Teaching with Respect, with author Stephen Sieck, on Music and the Church Ep. 27
We might be the experts in the room, and our expertise is valuable, but so are experiences of the people we lead.
Artist Residencies and Concert Series in the Church, with Chelsea Chen, on Music and the Church Ep. 26
What are artists-in-residence and how can they benefit churches and musicians? Learn from concert organist Chelsea Chen about artist residencies and visioning for concert series. Chelsea Chen has held Artist-in-Residence positions at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Manhattan and Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fr. Lauderdale, FL). She draws on her experiences there as well as in …
GEMS: Two Tuneful Choral Anthems
Choir rehearsals started last week (yay!) and two of our fall anthems are total earworms. You know it’s a catchy melody when your toddler keeps asking you to sing to to him! First up: “Awake, My Heart” by Jane M. Marshall One of the delights of a new job is going through the anthems your …
Congregational Participation at Mass, with Mary Catherine Levri, on Music and the Church Ep. 25
Church services can be incredibly distracting places, especially for leaders—you’re in the choir, you’re reading the scriptures, you’re leading prayers, you’re preaching the sermon. What does it mean for us participate with our hearts—not just our lips!—when we’re busy with mundane things like adjusting a microphone or remembering a last minute announcement?
Global Song and the Universal Church, with Marissa Glynias Moore, on Music and the Church Ep. 24
If you’re in a majority-white American church, singing global songs like “Siyahamba” brings up questions like — “Is singing this cultural appropriation or ethnotourism?” and “What is the relationship between global song and the universal Church?”
What I Learned from a 6 Week + 2 Week Work Cycle
This summer, I tried a 6 week + 2 week work cycle for the first time. And I loved it enough that I’m doing it again. Here’s what is it: make plans and goals for a 6 week time frame, and give yourself 2 weeks of buffer afterward to tie up loose ends, rest, and …
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The 5 Books I Loved This Summer
This summer I started leaving books around the house and reading them in little bursts while I watched my toddler play. There’s still a stack on my nightstand, but having them in other places has made for more book time (and less screen time). Here’s the 5 books I loved most this summer, plus some …
Current events influence the music I choose. Here’s why.
Around the fourth of July, we church musicians like to debate whether we should program “patriot music” if the choice is up to us. But the question isn’t really about “patriotic music.” The questions is: should we base our musical choices on Scripture readings only? Or, should we also consider current events and civic concerns …
Current events influence the music I choose. Here’s why. Read More »
“Working On” versus “Working In” Your Church Music Program
Recently on the Happier podcast, I heard of the distinction between working in your business and working on your business. To me, that’s the big difference between summers and the rest of the year for church musicians. In fact, I think this distinction helps us conceptualize the work we do for other church programs that …
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