Chanting the Liturgy
Continuing Musical Education for Priests and Deacons
As part of its ongoing commitment to promoting quality sacred music in every parish, the Sacred Music Institute of America LLC is excited to announce its new individualized training opportunities for priests and deacons. This program will provide flexible, personalized, and comprehensive training in chanting the liturgy from the basics of vocal production; it focuses on the celebrant’s chants in the Roman Missal. It is inspired by the thorough musical curriculum offered at the Pontifical College Josephinum, where the Institute’s founder, Dr. Jason Keefer, is Director and Assistant Professor of Sacred Music.
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The Institute’s training opportunities for clergy include:
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Online seminars on vocal technique, reading Gregorian and modern notation, Church documents pertaining to music, clergy/musician collaboration, music selection and planning, and liturgical chant. Watch the lectures on your own schedule!
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One-on-one online vocal coaching with our experienced faculty of liturgical musicians. Work on vocal technique and presentation through exercises and study of specific chants. These sessions are fully customizable to your needs and abilities. Coaching is also available on more challenging repertoire such as the Gospel readings and the Exsultet. Five, ten, and fifteen lesson packages are available.
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Optional courses on the history of sacred music, music theory, and intensive Gregorian chant study.
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While the Church’s documents on music in the liturgy place a strong emphasis on the role of the clergy in singing the liturgy, not every priest or deacon has the background or training to feel self-assured doing so. The Institute seeks to foster chanted Masses in parishes throughout the country by helping priests and deacons to improve their skills and confidence in chanting. This training is hand-tailored to your specific needs, flexible to accommodate your busy schedule, and private—you will work directly with your vocal coach and also have access to pre-recorded lectures by our dedicated and knowledgeable faculty.
We offer a variety of packages:

If you are in need of financial assistance, partial scholarships are available; please contact us for an application. We are also happy to schedule an assessment with you to determine which of our options would best meet your needs.
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To register for any of the "Chanting the Liturgy" packages, call 614-395-7783.