I recently joined a choir (Episcopal) with a truly excellent director and an interesting modus operandi. Our practice sessions are quite brief, and seem to assume that we can read music. (Some of us can; some are, indeed, highly trained and accomplished vocalists.)

I can't really sight-read, but I can follow along and at least be able to tell if the next note is higher, lower, or the same as the previous. We'll run through a verse maybe twice, and then move on. Usually, when feel like I'll get it right the next time through, it turns out that there will be no "next time" during rehearsal; my next opportunity to get it right will come on Sunday. This usually works.

The director asked me a week or two ago if I could read the bass clef. My first reaction: "I can't really read at all." Then I realized that my relative ignorance and my lack of "perfect pitch" was actually an asset in this case: I CAN read the bass clef ~ every bit as well as I can read the treble.

By utilizing my instinctive (and imperfect) ability to harmonize, along with close perusal of the lowest notes on the sheet music, I can generally add an acceptable low-end harmony that differs from what the altos are doing. And when I feel unsure and doubt that I'll come out with any acceptable harmony, I can still effectively sing the main melody line in a deeper register than the other (mostly-female) voices.

Our bossman holds a doctorate in music and teaches at Loyola University School of Music, and plays in a variety of jazz/rock/pop ensembles after hours. He brings his wife along to the church-organist job; she's also on the music school faculty, plays the flute, sings, and sort-of co-directs. He's Irish-American and says he was "brought up anti-Catholic"; she's Jewish; they teach at a Catholic (Jesuit) university, and run the music ministry for an Episcopal church. It all seems to work out very well.

Yesterday's Easter service was quite an event. We were joined by a brass ensemble of music students: tuba, trombone, French horn, and two trumpets. They played an instrumental prelude and postlude, both original compositions by their teacher, our leader; and they accompanied the choir for the processional (entrance), communion and recessional (exit) hymns. The sound was unbeliveable, and inspired everyone (congregation as well as choir) to sing our very best.

Also, we had a baptism in the middle of the service; the four people being baptized were Spanish-speaking, so we had a bit of confusion stumbling through a bilingual ceremony, but I think it was all OK: "no-harm-no-foul."

A line or two of the script may have been inadvertently omitted ~ spoken neither in Spanish nor English ~ and perhaps another line or two was said twice, once in each language. However, I have absolute faith that the sacrament "took," and that the people truly got baptized. ;^)