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TRANSCRIPT
Faculty Profile—
Tom T. Shelton, Jr.
2
Church Music Exchange
Welcomes Alumni &
Community Members
3
Where Are You Now?
Alumni Updates
4-5
Festivals, Services, and a
Symposium! Extraordinary
Sacred Music Events in 2013
5
Sacred Music Department
Welcomes Noteworthy Guests
6-7
In Christ There Is No
East Or West
7
Westminster Choral Ensemble
Events in 2013
8
Dear Friends, Colleagues, and Alumni:
As always, autumn at Westminster is a
time of high energy, high hopes, and big
dreams. It is my pleasure to send you
greetings and news from the sacred mu-
sic department. As church music contin-
ues to inspire the worship of millions of
believers around our ever-changing
planet, our work here at the college con-
tinues to be a project of great import as
we seek to train leaders for a future that Check in with her and host them if you
ever have the opportunity! We are very
excited about our new conductor of Jubi-
lee. A recent graduate of Westminster,
Brandon Waddles is an extremely gifted
pianist and arranger. You may check out
some of his inspiring spiritual arrange-
ments in the Westminster Choral Series
published by GIA.
We have entered a wonderful era at
Westminster: the choirs sound terrific, a
brand new building is in the making right
before our eyes, and our student body is
filled with bright and talented musicians
hungry to serve the world through music.
Blessings on each of you as you contin-
ue your own good work, and be in touch
if you’d like to know more, reconnect
after a period of years, or to just say
“Hi!” As always, it’s a great privilege and
joy to be a part of the grand design
known as Westminster.
Steve Pilkington,
Associate Professor of Sacred Music
GREETINGS FROM WESTMINSTER!
is radically different from the one we
may have imagined several decades or
even a few years ago. While a plethora
of music styles bathe the ears of Ameri-
ca’s worshippers, the essential truth
that God works mysteriously through the
power of sacred sound remains un-
changed. It is our daily privilege to chal-
lenge, train, encourage, and motivate
the hearts and minds of our students as
we seek to engage believers and seek-
ers alike with thrilling, moving, and ex-
cellent sacred song.
To provide a solid foundation and more
comprehensive instruction for all sacred
music majors, the department wel-
comed Tom Shelton to our faculty last
year. Tom brings decades of experience
in both church and school settings; he is
superior in the choral training of children
and youth. Already he’s established a
midwinter children’s choir festival on
campus and has brought a wealth of
skill to the various practical courses we
offer in our fine curriculum. A published
composer of sacred music, he also con-
tinues to present workshops and con-
duct festivals especially in the southern
states from whence he hails.
Our two sacred music ensembles on
campus, Jubilee Singers and Westmin-
ster Concert Bell Choir, continue to
thrive. Kathy Shaw provides exceptional
training for our ringers and produces
excellent concerts as evidenced in the
annual tour she undertakes each spring.
IN THIS ISSUE:
SACRED MUSIC
Sacred Music Newsletter
Fall 2013
Tom T. Shelton, Jr. is a native of Greens-
boro, N.C. and a graduate of the Universi-
ty of North Carolina at Greensboro, where
he earned both a Bachelor of Music Edu-
cation and Master of Music in Choral Con-
ducting. He is Assistant Professor of Sa-
cred Music at Westminster Choir College.
Focusing on children’s and youth music at
Westminster, he teaches classes in con-
ducting, sacred music, and music educa-
tion. In addition, he is conductor of the
Princeton Girlchoir’s Cantores (high
school) ensemble and the Children’s
Choir (grades 4-6) at Doylestown Presby-
terian Church in Doylestown, Pa.
Mr. Shelton has a passion for music edu-
cation in all areas: church, school, and
community. He taught middle school cho-
ral music in Winston-Salem/Forsyth Coun-
ty for 18 years. During that time he was
selected Teacher of the Year for both At-
kins Middle School and Kernersville Mid-
dle School. In 1999 the North Carolina
Music Educators Association presented
him with the North Carolina Middle
School Music Teacher of the Year award.
