Blog - Page 21 of 26 - Sarah Bereza

Image shows podcast cover with text: Music and the Church with Sarah Bereza. At sarah-bereza.com

Musical Training for Priests and Other Topics in Orthodox Church Music, with Harrison Russin, on Music and the Church Ep. 11

Interview: We discuss the musical training of ministerial students with Harrison Russin, Lecturer in Liturgical Music and Dean’s Fellow at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (Yonkers, NY). He also shares his experience directing a choir in non-metrical chants; surveys the (many!) kinds of Orthodox music heard in churches across the U.S.; and explains why some Orthodox churches …

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8 Ways to Plan Lenten Music, on Music and the Church Ep. 10

3 Steps to an Easy Hymn Sing

Hymn sings can be grand affairs, with special anthems combining choir with congregation, extra instrumentalists to plan for and rehearse, and scripture readings to coordinate with the hymns’ themes. But a hymn sing can also be very easy to plan and host. Here’s the 3 basic steps:

The Hillsong Movement Examined, Part 2, a Music and the Church Bonus Episode

In this bonus episode of Music and the Church, Dr. Tanya Riches continues discussing The Hillsong Movement Examined: You Call Me Out Upon the Waters, a new collection of essays that she and Dr. Tom Wagner co-edited. Earlier in Episode 8, Tanya talked about Hillsong’s music, how women lead worship in the church, and how she …

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Writing Process: 2 Weapons to Fight Writer’s Block

Writing a first draft can be a sure way to experience writer’s block (and get a really clean kitchen). But last year I discovered two tools that free up my thinking: Blank printer paper and 5×8 legal pads.

11 Essentials for a Choir Rehearsal Space, on Music and the Church Ep. 9

Choir rooms need a lot more than chairs and a piano to function well for musicians—they need storage for anthems, places for information (like a white board), and most important of all: a flat surface for cookies. Listen for 11 choir rehearsal space essentials, plus two bonus ideas.

Writing Process: Book Progress

Since the summer, I’ve had a book outline up on the wall in my son’s bedroom. Little snips of index cards, stuck to the wall with blue painter’s tape. I often think about this book project (it’s one of two I’m working on—this one is based in my doctoral research on music in fundamentalist Christianity). …

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The Hillsong Movement Examined with Tanya Riches, on Music and the Church Ep. 8

Theologian and musician Tanya Riches discusses the new book, The Hillsong Movement Examined: You Call Me Out Upon the Waters, which she co-edited with Tom Wagner. This collection of 15 essays is the first scholarly book about Hillsong Church, a Pentecostal church with roots in Sydney, Australia. In our interview, Tanya discusses music at the church, …

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Social Media for Church Musicians with David Sinden, on Music and the Church Ep. 7

Why use social media? Because it’s is a way to share your and your church’s ministry with others, especially people in your congregation. Today’s interview is with David Sinden, the Organist & Director of Music at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in St. Louis, Missouri, and co-host of the podcast All Things Rite and Musical.