As we enter a new reality around COVID-19, there are several low-tech strategies we can use to prepare and to take some stress off of our music programs. Remember: important as our collective worship is, we can “worship God in spirit and in truth” wherever we are, and whether or not our choir learns a …
5 Low-Tech COVID-19 Strategies for Church Musicians (Plus 2 Techy Ones) Read More »
This program year, the church choir I direct sang 19 different pieces by women composers. At the beginning of the season, I made an intentional effort to program music by women composers every Sunday. I didn’t have 100% success but between the choral, organ and other instrumental music, I’m happy to report we had music …
20 Anthems by Women Composers that My Church Choir Sang This Season Read More »
One of my main goals as a choir director creating community in the choir. That might seem strange, since many of the choir members have known each other for decades, whereas I’m the new kid in town. But even though their social roots go deep, my actions still affect the sense of community.
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.
Choir rooms need a lot more than chairs and a piano to function well for musicians—they need storage for anthems, places for information (like a white board), and most important of all: a flat surface for cookies. Listen for 11 choir rehearsal space essentials, plus two bonus ideas.
Interview: Dr. Yun Kyong Kim, organist and choir director at Christ Episcopal Church in Dayton, Ohio, discusses her approach to directing a choir while also playing the organ, planning her repertoire and hymnody, and crafting organ recitals to make the most of an instrument’s unique sound and acoustic space.
Since giving birth a few months ago, I’ve had a wealth of quiet hours to ponder the prickly questions niggling at the back of my mind, at least once I was sleeping enough. One night back in June, I lay awake thinking about old voices, about how a certain timbre makes a person sound old. …
Are older people welcome in your choir? They should be. Read More »
You’ve probably noticed that more women attend church services than men. The Pew Research Forum recently released a report confirming these observations and showing that women tend to be more religious than men in most places across the globe. In particular, American Christianity amplifies this tendency: Christian women report daily prayer at much higher rates than Christian men …
This post is part of a series on the National Congregations Study, a sociological study of religious congregations in America. Check out my summary of the study’s main findings and specifics on worship services, the growing informality of worship services, and the surprises and highlights of the study. In reading through the National Congregations Study’s full report and …
National Congregations Study: Choirs and the Power of Small Groups Read More »
This post is part of a series on the National Congregations Study, a sociological study of religious congregations in America. Check out my summary of the study’s main findings, the growing informality of worship services, the surprises and highlights of the study, and what it tells us about the power of small groups and choirs. Want …
National Congregations Study: How Does Your Worship Service Compare? Read More »