Before joining the faculty of Westminster
Sacred Music Newsletter Page 2
Choir College, Mr. Shelton served as As-
sociate Director of Music for Children and
Youth at First Presbyterian Church in
Greensboro, N.C., and as conductor of
the Chorale for the Greensboro Youth
Chorus.
Mr. Shelton has been active with the
American Choral Directors Association,
serving as a clinician for ACDA and
NAfME Conferences in Alabama, Kansas,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
and South Carolina. His ACDA leadership
positions have included Southern Division
President (2011-2012), National R&S
Chair for Middle School/Junior High
Choirs (2007-2009), and North Carolina
President (2005-2007). He currently
serves as the New Jersey ACDA R&S
Chair for Youth and Student Activities.
Choral groups under his direction were
invited to perform for the North Carolina
Music Educators Conference and the
North Carolina ACDA Conference. Mr.
Shelton was invited to present the inter-
est session “Working with Boys in the
Middle School Choral Setting” for the
2006 Southern Division ACDA Confer-
ence in Charleston, W.V., using his 8th
Grade Young Men’s Ensemble as the
demonstration choir. In February, he will
present a session for the 2014 Eastern
Division ACDA Conference in Baltimore.
Mr. Shelton has conducted festivals and
honor choirs for elementary, middle
school, and high school students in 14
states and abroad, including the ACDA
Central Division Junior High Honor Choir
as well as all-state choirs in Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mis-
sissippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, and
South Carolina. His compositions have
been published by Choristers Guild, Colla
Voce Music, Heritage Music Press, Hin-
shaw Music Company, Santa Barbara Mu-
sic Press, and Walton Music.
FACULTY PROFILE—TOM T. SHELTON, JR.
This group of graduate students conspired to dress up as Dr. Pilkington for Halloween. Note the ties, jackets, glasses, and skinny jeans.
CHURCH MUSIC EXCHANGE
WELCOMES ALUMNI & COMMUNITY MEMBERS
Westminster’s sacred music department
hosted a Church Music Exchange for
alumni, current students, and church mu-
sicians in the tri-state area on January 11,
2013. Just as the Magi presented their
gifts in the season of Epiphany, these mu-
sicians brought their own gifts of experi-
ence, conversation, and creativity to an
informal time devoted to fellowship and
the exchanging of ideas.
The morning-long event began with re-
freshments and the singing of “We All Are
One In Mission,” and, after introductions
and a getting-to-know-you activity, pro-
gressed to a guided group discussion led
by Professor Tom Shelton. Small groups
shared their perspectives on pressing is-
sues in their church settings, the role of
church musicians in local leadership, and
the evolution of church music over the
past 20 years. The morning concluded
with updates from representatives of vari-
ous professional and working organiza-
tions (such as ACDA, Choristers Guild, and
RSCM America) and finally the hymn
“Canticle of the Turning.”
The sacred music department has tenta-
tively scheduled its next Church Music Ex-
change for Friday, January 24, 2014.
Watch for an invitation to arrive via e-mail
in December 2013, and please consider
joining us! We would love to meet you and
share tales from traveling the road of
church music ministry in the 21st century.
Sacred Music Newsletter Page 3
CHURCH MUSIC EXCHANGE
GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES
What are the most pressing issues you encounter in your church setting?
Commitment issues
Communication
Hesitation to change
Integration of traditional and contemporary music
Conflicts and overscheduling
Parishes in transition
Priests not musically educated
Church unity
Changing priorities from worship to service
In these changing times, how should we as church musicians lead on the local
level?
Spend more time in discussion with other musicians
Be flexible with expectations/be understanding
Include an outreach component in our programs
Host/attend events like the Church Music Exchange, providing an opportunity
for fellowship and discussion
Choose music that’s appropriate and of a high quality; elevate the level of
music in church
Pay close attention to protect unity in church and not divide the mission of
the church
Focus on common ground, which may enable more participation
Connect with members and musicians
Keep a sense of direction
Block own ego in service planning
Include solid music education in your program
How has church music evolved in the past 20 years in your particular setting?
