Fall 2009 | Volume 68, No. 1

Then & Now: The Crescendo of Past to Present

by Keith Collier

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Like a musical masterpiece, Southwestern’s legacy of training men and women for music ministry plays as a collection of movements composed by God. The tempo and rhythm in the School of Church Music have adjusted to the needs of local churches for nearly 100 years.

Although music had been taught in its classes as early as 1910, Southwestern became the first Southern Bapt-ist seminary to offer leadership training in church music when it created the Department of Gospel Music in 1915. President L.R. Scarborough hired I.E. Reynolds, a music evangelist with the Home Mission Board, to lead this bold endeavor. Reynolds would serve as director—equivalent to the dean position of today—of Southwestern’s music school for the next 30 years.

From its inception, Reynolds told Scarborough that the curriculum would be based on three emphases: spiritual and evangelistic fervor, scholarly and efficient musicianship, and practicality in application. Although expressed in many forms, these emphases have guided Southwestern’s instruction of music throughout the years and remain the focal point of the School of Church Music today.

Five students enrolled that first year in the two-year program composed of music and theology classes. In 1917, two students in the music department received the first Diploma of Gospel Music. The following year, a bachelor’s program was started, and by 1920, the first Bachelor of Gospel Music was awarded.

Southwestern launched the first school of music in the Southern Baptist Convention in 1921 when it renamed the Department of Gospel Music the School of Gospel Music. A master’s degree program was added in 1922, with the first degree awarded in 1924.

On the crisp, cold evening of Dec. 20, 1921, a music school tradition was born when Southwestern conducted its first performance of Handel’s Messiah. The annual presentation has continued uninterrupted for nearly 90 years, becoming synonymous with the Christmas season at Southwestern. Free admission to the performance draws individuals from all over the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex to hear this Scripture-filled, Christ-centered oratorio.

The music school flourished during the 1920s, as requests from across the nation for musicians for revivals, denominational meetings, full-time music leaders, and music faculty demonstrated the school’s reputation for producing students of the highest quality.

In honor of her late husband, Mrs. George E. Cowden donated $150,000 to Southwestern in 1925 for the pur-pose of constructing a building for sacred music on campus. At the cost of $335,000, Cowden Hall was completed in 1926 and served the needs of the seminary not only for its music school but also for offices, classrooms, and a chapel.

Also in 1926, a greater understanding of the vast history of sacred music prompted the music faculty to change the name to the School of Sacred Music. The seminary announced the purpose of the School of Sacred Music was to train “efficient musicians, theoretically, technically, and practically for every type of service in the field of Sacred Music, from the smallest mission to the most cultured and refined church.”

The original principles still guided the school’s decisions and effectiveness, but the name change more accu-rately reflected the mission of the school. A later name change to the School of Church Music in 1957 more clear-ly defined its role, as affirmed by seminary president Robert Naylor’s assurance to trustees in 1961 “that the basic philosophy of the church music program was not that of a music conservatory, but in the teaching of talented, called musicians for service in the churches.”

Southwestern’s music school has always exemplified a desire to use music to further the Gospel. In 1954, Southwestern graduates helped pioneer an innovative evangelism strategy when Donald and Violet Orr became the Foreign Mission Board’s first music missionaries. For the next 40 years, more than 100 Southwesterners served as music missionaries around the world.

The road to accreditation for the school began with I.E. Reynolds and was completed under the leadership of James C. McKinney, dean of the School of Church Music from 1957 to 1994. Southwestern became a charter member of the Texas Association of Music Schools in 1939, paving the way for future accreditation. The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) granted Southwestern’s music school full membership in 1966, making it the first music school of any denomination to receive this accreditation.

McKinney also led the school to strengthen and add degree programs. In 1973, the Bachelor of Church Music was strengthened and updated to become the Master of Church Music. The Doctor of Musical Arts was launched in 1961 and the Ph.D. program began in 1993, giving Southwestern new opportunities to train future music edu-cators. Approximately 80 School of Church Music alumni are currently serving as music professors in colleges and universities around the world.

As the school grew, the need for a music library arose. In 1992, through generous financial gifts, the Kathryn Sullivan Bowld Music Library was completed as a 30,000-square-foot addition to Cowden Hall. With more than 400,000 holdings of books, octavos, scores, and recordings, the library contains one of the world’s most exhaustive collections of sacred music.

In recent years, additional degree programs and concentrations have been added, including the Master of Arts in Worship and concentrations in worship and missions within the Master of Music.

With the addition of Stephen Johnson as dean in 2005, the School of Church Music continues on its upward trend, seeking to amplify the glory of God in every class, every performance, and every student. He led the faculty to evaluate curricula in the master’s-level as well as doctoral programs to ensure that students excel in music and theology. Additionally, the Bachelor of Arts in Music in the College at Southwestern began in 2007, opening the door again for undergraduate work within the music school.

William Mac Davis, associate dean for the performance division and chair of the music theory and composition department, has taught at Southwestern since 1979 and has witnessed the growth of the school. Impressed by the exceptional academics and professionalism that characterized Southwestern’s faculty and students when he first arrived, Davis still sees that continue today.

Davis believes these high musical standards coupled with a focus on theology and ministry have propelled the school for the past 30 years.  These principles help the school navigate the ever-changing trends within church music.

“One of the strengths of this school has been that we have been able to stay with the trends but yet maintain a very strong foundation not only from the spiritual, theological standpoint but also from the musical standpoint. One of the worst things you can do is pick out a particular trend that is going on right now and teach to that. What do you do in five years when that’s not the trend anymore? Immediately, all of your people are obsolete.”

By developing a good ear and an understanding of music theory, Davis says students “can handle anything from Beethoven to Paul Baloche.”

Additionally, Davis believes support for music education from seminary administration has helped keep the school thriving. Davis says each of the three seminary presidents he’s served under has supported the music school, and Dr. Patterson’s strong support is paving the way for a brighter future.

“There’s just no doubt about that,” Davis says. “[Dr. Patterson] has been a strong advocate for us. I don’t mean just talking about us, but I also mean in financial support and public support of all kinds. I think he and Mrs. Patterson have been tremendous supporters of the School of Church Music, and I know we’re all very grateful for that.”

Poised for great things in the 21st century, the School of Church Music continues to build on the strong foundations set at the turn of the 20th century.

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