With no singing allowed in church, children’s choir recorded “Jubilate” from isolation

The American Federation Pueri Cantores (AFPC) produced this wonderful children’s choir video in social isolation, drawing singers from youth choirs across the United States.

The kids are singing a lively rendition of “Jubilate!” (Be Joyful in the Lord) by Michael Bedford, which is a challenging tune for their age group. The piece has a quick melody the kids have really taken to, and their diction is excellent, allowing the listeners to clearly pick out each word. We were especially impressed with how the music turned into a round towards the end, a musical maneuver they executed perfectly.

The AFPC is the student choral organization of the Catholic Church. It provides no-cost educational services for 70,000 kids in grades 4-12 each year among 32 federations, but has been forced to cancel just about all of its 2020 events due to health restrictions. With no festivals to show off students’ progress, the AFPC took to YouTube for this recording.

While internet choirs are not ideal for music education, they do give the children a means to stay connected with music and their faith. As singing has been prohibited during church services for the time being, the AFPC is serving an important function by maintaining the Catholic music education of these fine young singers. 

For information on how to get your children involved in Pueri Cantores, click here.