Encouraging the Next Generation of Church Musicians

By Larry Shackley, Alfred Composer

Whether we like it or not, church musicians live in the spotlight. If you play, sing, or conduct every week, everyone in the congregation knows who you are, and you help set the standard for their opinion of church music and musicians. Young people who have any interest in using their talents for the Lord will look up to us as role models for their life and career.

Some of this modeling happens passively. For instance, if you set a high musical standard, they will learn to respect church musicians, because they will notice that you are just as serious about the Lord’s music as other types of musicians are about their music. On the negative side, you never know whose ears might hear you making comments like, “Close enough for church work,” or criticizing a soloist or member of the choir.

Are you aware of young people in your church who have musical gifts? Do you look for talented young singers or instrumentalists to take part in special musical events? If we get young people plugged in to musical ministry, they will come to think of church music as a viable option in the many musical choices they have before them. The important thing is for you, as a musical “authority figure” in the church, to show young musicians that you value them, and then model Christ-like service in your leadership and performance.

All God’s Children

Dear Alfred friends,

Last April, I had the honor of conducting a special multi-generational, ecumenical choral festival in Mystic, CT. We premiered a new composition of mine entitled “All God’s Children” for SATB with  children’s choir and narrator.
> Read more.

At the time, certainly none of us could have imagined the grievous event that recently occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in nearby Newtown, CT. I recently received this email message from my festival host, Michael Noonan.

Well, as I ponder this tragic event that happened in our state at Sandy Hook Elem. in Newtown, CT (about 1 and 1/2 hours from here), I could not help but think of your new anthem you wrote for our festival—“All God’s Children.“ How poignant those words are, and the tune just keeps ringing in my head.

I just wanted you to know that those words and music have given me comfort as I mourn all those who lost their lives [that] Friday. I hope Alfred Publishing promotes that anthem as a source of comfort. As I listened to President Obama speak, he used those words of scripture you selected for that anthem in the narration, “Let the little children come to me.”

It is said that music touches us like nothing else, and can help us heal. It moves me greatly that this piece might bring some comfort to those who are in need.

I have chosen to donate my royalties from this piece to the United Way of Western Connecticut’s Sandy Hook School Support Fund (see below). And I’m proud that Alfred Music Publishing has chosen to match my donation. Perhaps your choir may also choose to perform this choral as part of a special tribute or event in the future, honoring those who were lost or celebrating the children in your congregation. Or perhaps your church will take up a special offering in memory of those who are gone or who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

Sandy Hook School Support Fund
c/o Newtown Savings Bank
39 Main Street, Newtown CT 06470

United Way of Western Connecticut [(203) 792-5330] is committed to providing support and resources where and when they become identified and needed. As people from our area and beyond respond to this heartbreaking tragedy, they are turning to United Way looking for ways to help. In response, United Way of Western Connecticut in partnership with Newtown Savings Bank has created the ‘Sandy Hook School Support Fund’ that will be able to provide support services to the families and community that has been affected.

For more information or to make online donations, visit:
https://newtown.uwwesternct.org/

In peace,
Sally K. Albrecht

The True Meaning of Peace

By Anna Laura Page

On a Thursday night, when we lived in Tennessee, J. Paul Williams called and wanted to know if I could set his text, “Creation Will Be At Peace.” The catch?. . . we had to turn it in on Monday!  He gave those words to me over the phone, and I wrote them on a scrap of paper! The piece happened, and I turned it in on Monday.

During this time, I met a Minister of Music from a church in Kentucky – about 40 miles from us.  In his congregation was Peggy Say, the sister of Terry Anderson, former hostage held in Beirut, Lebanon from 1985-1991.  She was an inspiration and she worked tirelessly to help free her brother.  I was able to visit with her on several occasions, and we sang Creation Will Be at Peace on her birthday, in her church, around the time of his release – this was the first time the piece was performed. Peggy Say did all she could for her brother’s release and, to me, she represents the true meaning of peace.

J. Paul Williams loved our piece and always kept me up to date on performances he knew about.  He is survived by his wife, Donna, two sons, daughter-in-law, and four grandchildren. We all miss him terribly.

