Several members of our group have attended a Roman Catholic religious service. Every Sunday night at 6:00 PM, here at High Point, there is a mass held in the Hayworth Chapel. One of our members also goes to church every Sunday and has been doing so for almost all of his life. It is absolutely evident that this religious experience is enhanced by music. Although there are hundreds, if not thousands of Hymns for this service, every week typically brings the same, or at least similar songs. It appears to be a list of around 20 or so songs that are cycled throughout the weeks of mass. There are 2 or 3 songs every week that are always sung during Church for specific reasons. The affect that the recurring songs have is that you always know what to expect when you attend the ceremony. You can often sing along and know the words, which is similar to the prayers that are spoken every week, too. The Catholic Church tends to gravitate towards the same experiences every time the people are brought together. This might be very different from other religions or branches of Christianity, but it just happens to be the way the Parishes operate. With all that being said though, the musical experiences in this gathering add to the communal spirituality of everyone. I wouldn't particularly say that deindividuation becomes present, but it all depends on the person and their purpose for being there. For instance, certain people go to mass for themselves. It can be a reflection of one's inner self and their experiences throughout the week. In that case, the musical experiences would function as background music, or maybe as a way for them to sift through their thoughts in a more fluid way. On the contrary, if one is attending mass to feel more connected to those around them, then joining in song could facilitate that experience. We truly believe that the goal of spirituality completely depends on the individual and their connection to that experience. It's hard to label exactly what that is for someone, but we can only offer our own interpretations to answer the question.
A religious event that I attended and based this project around was a “worship” in the Hayworth Chapel. This worship started at 8 and ran until about 8:45. The worship had four people in their band. These consisted of two guitarists, one drummer, and one other person who seemed to be working the computer and the screen displayed above the band. It was almost like karaoke as the lyrics would be switched on the screen above. There was a soft instrumental that played before the band was all set up. Then they started with an acoustic song. The song was very pleasing musically like I would expect it to be. It was soft and I would say that it was a sedative song. Something else that caught my attention was that the band encouraged the crowd to join them in singing after about the third time around the chorus. There was a type of creative freedom with the singers because I noticed the lead singer talking to the girl on the computer in between verses. Everyone in the pews could see the lyrics put on the screen by the girl on the computer within seconds. It seemed like the band almost freestyled in the sense of how long the songs went and how they played or did not play their instruments. This first song spoke to my spiritual and mental sense. The lyrics really stuck out as it was repetitive and almost basic. The lyrics talked about Jesus and our saving as human beings. They slowed down and stopped the instruments then said a few words. They introduced the next song and it was at a faster pace but still soft and sedative. There were more drums that the first song and it added a nice rhythm to the song. This song steered me toward spiritual and physical instead of mental. I thought so because of the strong yet general lyrics. They stopped again after the crowd involvement and said a few words then went on to the third and last song. The last song went on for a lot longer and at a slower pace. This one was very involved as most people sang along. The way that the songs were structured allowed for the lead singer to encourage viewers and make the songs their own. This last one was most definitely a spiritual piece. The lyrics were more of what you would expect if I went to an actual mass instead of a “worship.” The last one was spiritual of course but more mental as well. I was only lucky enough to talk and interview one person because the crowd quickly cleared after our talk. Joseph had gone to the event for the first time just like I had. We talked about our enjoyment of the show. He said that the music opened his eyes in a sense. He mostly enjoys country and pop music because that’s what he grew up on. I also asked about the growth of his music taste. He said that his music taste has changed a ton as a college student. I believe that the music played at the worship does enhance your spiritual experience. Just sitting in and listening to how beautiful the lyrics and sounds are kind of makes you pay attention to the words being spoken. The qualities of the music that did that for me would first be the instruments. The guitars almost seemed angelic and sacred to listen to. The bass line in the back was also subtle so that helps with enjoyment and experience. Last, the lyrics expanded on spiritual experience. They all had sacred language referring to “Him” and “He” which is how God is named. They talked about how He had saved us and other phrases relating to that. I believe that the music helped create a shared identity in the sense that I was joined by many people in attendance all doing the same thing. We were all together sharing the experience of worshipping God. I think this was a good experience to have done because it matured me spiritually. I do not attend church often and it felt relieving and helpful just going to the “worship.” This elevated my enjoyment and I’m happy our section was able to do this project.