Jim Cole ’83: Liturgical Musician Thrilled to Have Two Songs Published

It was clear to all who knew him at the Prep that Jim Cole ’83 would be involved in the arts. Not only did he appear on stage with Cape and Sword, but he was also a part of the liturgical music program, playing the organ in the Church of the Gesu for school Masses. Now, 40-plus years later, he continues to imbue liturgies with music as director of music at a parish in Central Jersey and has recently published two of his own hymns, a major achievement in his profession. 

“Many church music directors also compose music for their choirs or write arrangements of a hymn to fill a need in the choir’s repertoire,” Cole says. “Perhaps you need an Advent piece for your small handbell choir or you’d like an arrangement of a hymn that fits the needs of your children’s choir. I have been doing that for years. Then, I’ll send them to publishers on the off chance that they’d like to publish them. You wait three months and then usually get a rejection letter. About a year ago, I was shocked to get an email from GIA Publishing that they were going to publish two choral arrangements I had recently submitted.”

 

Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head is based on an Appalachian Christmas carol and My Hope, My Salvation, My All is based on an American folk tune. “The orchestrations came about because I needed to supply our instrumentalists with parts,” he says. “When our group plays at Mass, I write out instrumental parts for each of them. I find it works best if I orchestrate for a full orchestra (woodwinds, brass, percussion, strings), and then distribute the parts to whoever is there that day. Any combination works as long as you have the piano or organ playing its part, which is the glue that holds it all together.”

 

Cole’s artistic talents were certainly present during his time at the Prep. The only student from Gloucester City at that time, Cole first got to know the Prep during pre-8th in the summer of 1978. Once on campus, he became involved in the chess club and photography. During his junior year, he became a part of the German Exchange Program, hosting an exchange student.

 

During Cole’s senior year at the Prep, he began to solidify his passions for music and theater. He played the organ at school Masses and was part of the newly formed school choir. That same year, he also became a part of a rejuvenated Cape and Sword Drama Club under scholastics Peter Ryan, S.J. and Clayton Railey, S.J. 

 

“Mr. Ryan directed the play A Man for All Seasons in the fall of ’82 and I played Will Roper, Sir Thomas More’s argumentative son-in-law,” Cole says. “In the spring, Mr. Railey directed The Music Man, in which I played Prof. Harold Hill. The production didn’t have a musical director, so with my background (piano lessons, chorus, and music theory classes at the Settlement Music School in South Philly), I volunteered to teach the barbershop quartet their parts. This was my first time leading a musical ensemble, albeit in a small way, but it laid the groundwork for directing ensembles in college and beyond.”

 

The artistic bug followed him to college at Northwestern University, where he joined a choir at the Sheil Catholic Center. He also pursued acting while living in Chicago and working at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). After a few years, he moved back east, first to New York City and to then Bloomfield, N.J., planning to continue acting. However, joining a church choir in Montclair led to his first working as an interim liturgical music director, and “that’s when I started thinking about doing this full time,” Cole says. 

 

A full-time position opened up at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Whitehouse Station, N.J., in 2001. “Although I had had some success in acting and theatre in New York, I thought this would be an opportunity to work steadily in a field that allowed me to be creative, continue in my love of music, and serve the people of the Church,” he says. Cole has been there ever since; today he directs a children’s choir, youth choir, handbell choirs, adult choir, and a chamber orchestra, as well as being the organist and pianist for each Mass.

 

“My daily parish work has allowed me to join with other music ministers and directors from the diocese and beyond to collaborate on several projects,” Cole says. “This past summer, I founded and directed the first annual NPM (National Association of Pastoral Musicians) Metuchen Summer Choral Festival. Over 40 singers from around the Diocese of Metuchen joined together for five days of intensive rehearsals culminating in a concert of 10 challenging pieces of sacred choral music. I directed four of the pieces, while two colleagues from other parishes directed the rest. As much as I enjoyed directing this special choir, I also enjoyed singing for and learning from my colleagues as they directed their music selections.”

 

Now, with two songwriting credits to his name, Cole continues to grow in a career that he loves.  He fondly remembers many of his Prep days, especially teachers such as:

While those teachers made a positive impact, Cole laughingly remembers one retiring teacher who was not particularly fond of him and his classmates. “I won’t mention him by name but he ended our final class by saying ‘I’ve been teaching at the Prep for decades and now I’m retiring. Today is my last day and I’d like to tell you that you guys are the best class I ever had. But I can’t. Because you guys are the WORST class I’ve ever had. You guys are rockheads!’ Well, I hope that if he were around today, he’d find we haven’t disappointed him too much.”

Jim Cole lives in Bethlehem, PA with his wife Jennifer and children, John and Madline.