Leaders explore tradition and innovation in Black sacred music

On October 26, seven leading music and arts ministers from around the country participated in a panel and night of song that explored tradition and innovation in Black sacred music. They held a series of private and public discussions about the challenges and opportunities that are shaping music and arts ministry in their churches. The events were convened by the Interdisciplinary Program in Music and the Black Church at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, directed by Professor Braxton Shelley.

View the recording of the panel, Ministering Through the Arts: Tradition and Innovation. The panel included Dr. Joyce Garrett, Dr. Will Harris, Evangelist Barbara Jackson-Sago, Minister L’Tanya Moore-Copeland, Minister Walter Owens, Dr. Eddie Robinson, and Dr. Diane White-Clayton. After a day of fellowship and conversation about balancing tradition and innovation in the ministries they lead, the guests assembled for a public panel discussion, moderated by White-Clayton where they discussed their churches’ paths through the Covid-19 pandemic, the impact of increasingly pervasive livestreaming on music ministry personnel management, and the relationship between the anchor medium of music and other liturgical arts in their contexts. As leaders in prominent churches, including Alfred Street Baptist Church, Salem Baptist Church, and St. Phillip AME Church, the speakers were able to offer behind-the-scenes insights on the weekly rhythms that animate their pursuit of excellence.

View the recording of the service, ART(est)IMONY: A Night of Song which was hosted jointly by the Program in Music and the Church, Yale Black Seminarians, and Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School. The musical worship service featured performances by the panelists, divinity school students, and church music skills instructors, Tyson Jackson and Dr. John Paul McGee. Participants were enriched by music like Is Your All on the Altar, gospel standards like Kurt Carr’s I Almost Let Go, Dr. White-Clayton’s choral anthem, Alleluia, and Dr. Robinson’s composition, I Have So Many Reasons.

Read more about the Music and the Black Church Program at Yale

A personal reflection on the events from Reginald Payne M.A.R. ‘25

“The Ministering Through the Arts panel & ART(est)IMONY service displayed the full spectrum of the Gospel music tradition. Hands raised, praise poured from mouths, and hearts brimming with thanks, it was a time of genuine fellowship that left all feeling elevated and connected. Through conversation and performance, the featured music and arts ministers immersed the Yale community in the illumination of Gospel music. The music and lyrics communicated a steeped fervor accessible to all who openly received it. I rejoice in knowing that although the mountains may fall into the heart of the sea, in the midst of it all I will not fear, though the enemy comes with plans to dishearten me, I’ll be still because I know my God is near. The events serve as a reminder to be the light in the dark moments of life and remind me that everyone has their singular contribution to make, and when we make it together, mountains can move.”

Photos: Mara Lavitt