Session Led by Bob Morrison
Reported by Eric Benoy

"Youth choir work, like all church music work, is a sacrifice of praise.”  Bob Morrison, known for his fine youth choirs, used this statement to describe his work as he led the breakout session on youth choirs at the 2006 Baptist Church Music Conference.

Morrison explained that “A sacrifice is something costly, something precious to the one offering the praise; it is bringing the very best before God.” That is why he is strict, he says, why he “works his group hard," instilling in them discipline, commitment, team work, a sense of service and leadership. The desire of the youth choir director should be to help youth understand that when one comes before God, one must not give second best.

There are two words which every director must take to heart: love and work. One must love young people and love God. In the work environment of a rehearsal, the youth must feel that they are the top priority to you at that time. The director must communicate that the youth should be sold out to the good cause (i.e., worship, spiritual growth, growth as a musician, et al).  “If they are not challenged to a good cause, to do good, they will be sold out to some other challenge or cause,” Morrison said.

Being hard on the group or on individuals is not meant to be mean, it is a way of revealing your faith in them -- as their director, as a spiritual mentor -- to do their best. Youth want a challenge, youth want and need discipline, and youth want to achieve and be good. Rules, limits, and guidelines – enforced – are needed so that the understanding is reached that the youths’ faithfulness is rewarded. Choir is a great place for that. 

The director needs to be consistent, reliable, a person of his or her word.  The director needs to “keep things vital” - planning, setting forth times/dates for singing engagements, whether it is regularly in a worship setting, a tour, or special occasions – and go through with it with or without the full group.

When asked about the decline of the popularity of youth choirs, Morrison noted that one of the factors at play is that they are a lot of work. Many leaders go to clinics and conferences looking for a magic formula to pull off a youth choir without a lot of effort, but he states that "there is no such thing: just love and work, the two basic concepts one must embrace." 

Another factor noted was the current emphasis of praise and worship genre of music in churches. Morrison said that it is not that the music is bad, but that there are kids growing up today who have never been in children’s choirs, have never heard a choir in church, let alone a youth choir. Churches using multiple services meet many worship style needs, he said, but the drawback is that they can keep young people from being exposed to a variety of worship styles and music. Further, the use of praise teams and bands, with a limited number of people participating, yields some good music, but it can also inhibit the desire of others to participate and churches must look closely at why they do what they do in their worship offerings.

Before the end of the session, Morrison noted that one of the greatest assets to a youth choir program is a supportive pastor who supports not only the many facets of music ministry, but also the music minister. He reminded the group that that kind of support is crucial in those times of conflict, such as when there is an unhappy parent. A supportive pastor can turn conflict into a ministry opportunity and reaffirm the music minister, which is crucial in day to day work and ministry as well -- being affirmed as minister and expert in the field of music and worship.

Youth choirs are a “sacrifice of praise” – a sacrifice of many things, but well worth it.

Bob Morrison is the Minister of Music for First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Florida. His youth choir sang a concert for the 2006 Baptist Church Music Conference.

Eric Benoy is the Reference and Collection Development Librarian for the John T. Christian Library of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.