World music has been included in the church
There is a greater emphasis on congregational singing
Music publishing has focused more over the years on children’s church choir
music, rather than just SATB church or treble school music
Greater availability of higher-level children
There has been a push for contemporary music in many denominations
Jack Cleghorn
M.M. Sacred Music, 2011
Where are you now? I’m the Director of
Liturgical Music at Stella Maris Catholic
Church in Sullivan’s Island, S.C. In that
role I conduct a We Sing program (ages 5-
8), youth choirs (ages 8-18), an adult
choir for an English mass, and a Latin
choir for our Latin rite. I’m also the con-
ductor of the Youth Orchestra of the Low
Country, which has existed for over 40
years with the purpose of performing
quality repertoire with kids that don’t get
to do that in high school.
What initially attracted you to Westmin-
ster’s sacred music program? I didn’t
have to choose to do either organ or sa-
cred music; I am an organist and a con-
ductor, and I could fuse the two.
How did Westminster’s Sacred Music De-
partment prepare you for your current
roles? Westminster taught me a stand-
ard of excellence and the way everything
needs to be approached to do a job well
done. It set the bar to show me what mu-
sic can be, what it is, and how to connect
to your developing players and singers.
What is your favorite memory associated
with Westminster sacred music? My con-
ducting recital with Sarah Moerman
(M.M. 2011), where we got to perform
Bach’s cantata Wir danken dir (BWV 29).
It allowed me to both play for and con-
duct a performance of a major Bach work
with my friends, colleagues, peers, and
the support of everyone.
Kristian Kohler
B.M. Sacred Music & Music Education, 2013
Where are you now? Yale Divinity School.
I’m pursuing a Master of Arts in Religion,
a two-year degree, in contrast to an
M.Div., which is more of a ministry track.
But I’m switching to an M.Div.!
What initially attracted you to Westmin-
ster’s sacred music program? I really
liked the small community at Westmin-
ster and particularly in the Sacred Music
Department. It felt like a very personal
place, and I also liked that it was not affil-
iated with a specific church—that it was
ecumenical and that there were a lot of
things there to enrich sacred music study.
So I was attracted to the community and
diversity. And also to all of the amazing
performance opportunities. It’s one thing
to study Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, and
another thing to perform it the next se-
mester. It allows you to live out the things
you study in a unique way.
How did Westminster’s Sacred Music De-
partment prepare you for your current
roles? Through the incorporation of prac-
tical experiences (including classes like
Conducting Church Choirs and Field Edu-
cation) and their focus on doing worship
well. And also through Sacred Music Col-
loquium and different events like that
with guest speakers and Dr. Pilkington’s
series on Italian Renaissance art. It
sparked my passions and interests.
What is your favorite memory associated
with Westminster sacred music? The
WHERE ARE YOU NOW? Updates From Three Recent Sacred Music Alumni
Commissioning/Sending Service that we
did every year. Every year you’re taking
part in it, and doing that service for oth-
ers, until senior year it’s done for you.
It’s not a one-time thing; you’ve seen it
happen, and you’ve been a part of it. It
embodied our community spirit every
year.
Maria Seuffert
B.M. Sacred Music & Voice, 2009
Where are you now? I just started a doc-
torate in choral conducting at Indiana
University, and I’m a full-time director of
music at St. Paul Catholic Center in
Bloomington, Ind., the Catholic center on
campus and a fully operational church
for the community.
What initially attracted you to Westmin-
ster’s sacred music program? My church
choir director from home in Rhode Is-
land was familiar with the program, and
she encouraged me to apply. I visited
the campus and liked the small environ-
ment.
How did Westminster’s Sacred Music
Department prepare you for your current
roles? It prepared me significantly, in
that I felt prepared to enter a master’s
degree at Emory University. This is also
the first time I’ve been a music director,
and I feel the practical knowledge about
how to work with a choir and church
staff and administrators came from
Westminster. We had a lot of hands-on
experience, which came from our clas-
Sacred Music Newsletter Page 4
continued on page 5
FESTIVALS, SERVICES, AND A SYMPOSIUM!
