For the past two summers, my volunteer church choir has enjoyed singing on Sundays throughout the summer. Besides singing easier anthems that they are already familiar with, I’ve been on the hunt for anthems that they can learn in a ~35 minute rehearsal before the service. Oh – and the anthems have to be musically …
Singing heals our spirits and bodies as we breath and tune our voices together. It isn’t a metaphor for community but literally is embodied community. And while the pandemic has been difficult for everyone, it has been especially hard for all of us vocalists who haven’t been able to sing chorally—we couldn’t engage in this …
8 Ways to Help Your Choir Heal After Many Months Apart Read More »
I am so delighted to be talking with author Andy Thomas about his new book Resounding Body: Building Christlike Church Communities through Music. So often we think that a great church music program must be heavy on financial resources, but he “encourages music leaders to step up and persevere in low-resource contexts, and challenges all …
Last week I “spent out” the sheet music budget for the music ministry program I direct. Most of the music won’t be used until we’re worshipping in-person again. so I consider this purchase an act of hope for a future filled with in-person music making! That said though, I’m planning to do virtual choir anthems …
Spending Out Your 2020 Music Budget? Here Are the 23 Choral Anthems I Bought This Year. Read More »
In this episode, Dr. Adan Fernandez shares his positive approach to virtual rehearsals and performances.
Last summer, I spent 10 hours driving from St. Louis to Chicago and back. To pass the time, I skimmed through a stack of CDs from E. C. Schirmer, ECS Publishing Group, and Morningstar. Whenever something caught my ear, I wrote down the track number. And now, a year later, here’s the list! Sixteen choral …
16 Sacred Choral Music Finds (Plus 2 for Violin and Organ) Read More »
On today’s episode, Jessica French shares her compositions, how her compositional process is influenced by synesthesia, as well as her work as a soprano and music educator.
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 »
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 »
