Writing and Choosing Songs for Singing
What makes a song singable? Meet with Paul Ryan and Wendell Kimbrough as they discuss the morning worship service held in the chapel [10:30–10:50 a.m.] and the qualities of congregational song that help the church join its voices as one.
July 19, 2023
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50 min video
Singing Psalms in Modern Worship
The psalms were written to be sung. But if your church favors guitar and band-led modern worship, how do you sing the psalms? Songwriter Wendell Kimbrough answers this question through the use of short antiphonal psalm refrains that are singable and memorable for his congregation and provide a musical entry point into a psalm. They have become a beloved staple in his home congregation’s worship. In this workshop, Wendell will share some favorite psalm refrains, discuss the mechanics of their use, and respond to questions from attendees. The goal is for all attendees to go home with a plan for regularly incorporating musical psalms into their worship services.
July 19, 2023
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70 min video
An Orchestra at Your Fingertips: Organ Possibilities in Worship
This session is for organists, aspiring organists, the curious, and the inquisitive. No one person has as many sounds at their disposal [or as many keys and buttons!] as an organist. Let's discover new sounds together in this session by listening to new organ music for worship, learning ways to incorporate the organ into your services [even if you don't have a regular organist], and exploring some of the many tonal possibilities the organ has to offer.
July 19, 2023
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57 min video
Ken Boer on Biblevox: Memorizing Scripture through Song
For many Christians, Bible verses and passages are often easier to memorize when set to music. Worship pastor Ken Boer designed the website Biblevox to help people find word-for-word scripture songs.
May 30, 2023
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6 min read
Songs for Ordinary Time
Ordinary time, the time of the church calendar that stretches from Pentecost to Advent and Epiphany to Lent, is a good time to consider the life of Christ or other sermon and song series based on a series of Biblical passages.
May 18, 2023
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1 min read
Ken Boer on Scripture Memorization Methods
Memorizing Bible verses and passages can enrich family, school, and church communities. Internalizing God’s Word, whether by music or another method, helps Christians meditate, pray, and grow closer together with God and each other.
May 17, 2023
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6 min read
How Hymnody Can Help Diversify Contemporary Worship
Contemporary-worship congregations are rediscovering hymns as treasuries of theological depth that express the full range of emotions and Scripture. Singing hymns together helps people connect across generations and cultures.
March 13, 2023
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9 min read
Jonathan A. Powers on Teaching Hymns Appropriate to Context
If your congregation experiences hymn singing as dull and lifeless, then try Jonathan A. Powers’ advice on finding, introducing, and teaching hymns that will resonate with your worshiping community.
March 6, 2023
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6 min read
Katie J. Graber on Singing with Cultural Appreciation, Not Appropriation
Some congregations worry that singing songs outside their own tradition might be inauthentic or offensive. Ethnomusicologist Katie J. Graber gives reasons for using worship songs from other cultures and eras—and how to do so with proper appreciation and attribution.
February 28, 2023
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6 min read
Herbert H. Tsang on the Beauty of Low-Tech Connections
COVID-19, “the triple pandemic,” and future universal health threats will continue to prevent many congregants, especially senior members, from attending worship in person. But for those willing to put up with some “holy messiness,” Herbert H. Tsang offers low-tech solutions to connect, sing, and worship together.
February 23, 2023
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6 min read
Guitar Technique for Playing in Worship
Explore a jazz and classical guitarist's techniques for playing in worship. Jason Werkema demonstrates left- and right-hand exercises, fretboard memorization, expanded chord voicings, fingerstyle technique, and much more!
February 21, 2023
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33 min video
Engaging in Communal Worship: Psalms and Psalm-singing
This third session is part of “Experiencing the Contours of Early Modern Worship,” a series of five linked sessions bringing participants into the world of Reformation Europe. What was it like to attend worship in Wittenberg in 1530, Geneva in 1550, London in 1570, or Venice in 1590? When people in different confessional contexts joined in worship and participated in the sacrament in this period, what differences and similarities were there? Join Yudha Thianto [Calvin Theological Seminary] and Karin Maag [Meeter Center] in an encounter with the theory and practice of congregational song in the Reformation era with a particular focus on psalm-singing.
February 9, 2023
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60 min video
