Notes from the Music Teacher, part 2.

When music teachers get the blues

Dear Mrs. Zimmerman,
Our orchestra does not include harmonica and Robert (Or Bobby or Zimmy) does not meet our standards for singing. I suggest you urge him to find another interest other than music.
Signed:
The Music Teacher

Dear Mrs. Johnson,

I regret to inform you that Robert is not doing well in music class. His voice is scratchy, and he does not widen his soft palate. He shows up late to class regularly, claiming that he has "hellhounds on his trail", or that he had to stop at "the crossroads." Your son has potential, and I think that if he applies himself he could be a successful vocalist.

Signed:
The Music Teacher

Dear Mrs. Johnson,
Your son is failing geography class. Please explain to Robert that Chicago is not in California, nor is it prefaced by the phrase "Sweet Home."
Signed:
The Geography Teacher

Dear Mrs. Price,
Your son Ray is doing well in choir class. I urge you to let him take voice lessons. If he applied himself, he could be a successful opera singer.
Signed:
The Music Teacher

Dear Mrs. Charles,
I had to rebuke your son Ray at his piano recital. He moves back and forth too much, and insists on punctuating Beethoven's Piano Concerto in C minor with shouts of "what I'd say." Unless he changes his behavior, I will have to drop him as a student.
Signed:
The Piano Teacher

Dear Mrs. Penniman,
Please tell little Richard that if he continues to scream often he will damage his vocal chords. Please also tell him that it is not appropriate for choirmembers to shout "Oooh, my soul!" at the beginning of each piece. If he continues to do so I will have to remove him from choir class.
Signed:
The Choir Director

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Berry,
Your son shows no aptitude for the fine art of guitar playing. Despite all that I try to teach him, Charles continues to insist on playing the same three chords over and over again. I think he would be better suited to another hobby, such as origami or ultimate frisbee.
Signed:
The Guitar Teacher

Teacher to Principal
Young master Hewson continues to insist on signing his papers as "Bono", so I have sent him over to you for discipline.

Dear Mrs. King,
I am sending your son BB to the school psychologist. He appears to have a severe case of depression. He tells the teacher that "every day he gets the blues", and refuses to do his homework because "the thrill is gone." I suggest that we put him on some Ritalin to deal with his depression problems.
Signed,
The Principal

School Psychologist to Principal
I believe that young BB's problems with depression are related to problems with his home life. He says that "nobody loves him but his mama, and she might be jivin' too." I suggest increasing the dosage of Ritalin.

Dear Mrs. Burnett,
Please inform Chester that his name is not "Howlin' Wolf."
Signed,
The Principal



The Ember Days-Your Eyes Light Up

The Ember Days is a musician's band. From their songs it is evident that they give more attention to guitar tone and technical details than the average pop band. The Ember Days doesn't go for pop songs with catchy choruses (which in the Christian music world become pop songs with endless choruses). Instead, they prefer to stay in their own niche, alternating anthemic rock songs with more piano driven, ambient songs. The band is mainly the project of the husband-and-wife team of Jason and Janell Belcher (What an unfortunate last name.) Their first CD features three vocalists, the two mentioned above, and a third, the soft-voiced Eliot Norton, who is no longer a member of the band.


The Album.



    

The songs on the record sound like the band took their time writing them, as opposed to just slapping together a song with a few chords and a riff stolen from U2. The guitar tone is almost perfect, the drumming is technically skilled, and put together, they sound excellent. The best songs on the album, though, are the slower, more ambient songs sung by Janell, such as "Cocoon", "Love Song", and "Dreaming." Unfortunately, these are the least overtly spiritual. Musically, though, they sound like nothing I've ever before, and it would be worth buying the album just to hear those few.

 Lyrically, there's no mistaking where The Ember Days are coming from. Unlike some Christian bands that try to be as vague as possible, (I'm looking at you, Switchfoot), The Ember Days are explicit about their faith. However, they have a propensity to devolve into evangelical mushiness and questionable lyrics. In "Chasing the Wind", a song from the viewpoint of Jesus, Eliot Norton sings "Please don't ever say you don't need me, 'cos I need you." This doesn't quite square up with Biblical theology. YHWH is a Trinity-the Father enjoys perfect fellowship with the Son and the Spirit and so on. God did not need to create man, or to send his Son to die for them, which makes God's love even more amazing. It's also a little disconcerting to hear, in "Love Song", lyrics like "Your beautiful eyes holding mine won't let go, for in them I've found a home", which are ostensibly about Jesus. It doesn't seem very reverent to talk about Jesus like he is your boyfriend. Sorry to be the cranky Presbyterian here.