Gary Fry, Emmy-winning Composer, Arranger, Producer, and Music Educator

Gary Fry is an Emmy-winning Chicago-based composer, arranger, producer, and music educator. He has crafted music for recordings, films, commercials, publication, and live performance. Significant credits include his position as arranger/composer for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Welcome, Yule! holiday concerts since 1996, artistic consultant to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for their annual Christmas Celebration concerts, and over 100 commissions for Christmas and holiday music from those orchestras and others from around the nation.

For more than twenty years Gary Fry has been one of the nation’s foremost commercial music producers, with over 2500 nationally broadcast radio and television commercials for companies such as McDonald’s, Sears, United Airlines, Kellogg’s, the U.S. Air Force, and hundreds of other advertisers. He won an Emmy Award in 2006 for his original commercial music for WBBM-TV (Chicago).

This unique combination of symphonic skills and commercial experience has made him a highly-sought music writer for organizations looking for the highest-quality compositions and arrangements that also appeal to a broad audience.

Gary also has a passion for working with young people, particularly in choral music. Children’s choirs under his direction have performed at the White House, the United Nations, the Kennedy Center in Washington, and Carnegie Hall. He remains active as a clinician, lecturer, and conductor for ensembles in all levels of education from elementary schools to universities. In June 2012, Gary was Artistic Director for the first annual international choral festival Rhythms of One World in New York City, conducting his music at Avery Fisher Philharmonic Hall and at the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations with a massed choir of 350 singers from around the globe.

To view all of Gary’s titles that are available through Alfred’s Rental Library, click here.

A Christmas Carol That Inspired a Hymn Book

By Vincent J. Carrola

Consider the following story with me:

Even though it was a cold and snowy December, a group of actors decided to brave the Austrian Alps and cross over to a small town near Salzburg, Austria, in order to perform a special play that they had been preparing for Christmas. They arrived at the St. Nicholas parish church on December 23rd ready to perform their play (which was the story of Christ’s birth) for the local residents. However, in order for the group to perform their play they needed musical accompaniment. And, unfortunately, the church’s organ was not functioning properly. Therefore, the decision was made to perform their play at a local resident’s house where they would have access to a piano.

Now even though the actors’ dilemma was resolved, the priest of St. Nicholas parish church still had the problem of a non-functional organ. After all, Christmas Eve was tomorrow and what good would a Christmas Eve service be bereft of music? As the priest journeyed home on the evening of the 23rd, he looked out over the vast, quiet town and, suddenly, an idea came to him. Maybe a poem that he had penned a few years earlier could be set to music? But there was still the problem of finding an instrument that could lead the congregation. So, the priest talked with the organist of a nearby village who offered to set the poem to music and lead the congregation with his guitar. Thus, together, they wrote what would become one of the most famous Christmas Carols of all time. The priest was Joseph Mohr, the organist (guitarist) Franz Gruber, and the Christmas Carol, Silent Night. But little did Mohr or Gruber know that their carol would go on to inspire millions of people all over the world.

To say that Mohr and Gruber’s story inspired me to write music books would be partially true. A few years back, I was asked to accompany a choir on guitar while they sang Silent Night. In order to prepare for this I decided to arrange Silent Night for the guitar. After the performance, it was suggested that I try to publish my arrangement. So I looked into the possibility and, with that, This Holy Night 12 Christmas Classics for Guitar, was born.

Soon after, I realized that This Holy Night was not only an idea that sprang from a story and one guitar arrangement, but also from a necessity. And the more I thought about the necessity, the more I thought about a particular genre of music that was lacking for the guitar: praise and worship material. It has always bothered me that pianists had their choice of hymnals to play from while guitarists basically had nothing. So, I endeavored to write a guitar hymn book which eventually became The Worship Leader’s Guitar Hymn Book. But, in order to proceed with the guitar hymn book, several aspects had to be taken into consideration:

1. In order to be an inclusive music book, the guitar hymn book had to provide numerous performance options for guitarists of all levels. For example, if each arrangement included lyrics and common strumming chords, plus an optional intermediate-level guitar arrangement with TAB,  guitarists would have many options at their disposal. They could sing and play the chords, play the intermediate arrangement, or improvise and develop either the simple chord part or the intermediate version.

