Written by Don Byrd
In Wausau County, Wisconsin, a dispute is growing louder over the school district’s recent decision to limit the amount of sacred music that can be performed at school concerts. As a result of the new rules, concerts were cancelled and one popular school choir was temporarily placed on hiatus. As you might expect, the move has angered some community members and organizations, with typical battle lines being drawn. The Alliance Defending Freedom wrote a letter decrying the Board’s move and urging them to undo it, explaining that the First Amendment does not require such an extreme effort to keep sacred music out of school concerts. Meanwhile, the Freedom From Religion Foundation wrote praising the Board’s decision and urging them to stand strong in the face of inevitable public pressures.
For their part, the Board met last night to hear the public’s concerns. They voted to back send concert responsibilities back to school principals, and to put new rules on hold while they craft a policy with public input. The Wausau Daily Herald has more here.
The problem of sacred music at public schools is not new. A thoughtful and balanced approach makes sense. On one hand, much of the historical literature of music is undeniably sacred. It’s place in musical and artistic tradition may make it an educationally appropriate part of a music curriculum. On the other hand, as a rabbi in the Wausau community said in the Daily Herald piece, forcing a Jewish student to sing a concert of all Christian music can be uncomfortable.
Schools would do well to take a measured and balanced approach when programming sacred music. How much of the concert includes sacred music? How diverse are the faiths represented? Is the piece entrenched in the historical tradition of choral literature?
Here is the advice offered in the First Amendment Center’s “Teacher’s Guide to Religion in the Public Schools,” a pamphlet endorsed by the Baptist Joint Committee.
The use of art, drama, music or literature with religious themes is permissible if it serves a sound educational goal in the curriculum. Such themes should be included on the basis of their academic or aesthetic value, not as a vehicle for promoting religious belief. For example, sacred music may be sung or played as part of the academic study of music. School concerts that present a variety of selections may include religious music. Concerts should avoid programs dominated by religious music, especially when these coincide with a particular religious holiday.
