Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Wishful thinking? As all church musicians know, Christmas starts in June or July when you begin planning and choosing music and doesn’t end until December 25 (or December 26 this year, since Christmas falls on a Sunday). The to-do lists never end and no Read More
By John Chisum Call me “idealistic,” but I could do with a lot less stress these days. Life itself is stressful enough, and if we were completely frank and honest with ourselves, leading Wednesday rehearsals can be one of the most stressful hours we face. Other than Sunday mornings when Read More
The following post originally appeared on Ashley Danyew’s blog. Be sure and check out even more helpful content about leading choirs on her site here: ashleydanyew.com. How do I introduce this anthem to my choir? It’s a question we’ve all asked ourselves at one point or another. And truth be told, the Read More
Summer is ending. The kids are headed back to school, the weather is slowly but surely cooling down, and football season is (aptly) “kicking off.” This time of year is a return to normalcy for many, and choir directors would be wise to take advantage and get their folks excited Read More
by John Chisum You’ve spent months culling through music, thinking, praying, and planning. You’ve set up a calendar and scheduled the perfect songs for just the right Sundays. You’ve thought through instrumentation and which musicians need to be scheduled. You’ve talked with the lead pastor about sermon subjects, series, and Read More
By Joyce Samples Children learn by watching the role models in their lives, but they also learn by participating. Providing a children’s choir in which they can learn, grow, move, and serve in God’s kingdom is an important way to accomplish spiritual growth in each child’s life. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up Read More
If you’ve been in any position to lead worship at your church, you know the struggle of balancing the old songs with the new. You may feel the pull to stay relevant but don’t want to simply give in to what’s popular. On the other hand, you might be tempted Read More
Have you ever found yourself scrambling to make copies of charts on Sunday morning only to discover that three of the vocal charts are missing for today’s set, the bass player went out of town, and two of your singers, who happen to be both your tenors, have the flu? Read More
By Garren McCloud Maintaining consistent membership can be one of the more frustrating parts of leading a choir. I’m not just talking about people going on vacation in the summer, even though that can be frustrating too. I’m talking about those times when you find membership at an all-time low. Read More
By Johnson Roberts Being in ministry can be draining. So many of our days are spent pouring ourselves out to others—with our time, our talents, and our focused attention. As Christians, we must remember that we can only pour out so much before our spiritual well runs dry. Jesus tells us Read More