2. The guitar hymn book had to provide hymns in comfortable keys for guitarists that would match the keys of a popular hymnal so that guitarists would have the option to play with other musicians. This was a hard one. It seemed like every hymn was written in a key that was not at all comfortable for guitarists. Thus, basically every hymn that was included in the guitar hymn book had to be transposed to a key suitable for guitarists. This of course, could inhibit guitarists from playing with other musicians. So, to remedy this vexing problem, a capo chart was added to the guitar hymn book. Now all that guitarists have to do to fix the key problem is snap on a capo and play!

3. It would be amazing if the guitar hymn book could include an accompaniment CD. This is why: if guitarists want to play with other musicians, in order to get a bigger sound, the CD accompaniment would be an excellent and convenient substitute – though with no less quality! In order to accomplish this goal, I teamed up with my brother, Dominic Carrola, who arranged and orchestrated full accompaniment tracks for each hymn included in the book.

So, keeping these points in mind, The Worship Leader’s Guitar Hymnal was written. The result: a collection of praise and worship favorites that offers several performance options and is very assessable to guitarists of all levels.
Thank you for reading this post, and if you have any comments or questions feel free to comment below or contact me at VJCarrola@comcast.net.

Turning Trials into Song

By Cindy Berry

Composers are often asked, “Where do you get the inspiration for your songs?” “Inspiration” can come from many sources . . . a sunrise, a sermon, a particular Scripture passage, or just unexpectedly, from “out of the blue.” I have written bits and pieces of songs on everything from napkins to church bulletins, and have even pulled the car over to the side of the road to write down a lyric so I wouldn’t forget it. (This was in the days that people actually wrote on paper, and not on their phones or other electronic devices!)

But many times, I have written anthems that have come as a result of some experience in my life. And that is certainly true of the anthem, “Come to Me.” In 2006, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The cancer journey was longer than we had first anticipated. But all through that journey, my husband and I felt God’s loving presence very strongly. God has promised us that we can have His peace and joy in any circumstance, and we saw His promises come alive as we kept our eyes on Him and laid our concerns at His feet. I was led to write this lyric:

“Come to Me, come to Me; let Me carry your burden. Let My love set you free, as you rest in My arms.”

God has been so good to me! I am so thankful that He can use my times of both joy and trial to give me joyful songs of praise to Him.

Do you also have personal stories of inspiration from God’s goodness?

Together in Song . . . An Ecumenical Experience

By Sally K. Albrecht
Composer, Clinician, Alfred Editor

Tradition and history . . . the area surrounding the Mystic River in Connecticut is filled with both. And happily, I discovered there’s a musical tradition as well. Since 1965, area choral directors, church choirs, and community choral ensembles have joined together in song and in worship. In April 2012, I was honored to conduct this event, plus premiere a new piece: All God’s Children (SATB and children’s choir with narrator).

HISTORY:
In the mid-1960s, the Mystic Area Ministers Association (MAMA) initiated an “all-cooperative work” between the area churches. Church choirs combined to perform well-known larger works such as the Brahms’ Requiem and Handel’s Messiah.

In 1970-71, MAMA merged with the Mystic Interfaith Laymen’s Council, to form MAEC (Mystic Area Ecumenical Council). Since that time, MAEC has sponsored an annual choir festival utilizing distinguished choral directors and composers from outside the area. Past conductors have included Helen Kemp, Douglas Wagner, Hal Hopson, Sue Ellen Page, Michael Jothen, Allen Pote, Phillip Dietterich, and many others.

