23 Music and Liturgy lecturers attend Teacher’s Academy
Twenty-three (23) lecturers for Music and Liturgy participated in the 2019 Teachers’ Academy held at McGilvary College of Divinity of Payap University, Chiang Mai, Thailand on September 23-27. The lecture-workshop was intended to bring together Asian music educators to discuss the value of indigenous music and materials in Asia in relation to liturgy; identify the challenges, limits and potentials of integrating indigenous Asian music in Christian worship; develop an assessment tool in teaching courses in music and liturgy; and create a network of Asian music lecturers among the ATESEA member schools.
Resource persons who were experts in their respective disciplines were invited to facilitate the workshop. Dr. Ferdinand Anno, faculty of Union Theological Seminary, Philippines discussed the “Biblical and Theological Foundations of Liturgy: Doing Worship while the Earth Burns: Some Theological Themes on the Indigenization of Worship.” He showed the value of indigenous music as the expression of one’s personal covenant with God during his “wilderness” experience.
Dr. I-to Loh, professor of Church Music and Worship at Tainan Theological College and Seminary in Taiwan, discussed the topic, “The Integrity of Music and Worship and Contextualization of Music in Asia.” He emphasized that “Modernization is not the equivalence of westernization.” He also shared his compilations of Asian compositions for liturgy and worship that encouraged the participants to promote indigenous music and contextualization in their seminary.
Dr. Greg Pawilen, Consultant on Curriculum of Schools and Publishing in the Philippines and Associate Professor in the College of Human Ecology at University of the Philippines in Los Baños, presented the following topics: “Outcome-based Assessment” and “Developing Rubrics for Assessing Learning.” The lecture-workshops challenged the participants to make revisions in their curriculum considering the mission and vision of the seminary, and to reflect on their teaching methodologies.
Dr. Jeaneth Faller, Dean of the Divinity School –Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Philippines guided the participants in a workshop on “The Art of Preparing Liturgies Using Indigenous Materials and Instruments.”
Panelists from different seminaries in Asia were requested to share the “Challenges and Opportunities of Introducing Indigenous Music in the Seminary and Churches ” in their own context.
- Ms. Rahel Sermon Harapani Daulay, Lecturer, Church Music and Hymnology, Jakarta Theological Seminary, Indonesia
- Rev. Magnolia Nova Mendoza, Lecturer, Liturgy and Music Department, The Divinity School – Silliman University, Philippines
The participants agreed that the seminar-workshop gave them a new perspective and appreciation of the importance of indigenous music and instruments, with the recognition of the uniqueness of one’s culture and experience with God in the composition of liturgical music.
Furthermore, the warm welcome of the faculty and students of McGilvary College of Divinity of Payap University added to their valuable musical ethnic encounter.
