Miriam And The Dance

Whenever I read Bible stories about Miriam I'm reflective about who she was and who I am in comparison to her.  When I hear these stories publicly, I wonder if others are doing the comparing as well, and I sometimes feel a little squirmy and uncomfortable.*  Here is a link to a site that summarizes the story of Miriam in the Old Testament.  The Bible passages that mention Miriam are found in Exodus 2:1-10 (her name is not actually given here, but scholars agree that the sister mentioned was Miriam), Exodus 15:19-21,  Numbers 12, and Numbers 20:1.

My reason for thinking about Miriam just now is that in the past few days I have been toying with the imagery of singing congregants in church being engaged in a dance led by the song leader.  Miriam in the Bible led other Hebrew women in singing and dancing in praise to God for his deliverance from the murderous Egyptian army pursuing the Hebrews as they crossed the Red Sea.  She was, in effect, a song leader who also led others in dancing.  "Then Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and dancing.  And Miriam sang to them: 'Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.'"  Exodus 15:20 and 21.

This Exodus account appears to me to have many parallels to what I witness whenever an effective song leader (conductor) leads a responsive audience in worship through song.  I've witnessed this again the past weekend during the Kansas Mobile Music Camp*.  In a similar way, I experience it frequently during regular church services.

I often hear from others that our son Shane is an excellent song leader.  I agree (and by saying so I probably shock many of my readers with my lack of humility).  I'm pleased, of course, at his success, but I'm even more happy that under his leadership, many ordinary people are repeatedly able to participate in creating something that is truly beautiful and deeply satisfying spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally.

Shane has a big voice, and when he increases his own volume and enlarges the sweep of his arm, the audience sings louder. In this mode, praise, resolve, and certainty of truth are accentuated and magnified. When his gestures diminish in scope, his voice drops, and his hand moves into a hushing gesture, the singing softens.   This effects sober reflection and, at times, lament. All these results are components of true worship of a holy God.   The tempo can be varied as well to match the message in the words of songs, faster in the former case and slower in the latter.

Singing in four-part harmony is the default singing pattern in our church.  Mennonites are quite in love with this way of singing, and most people find their place in this all-church "choir" fairly effortlessly as they grow up by simply participating regularly, usually within listening range of someone who sings one of those parts very well.  Having segregated seating (men on one side and women on the other) probably helps with this skill transmission process.

Interrupting this four-part harmony routine with an alternative is another effective way of accentuating the words sung during congregational singing.  That alternative is singing in unison.  Unison singing can sound like a plaintive crescendo or a long intense petition.  Sometimes it sounds like a shout of triumph.  Transitioning  back to four-part harmony after singing in unison feels like relief, resolution, and rest.  Shane uses these variations to good effect in leading congregational singing.  In this case, he gives brief instructions before the song begins, and people usually remember and follow the instructions.

Recently I've noticed something curious.  Even when Shane is not leading the singing and the leader gives few signals beyond keeping a steady rhythm, sometimes the audience sings exactly as Shane has led them in singing that song in the past, with volume variations. This suggests both a good thing and a bad thing.  On the positive side, people have apparently internalized the message of the words deeply enough to remember how to express the message in their singing, even in the absence of prompting from the leader.  On the negative side, they are probably not paying a great deal of attention to the leader in front of them at the moment.  Also on the positive side, when the less experienced leader hears the effect coming through despite his lack of ability to convey it in his song leading, he no doubt feels energized and motivated to keep on developing his skills.

A light came on for me when I noticed this curious phenomenon.  Good congregational singing depends heavily on the singers' willingness to sing mindfully, thereby searing the meaning of the words deeply into collective experience and memory.  When this happens, the quality of the singing can be maintained even in the absence of a skilled and familiar leader.

The dance, though, when it happens, is magical, or in more spiritual language, transcendent.  In this partners dance, leader and singers move in passionate responsive synchrony.  The effect is the same as when the ancient Hebrew women's choir led by Miriam worshiped in singing and dancing.  God is glorified.

*Below I have inserted separately many of the intrusive thoughts that assailed me in the attempt above to create a cohesive post.  I gave up on linking them decisively to the exact text in the main post to which they correspond, and simply listed them roughly in the order they occurred to me as I was writing.  I hope their randomness is not too distracting.

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I may explore in a later post what I make of having the same name as the ancient Hebrew Miriam.

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KMMC is a satellite event for what has happened since 2007 in Harrisonburg, VA.  That event, Shenandoah Music Camp, was organized with the heavy involvement of two former Kansans, Lyle Stutzman and Wendell Nisly.  Both of them were on staff at Pilgrim during my years of teaching there.  In a sense the KMMC event felt like the SMC event was coming home.

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Singing in Amish church services is always in unison.  With roots in Gregorian chants, this singing has become symbolic of the highly esteemed ethic of group consciousness and unity which are expressed also in many other facets of Amish life.