The band in its current lineup. The guy with the mustache is Jason Belcher, who bears a surprising resemblence to Mario.

 
  Even weirder is the screaming in "Selah." It's out of place, especially given the more upbeat nature of the song, and seems more like a bone thrown to the hardcore kid audience than anything else. It would probably fit more if the song was "The Wrath of God Descends Upon The Unrepentant Unbelievers", which sounds very Presbyterian, and will probably appear on some CREC-approved worship album. The rock songs are a little repetitive, and Jason's voice gets a little strained on the choruses, while Janell's is underused.

I criticize bands, and yet they still let me take my picture with them. :-)

 

 Now that I'm done attacking this musical bull elephant with a squirt gun, I will go on to say that The Ember Days are a great example of giving up your life for Christ. If they were a secular band, they would be a smash, at least in a sane world. If they did Christian pop anthems, they would be all over KLove. Instead, they take the path of most resistance, spiritually and musically, and crafted a musically worthy first album where their passion for the Lord is clearly evident in their songs. For that, I congratulate them, and recommend them to you.
     You can visit their website here. Not only are The Ember Days accomplished and talented musicians, they are also very generous and they give away all their music for free download. You should probably donate to them, because musicians are poor, and also because their van is legendary for breaking down.



Moody Men's Collegiate Choir

Last Thursday night, Nick and I attended a concert of the Moody Men's Collegiate Choir at Fellowship Bible Church here in Texarkana.  The choir sang a number of great hymns celebrating the power of God and the saving work of Christ.  There is something quite amazing about the blending of strong male voices.  Both the depths of the basses and the strength of the tenors give such choirs real punch.  The song selections were outstanding. In a day when Psalms are all too often neglected (or tied to painful tunes) and traditional hymns are forgotten, hearing this choir sing Psalms and hymns was encouraging.

They also had some popular music in their concert, and a couple of comedy skits.  The choir director, Dr. H. E. Singley, said that many of the singers had never heard the song "When I Fall in Love" until they learned it in their choir.  That song, made famous by the great Nat King Cole, is a good one for Christians to take and bring into our world, for it fits the Christian worldview quite well. 

This choir will be going to Egypt and Jordan in the late spring and early summer.  Our prayers go with them and our appreciation for their God-honoring music.

Christian Music and Worship at LRBC

Yesterday, the family and I had the great privilege of attending worship at Little Rock Bible Church.  I would have loved to have heard a sermon from the senior pastor, Lance Quinn.  I don't know him, except through his contribution to and expansion of the book The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Documented, and Defended by my former pastors David Steele and Curtis Thomas.  (That book has convinced many a Bible student of Calvinistic soteriology.)  But instead of Pastor Quinn preaching, the sermon was given by George Lawson, the student ministries pastor.  Normally, I cring at hearing a "youth leader" preach.  I felt encouragement and conviction, but no cringing.  Pastor Lawrence's sermon was tremendous.  It was on evangelism and was thoroughly Reformed and Biblical, and it included quotes by Martyn Lloyd-Jones and R.C. Sproul. 

For purposes of this blog, I want to celebrate the great music we heard and participated in.  All too often, Reformed worship includes deep, but obscure hymns sung to tunes that are dirgelike and extremely hard to sing.  (You would never find yourself whistling the tunes while working on your car or scanning a T.S. Eliot poem.)  On the other hand, my wife and I attended a college chapel worship service recently that had music that was most unappealing.  I think it is called "Praise and Worship" music, although it leads me to neither response.  It was repetitive, shallow, tuneless, and pounded out with loud drums.

Claude Goudimel was a great Dutch Christian and leader in the Dutch Reformation of the long-time agos.  When Abraham Kuyper was showing that Calvinists and the Dutch also produced artists in his classic Lectures on Calvinism, he cited Goudimel as an example.  I am sure that Brother Goudimel produced some lively, singable tunes.  They just got lost. The ones that I usually experience are hard to sing, obscure, and often leave me dragging.  I call them the "Tunes of the Unknown Singer:  Known But to God."

