Most church music job applications require a cover letter and a resume or CV. However, many musicians who took my survey said they didn’t need one or either documents. (Perhaps because many church jobs aren’t advertised and instead are offered to someone already known to the church?) In this post, I’ll cover the basics of …
Here’s how to find out more about a church before you apply for a church music job. Knowledge is power here, and you need to know about the church before you can tailor your cover letter and resume.
You’re an organist, a choir director, or other musician. Here are the top 8 things to do to get a church music job you love.
Looking for a church job isn’t a walk in the park. Because I’m following my husband’s career, I’ve moved a lot (4 moves in 3 years!) So of course I’ve spent a lot of time looking for jobs and, fortunately, finding some good ones. When I began yet another job search in preparation for our …
I surveyed 250+ church musicians. Here’s what I learned about getting a job you love. Read More »
For the last few weeks, we’ve been talking about musical virtuosity. This week’s guest is Dr. Birgitta Johnson, Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology and African American Studies at the University of South Carolina, and the President of the Southeast and Caribbean Chapter of the Society for Ethnomusicology. In this episode, Birgitta discusses being anointed for music ministry. …
What is virtuosity? It isn’t just about the sound itself, but who makes the sound and how they make it. Today’s episode is the third in our series on virtuosity. In the last two episodes, Joshua Busman and I both considered whether virtuosity is or isn’t acceptable—and why—in evangelical worship music and in fundamentalist Christianity. …
Should you play or sing virtuosic music in church? Many fundamentalist Christians don’t think so. This week’s episode is the second in our series on musical virtuosity. Last week, Joshua Kalin Busman discussed how evangelical musicians might tone down the difficulty of their music—balancing their churches’ need for musical “amateurism” with the reality the “amateurish” …
Musical virtuosity in church services. Is it showing off? Giving God your best? Christians often come to opposite conclusions. Today’s podcast episode is the first in a series about virtuosity. We’re kicking off the series by talking with Dr. Joshua Kalin Busman, an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina—Pembroke. He researches “music in religious …
For many Christians, the Methodist tradition is one of their most important sources of hymnody. Dr. Martin V. Clarke’s new book British Methodist Hymnody explores the roots of this rich repertoire as well as the distinctive features of Methodist worship today. Dr. Martin V. Clarke (faculty page, Twitter) is Lecturer in Music at The Open University and …
British Methodist Hymnody with Martin Clarke, on Music and the Church Ep. 17 Read More »
