Congregational Song Course Materials 2025

Course Materials

Summer Course in Congregational Song

June 9-20, 2025

8:45am-noon Central Daylight Time

Click here to join the class via Zoom

Click here for the course syllabus

Readings

Mann, Robert. The Church Sings its Faith. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2022. ISBN 978-1622776726
Other readings (pdf files provided) for individual class sessions, see schedule below

Required Assignments (everyone):

Abstracts of The Church Sings its Faith chapters and other readings
June 8, abstracts of chapters 1-6 due to Dr. Kroeker via email; June 15, abstracts of chapters 7-p.231 due to Dr. Kroeker via email.
Other daily, briefer readings to be abstracted throughout the course are due 5:00 p.m. the evening before the class where they will be discussed. (See calendar below)
Note: All abstracts should be sent to ckroeker@churchmusicinstitute.org. Guidelines for Writing Abstracts
All students will attend all morning and noonday prayer services and all class meetings via Zoom

Additional Requirements (Brite Seminary credit):

Assignment 1: Personal Description of Sacred Music, due Monday, 6/13
Assignment 2: Denominational Development of Hymnody and Psalmody, due 5:00 pm Friday, 6/20
Assignment 3: Presentation for Class on Friday, 6/20 with a written document due 7/11
Assignment 4: Book review of a book chosen in consultation with Dr. Kroeker, due 7/11.

Week 1

Sunday, June 8

7:00 p.m. Get-Acquainted Meeting and Course Requirements Discussion on Zoom - see link above

Abstract of Bell, "The Singing Thing" due to Dr. Kroeker via email

Monday, June 9

Reading: The Church Sings its Faith, chs. 1-2, J. L. Bell, "The Singing Thing"

8:45 Morning Prayer

9:00 Professor Zebulon Highben [PowerPoint presentation]

11:50 Noon Prayer

Tuesday, June 10

Readings: The Church Sings its Faith, ch 3

8:45 Morning Prayer

9:00 Professor Zebulon Highben [PowerPoint: Understanding Hymns; PowerPoint: Congregational Song in Scripture]

11:50 Noon Prayer

5:00 pm Abstracts of Kelly, "With One Voice," and Consiglio, "Essentially Vocal Music" due to Dr. Kroeker via email

Wednesday, June 11

Readings: The Church Sings its Faith, ch 4; Kelly, "With One Voice," and Consiglio, "Essentially Vocal Music"

8:45 Morning Prayer

9:00 Professor Lynn Trapp [Chant resources] [Historic Chants with Common Use Today]

11:50 Noon Prayer

5:00 Abstract of Highben, "Reviving Sacred Song" due to Dr. Kroeker via email.

Thursday, June 12

Readings: The Church Sings its Faith, ch 5; Highben, "Reviving Sacred Song"

8:45 Morning Prayer

9:00 Professor Zebulon Highben [PowerPoint Luther] [PowerPoint Calvin]

11:50 Noon Prayer

5:00 pm Abstracts of Abbington, "Adopted, Adapted, Integrated" and the video Joyful Noise due to Dr. Kroeker via email

Friday, June 13

Readings: The Church Sings its Faith, ch 6; Abbington, "Adopted, Adapted, Integrated"

8:45 Morning Prayer

9:00 Professor James Abbington

Materials: video - Joyful Noise, video - Psalm 98; video - Go Preach My Gospel; A Conjoining of Ancient Song; Hymn Society Festival - Isaac Watts and the Black Church

11:50 Noon Prayer

Week 2

Sunday, June 15

Abstracts of Saliers, "Hymn Interpretation;" Saliers, "With Kindled Affections," and "Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists"

Monday, June 16

Readings: The Church Sings its Faith, ch 7; Saliers, "Hymn Interpretation;" Saliers, "With Kindled Affections," and "Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists"

8:45 Morning Prayer

9:00 Professor Don Saliers

11:50 Noon Prayer

5:00 pm Assignment 1: Personal Description of Sacred Music and abstracts of Preface to Hymns Ancient and Modern and Preface to The English Hymnal due to Dr. Kroeker via email.

Tuesday, June 17

Readings: The Church Sings its Faith, ch 8; Preface to Hymns Ancient and Modern and Preface to The English Hymnal

8:45 Morning Prayer

9:00 Professor Don Horisberger [handout]

11:50 Noon Prayer

5:00 pm Abstract for Blumhofer, ch 9 of Her Heart Can See and Kimbrough, "Lyrical Theology of Charles Tindley" due to Dr. Kroeker via email.

Wednesday, June 18

Readings: The Church Sings its Faith, ch 9; Blumhofer, ch 10 of Her Heart Can See; and Kimbrough, "Lyrical Theology of Charles Tindley"

8:45 Morning Prayer

9:00 Professor James Abbington

11:50 Noon Prayer

5:00 Abstract of "Introduction to One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism" due to Dr. Kroeker via email

Thursday, June 19

Readings: The Church Sings its Faith, ch 10; "Introduction to One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism"

8:45 Morning Prayer

9:00 Professor James Abbington

[Zoom Chat Transcript]

11:50 Noon Prayer

Friday, June 20

8:45 Morning Prayer

9:00 Student project presentations of Assignment 3

11:50 Noon Prayer

5:00 Assignment 2: Denominational Development of Hymnody and Psalmody due to Dr. Kroeker via email

Students taking the course for credit from Brite Seminary should email Dr. Kroeker with the written version of Assignment 3 and assignment 4: Book Review by 5:00 pm July 11.