Warming up to music: Tom Shelton

lorie photo
Tom Shelton, PUMC children’s choir director, tapes PUMC choristers for his webinar.

Tom Shelton, director of children’s and youth choirs at Princeton United Methodist Church and  assistant professor at Westminster Choir College. will present a nationally broadcast webinar on Thursday, August 25, at noon for the Choristers Guild, a church music publisher, on Effective Teaching Techniques for Working with Children’s Choirs.

To prepare the webinar he invited members of the choir to join him in the music room last week. Here is how they “warmed up.”

And here is how Tom uses the Dalcroze Method to teach rhythm:

Looks like fun, doesn’t it! EVERY child is invited to join the PUMC Children’s Choirs. Participation is free, all are welcome.

Tom Shelton invites children and parents to a Children’s Choir open house at the church, Nassau at Vandeventer, on Wednesday, September 7. Kindergarten and first grade come at 4:30 p.m., second through fifth graders at 5:30 p.m.

Youth from grades 6 to 12 are invited to an open house for the Youth Choir, led by Tom Shelton, at Princeton United Methodist Church, Nassau at Vandeventer, on Sunday, September 11 at 5 p.m.  Parking is free on Sundays; for parking information click here.  Email Tom@PrincetonUMC.org or call 609-924-2613.

 

 

 

Sing with Us: Meet the Children

Introducing singers from PUMC’s Children’s Choir!

Tom Shelton, director of children’s and youth choirs at Princeton United Methodist Church and  assistant professor at Westminster Choir College. presented a nationally broadcast webinar on Thursday, August 25, at noon for the Choristers Guild, a church music publisher. To prepare the webinar he invited members of the choir to join him in the music room last week.

A sought-after conductor, educator, and composer, Shelton welcomes everyone to his choirs at PUMC; there is no audition and no participation fee. On Wednesday, September 7, Tom Shelton invites children and parents to a Children’s Choir open house at the church, Nassau at Vandeventer, on Wednesday, September 7. Kindergarten and first grade come at 4:30 p.m., second through fifth graders at 5:30 p.m. Youth from grades 6 to 12 are invited to an open house for the Youth Choir, on Sunday, September 11 at 5 p.m.  Parking is free on Sundays; for parking information click here.  Email Tom@PrincetonUMC.org or call 609-924-2613.

With bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Shelton is assistant professor of sacred music at Westminster Choir College of Rider University and president elect of the American Choral Directors Association. He has conducted ‘all state” and festival choirs in 20 states and abroad, including at Carnegie Hall.

Through music of the Christian faith, PUMC choristers learn good singing techniques and music theory; they participate in worship monthly, present a musical in the spring, and sing at special services throughout the year.

Here’s an example of how they learn: