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OBSERVATIONS ON NEARLY 50 YEARS OF MUSIC IN WORSHIP Founding class members, Dr. Ron Turner and Dr. Sandra Chucalo Turner, met and married while attending Baptist College. Their life is rich in music, worship and love. Currently Ron is Carolyn King Ragan professor of church music and chair of voice, and Sandra is professor of church music and chair of keyboard studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. Join them as they reminisce about BCC’s early days, changes in church music and the joy of creating music. ever, at the urging of Vic Lawson, who had been my high school band director, I realized that I needed to transfer and actually major in music, and that was at the right time, when David Cuttino offered me a voice scholarship Sandra: No. Although I studied piano from the age of to BCC to sing in the choir and accompany voice lessons. seven, and was a church organist from the age of 12, I aspired to become a physician (I liked the way the lab Q. How did your studies at BCC prepare you coats looked!). When I was ready to go to college, how- for your advanced degrees in music? ever, Baptist College offered me a full music scholarSandra: Mr. Oliver Yost, my piano teacher, really ship on the condition that I major in music and be accompanist for the College developed my piano technique. He was a stickler for Choir. For awhile I tried a double scales in 3rds, 6ths, and 10th, and all kinds of technical major in chemistry, but labs and exercises, but he also introduced me to Hindemith and piano practice competed for the other composers whose music I had never played. We same all-afternoon time commit- also had terrific training in music theory and music history from Victor Lawson and Mr. Yost. Mr. Lawson was a ment. In the end, music won. Ron: I actually felt called into taskmaster in theory, and that difficult theory training music ministry very early in my has paid off for our entire careers. Ron: I agree that our small music faculty of four profs teens, and was in fact the first minister of music at the First gave us a first-class music education. After my service in Baptist Church of Goose Creek at the U.S. Navy, when we wanted to do our master of the age of about 14. When it music degrees at Converse College, an excellent music came time to go to college, how- school, they at first were hesitant to accept Sandra and ever, the only scholarship offer I me, coming from the upstart Baptist College. BCC was received was to The Citadel, to not even fully accredited at that time. After our placebe the carilloneur and assistant ment exams, however, we were the only entering masto the Director of Music, Vernon ter’s students not to have to do remedial work. My voice Weston. After two years, how- training at BCC was with my teacher from the age of 13, Q. Did you know that you wanted to major in music when you began college? Was music a lifelong pursuit for you?
A PUBLICATION OF CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
“THERE’S NOTHING GREATER THAN A CONGREGATION REALLY SINGING ITS HEART OUT ON A GREAT HYMN.”
CSU magazine 9