EXTRAORDINARY SACRED MUSIC EVENTS IN 2013
Westminster Choir College Children’s
Choir Festival
On Saturday, March 9, 2013, the Sacred
Music Department sponsored a Children’s
Choir Festival conducted by visiting guest
artist Janeal Krehbiel and Professor Tom
Shelton. Participating choirs included: The
American Boychoir Training Choir, Fred
Meads, conductor; Princeton Girlchoir–
Grace Notes, Melissa Malvar, conductor;
Princeton Girlchoir–Quarter Notes, Fred
Meads, conductor; Princeton United Meth-
odist Church Children’s Choir, Yvonne
Macdonald, conductor; and the Trenton
Children’s Choir, Constance Hurtt, con-
ductor. Sacred Music students served as
section leaders and hosts for this event
that culminated with a sharing session for
parents and the community at 2:30 p.m.
in Bristol Chapel.
Alumni Week Hymn Festival
“Body, Mind, Spirit, Voice: A Hymn Festi-
val of Celebration” was held Thursday,
May 16, 2013, as part of the Alumni
Week activities. A reception was held af-
ter the hymn festival honoring Professor
Emerita Helen Kemp, who celebrated her
95th Birthday on Easter Sunday. The
hymn festival was planned by Sacred Mu-
sic graduate students Elizabeth Nowik,
Ruth-Noemi Belonni Rosario, Brian
Schoettler, James Shiell, and Professors
Tom Shelton and Kathleen Ebling Shaw.
Many alumni participated in the festival,
including Liza M. Calisesi ’12, Brenda Day
’80, John Nowik ’82, Anthony J. Rafaniello
’05, Julia Kemp Rothfuss ’66, Kathleen
Ebling Shaw ’85, Brian-Paul Thomas ’83,
and Jason Vodicka ’03, ’09.
Multi-Faith Service in Observance of
Children’s Sabbath
As part of Sacred Music Lab, students
plan and prepare four worship services
during the year. “Blessed Are the Peace-
makers: A Multi-Faith Observance of the
Children’s Sabbath” was held Tuesday,
October 8, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. in Bristol
Chapel. Sacred music students Vinroy
Brown, Hazel Eaton, Lauren Lazzari, Mark
Loria, Ruth-Noemi Belonni Rosario, Tessa
Scortino, and Professor Tom Shelton
planned this worship experience. Special
guests for the service included Rabbi
Daniel Grossman from Adath Israel Con-
gregation in Lawrenceville, N.J., choristers
Ian Keller and Evan Corn from the Ameri-
can Boychoir, and Kerry Heimann, the
American Boychoir’s assistant director of
music and accompanist.
Kemp Church Music Symposium:
October 12, 2013
For many years, The Kemp Endowment
for Church Music at Westminster Choir
College has sponsored a Church Music
symposium featuring guest artists pre-
senting sessions on current topics in
church music. Professor Emerita Helen
Kemp works with the Sacred Music De-
partment and the Office of Continuing Ed-
ucation to plan the symposium. This
year’s symposium focused on working
with preschool- to elementary-aged chil-
dren. With the drastic cuts in education
around the country, Mrs. Kemp feels that
church musicians need to provide a quali-
ty musical education for young singers
and teacher training for their leaders.
Featured clinician John Feierabend pre-
sented a session titled “First Steps in Mu-
sic: Becoming Tuneful, Beatful, and Art-
ful.” In addition, Professor Tom Shelton
led a music reading session for church
children’s choirs, featuring the Nassau
Presbyterian Church Grade 3-5 Choristers
(Sue Ellen Page, director.) The symposium
culminated with a hymn festival, “Great
Hymns for Children,” planned by Helen
Kemp, Sue Ellen Page, and Tom Shelton.
