Music

Choirs - Instrumental Music - St. John's Music Series

  Welcome to the Music Ministry of St. John’s Episcopal Church

Located in historic Ocean Springs, St. John’s Episcopal Church has been serving the community since 1856. The historic structure we worship in today was built in 1892.  Our music ministry is inspired and sustained by the beauty and acoustics of our historic church built of heart pine. We are blessed to serve and worship here.

The Episcopal Church is fortunate that our worship, found in the Book of Common Prayer and amplified in The Hymnal 1982, derives from profound ancient and contemporary liturgy.  The Episcopal Church has long nurtured a strong tradition of worship led by choir. In our tradition, the choir leads worship through the singing of service music, canticles, hymns, psalms, and anthems. This leadership requires a sincere commitment from the choir. As such, the choir performs a sacramental role in worship, offering their gifts from God to the people of God through sung prayer.

We aspire to be a singing congregation where Anglican traditions are honored and parish customs are brought forward into a contemporary offering to serve both the parish and the Ocean Springs community. The purpose of our Music Ministry is to enrich the worship life of our parish, to deepen the spiritual experience for the congregation, and to contribute to the cultural life of the parish and greater community. 

Our choirs represent a tradition of music-making that has been at the center of the Anglican Church since the 16th century.  We honor the role of boys and girls in leading worship by singing with intelligence and love. To that end, we maintain an affiliation with The Royal School of Church Music in America (RSCM). Through RSCM Voice for Life curriculum, choristers gain a high standard of musical education along with skills that last a lifetime, such as self-discipline and teamwork. 

The choirs at St. John’s have a strong sense of belonging; we love working together as we develop strong friendships.  Persons interested in singing with a choir are invited to contact the organist & choirmaster.

 We are an affiliate of the Royal School of Church Music in America 

I will sing with the Spirit and with the understanding also.  1 Corinthians 14:15

Opportunities for service and learning 2023-2024

Cherub Choir: rehearses Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 p.m.  Preschool (5 years thru 2nd Grade).  Cherubs sing a few times during the year at worship services or special events.  This group is all about learning to love singing without the pressures of performance and formality.

RSCM Youth Choir: rehearses Tuesdays, 5:00 p.m.  Grade 3 through High School.  Voice for Life is a graded RSCM curriculum for all choristers; colored ribbons are given when choristers achieve understanding of each Voice for Life level. Younger choristers learn from older choristers.  We encourage choristers to grow musically and vocally at their own rate.  Testing for each level is available to choristers, but not required.  

Parish Ensemble:  serves the Sunday, 11:15 a.m., Holy Eucharist service of worship.  This ensemble's primary purpose is to lead the Songs of the People.  On occasion we may sing an anthem with the RSCM Choir.  The Parish Ensemble rehearses weekly at 10:30 a.m. each Sunday morning.

Chancel Choir:  serves the Sunday, 9:00 a.m., Holy Eucharist service of worship. This choir is for adults who love to sing.  The Chancel Choir rehearses on Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m.  This choir leads congregational singing and presents a weekly anthem.  The Chancel Choir also leads worship for special services including the 11:00 p.m. Christmas Eve service and the Great Vigil of Easter.

OUR CHORISTER TRAINING PROGRAM FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

Our chorister training program for boys and girls exemplifies the core philosophy and methodology of the Voice for Life, which is the curriculum of RSCM, and fosters

• Teamwork and communication skills

• Self-discipline, focus and concentration;

• Self-esteem and spiritual growth

Weekly rehearsals concentrate on building important skills for singing in choir and leading congregational singing 

• Vocal technique:  breathing, posture, tone, range, and diction

• Music skills:  reading rhythms and notes, as well as appreciating music theory

• Understanding the music we sing:  composers, history, liturgy

• Choir context:  what it means to sing in a choir and be part of a team and community 

BEYOND WORDS

Music has a significant role to play in our spiritual lives. It has the power to uplift, to teach, and to unite.   In contemporary worship, the primary responsibility of the choir is to lead the Songs of the People.  According to The Reverend Marion Hatchett, “Music highlights the basic structure of the rites.  It expresses feelings and communicates meanings which cannot be put into words.  As Messiaen expressed it, ‘the joy of music is that it can go beyond words – which are too precise.  Music can express what there is in the soul.’ … Music should serve to set a tone, to convey texts, to highlight basic structures, to unify the congregation, to express the highest possible excellence.”    The Rev. Marion Hatchett, A Guide to the Practice of Church Music 

CHRISTIAN FORMATION

The RSCM Music Ministry at St. John’s provides an opportunity for Christian formation by developing discipline, church attendance, spiritual habits, and stewardship of time and talents. Regular participation in liturgical worship is an experience of ritual, tradition and spirituality.  

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

St. John's Handbell Choir

The Handbell Choir meets as scheduled for rehearsals. Persons interested in ringing should contact Martha Thompson or Nita Owen. St. John’s Handbell Choir plays for Sunday worship as scheduled throughout the church year.  

St. John's Pipers

Bagpipers led by Bill Muzzy meet Wednesday afternoons. With a cross-section of experience and backgrounds, pipers rehearse regularly to learn new music and tell a few yarns.  St. John’s Pipers often play for weddings, memorials, and funeral services of local veterans, and on occasion for worship services. If you are interested in playing bagpipes or learning more about them, contact Bill Muzzy. 

Solo Instrumentalists

If you play an instrument and would like to participate in music-making at St. John’s, there is a place for you!  Piano – Woodwinds – Brass – Guitar - Percussion.  Whatever your instrument, the organist/choirmaster will gladly assess your readiness to play for worship, assist you in selecting music appropriate to the liturgy and your level of expertise.  You may be scheduled to present special music at the prelude or an accompaniment to anthems and hymns.  Whether you are a student or an adult, if you are interested in playing for worship at St. John’s Church, please contact the organist/choirmaster.   

 THE CHORISTER’S PRAYER

Bless, O Lord, us thy servants who minister in thy temple; Grant that what we sing with our lips, we may believe in our hearts, and what we believe in our hearts we may show forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.