Back to yesterday's worship:  I was thankful to enjoy a mix of more recent Christian music, along with older, but familiar hymns.  Yes, there was contemporary Christian music in the service, including one song by that Christian hipster, James Montgomery Boice, Presbyterian theologian and pastor, who died a decade ago. His hymn was built upon a paraphrasing of Romans 8.  And the Little Rock Bible Church had an orchestra, but instead of the musicians putting on a performance fit for either the "Screaming and Hollering" youth music crowd or the "Round Mouth" grey-haired concert goers, the music was fitting for a worshipful environment and fitted for enhancing the songs.  Trumpets, after all, ought to be used in every "Regulative Principle" group.

All in all, I was thankful to find that what I kept thinking must exist, does exist.

Nick's European Tour and My Music Listenings

Nicholas, on the left, with classmates and friends touring the Parthenon

The music scene around the House-household has been all-together too quiet this past week. Nick left last week to go with some of his fellow students and others on a tour of Greece and Italy.  With his MP3 player full of the eclectic range of his musical interests, I am sure he has been listening to lots of music.  Hopefully, he has been able to experience some of the music of the Mediterranean world.

Meanwhile, back home, I have been listening closely to the 1980s song hit "Some Old Side Road" by the late Keith Whitley.  It is hard to believe that he and I would be the same age, if he were living.  His talent was incredible and potential unfulfilled.  Ralph Stanley discovered Whitley and another boy by the name of Ricky Skaggs.  These two kids were performing old Stanley Brothers songs so well that Dr. Ralph thought the music was coming from old recordings. Stanley hired the two boys who had to balance their playing with Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys along with high school.  (If I had the talent, I would trade all my high school for a year of perforning alongside of Ralph Stanley.)  Just as Skaggs went on from the bluegrass beginnings to play traditional country music for a good many years, so did Whitley.  Even in the days when he performed with Stanley, alcohol was a demon for him.  Keith was incredibly talented, married to the lovely and talented Lori Morgan, and successful.  Alcohol sent him to an early grave.  My consolation for him is the great gospel song he wrote titled "Great High Mountain."

You don't have to move that mountain

Just help me Lord to climb it
You don't have to move that stumblin' block

Just show me the way around it

We must climb a great high mountain

To reach God's gracious kingdom

In His words you'll find the strength

If you will just believe them

Well, the way is filled with pitfalls

And sometimes we may falter

You can have His grace, my friend

On your knees down at the altar

You don't have to move that mountain

Just help me Lord to climb it

You don't have to move that stumblin' block

Just show me the way around it



Letters from the Music Teachers and Others

Dear Mrs. Presley,
I had to discipline young Elvis in class today. He wiggles and squirms too much during the singing; he is overly concerned about fixing his hair; and he distracts the other students, particularly the girls.
Signed:
The Music Teacher

Dear Mrs. Lewis,
I regret to inform you that your son, Jerry Lee, has been removed from the piano class.  After repeated warnings, he continued to play in ways that are inappropriate for a piano and he continually puts his feet on the keys.
Signed:
The Principal

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Cash,
The principal and I have decided to move John R. from music class into shop.  He does have some potential in the baritone section, but he tends to sing in a monotone style and sings out of the side of his mouth. We think he might be much better off working with his hands.
Signed:
The Music Teacher and the Principal



Dear Mr. and Mrs. Webb,
After having taught your daughter Loretta (Lynn) in music class, I have come to the conclusion that she cannot be a part of our choir.  She seems unable to enunciate her words properly.  Usually, this comes out in her inability to pronounce the "g" sound in words ending in "ing," such as loving, living, working, drinking, etc. She simply must have some speech therapy before she can return to music class.
Signed:
The Music Teacher

Dear Mr. Monroe,
Bill's vision problems are hindering his ability to read music, but the more serious concern is his voice.  We have no soprano slots open in the choir for young men. After his voice changes, we can reconsider
Signed:
The Music Teacher

Dear Mrs. Stanley,
I am sorry to inform you that Ralph is failing music.  His voice does not exactly...blend well with the choir. I think you should encourage his interest in agriculture, especially in raising pigs.  I have also notified the counselor of some of his particular comments.
Signed:
The Music Teacher

Counselor to Music Teacher:
You are exactly right. Young Mr. R. Stanley has an unhealthy and morbid view about death and graveyards. His brother, Carter, shows the same tendencies, but with an emphasis on the death of his mother.  I am concerned about where these two boys are headed.

