What should we DO with patriotic holidays in the church? Celebrate them? Mention the occasion in a pastoral prayer? Run for the hills? Bill and I talk about the challenges of patriotic holidays and offer healthy ways to approach them. Transcript of our conversation below!
What a fun trip last week for the Christian Congregational Music Conference and the Three Choirs Festival – I am SO jetlagged, even after sleeping 9 (!) hours last night…. Here are some photos from my trip, the fantastic choral music I heard, plus an overview of my talk at the conference.
I’m in England this week for the Christian Congregational Music Conference! This is my third time at the conference – it happens every two years, and it’s just wonderful. This time around, I’m recording podcast interviews with the conference’s plenary speakers. (So over the next few months, you’ll see those pop up on Music and …
Hymnals and screens often get a knee-jerk response. Supposedly, either hymnals are for old fogeys or people staying true to the faith. And either screens are for people who hate hymns or people who want to use current tools in the church. But if we get past the surface arguments, we can explore what the …
Hymns: In Hymnals? On Screens? (Paperless?!) on Music and the Church Ep. 40 Read More »
It’s hot outside, and the church has left the building. How can we learn from the downsides of summer, and lean into the positives? Bill and I share how we make summer a productive season of the church year, starting with the big one: enjoy the breathing room.
Do you think people listen to song lyrics? Maybe? Maybe not? How about congregational singing: do you think people pay attention to the words they’re reading and singing? Honestly, I’m not convinced most people pay attention to the words, whether or not they’re singing or listening to someone else sing.
Let’s talk about earplugs. Do you wear them to church? To concerts? To rehearsals? Until recently, I didn’t wear them – and I didn’t know that “musician’s earplugs” existed.
Change is one of the great constants of the world – right up there with death, taxes, and the love of God. But even though it’s inevitable, we’re often reluctant to change, and get anxious when change happens. On this episode, Bill and I share strategies for how we’ve cultivated our own openness to change …
I love hymns. I can sing hundreds from memory. I’ve been a church musician for 20 years, always in churches that used “traditional” hymnody. I even did a PhD dissertation focused on Christian congregational music. BUT. I don’t love hymnals.
Back in undergrad, a professor asked my classmates and me to say how much we liked/didn’t like group projects. He said to rank them “from 1-5” so I ranked them “Zero,” and in case my meaning wasn’t clear, I added, “I hate them.” Then he put us students in three groups: one for the people …
I Used to Hate Group Projects, and Now I Collaborate All the Time. Here’s What Changed. Read More »