Sacred Music Newsletter Page 5
Professor Emerita Helen Kemp '41 leads the
congregation in Austin C. Lovelace's "May the
Road Rise to Meet You"
ses, videotaping ourselves in rehears-
al, and meeting with Dr. Pilkington to
review our progress. I felt very comfort-
able and prepared.
What is your favorite memory associat-
ed with Westminster sacred music? I
loved the Tuesday night Colloquiums
that brought in clinicians to work with
us from the outside. That’s actually
how I found out about Emory, because
[Associate Professor of Church Music
and Worship] Dr. James Abbington
came in to talk to us. Colloquium
helped to balance our learning from
inside and outside the program.
Alumni: Tell us where you are and
we’ll feature you in a future edition
of the Newsletter! Please e-mail us at
WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
continued from page 4
continued on page 7
SACRED MUSIC DEPARTMENT WELCOMES NOTEWORTHY GUESTS
Over the past year we have welcomed
many special guest artists to Westminster
to offer sessions designed to specifically
benefit our sacred music students.
Guests have typically been invited to ad-
dress Sacred Music Lab/Sacred Music
Colloquium on Tuesday evenings. They
have shared their expertise on various
subjects related to church work.
Kevin McBeth
“Everything Old Is New Again…Different,
Too!”
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Mr. McBeth
shared experienc-
es of working in a
large church set-
ting. He is Director
of Music at Man-
chester United
Methodist Church
in suburban St.
Louis, a program
that includes 18 choral and handbell en-
sembles involving nearly 500 partici-
pants. He also serves as Associate Con-
ductor with the St. Louis Symphony Or-
chestra, leading the IN UNISON chorus.
Dr. Mary Goetze
“Expanding Musical Horizons: Issues to
Consider and Procedures to Try When In-
cluding Music from Around the Globe”
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Dr. Goetze present-
ed an informative
session on how to
learn and teach mu-
sic from a different
culture. Her profes-
sional activities cen-
ter on choral music,
multiculturalism,
teacher education and children’s singing.
While at Indiana University’s Jacobs
School of Music, Dr. Goetze founded the
University Children’s Choir and the Inter-
national Vocal Ensemble, an ensemble
that focused on songs from outside the
western art tradition.
Janeal Krehbiel
“Creating the Rehearsal: Shaping the Ad-
venture”
March 5-9, 2013
Ms. Krehbiel served
as an artist-in-
residence for the
Sacred Music De-
partment from
Tuesday, March 5
through Saturday,
March 9. Activities during the week in-
cluded presentations for Sacred Music
Lab/Colloquium, Conducting Class, Music
Education Lab, Student Teaching Seminar
Class, and co-directing a Children’s Choir
Festival with Professor Tom Shelton. Ms.
Krehbiel is founder and director of the
Lawrence Children’s Choir. She was a
member of the Choristers Guild Board of
Directors and has been a featured clini-
cian at St. Olaf College, Montreat Music
Conference, and the North Carolina Sum-
mer Institute for Choral Art. Under Ms.
Krehbiel’s direction the Lawrence Chil-
dren’s Choir was chosen to sing for two
National ACDA Conferences, the National
MENC Conference and was the featured
choir for the World’s Largest Concert on
PBS.
Dr. Dan Forrest
“Composer Conversations and Music
Reading Session”
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Dr. Forrest presented a music reading
session of his music, discussed the
thought process
behind his compo-
sitional work, and
addressed ques-
tions by our sacred
music students. Dr.
Forrest is a pianist-
turned-composer
whose music has
already established a lasting presence in
the U.S. and abroad. His music has been
broadcast on NPR’s “Performance Today”
and has been performed in leading ven-
ues across the country and around the
world, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln
Center, and the Kennedy Center. Dr. For-
rest has been commissioned to arrange a
Christmas carol for the 2013 Westmin-
ster Choir College Readings and Carols
service at Princeton University Chapel.
Dr. Sandra Snow
“From Imagination to Inspiration: The Pro-
ductive Rehearsal”
Conducting master class featuring sacred
music graduate students with a conduct-
ing concentration
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Dr. Snow led an AC-
DA Student Chapter
session on the pro-
ductive rehearsal
and a conducting
master class for our
sacred music gradu-
ate students. Profes-
sor of Choral Con-
ducting and Music Ed-
ucation at Michigan State University, Dr.
