Music Archives - Page 7 of 17

Image description: book cover of The Devil's Music: How Christians Inspired, Condemned, and Embraced Rock 'N' Roll by Randall J. Stephens. Cover image is black and white photo of men with 1970s longer hair, holds their hands and some Bibles up.

The Devil’s Music, an Interview with Author Randall J. Stephens

How did American Christians go from hating rock ‘n’ roll to embracing contemporary worship music? One reason is Pentecostalism’s influence. On Music and the Church, we’ve explored how important Pentecostalism was in making the change, and how influential it continues to be on contemporary worship. (Check out this episode if you’re curious.) But Pentecostalism also …

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Image description: white toddler with light hair, in navy long-sleeve shirt, seen from above, sticking tongue out to get crumbs off of fingers.

Here’s Why I Leave the Sanctuary When the Sermon Starts

Every Sunday morning when the sermon begins, I duck out of the sanctuary, walk down the hall to the nursery, and start singing.

Image text: How to Make a Choral Reference Library and Why You Should. For a blog post on sarah-bereza.com

You Need a Choral Reference Library. Here’s How to Make One.

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 …

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Image is photograph of Pastor Lisa Heffernan. Shows face and sholders of a white woman with brown hair wearing glasses. For the podcast Music and the Church at sarah-bereza.com

Welcoming People with Disabilities in Church Music Ministry, with Pastor Lisa Heffernan, on Music and the Church Ep. 35

We believe that people all people are made in the image of God. Full stop. So, when we are talking about how to make our churches more inclusive, we aren’t talking about welcoming people even though they have disabilities (or even though they are children, as we talked about in last month’s episode). The goal …

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Image shows Sarah Bereza standing in front of a tracker pipe organ, talking as part of a lecture-recital. For the blog post "Why I Learned to Play Organ in Skirt" on sarah-bereza.com

Why I Learned to Play Organ in a Skirt

A funny thing happened the other Sunday. I was on vacation with my family, and we went to church (no, not the one where I work!). I decided to wear a long skirt, and my toddler was like, “What are you wearing, Mama?????” Lol. Seriously though, I basically never wear long skirts, so of course …

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Image is photograph of a white background and a woman's eyes and forehead in the foreground. She has a cross marked in ashes on her forehead. Used on the blog post "All My Lenten Musical Resources in One Place" on sarah-bereza.com

All My Lenten Musical Resources, in One Place

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:

Image is score of the hymn "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal" with music composed by Sarah Bereza. Overlay reads: "I made this score in Dorico." For the blog post "Why I Switched from Finale to Dorico for My Church Music Program" on sarah-bereza.com

Why I Switched from Finale to Dorico for My Church Music Program

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. …

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Image text: Two Favorite Lenten Preludes. Background photo is sheet music for Six Preludes for the Church Year by Robert A. Hobby and Three Lenten Hymn Meditations by Mark C. Jones. For the blog post "My Favorite Lenten Preludes" at sarah-bereza.com

GEMS: My Favorite Lenten Preludes

Time for some organ music! Here are the two Lenten preludes I love the most. Both are based on hymn tunes, and both work on small organs. But one is easy peasy, and one has my highschool-self’s favorite thing: double pedal!

How to Develop a 5-Year Ministry Plan (And Why You Should)

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, …

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Photograph of Anita Smallin, smiling woman with glasses and colorful scarf. For the blog post "A Noisy Church Is a Living Church" with Anita Smallin, for the podcast Music and the Church at sarah-bereza.com

“A Noisy Church Is a Living Church” with Anita Smallin, on Music and the Church Ep. 34

Children and the church. Children in the church. It’s complicated, especially with music in the mix. Join Anita Smallin and me as we discuss how to welcome our littlest sisters and brothers in worship services.