The work sets part of John Donne’s poem Good Friday, 1612. Riding Westward, explaining the spiritual context the poet rides out on business on a Good Friday, neglecting his meditations on Christ’s death. He Journeys away from Jerusalem and the crucifixion, which lies due east, moving the opposite direction to which his mind automatically turns. […]
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Women of Strength: Choral Works for Women’s Voices
Our actions and behaviors serve as a vocal model and role model for our singers. Consider this though: are our repertoire choices equally worthy to be role models? If you teach women’s voices, you no doubt find yourself trying to point out strong female role models for your students. Yet, our repertoire choices don’t always […]
The Spiritual as an American Art Form: Performance Practices and Comparisons to Gospel
This session will include a multimedia presentation of the history, composers, songs, and performance practices of the Negro Spiritual with a comparison to Gospel and the likenesses and differences of the two styles. The Palmetto Voices, directed by Sonja Sepúlveda, will demonstrate by singing arrangements, old and new, that the Spiritual is an unique American […]
Sixty-Minute Miracles: Producing Music of Quality for Every Sunday
Sunday mornings come 52 weeks a year, and usually, church music directors have only one hour of preparation time each of those weeks, much less preparing a seasonal long-form work. By combining my own experience with that of other church directors, I have developed a method by which my choir sings a piece of musical […]
Serious Worship or Serious Worship: Moving Well Beyond the Worship Wars or Why We Should Have Listened to John Cage
The purpose of this session is to examine the role music plays in Christian worship. The presenter will discuss the limitations of worship styles (both new and old) and consider the role Christian education plays in how we understand music in worship. Additionally, the diminished role of the traditional church choir, particularly in smaller churches, […]
Save Your Voice and Your Sanity: Classroom Management in the Choral Rehearsal Setting
This session will present rehearsal management in a positive light by focusing on understanding the inherent problems and finding a solution that does not complicate a busy rehearsal so that choral music directors can devote their energy to the music. The topic will be presented in four main parts: (1) Understanding why rehearsal management is […]