Snow conducts the Michigan State Uni-
versity Women’s Chamber Ensemble, a
group that has appeared at the National
ACDA Conference. She was a 2013 princi-
pal guest conductor and visiting scholar
Sacred Music Newsletter Page 6
with the Festival 500 International Choral
Festival in Newfoundland, Canada and
she holds a principal residency with the
Pacific International Children’s Choir Fes-
tival. She also conducts honor choirs and
all-state choirs across North America.
Lynnel Jenkins
“Inspiring Through the Gesture: Strategies
for Developing Artistry in Young Singers”
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Lynnel Joy Jenkins
serves as Artistic
Director of the
Princeton Girlchoir
and as the choral
teacher at the Tim-
berlane Middle
School of the
Hopewell Valley Regional School District
in Pennington, N.J. Ms. Jenkins’ varied
conducting and teaching experience rang-
es from the elementary to collegiate level.
She has served as Assistant Professor of
Music Education at Westminster Choir
College of Rider University and as con-
ductor of the Resident Training Choir at
the American Boychoir School in Prince-
ton, N.J. She was on the conducting staff
of the Temple University Children’s Choir
where she served for three seasons. Ms.
Jenkins is a choral conductor and music
educator of international stature, having
lectured and conducted in China, Hong
Kong, Iceland, and South Africa. She has
served as guest conductor for numerous
honor choirs, all-state choirs, and choral
festivals in the United States.
Presentations by special guest artists are
always open to our alumni and communi-
ty. If you would like to be on the e-mail list
for sacred music events, please write to
GUESTS Friends: One of our principal themes as we train our young musicians is that church music
must be an inspirational wedding of ancient and new practices, a sensibility that allows us to
draw deeply from the spiritual wells of the past even as we embrace the language and thought
of our own cultural moment. Included here is a durable older hymn text attached to a new
tune. It makes for a nice response and is especially sweet in treble voices. If it’s useful to you,
please employ it freely! –S.P.
continued from page 6
Sacred Music Newsletter Page 7
WESTMINSTER CHORAL ENSEMBLE EVENTS
IN 2013 – JOIN US!
Sacred Music Office
101 Walnut Lane
Princeton, NJ 08540
609-921-7100, ext. 8277
www.rider.edu/wcc
Joe Miller, Department Chair
Steve Pilkington, Sacred Music
Tom T. Shelton, Jr., Sacred Music
Kathleen Ebling Shaw, Handbells
Brandon Waddles, Jubilee Singers
Kevin Radtke, Coordinator
Alan Morrison, Organ
Matthew Lewis, Organ
Peter Richard Conte, Improvisation
Kathleen Scheide, Harpsichord
Ryan Brandau, Conducting
James Jordan, Conducting
Andrew Megill, Conducting
Amanda Quist, Conducting
SACRED MUSIC, ORGAN, AND CONDUCTING
DEPARTMENT
Sacred Music Newsletter
November 2 Chapel Choir: “Lux Aeterna” (Works by Fauré, Allegri, Paulus, and a world
premiere by Brandon Waddles)
November 9 & 10 Westminster Choir: “Legends”
November 16 Schola Cantorum: “Ye Shall Have a Song”
November 17 Kantorei: “From Maid to Monarch: Women of the Renaissance”
(Works by Weelkes, Purcell, Isaacs, Josquin, and Byrd)
November 23 Williamson Voices: “Illumina: Music of Light and Transcendence”
November 24 Jubilee Singers: “Remembering”
December 6-8 Concert Bell Choir: “Tidings of Comfort and Joy”
December 13 & 15 An Evening of Readings and Carols
December 17-21 Symphonic Choir and the New York Philharmonic: Handel’s Messiah
To subscribe to Westminster’s weekly performance e-newsletter, visit
www.rider.edu/arts
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