Aims and Objectives

Syriac Music Institute Aims, Goals and Objectives


Syriac Music Institute’s purpose is to promote the preservation and growth of the ancient Syriac sacred musical tradition as one of the world’s oldest chant traditions composed in Aramaic, a language that was spoken by Jesus two thousands years ago. In order to achieve its goal, the institute carries out innovative educational projects which globalize Syriac music, making it available through every medium, namely the Internet, making it simple for students and laymen alike to access the Institute’s resources from every university, classroom, library and home.

The following are the institute's main aims, goals and objectives:

  • To bring about a systematic and ordered enhancement of the Liturgical and devotional music of the Syriac Orthodox Church.
  • To conduct training camps at Central Diocesan and District levels in Church Music, so as to assist the Orthodox Church in retrieving and preserving its ancient musical heritage.
  • To provide courses, seminars and workshops on Syriac Sacred Cant.
  • To develop the expertise and leadership qualities of choir directors and members which will better enable them to organize choirs in their respective parishes and thereby bring about a uniformity and standard in the hymnody of the Orthodox Church.
  • To facilitate the research and scientific study of ancient Syriac; Non-Syriac and Eastern-Western Music and their respective historical developments, contributions and influences.
  • To recover and popularize ancient Liturgical Music and its tunes.
  • To produce quality audio and video recordings in order to broaden the appeal of Syriac Sacred Chant.
  • To publish journals, periodicals and bulletins aimed at encouraging the scholarly and scientific study of music, thereby leading to its enrichment.
  • To raise funds and sources to further the above objectives and to facilitate the setting up of a modern recording studio.
  • To create a standard Hymnal for all churches of the American dioceses.
  • To transcribe/notate and organize the Beth Gazo (Treasury of Chants), the Shimo (Weekly Office) and other liturgical books via a systemic and academic approach.
  • To institute a program of study at American universities to teach the theories and methods of Syriac music.

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