Current music practices of the independent Christian churches in the United States / by Dana Elizabeth Ihm.
| Author/creator | Ihm, Dana Elizabeth |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | 1994. |
| Description | xiv, 198 pages ; [28 cm] |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Introduction. Statement of the problem ; Need for the study ; Statement of purpose ; Research questions ; Definitions -- Review of the literature. Historical studies of the Christian church and its music ; Hymnody ; Training pastors and church musicians ; Studies of the church music of other denominations -- Research procedures. Data collection ; Data analysis -- Music practices in the history of the independent Christian church. Early years of the Restoration movement ; Early hymnody of the Restoration movement ; The Civil War through 1906 ; The years 1906-1968 ; The independent Christian church since 1968 -- Findings of the independent Christian church music survey. Introduction ; Results ; Music budgets ; The mature of choirs and their memberships ; Primary mixed adult choir ; Role of the choir ; Music directors ; Choir membership ; Future plans -- Summary, findings, recommendations, and discussion. Results ; Limitations of the study ; Recommendations ; Suggestions for future research ; Discussion of current independent Christian church music practices and historical Christian church practices -- Appendix. Questionnaire and cover letters ; Raw figures and percentages of returns by regions and by states ; Tables of regional data. |
| Summary | The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe current music practices of the congregations of the independent Christian churches in the United States. A secondary purpose of the study was to analyze those current music practices in light of historic Christian church music practices and make recommendations for future practices in the independent Christian churches. Data were gathered from 535 congregations of the independent Christian church through the independent Christian church music survey designed for this study. That response represented a 57% rate of return. Returned questionnaires provided information on styles of worship, styles of music used, types and sizes of choirs, rehearsal schedules, budget, musical training of the leadership and participants, role of the choir, and future trends. A brief review of historic independent Christian church music practice was constructed to help identify trends and patterns within the Christian church. Findings of the study included: (a) a majority of congregations consider themselves to be moderately traditional in worship style; the data indicate that there is a significant relationship between church size and worship style and between geographical region and worship style, with larger churches tending to be more contemporary than smaller churches, and the Pacific, Southwest, Rocky Mountain, and Upper Midwest regions tending to be more contemporary than the Lower Midwest, South, Midsouth, and Atlantic regions; (b) most congregations of 100 or more members (82%) have an adult choir, 297 congregations have children's choirs, and 150 congregations have teen choirs; (c) only one-third of music directors have degrees in music, with 43% of music directors indicating additional training in conducting, worship planning, vocal technique, and theory would be helpful; (d) leading congregational singing and providing an anthem are seen as primary functions of the choir; (e) in a majority of choirs, most members have had little private music instruction, and few congregations have music education programs; (f) a majority of congregations plan changes in the type of music used in their worship services, with these changes including learning new hymns and choruses, adding praise bands, using slide projectors rather than the hymnal, and starting a contemporary worship service. |
| Dissertation note | Ph. D. University of South Carolina 1994. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 195-198) |
| Reproduction note | Joyner- Photocopy. Ann Arbor, Mich. : UMI Dissertation Services, 1999. 21 cm. |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Item at the bindery | ML3001 .I35 1994A | Item at the bindery | Want This? |