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What I'm Working On This Summer

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What I'm Working On This Summer

I’ve been a little quiet over here lately, but it’s not for lack of things to say or write about! 

The end of the school/church year is always busy (am I right?!), and this year was no exception (read more about what I've been up to lately below).

I’ve also been hard at work on a few big projects and am right in the middle of planning ahead for some exciting things for the fall.

Today, instead of keeping you all in suspense, I thought I’d give you a behind-the-scenes look at exactly what I’m working on this summer.

Enjoy!

How to Teach A New Hymn or Song to Your Congregation

How to Teach A New Hymn or Song to Your Congregation

You just found the perfect song to sing next month. It has a nice melody and the text ties in perfectly with the Scripture reading of the day and the sermon topic.

But, it's unfamiliar to the congregation.

And your congregation is particularly resistant to singing anything new, especially something not in the hymnal.

What's a music director to do?

How do you go about introducing a new hymn or song to your congregation? How do you teach it in a way that's meaningful and memorable (so they'll remember it next time you sing it)?

Summer 2017 Bucket List

Summer 2017 Bucket List

Happy summer!

It’s the last week of school here, and the week leading up to Children’s/Youth Sunday and I have my sights set on summer - slow evenings on the patio, trips to the lake, and a good book (or two).

Our summers are relatively short here, so we try to take advantage of every opportunity we can to be outside, enjoying the longer days, (somewhat) slower pace, and beautiful weather while it lasts.

So, I made a list, obviously.

12 Easy Anthems for Your Summer Choir

12 Easy Anthems for Your Summer Choir

Summer is almost here! Time for watermelon and slow evenings on the patio, travel adventures and long, early morning walks, a slower pace and simpler Sunday morning services (we hope!).

For many of us, summer means a break from choir rehearsals; but that doesn’t mean they can’t sing during the summer months!

Spend your last rehearsal of the year prepping a few easy anthems to do throughout the summer, then meet for 30 minutes before each service to review parts and get warmed up. Do a pick-up choir once or twice a month, or put together an ensemble one week.

This is a great way to keep people connected during the summer months and a wonderful way for new people from your congregation to see what choir is like without making a year-long commitment.

Related post: The Case for the Summer Choir

I usually try to stick with anthems that are easy and accessible - not too challenging melodically or rhythmically and without a lot of divisi. You may even look at unison/2-part or SAB anthems. If you have a few capable singers that are available to sing one Sunday, pull an SSA or TTB piece and put together a ladies’ or mens’ trio. The possibilities are endless!

Looking for a few suggestions? Here are 12 of my favorite anthems for summer (in no particular order):

Our Music Sunday Service

Our Music Sunday Service

Earlier this year, I wrote a post on planning a music-themed service with liturgy, music, hymns, anthems, and other worship planning resources. (Read it here, in case you missed it.)

This past weekend, we had a Music Sunday at our church and I thought I'd share a copy of our service for those of you looking to do something similar in the future.

We decided to use the basic pattern of worship as an overarching structure: Gathering, Praise & Thanksgiving, Proclamation & Response, Sending Forth. Within each section, we pieced together hymns, music by all our ensembles, and short readings that helped tie everything together.

I tried to find something creative to add to each of the hymns: a modulation up a half step, a harmonization for the last verse, a 4-bar interlude before the last verse, a trumpet fanfare before the introduction, etc.

Overall, it was a great day in worship, and it was so fun to see (and hear) everyone come together in worship and song!

Here is a detailed outline of our service:

A New Online Course for Children's Choir Directors!

A New Online Course for Children's Choir Directors!

Do you find it challenging to find time to plan exciting, thoughtful, musical rehearsals for your children’s choir every week? 

From finding relevant, good-quality resources to choosing age-appropriate songs and anthems to preparing, introducing, and properly sequencing new musical concepts and skills throughout the year, the job can seem overwhelming at times. 

Where do you find music and materials? How do you develop musicianship in young singers? What makes a rehearsal fun and productive?

If you can relate to any of this, then this course is for you.

This course is designed for children's choir directors in church settings.

Whether you're a full-time staff member or a dedicated volunteer, whether you have a music degree or not, whether you lead a small group of six singers on Wednesday nights or oversee a large graded choir program, this course will equip you to lead, teach, and inspire your young singers and give you the practical skills and useful step-by-step processes you need to plan, direct, and teach on a weekly basis, and grow your choir ministry.

Feeling Overwhelmed? Start Here.

Feeling Overwhelmed? Start Here.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed? You know the feeling:

Tired.
Distracted.
Uninspired.
Slightly frantic.
Unable to make decisions.
Burnt out.

For me, these are the tell-tale signs that I'm feeling overwhelmed. Why does this happen? How do we get overwhelmed in the first place? Here are six common reasons. Do any of these resonate with you?

When I start to feel overwhelmed, I try to stop and ask myself these questions:

- Am I saying “yes” to too many things? 
- Am I unable or unwilling to relinquish control of something or ask for help? 
- Am I chasing the thrill of achievement and productivity? 
- Can I live up to my own expectations?

These are hard questions to ask. But understanding how we got here, to this place of overwhelm, is important to learning how to overcome it, now and in the future. 

How to Teach a Song or Anthem by Rote

How to Teach a Song or Anthem by Rote

Working with young singers can be such a fun and rewarding experience, but it can be challenging to teach a new song or anthem to children who aren't yet reading (words, let alone music!). What do you do? How do you teach something new, quickly and effectively?

For children who are not quite reading, teaching by rote is the way to go.

What is Rote Learning?

Rote learning is based on imitation and repetition (source). This is how young children learn best! Hearing, seeing, and experiencing things over and over again.

If you've spent some time around young children, you know one of their favorite words is "again" - "do it again," "read it again," "sing it again," etc. This is how we learn.

When teaching music (an aural art form), it's important to help children develop their listening skills and auditory memory from the beginning. Teaching by rote is a great way to do this.

A Dozen Budget-Friendly Collections for the Small Handbell Choir

A Dozen Budget-Friendly Collections for the Small Handbell Choir

There’s nothing quite like the thrill of playing through a new handbell piece. The challenge (you want me to play how many bells?), the excitement (a new technique!), the intrigue (how will it end?).

The only problem is, handbell music can be quite costly, sometimes as high as $5 per copy.

And if you’re a part-time director of a small handbell choir at a small church with a small budget, to match, you may be able to afford only 1-2 new pieces a year.

A practical solution? Handbell collections.

Instead of buying music one piece at a time (and spending $4-$5 per copy), a collection gives you 3-10 pieces for a fraction of the cost. Recently, I’ve come across several collections that work really well for smaller (2-3 octave) handbell choirs like ours.

Here are 12 budget-friendly collections you might consider:

Worship Planning Theme: Spirit

Worship Planning Theme: Spirit

Each year, we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday.

On Pentecost Sunday, we remember the story from the book of Acts about how the apostles gathered, were filled with the Spirit, and with tongues of fire resting above their heads, began spontaneously speaking in different languages.

This was the beginning of the church, in a way — a group of people that gathers together and goes forth to share the Gospel throughout the world.

Follow along with my creative work and daily adventures: @ashleydanyew

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