“What would happen if students composed their own liturgical music?” This is the same question Professors J.J. Wright, director of the Notre Dame Folk Choir, and Kim Belcher, associate professor of theology, asked each other in spring 2024. The result? Notre Dame’s new course, Rhythms of Faith.

Rhythms of Faith is the latest addition to the thousands of courses offered at Notre Dame, fulfilling both the Developmental Theology (WKDT) and Catholicism and the Disciplines (CAD) university-wide core curriculum requirements.

Born from a teaching fellowship with the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, the course examines what it means to be Church, and how to examine that from critical and creative lenses.

If you have no experience in music, no worries. According to Wright, none is needed. “What we look for is curiosity, openness, and a willingness to take creative leaps," he says. "The whole point is to see what happens when you bring your authentic self to the table, trust your classmates, and learn by doing.”

Taught by Wright and Belcher, the first part of the course focuses on liturgical studies. Half of each class is led by Belcher and spent exploring the foundations of global liturgical tradition in Catholicism and how it applies to student experiences of liturgy as young people in the modern world.

During the second half of the course, Wright teaches the basics of choral singing and songwriting, as well as simple music terminology. Much of the work centers around the Psalms and the Liturgy of the Hours, but examples from contemporary pop music are included as well.

The course brings the two halves together as student groups create their own piece of liturgical music for a final class liturgy. During the fall semester, since the liturgy was held during final exams week, the class decided together to theme the liturgy around a turn to hope for the future.

Each piece was developed and revised through a series of workshops with the professors, teaching assistants, and the entire class. For Belcher, her favorite part of teaching this course was, “definitely hearing the musical pieces and participating in the final liturgy. Every time a group would present, I felt a sense of awe.”

Overall, the class quickly became a favorite among its students, who appreciated its spirit of creativity and inclusivity.

Asher Martin '27, a chemical engineering student who is also a member of the Folk Choir, reflects on his experience in the course. “I learned how much each person has to offer to the creative and musical process, even though they may not fully realize how much they can contribute.”

Brandon Behnke '27, a business analytics and film, television, and theatre double major, concurs, noting that, “it felt like a space where everyone’s voice mattered.”

For students interested in exploring this intersection between theology and music, Wright offers that Rhythms of Faith is the place to do so without the fear of imperfection or judgment: “The biggest lesson is that, at Notre Dame, you have the freedom to explore new territory and discover unexpected gifts in yourself and others.”

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