One of the most creative parts of worship planning is finding unique ways to incorporate music into your services. From introits to benediction responses, prayer responses, moments of transition in between things, and even underscoring.
Handbells are a great way to do this!
When I directed bell choirs, I loved coming up with creative, meaningful ways to include handbells in worship, beyond the traditional prelude or anthem slot.
March is Women in Music Month: A time to celebrate the achievements, contributions, and influence of women in music throughout history and more personally in our lives.
I've been reflecting on this recently, thinking of the women in my life who guided, nurtured, and empowered me to be the musician and teacher I am today.
Here are a few of the influential teachers and mentors I want to acknowledge this month:
Lent. A time of reflection, sacrifice, prayer, contemplating, and grace.
It's a time of stripping away, going without (for example, the practice of "burying the alleluia" during Lent), and quieting the heart and mind.
There are six Sundays during Lent, plus any services that take place during Holy Week (the week between Palm Sunday and Easter).
If you’re looking for a few new Lenten anthems to add to your library this year, here are a few of my favorites for SAB and SATB choirs.
In March, we celebrate Women's History Month around the world. And for those of us in music, we often celebrate women in music, as well.
There are festivals honoring the contributions of women in music, concerts celebrating repertoire by women composers, and publications about women writers and creators who have been relegated to the sidelines throughout history.
In church music, there is a rich history of women composers and authors sharing poetry, hymns, anthems, and service music. To celebrate Women in Music Month, here is a collection of church music written by women.
Here we are: another year before us full of possibility and promise. Leaving another year behind with mixed feelings of delight, sadness, and everything in between, as is usually the case.
But we never really leave it behind, right? It's not as simple as turning the page on the calendar and erasing everything that's come before.
Happy New Year's Eve!
It’s my tradition here on the blog to share a year-in-review post on December 31—a look back on our favorite moments and the things we learned and made and experienced during the year. 2022 was a year of highs and lows; busy seasons and slow seasons; music, baking, old-house projects, and a little painting.
Here's a look back on our year:
Do you keep track of the books you read each year?
I started doing this a few years ago and it's been fun to see this virtual bookshelf expand.
This year, I read 35 books—the most I've ever read in one year! The difference? I bought a Kindle.
