You’ve got your choir’s sheet music organized and filed away (hopefully by accession number). You’ve even got a database so you can easily find what you’re looking for. But how do you know what to look for in the first place, especially if you aren’t familiar with every single piece in your library? Enter: a …
You Need a Choral Reference Library. Here’s How to Make One. Read More »
It’s that time of year! If you’re looking for Lenten musical resources, here’s a roundup of what I have on my site:
Last year I bought Dorico for my church job. It’s a relatively new music notation software that my colleagues have been raving about. The church didn’t own notation software already, so I decided to take the plunge and buy it instead of Finale. Here’s the Verdict Up Front It’s great for my church music purposes. …
Why I Switched from Finale to Dorico for My Church Music Program Read More »
I’m in a new-to-me place: a full-time ministry position with a reasonable expectation of being here for many years. Of course only God knows the future, but with past positions, I knew I would probably move for my husband’s job after a year or two. But with this job, there’s no move on the horizon, …
How to Develop a 5-Year Ministry Plan (And Why You Should) Read More »
Do you keep track of the hymns your congregation sings? Most churches I’ve been in have a fantastically low-tech way of keeping track of when hymns are sung: somebody just writes the date in a hymnal! As long as that somebody is consistent, you end up with a record that tells you something about the …
Why You Need a Hymn Database + a Free Spreadsheet Template Read More »
Here’s how to organize your choir’s anthems, folders, and robes. It’s a simple, even obvious system. But it took nearly 20 years of church music ministry for me to encounter it.
Is your annual report due soon? Mine was due today, so I just spent some time thinking about the past months and summarizing the music ministry’s growth and direction for the congregation I serve. I also had an annual review a few months ago. Both my report and review were a bit different because I …
How to Use Your Annual Review and Report to Evaluate Your Ministry Program Read More »
Want to get kids to church VERY early on Sunday mornings? Here’s how one music leader uses bands to get youth invested in music ministry.
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 …
“Working On” versus “Working In” Your Church Music Program Read More »
Professional musicians often associate “playing for fun” with being a kid, an amateur—being somone who isn’t serious about the music they make. But playing music for fun has huge benefits, besides the obvious: it’s fun. It’s not that playing music for fun has to have other benefits. But its easier to make time for playing around, when you know …