Have you ever done a year-in-review for your choir year? Have you taken time recently to evaluate yourself and your teaching? Do you set goals for your choir at the beginning of the year, or make a mental list of things you'd like to accomplish?
Taking time for reflection and evaluation is a healthy and productive way to check in and stay engaged in your work.
For most choir directors, singing with pure, rounded vowels is one of the primary things you teach to your choirs. It's especially important to teach this to children's choirs and instill good vowel-singing in your singers from a young age.
There are numerous benefits to focusing on this with your children's choirs throughout the year; here are a few worth noting:
There's a message that bears endless repeating and living out in our world today: we need each other.
We live in a world where we are taught to live in fear of those who are different, to question those with differing beliefs, to be defensive and respond to violence with more violence; but the truth is, we need each other.
We need diversity - different perspectives and ways of seeing the world, different skills and approaches, different opinions. Each one of us is unique, in the way we approach the world, the things we create, the skills and talents we cultivate, and the way we use those gifts in service to others. This is a gift, and an opportunity to learn.
There’s something special about an intergenerational choir: the coming together of people of all ages and walks of life to share music and lift their voices in song. It sends a message of unity and inclusivity and I think it gives us a little glimpse of what heaven might be like, singing in the angel choir.
Intergenerational choirs are a great way to celebrate something special in the life of the church - an anniversary or special service. The easiest way to create this experience is to combine groups you already have. There are a number of ways to do this.
When I was in high school, I heard a pastor explain grace in the form of an acronym: God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.
Grace is a gift, an invitation to receive God’s riches and become heirs of God’s kingdom.
I grew up in a United Methodist church, and the more I learned about what it means to be Methodist, the more I learned about grace.
You see, John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, considered grace the cornerstone of the Christian faith. He described God's grace as having three different forms: Prevenient Grace, Justifying Grace, and Sanctifying Grace.
I believe church music programs are a wonderful way to teach children about God and their faith and music and singing.
I believe we can do both. And being intentional about planning specific ways to develop musicianship little by little throughout the year is a great place to start.
This post is geared toward children’s choir directors looking for inspiration, ideas, and practical suggestions for teaching children about music and developing musicianship week by week.
I’ll talk about what musicianship is and 10 practical ways to develop it little by little in your rehearsals each week.
Reflection is vital to learning, growing, and success.
It works hand-in-hand with action, a constant cycle of doing followed by observing and evaluating our work, our relationships, and the choices we make.
We all know it’s true.
But so often, we get caught up in the doing part - creating, teaching, and playing (especially at this time of year) - and don’t make time to stop and reflect.
Today, I'm taking a step back to reflect on my business goals, blog content, offerings, and ways I can serve you better.
And I'd love for you to be part of that process. (Think of it like a virtual coffee chat.)
What will I play on Sunday?
As all church musicians know, it can be a struggle to find interesting but accessible arrangements that are well-written to play in worship week after week.
A few years ago, I wrote these posts about some of my favorite organ and piano books:
10 Practical Collections for the Church Organist
Tried-and-True Favorite Collections for the Church Pianist
These collections are still great, but I’ve since updated my own library a bit and come across some new books I thought I’d recommend. So, in case you’re looking for some fresh new music for this year, here are my newest organ and piano books:
Music school is great, but if you want to be a church musician in the 21st century, there are lots of things you're left to figure out on your own - things that simply aren't taught in most schools or private studios.
This includes:
And the list goes on. Where do you start? How do you learn and develop these skills?
If you can relate to any of this, then this course is for you.
Growing a church music program is an important part of what we do as directors and leaders. In building a program, we’re building a place where people of all ages and walks of life can come and learn and grow. We’re creating a safe environment for them to explore and discover and feel loved and supported and encouraged.
Most of you likely inherited your church’s choir program and are building year to year on that foundation. Others of you might be starting from scratch—building a program from the ground up.
Either way, we’re always building, right? Trying new things, finding new things to offer, creating new opportunities for people to come and grow in their faith and knowledge of God, learn about music and develop musical skills, and find new ways to connect to worship.
Some of our biggest challenges as church musicians are recruiting people to be part of the ministry work we do and sustaining that ministry for years to come.
Sound familiar? If so, this post is for you!
Today, I’m sharing five effective tips and strategies for recruiting for your church ministry and outlining several things you can do to help sustain your ministry, now and in the future.
Follow along with my creative work and daily adventures: @ashleydanyew
