Bert Polman

Bert Polman
musicology, department chair, Music
(616) 526-6023
bdp5@calvin.edu
CFAC 258

Educational background

Ph.D. (1981), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN; major in Musicology, minor in Interdisciplinary Studies; disserta¬tion: Church Music & Liturgy in the Christian Reformed Church of North America (Advisor: Dr. Johannes Riedel)
Post-graduate studies (1972-73), Institute for Christian Studies, Toronto, ON; concentration in Aesthetics under Dr. Calvin Seerveld
Graduate studies (1969-72), University of Minnesota, Minne¬apolis, MN; course work & research for the Ph.D. in musicology
M.A. (1969), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN; major in Music History
B.A. (1968), Dordt College, Sioux Center, IA; major in Music Education

Selected Teaching Experience

2005-present: Professor & Chair of Music; Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI
Senior Research Fellow; Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
1985-2005: Associate Professor [1985] & Professor of Music [1992]; Redeemer University College, Ancaster, ON, Canada

Courses Taught

MUSC-236 — Hymnology

Academic Interests

Selected Research & Scholarship

I have devoted much of my professional life beyond the classroom to editorial work on the following five hymnals: Psalter Hymnal (CRC Publications, 1987); The Worshiping Church, a Hymnal (Hope Publishing, 1990); Songs for LiFE (CRC Publications, 1994); Amazing Grace: Hymn Texts for Devotional Use (Westminster John Knox Press, 1994); and Sing! A New Creation (CRC Publications, 2001). These volumes also contain examples of my original hymn texts, tunes, and harmonizations. My magnum opus in hymnology is the Psalter Hymnal Handbook (CRC Publications, 1998) for which I was the primary author and then co-editor with Emily Brink.

I've served on the Executive Committee of the Hymn Society for four years, edited the Hymn Society's monograph on Canadian Native hymnody, publish periodically in The Hymn journal, and frequently contribute to the Hymn Society's annual conferences.

I've served on the editorial council of the journal Reformed Worship in which I publish periodically, and served as a member and chair of the Christian Reformed denominational Worship Committee. I've had a major role in the five large-scale Worship Conferences (COLAM) of the Christian Reformed Church since 1979, and have directed and taken part in a number of the regional COLAM events, and similar worship and church music conferences. I’ve conducted workshops periodically at Calvin College’s annual Symposium on Worship and the Arts.

I've served a number of times as a primary lecturer at the Milk & Honey Festival held annually in June at Redeemer University College. In June-July of 1996 I did research on Hildegard von Bingen as a participant in a Calvin College Summer Faculty Seminar in Christian Scholarship. I was the director of the Magnify the Lord conference on worship and church music which was held at Redeemer University College during July 14-15, 2000. I returned to Calvin College for a month-long seminar on The Arts & the Practice of Worship during July of 2002.

There are two current writing projects that occupy my time: a book on musical settings of the Magnificat or Song of Mary, The Magnificat in Music, and a smaller volume of commentary on select contemporary Christian Praise-Worship songs.

Professional Services

Community Service [non-academic]

1972-present: Consultations with church committees, pastors, musicians, & publishers
1980-1983: Elder & clerk of Consistory, Fellowship Christian Reformed Church, Rexdale, ON
June 1981: Elder delegate to the Christian Reformed Synod from Classis Toronto
1981-1984: Member, Board of Trustees, Toronto Central Chris¬tian School, Toronto, ON
1987-1991: Member, Citizens' Advisory Committee, Terry¬berry Public Library, Hamilton, ON
1990-2002: Canadian business agent for the Hymn Society in the USA & Canada