University United Methodist Church has a wonderful tradition of music. We begin developing this ongoing tradition by offering three different Children’s Choirs to watch them grow. From there we have a Youth Choir, Adult Choir and Hand bell Choir. There is truly a choir for every age and stage of life!
Children’s Choirs – The Cherub Choir and The Asbury and Wesley Singers
Our three children’s choirs meet on Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 9:45. The children who attend the 8:30 church service leave after the Lesson for Young Christians and are escorted by their Choir Volunteers to practice.
Membership in The Cherub Choir is for children ages 3 and 4. (Children must be 3 by September 30.) The primary focus of the choir is helping these young children have fun with music, enjoy singing and get used to singing as a choir.
They meet upstairs in the Children’s Building in Room 202. ***This choir begins in January of each year.
Membership in The Asbury Singers is for children from Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Under the direction of Lylln Brinkman and assisted by Carrie Monier, this group learns songs that they share with both services on the 2nd Sunday of every month. The Asbury Singers also prepare to participate in the Christmas Program and the Spring Musical along with the Wesley Singers. They meet upstairs in the Children’s Building in Room 204.
Membership in The Wesley Singers is for children in the 3rd through 6th grades. The children are taught the fundamentals of learning to read music such as: measures, repeat signs, time signatures, rhythmic values, dynamic markings, etc. Dr. Susannah Craig leads these young people toward being able to successfully transition into our Chapel Choir program. They prepare anthems to sing on the 2nd Sunday of each month at both services in our main Sanctuary. The Wesley Singers perform in the Christmas Program and Spring Musical each year. The Wesley Singers meet on the second floor of the Children’s Building in Room 203.
We encourage each child to get involved in our two main programs by participating in singing in a small group or solo, having a reading part, or even through dance. We feel that providing children the opportunity to perform before people who love them is a wonderful way of promoting good self-esteem and self-confidence. We believe they will carry this into the future.
If you have any questions about the children’s choirs, please feel free to contact Dr. Susannah Craig by phone at 936-0768 or by email at lsucraig@cox.net.
The Chapel Choir
The Chapel Choir, grades 7 through 12, sings each Sunday at the 8:30 a.m. worship service. This choir is rich with a heritage spanning over 35 years. The choir sings a variety of music including, traditional hymn arrangements, classic choral works, and more contemporary compositions.
In addition to participating in worship, the Chapel Choir produces a full-scale musical each year and every other year goes on tour. Our past musicals include Children of Eden, Godspell, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Fiddler on the Roof, Cotton Patch, and Jesus Christ Superstar.
If you would like to join the Chapel Choir or get more information you may contact Carter Smith, the Chapel Choir director, at wsmit23@gmail.com. The Chapel Choir rehearses every Sunday at 4:00 p.m. in the church Chapel. To get more information about the Chapel Choir you can visit the website of our youth program at http://www.uumcyouth.org
The Chancel Choir
The Chancel Choir, our adult choir, provides service music for the 11:00 a.m. worship service each Sunday. In addition, the choir often prepares a major choral work, frequently presenting those works with orchestral accompaniment. Multiple solo opportunities are available for all who are interested.
The Chancel Choir also makes several scholarships available to LSU students providing a monthly stipend for participating in the Chancel Choir.
If you would like more information, please contact Melinda Dyole, the Chancel Choir Director, at mdoyle1@lsu.edu. The Chancel Choir rehearses every Wednesday evening from 7:00 to 8:30 in the sanctuary at UUMC.
The Agape Ringers
The Agape Ringers, our handbell choir, provide service music for both worship services once a month. Dates for participating in the worship services are selected once rehearsals have begun. In addition, the Agape Ringers occasionally prepare pieces to be performed along with the Chapel or Chancel choirs during worship services. The Agape Ringers rehearse every Monday evening from 7:00 to 8:15 in the sanctuary.
