This year, with the COVID-19 pandemic, churches have relied more on instrumental music in worship than choral music.
There’s been a need for more solo music vs. ensemble music and in some cases, music that can be recorded ahead of time or even recorded from home.
As any church pianist will tell you, having collections that you can pull out and play from over and over again is golden, especially at times like these when you’re providing the majority of the music in the service.
Looking for something new to play this year?
Here are eight solo piano collections to consider adding to your library.
There's been a lot of talk this year about virtual choirs.
For those who have the technical skills and the time (read: hours) to commit to it, virtual choir videos can be a fun and meaningful project to work on with your choir.
But for everyone else—the directors without Logic Pro X and Final Cut and hours and hours to devote to editing—is there a simpler way?
Is there a way to keep your choir singing together during this time without having to spend a lot of time and money producing fancy virtual choir videos?
The short answer: yes.
Today, I’m sharing a collection of children’s choir anthems composed by women.
After all, March is Women’s History Month and over the years, it’s also become a time to celebrate women in music.
If you’re looking for some inspiration for your planning this year and seeking ways to include more diversity in the voices you share and represent, here are 36 children’s choir anthems written by women composers to help you get started.
Today, I’m sharing a collection of church choir anthems composed by women. After all, March is Women’s History Month and over the years, it’s also become a time to celebrate women in music.
If you’re looking for some inspiration for your planning this year and seeking ways to include more diversity in the voices you share and represent, here are 48 titles written by women composers to help you get started.
This year, things look a little different.
The Christmas Eve service will be a little smaller, a little simpler, and maybe completely virtual, with choir members scattered and singing from their homes.
The children’s Christmas Pageant will be presented via Zoom with an array of virtual backgrounds (no really, here’s a virtual Christmas pageant kit).
And the annual choir Christmas party? Well, that’s going to be different, too.
But don’t let a global pandemic keep you from celebrating the season with your singers! You can still have a (virtual) Christmas party even if you aren’t able to gather together in person.
A career in church music and ministry requires a variety of skills:
Performance skills: playing for worship and accompanying choirs, instrumentalists, and congregational singing. It sometimes includes harmonizing melodies, improvising, transposing, and even composing some of your own service music from time to time.
Leadership skills: choosing music that ties in with the rest of the service, perhaps selecting hymns each week, and leading the congregation in song.
Educational skills: introducing a variety of musical styles into worship, teaching new hymns or songs to the congregation, and if you’re directing an ensemble, teaching music-reading, rhythm, technique, musical expression, and aural skills.
