Congregational singing an attitudinal survey of two southern Protestant churches /

by Bennett, Randall G.

Congregational Singing: An Attitudinal Survey of Two Southern Protestant Churches by Randall G. Bennett, Jr. When public schools began teaching music in the 19th century, the church took a secondary role in the education of the church parishioner. The purpose of this study was to examine congregational attitudes about singing before and after an experimental treatment. Two different Churches participated in “hymn of the month” programs, but different approaches were used at each church. The congregation of Erwin Presbyterian Church learned a new hymn through repetition, while the congregation of First Baptist Church learned a new hymn through congregational practice. Surveys using a Likert-type scale were administered at each church prior to and at the end of the month-long project, which took place in February 2002. The results showed that while both congregations appeared to have better attitudes toward congregational singing following the project, there was a more dramatic change at Erwin Presbyterian Church. 2