OYH: Episode 4 - Pilgrim's Progress - Episode Highlights & Insights of I'm a Pilgrim (feat. Jonathan Coo)

Tin the first three episodes, we have talked about the hymn writer’s life, the lyrics and and its deeper meaning, as well as its’ music and origin.

In this 4th and final episode, we interview Professor Jonathan Coo and the importance and relevance of hymns in today’s society. We also re-listen to to the arrangements that have made this hymn come alive.

The Progress of the Pilgrim

Learning hymns first starts with you. With me and when you’re interested in it, then you share it with family. Then your family shares it with the church and the church shares it with a community. It’s a ripple effect and many times we have a mindset of what can we benefit from the church? But have we ever thought of what the church can benefit from us? And I don’t mean to brag or show off our skills and resources, but what can we do in the simplest of ways to keep our brothers and sisters encouraged in this pilgrim journey we are in?

Learning hymns, understanding them, and singing them together is a great way to do this. In fact, it has been scientifically proven that by singing together in a group contributes tremendously for our, the good of our wellbeing. We’re going to unpack how precisely it does, but just so you know, the musical structure of the hymnal, as simple as it is, really facilitates congregational singing.

Also, music leaders and worship leaders should work together to make worship parts related together. One united front and message helps the congregation to have something tangible. You have the central message of the hour. All other parts should relate to that. The Sabbath school lesson and all things should relate to that. Sometimes we cram so many things in the program and so many different messages not relating to each other and so it’s the job of the presider and the musicians to bridge these gaps through the songs and the short speaking parts.

And so anyway, this is not the end of the series, but rather the end of, uh, discussing “I’m a Pilgrim”.

[fusebox_transcript]

Timestamps

In this episode, we explored:

8:00 – Speaker’s welcome remarks.

9:00 – Review of 1st episode; Mary Dana Schindler.

10:17 – Review of 2nd episode; The hymn “I’m a Pilgrim” is expounded.

10:42 – The pilgrimage of the early Adventists.

12:00 – An Interview with Davin Bennett about James White’s story recalling Brother Gurney.

13:25 – Review on the third episode; Music origin of “I’m a Pilgrim”.

15:00 – Melody of “I’m a Pilgrim” played.

15:46 – Hymns represents our beliefs.

17:33 – Formation of Church music by Ambrose.

20:03 – Importance of organizing the Song Service with the hymnals helpful tools.

21:00 – Sample arrangements of the hymn “I’m a Pilgrim”.

21:29 – The original tune of “I’m a Pilgrim” taken from Buona Notte.

23:53 – The Graph; Trending statistics of “I’m a Pilgrim”

24:31 – The King’s Herald version of “I’m a Pilgrim”.

28:14 – Short tips for leading the song service.

28:40 – “I’m a Pilgrim” sung by The Andrews University Singers.

31:22 – Irene Bennett collaborating with other composers and arrangers.

34:00 – “I’m a Pilgrim” by Alejandro Consolacion; performed by Irene Bennett.

38:02 – The Interview with Prof. Batanes, Sir Jonathan Coo.

40:17 – The importance of hymn in our church and it’s relevance in our time.

Meet Jonathan Coo

Jonathan Coo, is a seasoned piano professor who has left an indelible mark on the academic landscape in the Philippines. Jonathan’s extensive career spans teaching at prominent institutions, Such as Santa Isabel College, Philippine Women’s University, St. Paul University, Adventist University of the Philippines, and Ateneo de Manila University. Now, not just a teacher, but a tireless advocate. He actively champions music education through his involvement with MTMA, the Music Teachers National Alliance. His focus on bringing workshops and masterclasses to teachers beyond Manila reflects his commitment to inclusivity in the world of music education.

[00:38:56] Adding another note to his repertoire, Sir Jonathan has taken to the airwaves with a captivating radio show, Radio Katipunan 87. 9, exploring diverse music topics and we know him there as Prof. Batanes. Today, our conversation with Sir Coo is particularly special as we delve into the heart of the matter, the hymns in church, and as a renowned piano teacher and someone deeply entrenched in the musical fabric of our community, Sir Coo, or Jonathan, sheds his light on the importance of learning hymns, exploring their significance in both education and worship.