You know the old joke: if you want to make God laugh, tell God your plans. Be that as it may, here’s how I’m planning for the fall. Not the usual hymns + anthems + a few handbell pieces, but plans nonetheless. Yes, the plans will change, but sometimes it’s good to imagine the possibilities. (Plus, …
How I’m Planning for the Fall, on Music and the Church with Sarah Bereza Ep. 51 Read More »
It’s often easier to change while we’re already in the midst of change because our old habits and systems are in flux. Bill and Sarah talk about using this changing season to think through our systems at church.
A snapshot of where we are in terms of emotions and how we’re planning/not-planning, then a longer conversation about starting (or hopefully, continuing) anti-racist work in our churches starting with one-on-one relationships.
What does music ministry look like – sound like – right now? Whatever your answer, it’s certainly different from what it would have been earlier this year. On this episode, Brian Hehn and I discuss leaning into our identities as music ministers, and why that focus is an important aspect of our work as church …
Music Ministry with Brian Hehn, on Music and the Church with Sarah Bereza Ep. 50 Read More »
Online worship, nimbly opening (while expecting future closures), and planning in a season of flux.
I’m a long-term planner at heart. I’ve got my five-year-plan, my yearly plan, my weekly plan – you get the picture. (Y’all, I finished planning Christmas Eve 2020 on the night of Christmas Eve 2019 because I couldn’t sleep!) No surprise, the ongoing uncertainty around worship services has thrown a wrench in my usual process. …
Last summer, my colleagues and I at First Congregational of St. Louis developed a creative, intergenerational worship series. Then, the four of us – Hannah Rice and Emily Stokes, plus Bill and I – turned the series into a 14-week curriculum for other congregations to use. In this episode, the four of us talk about …
A Neighborhood Summer, on Getting to Nimble Ep. 23 Read More »
If you want to make an easier, lower-tech virtual choir video, try recording the video on a Zoom call. Here’s the gist of it (details are below): Mix an audio recording of your choir members’ individual parts. Then, record a Zoom call with everyone lip-synching to the accompaniment track. (To see everyone in the Zoom …
An Easier Way to Make a Virtual Choir Video + How I Edit Audio in Audacity Read More »
Changing our musical habits is hard (and oddly enough right now, maybe both easier and harder than ever). In this episode, we talk with Paul Vasile about being open to musical change and helping others embrace the new, even when they’re sure they only want what they already know.
We’re putting church music online – whether we want to or not. Fortunately, we’re finding lots of grace and permission to fail as we figure out what on earth we’re doing! Craig Harmann and I talk about our mindsets as we live in this new season of life as church music directors.