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Shane also sometimes varies his upper body position while conducting.  He tilts his head, or bows slightly, or even sways a bit from side to side.  This tendency was on display briefly during the KMMC weekend when Franklin Miller kindly critiqued publicly six different conductors after they led parts of songs in front of a gathered audience.  When it was Shane's turn, Franklin suggested that he limit his movement to his arm, which for a conductor is the main instrument of communication with the singers in front of him.  Upon that suggestion, Shane did a second "run-through" after which Franklin added a slightly rueful comment like "but we still want Shane back."  I believe he was validating a leader's unique personality and style by this comment.

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I heard that Leroy H. labeled Franklin as a world-class conductor, based on what he saw in his ability to bring together a mass choir to produce a stunning performance after only a few practices.  The choir included some who have no outstanding singing ability, and who have only minimal training and experience.

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The "dance" happens in our church most reliably now when Shane leads the singing.  This has not always been the case.  In the past, it happened also when Lyle S. led the singing.  In the future, I believe it will happen when some of the conductors-in-training assume leadership roles.  During KMMC, it obviously happened when Franklin led the mass choir.  I also believe it could happen now for other song leaders in our church if the audience paid more careful attention to the person who leads the singing.

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Some of these next observations are offered a bit tentatively (note the abundant disclaimers and over-explanation), since I know they are very subjective.  Furthermore, they may seem to make too much of God-given gifts and natural abilities and personality, none of which are present by a person's own effort.  Am I the only Amish Mennonite who reflexively resists highlighting such things because of the potential for pride in the possessor of them and discouragement in the person who lacks them?  Also, am I the only one who is beginning to understand that when we resist this we may be robbing God of glory that He deserves?  We may be missing an opportunity for celebration and cultivation of  a spirit of gratitude as well.

Shane has a deep resonant voice, dark hair and eyes, a smooth but decisive manner, and is people-smart (a term borrowed from the Multiple Intelligences framework for categorizing individual differences between people).

As applied to song leading, this means that people can hear what he wants because his voice carries phenomenally, even if they aren't watching him for visual cues.  That's a plus in a group that has within my memory transitioned from singing without a song leader at the front in church.  His distinctive facial coloring makes his expression easy to read, so  if people are watching him, they catch on quickly what he's asking for.  People whose eyesight is diminishing benefit from this, even if their eyesight is no worse than mine.  Smooth manner?  I don't know how to describe this further, but I believe it comes naturally to him and it makes people feel comfortable.  People smart?  Ditto.  He just knows how to get people to happily follow him.  I'm not sure how or why, but the word charisma comes to mind.

Shane also cries more readily than some men do.  He cried more at his own wedding than I did, for example, so he clearly sheds tears while experiencing a variety of emotions.  This ability to feel deep emotion no doubt affects his ability to perceive how songs can be interpreted expressively.  While I doubt that Shane is proud of this, those who follow his lead in singing no doubt reap the benefits of this capacity for feeling deep emotion.

Some of what makes Shane effective as a song leader is due to positive character traits.  His open, friendly expression reveals personal integrity.  I believe this comes from appropriate humility and a heart at peace with his Creator and Lord.  Clear-eyed self-acceptance is part of the package.  Personal integrity is important in order to be an effective leader.

Perfection still eludes Shane, as it does all of us.  Witness the need for improvement that Franklin pointed out.  I'm sure he would wish to be rid of the facial tic (one raised eyebrow) that sometimes intrudes without warning.  It first appeared when he was an adolescent.  No doubt Shane could list many more imperfections and struggles with song leading than most of us know about.  This did not happen recently, but on one occasion, his young son refused to stay seated at his place in the audience when it was time for Shane to lead the singing. So he trotted to the front alongside his daddy and then wrapped his arms tightly around one leg when Shane had to let go of his hand in order to hold the song book and direct the singing.  The child must have found it overwhelming enough not to do a repeat.  After that, he stayed sitting.

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Finally, what works so very well for Shane in leading congregational singing at Center might suffer in translation to other settings.  At Center, the congregation is very responsive to Shane, and the people are attuned to following his signals.  Other audiences would be less so.  The acoustics of the sanctuary at Center are great, although I doubt that all of those who helped in its construction even knew the term acoustics.  In acoustically dead sanctuaries or much bigger spaces, the effect would be less affirming.

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What I've written here is not meant to minimize the considerable contributions made by other song leaders, the contributions and skills of our other sons, or the contributions of all who offer their gifts in different ways to the body of Christ, and who serve other people well in other capacities. 

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For both song leaders in church and for those in the gathered group, I hope congregational singing can be an enjoyable and worshipful experience.  For all ordinary people who live for the Lord, I desire times of worship in the company of others, whether or not it involves enjoyable congregational singing.  If you've never experienced the worshipful dance though, between song leader and congregation, I hope you participate expectantly in whatever role is open to you.  In this way, you'll be ready when transcendence manifests itself in your presence.