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See our New Cantor Advisor Articles!

Welcome to the NPM Cantors' Section

The Standing Committee for Cantors works to serve the needs of approximately 2400 cantors in NPM. As a community of peers, we hope to empower cantors to embrace our role as leaders of prayer and animators of the community's worship and work collaboratively with music directors and individually to develop our skills as pastoral musicians. We encourage cantors to take responsibility for our development and serve as mentors to others entering this ministry.

To assist in this development, our homepage includes the following features:

Resources: This section offers reading lists for both beginning and experienced cantors, including cantor textbooks, as well as books and articles on voice, Scripture, the psalms, pastoral ministry, and other related topics.
Cantor Advisor: This section addresses questions frequently asked by cantors and will be updated regularly.See the lastest article posted Animation: The Key to Good Cantoring by Mary Lynn Pleczkowski.
E-mail Address: Please feel free to contact us at NPMCantors@npm.org with questions or comments. A member of the Standing Committee will respond as soon as possible.

After much planning and wide-spread discussion the Certification Sub-Committee is pleased to announce that the Basic Cantor Certificate has been approved! This assessment seeks to encourage cantors to develop the skills necessary for more effective ministry and to strengthen our identity and commitment as leaders of prayer.

Study and formation are critical to cantor development. While this begins at the parish level, cantors are encouraged to seek out programs offered by diocesan offices and the NPM Cantor Express program, presented in various locations througout the country each year. Cantors are further encouraged to subscribe to The Liturgical Singer, an NPM newsletter edited by Mary Lynn Pleczkowski, that features articles specifically for cantors, choirs, ensemble singers, presiders, and deacons.

We hope you find this site useful and that you will visit often. Best wishes in your ministry.

In peace,

Joe Simmons, Chair
NPM Standing Committee for Cantors