Dear Mrs. Parton,
The multi-colored coat you made for Dolly does not fit in with our choir outfits.  Therefore, she will not be able to participate in our upcoming concert.
Signed:
The Music Teacher

Principal to Music Teacher:
Please drop Jennings and Nelson from your fifth period music class.  They have both been expelled from school.
Signed:
The Principal

Note to Principal:
If Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, and Gary Rossington, dont get that hair cut off, they cant come back to my gym class. I done told them twice.
Coach Skinner

A Country Legend: Stonewall Jackson

Stonewall Jackson's Greatest Hits sung alongside a host of Country Legends


In the late 1980s, people began discovering, or actually rediscovering, traditional country music. Singers like George Strait, Randy Travis, and Alan Jackson awakened large numbers of people to country music and drew huge crowds who fell in love with their traditional country sounds and styles of singing.

With the popularity of the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” in 2001, once again people rediscovered traditional music. Periodically, when these rediscoveries take place, the music listening public seems astounded by the new music, featuring acoustic guitars, fiddles, and steel guitars. The songs, emphasizing loves lost and loves found, heartbreak and happiness, and cheating and fidelity capture the range of human emotions and experiences. The emotions of the songs resonate with the souls of people. Even people who have never lived in the country or in the south and who do not have ties to a little country church, music on the front porch, or falling in love with the girl next door find themselves attracted to the music.

So, no matter what trends come and go, no matter what extravagances occur in the music industry, and no matter whatever harmful actions are taken by music producers, traditional music will survive. It will periodically re-emerge and appeal to whole new crowds of people.

There are, however, some singers who have always sung traditional country music. Before Elvis and after Elvis, before the Beatles and after the Beatles, and before the advent of the orchestrated, violin dominated Nashville sound and after that, some folks stuck to singing traditional country music. In fact, it is something of an oxymoron to call it “traditional country music.” If it is, in fact, country music, it is traditional.

Saying this is not to criticize other music genres, artists, and tastes. Beethoven was great, but he wasn’t country. And it is true country music that we speak of here.

Stonewall Jackson is a true country singer. Of course, with a name like Stonewall Jackson, a man would have to be tied to the deepest rooted parts of southern life. Jackson began singing in the 1950s. He was quite a popular country star during much of the time from the 1960s to 1980s.

The whole period from the 1950s through the 1980s was a golden age for country music. That time period encompasses the careers of the greatest of country singers. The art of the music was defined by the combination of technology—records and radio—and ideology, by which we mean defining beliefs about the music. The temptation to change the style of the music was always there, and the pressure of trying to appeal to newer, younger audiences was always present. But the heart of country music was middle class, hardworking folks who had grown up in a time when entertainment largely consisted in picking up WSM’s Grand Ole Opry on a Saturday night.

Country fans were loyal and solid. When they heard an artist sing, they politely applauded the new songs, but they expected to hear the old songs. If a number one hit from 1963, sung a thousand times by a singer was not sung, the country loyalist felt cheated.

These were people who listened to country music on the radio, who watched the Saturday afternoon country music shows, and who made a pilgrimage or two to the Opry at the old Ryman auditorium in Nashville. Because these kind of people were the bedrock country fans, they never grew tied of the traditional country sounds.

The vast majority of those country artists are now gone. I can remember hearing Tex Ritter sing “I Dreamed of a Hillbilly Heaven” on the Opry. All of that generation that included Roy Acuff, Bill Monroe, Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, and Ernest Tubb are now dead. In the past several several years, we have lost Porter Waggoner, Billy Walker, Charlie Walker, Hank Snow, and (quite recently) Hank Locklin.

Thankfully, we still have some legends around, like Ray Price (who in his eighties is still performing), George Jones, and Stonewall Jackson.

This CD collection of Stonewall Jackson’s hits sung by him with is friends is a gem. Over a dozen of the artists who appear on these songs have died since these songs were recorded. This collection is a virtual “who’s who” of real, roots country music.

Great Jackson hits like “Don’t Be Angry” (which every husband needs to sing to his wife every day), “I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water,” and “That’s Why I’m Walkin’” are all here. And yes, of course, his great hit “Waterloo” is the concluding work where he is accompanied by a vast throng of singers.

These selections may not often be heard on the radio and this CD may not be found in your local stores, but it is worth getting hold of. If you never have heard of Stonewall Jackson the singer, or if you, like me, have been a fan for many decades, you will enjoy this collection of music.


"Stonewall Jackson and Super Friends" can be ordered from
The Ernest Tubb Record Shop .