Pueri Cantores Presents: "Beyond the Score Series: How a liturgical choir rehearsal in Catholic Schools and parishes teaches more than music" A three-part webinar series for Conductors of Catholic Student Choirs, Worship Leaders and Classroom Teachers, Elementary through High School

In this series we will explore some ways in which a rehearsal should teach our faith and develop the spiritual lives of students even as it remains focused on their growth and development as singers. Such extra-musical learning can often be taught covertly, thus allowing directors to “feed many birds (lessons) with a single scone (rehearsal).”

Part 2: "Ever Ancient, Ever New: Catholic Virtue in Contemporary Times" A thriving liturgical ensemble is a microcosm of a thriving Catholic and a thriving Church. How can a rehearsal help individuals and the collective embody values such as beauty, justice, truth, care for others, and sacrifice of self in the service of community? How can such embodiment be powerful witness to others at a time when these values are often counter-cultural?

Presented by Michael Ward

Michael Ward is the director of pastoral ministry at St. Norbert and Our Lady of the Brook Parish in Northbrook, IL, where he has served in a variety of roles since September 2013. He also serves as the chapter director for the Chicago chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. Michael has a degree in music education from Carthage College in Kenosha, WI; a graduate diploma in pastoral liturgy and music from the Rensselaer Program of Church Music and Liturgy at St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, IN; and a Master of Arts in liturgical ministry from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, IL. When he is not on a bench or busy somewhere in the parish, he loves to spend as much time as possible with his wife and their children.