The cantor education program of the Metropolitan Cantor Institute is designed to train individuals to lead the congregational singing of the faithful of the Byzantine Catholic Church. We need skilled, knowledgeable cantors to guide the faithful as they sing their prayers to God.
Background: Why a new cantor education program?
Who is this program intended for?
The MCI program is for cantors and prospective cantors at all levels of experience.
How does it work?
The entire program is organized around a set of cantor certification standards, which provide an outline of the knowledge and skills that a cantor needs in order to lead our church singing throughout the year.
As a an MCI student, you will use the Moodle distance learning software to access lessons on liturgy, plain chant, and spirituality. Lessons are accompanied by exercises and frequent quizzes. You will use the Theta Music online ear training course to learn pitch matching and correct singing of intervals and rhythms.
The basics of singing itself – the voice and how to use it – are taught in classroom courses, which will also be available as video recordings. We strongly recommend at least some private voice instruction for cantors, and provide guidelines and materials to help make this a valuable part of your training.
You will learn chant melodies from recordings and classroom lessons, and work with a mentor or classroom teacher to master each one. If you have a mentor, he or she will assess your work and tell you (and the MCI instructors) which ones you have mastered. In cases where no mentor is available, you will submit recordings of your singing to the MCI, and its instructors will provide personal (private) feedback.
Some leadership techniques can be taught with online instruction or classroom sessions – but the real learning takes place in the day-to-day worship of your parish, as you begin to take on the work of cantoring. Your mentor or priest will provide feedback throughout the program, and when you are ready, an MCI instructor and one other experienced cantor will watch as you lead the singing at a complete service in your parish. When you have completed the cycle of MCI courses and passed this examination, you will be awarded a certificate of completion for the MCI cantor education program.
How long does it take?
The program is designed so that a new cantor with an ordinary singing voice and a willingness to work can complete the entire set of courses in three years. An experienced cantor might complete the entire program in just one year.
How much does it cost?
Three initial courses (Becoming a Cantor, Becoming a Reader, and The Plainchant of the Byzantine Catholic Church) are available free to all members of the Byzantine Catholic Church. (Note that Plainchant of the Byzantine Catholic Church describes the history of our chant, and is NOT required for cantor certification.)
Access to the full Metropolitan Cantor Institute program (all courses) costs $85.00 for twelve consecutive months. You can enroll in the program for as long as it is of use to you. Anyone who completes cantor certification receives lifetime access to course materials.
How do I get started?
Since all courses include material taught through Moodle, you should request a Moodle ID. This will allow you to take the Becoming a Cantor course, which introduces you to the Moodle system and describes in detail the role of the cantor in our church.
To take further courses, you will need to register for the MCI program; as soon as your payment for the program is received, we will send you detailed orientation material by e-mail.
To learn more about the sequence and content of the courses you will take, see the Cantor education roadmap.