Advice please!!!
I'm a church choir director... I have an adult choir and a children's choir. The children's choir is made of about 20 kids, with an age range of 4 - 15. The congregation is mostly West Indian... I am VERY white.
Today during children's choir rehearsal I introduced a new song - an African Spriritual - that I did when I was in children's choir in MY church growing up. We loved singing it, the congregation (pretty much all white) loved it, and we did it well, so naturally I thought my kids would like it. *NOT* because of the color of their skin, but because I like this piece. It didn't go over well because the kids aren't enthusiastic about anything. On the way out I overheard two kids talking (I didn't see which ones) and one kid said "Why do we have to do an African song?" and the other one said "because we're black."
I take offense to this because I don't look at them as BLACK kids, but just kids, and I chose it because I like the song. I'm not sure how to handle this... any advice would be appreciated.
Today during children's choir rehearsal I introduced a new song - an African Spriritual - that I did when I was in children's choir in MY church growing up. We loved singing it, the congregation (pretty much all white) loved it, and we did it well, so naturally I thought my kids would like it. *NOT* because of the color of their skin, but because I like this piece. It didn't go over well because the kids aren't enthusiastic about anything. On the way out I overheard two kids talking (I didn't see which ones) and one kid said "Why do we have to do an African song?" and the other one said "because we're black."
I take offense to this because I don't look at them as BLACK kids, but just kids, and I chose it because I like the song. I'm not sure how to handle this... any advice would be appreciated.