TODAY:
This April, ten different organizations were represented in the adult and/or youth choirs:

• Eastern Connecticut Children’s Chorus
• Groton Congregational (UCC)
• Noank Baptist Church
• North Stonington Congregational Church (UCC)
• Sacred Heart R. C. School, Groton
• St. David’s Epsicopal Church, Gales Ferry
• St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Mystic
• St. Mary Mother of the Redeemer Catholic Church, Groton
• Union Baptist Church, Mystic
• United Church of Stonington

Friday evening began with a two-hour rehearsal with approximately 60 adult participants. We worked on an a cappella spiritual Walk in the Kingdom (00-32958), a mixed-meter Gloria (00-21127), a benediction In This Room (Shawnee Press), and two combined selections: the premiere All God’s Children (00-39154) and a final anthem with brass and percussion entitled Ye Shall Have a Song (00-32881).

This was followed by a 90-minute choral workshop for choristers and area choral directors. I focused on “Warm-Ups and Workouts for the Choir,” discussing how warm-ups can help unify and energize your choral sound, and introducing dozens of my favorite examples featured in two of Alfred’s publications: The Choral Warm-Up Collection (00-21676) and The Complete Choral Warm-Up Book (00-11653).

The Youth Choir (approximately 63 singers, ages 6 through high school) rehearsed on Saturday from 9:30-2:30 (with pizza for lunch, of course). We practiced the pronunciation of the 3-part Israeli round Hashivenu (00-19303), added fancy claps to Clap Your Hands (00-23562), staged Elijah and Joshua (00-21738), and learned sign language for Each of Us Has a Light (00-30988), plus polished up our two combined selections.

We had about two hours on Sunday to review and put everything together, adding flute, brass, percussion, and handbells. Our 4:00 p.m. service featured our nine choral selections, prayers and readings led by clergy from several of the participating organizations, a musical prelude and postlude, a offertory handbell feature, plus two hymns with congregational singing. A lively reception followed our service.

The word “ecumenical” means: universal, promoting or fostering Christian unity throughout the world, interreligious or interdenominational. This event created a bond within the community, a unity of spirits, and wonderful harmony . . . in so many ways!

I encourage each and every one of you to create or organize a similar experience in your area.

Giving Thanks

By Sheldon Curry
Managing Editor, Alfred Sacred Choral Publications
At this time of year, we give thanks to God for friends and family, food on the table, all things Norman Rockwell. It is an especially poignant time for us to thank folks who serve – military, nurses, law enforcement, care-givers, pretty much anyone you see (yes – even politicians).

I want to take a moment to thank these particular people. They’ve all mentored and taught me in one way or another.

Charles F. Brown

Kurt Kaiser

Elwyn Raymer

Buryl Red

Tom Fettke

The folks at Alfred

Choir members, current and passed.

Composers and arrangers I am privileged to work with daily.

Thanks be to God – and you.

Sheldon

Bad Shepherds!

By Sheldon Curry,
Managing Editor, Alfred Sacred Choral Publications

Bad Shepherds!

He climbs into the truck and we head home after children’s choir rehearsal. He pouts. He’s 4.

Advent and Christmas are coming and not only is there joy and anticipation in the air – there is tension. Today, his choir started rehearsals for the Christmas pageant and I know something is wrong.

I ask, “OK. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing …”

Two minutes later I hear him hiss under his breath, “Bad Shepherds.”

“How are the Shepherds bad?”

“They break the rule.”

“What rule do they break?”

“Biting.”

“I don’t understand. Did someone bite someone in choir?”

“Ms. Jamison told them to.” (She’s the children’s choir director.)

“Ms. Jamison told someone to bite someone??”

“Yes. The Shepherds … but not ‘til Christmas.”

He has my undivided attention now, so I pull into a parking lot and stop the truck.

“Ms. Jamison told the Shepherds to bite someone during the Christmas pageant??? Who?”

“She didn’t say who exactly, she just said when they were supposed to do it. She said, ‘ Now shepherds, this is the time for you to be abiding in the fields’.”

Christmas is full of surprises. Choir rehearsals will have them. Services will have them. And you can be certain Christmas pageants will have them. God – the author of surprises –loves them all. Especially the shepherds biting in the fields.

I hope you have a joyous season. Use these new anthems to enrich worship as you prepare to be surprised by Joy.

And be sure and take a look at “Now and Then.”

Blessings to us all as we continue to serve -