On Monday, April 22nd, a unique Chapel service, filled with poetry and music, took place in St. Joseph’s Chapel. This was in honor of National Poetry Month (April), a celebration of poetry, its history, and of those who read and write poetic pieces.
Chapel services have been a Kent School staple since its founding in 1906. Services occur every Monday and Thursday for 30 minutes each, generally consisting of hymns, readings of various passages, and speeches from speakers of the community. However, some, such as the one on April 22nd, are dedicated to sharing songs and students’ musical talents with the community. These are called Musical Offering Chapel services, and occur twice per term.
The service itself consisted of both musical and spoken poetry. The poetic musical pieces included harmonious renditions of “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, composed by Ruth Elaine Schram and “And the Green Grass Grew” by William Jerome, with additional words by Donald Moore. “The Road Not Taken” is a famous narrative poem that was originally published in 1915. “And the Green Grass Grew” is a traditional folk poem first recorded in 1877. On the other hand, the recited poetry included “Love’s Growth” by John Donne and “Poem (Let Us Live)” by Joshua Jennifer Espinoza. These works were chosen by members of the community, students and faculty members alike, holding special significance to each reader who volunteered their contribution.
Reflecting on the service itself, Mrs. Kovacs, the Choral Program Director at Kent, remarked on the change of pace it offered: “Having two choirs perform (Amaryllis and Kent School Chamber Choir) was a nice change from our usual performance offerings – it’s usually solo musicians or small instrumental groups.” She adds, “The poetry readings interspersed with the musical offerings created a nice balance of sung text and spoken text.”
Adding to the service’s uniqueness, the works that were presented to the community were specifically selected and rehearsed in order to best convey the poetic message behind each work. Mrs. Kovacs, the Choral Program Director at Kent, stated that her goal was to make the words of each poetic work truly come alive through the music. To her singers, she emphasized the importance of singing with emotion. She explained that it was the true duty of the singers to best understand and convey the sentiments of the author in dynamically blending beautiful melodies with meaningful words.
Through these poetic mediums, the service allowed for the entire community to share collective introspective moments together, reflecting on the words of each piece. It was as beautiful and tranquil as it was critical and profound. Having been one of the last Chapel services of April, it appropriately brought the month to a close; students left the service having appreciated both the harmonious notes of songs along with the deeper literary meanings within.
