.

The Power of Music

I’ve seen the power of music to inspire faith and help children to grow. But God gave us this gift for more than this. When we explore the widespread use of music to help people heal, grow, and overcome, it is clear that the Holy Spirit works through music and that music is meant to be an integral part of our human experience.

The American Music Therapy Association can attest to the thousands of professionals who regularly use music to support the development of the disabled and delayed, treat those suffering from mental illness, and promote healing and pain management for those battling disease. Clinical studies show increased melatonin levels in Alzheimer’s patients who partake in