Thanks to everyone who helped make this milestone possible for me: Rev. Bill Sinkford for helping to push the idea through the ranks of the bureacracy, the Leadership Development Board of the UUMN, Donna Fisher, Beth Williams, my advisor Ila Stoltzfus, and my sponsor Susan Shaw.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
New UUA Music Credentialing Program
I am pleased to announce that I have passed all the requirements for the new UUA Credentialing Program for Music Leaders. I am one of seven candidates who will be "graduating" as the very first class of this new program. We have spent the last three years studying in three areas: Music, UU History and Theology, and Leadership. We studied with wonderful experts such as Jason Shelton, Sarah Dan Jones, Ken Herman, Rev. Marc Belletini, Beth Norton, Annease Hastings, and Joyce Poley. Our class will be recognized at the Service of the Living Tradition at General Assembly in June 2009.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Teaching Tolerance through songs
Last Sunday our church's Family Choir sang "1492," a great song by Nancy Schimmel about how Christopher Columbus thought he "discovered" America. I found the song in a resource I've used many times and I'd like to share here with whoever finds this blog:
The book/CD is called I Will Be Your Friend. It's put out by Tolerance.org, an arm of the Southern Poverty Law Center. One of the coolest things about this resource is that it's FREE to educational and religious organizations!! You just have to send for it on your school or church's lettehead. And they expressly state on the acknolwedgements page that copies of the songs are permissible for educational use. Free is good!
http://www.tolerance.org/teach/current/event.jsp?cid=414
Besides being a FREE resource, it also has awesome songs that can be used with a children's choir, family choir, or even with your congregation. In addition to "1492," I've used several other songs from this book. Our children's choir -- MUUsical Magicians -- have sung "Paz y liberdad" for Peace Sunday, a young soloist sang "Courage" for a service about bullying, and we put "What Can One Little Person Do?" on our CD Family ValUUes: Songs UU Families Can Share. http://cdbaby.com/cd/ocuuc
The CD is professionally produced with (usually) the songwriter as the performer, complete with the appropriate band backing them up. Good stuff!
I really can't say enough good things about this book & CD. If you're a teacher, Religious Education Director, Music Director, or Minister, pick one of these up!
The book/CD is called I Will Be Your Friend. It's put out by Tolerance.org, an arm of the Southern Poverty Law Center. One of the coolest things about this resource is that it's FREE to educational and religious organizations!! You just have to send for it on your school or church's lettehead. And they expressly state on the acknolwedgements page that copies of the songs are permissible for educational use. Free is good!
http://www.tolerance.org/teach/current/event.jsp?cid=414
Besides being a FREE resource, it also has awesome songs that can be used with a children's choir, family choir, or even with your congregation. In addition to "1492," I've used several other songs from this book. Our children's choir -- MUUsical Magicians -- have sung "Paz y liberdad" for Peace Sunday, a young soloist sang "Courage" for a service about bullying, and we put "What Can One Little Person Do?" on our CD Family ValUUes: Songs UU Families Can Share. http://cdbaby.com/cd/ocuuc
The CD is professionally produced with (usually) the songwriter as the performer, complete with the appropriate band backing them up. Good stuff!
I really can't say enough good things about this book & CD. If you're a teacher, Religious Education Director, Music Director, or Minister, pick one of these up!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
LESS IS MORE - Peace Round
The theme for the service at my church a few weeks ago was world peace - a heavy topic nowadays indeed! Now there are literally hundreds of choir pieces dealing with peace. In fact, last year I produced a Music Sunday in which the whole service was comprised of musical reflections on peace.
But for this service, for some reason I was inspired toward simplicity when I was choosing the choir anthem. The choir sang "Peace Round," which was taught to me by William Allaudin Mathieu (http://www.coldmountainmusic.com/), a fantastic plenary speaker at the Unitarian Universalist Musicians Network several years ago. This song is a 3-measure piece with simply the words for "peace" in four languages - Latin, Hebrew, Sanskrit, and Arabic.
The basses sang "Om Shanti, Om" on octave Cs. At first they complained about how "boring" it was, but I encouraged them to go into a meditative space when they sang. When they did that, the magic began.
The other three sections each learned their parts in turn, and when the four parts were sung together, it was beautiful as a piece of music, but I felt it could go even farther. Then I was inspired to have the choir sing, in mixed formation, from the perimeter of the sanctuary. (The choir members are very good sports by now and almost always trust my crazy ideas!)
After the basses sang their "Om, Shanti Om" about 6 times through, I brought in another section (I changed it every time so the singers had to watch me!) and slowly another, and another. Then I took them out in reverse order, and everyone joined the basses on a unison "Om Shanti Om" at the end until it just faded out. The rehearsal was very powerful -- there was a palpable sense of peace and holiness in the room after the last note dropped off.
We sang this Peace Round at the end of the service on world peace the next Sunday. It was one of the most spiritual musical moments I've ever had, and I heard the same thing from several choir members. The congregation was BATHED in peace/Shanti/Pacem/Salaam/Shalom.
So what did I learn from this experience?
But for this service, for some reason I was inspired toward simplicity when I was choosing the choir anthem. The choir sang "Peace Round," which was taught to me by William Allaudin Mathieu (http://www.coldmountainmusic.com/), a fantastic plenary speaker at the Unitarian Universalist Musicians Network several years ago. This song is a 3-measure piece with simply the words for "peace" in four languages - Latin, Hebrew, Sanskrit, and Arabic.
The basses sang "Om Shanti, Om" on octave Cs. At first they complained about how "boring" it was, but I encouraged them to go into a meditative space when they sang. When they did that, the magic began.
The other three sections each learned their parts in turn, and when the four parts were sung together, it was beautiful as a piece of music, but I felt it could go even farther. Then I was inspired to have the choir sing, in mixed formation, from the perimeter of the sanctuary. (The choir members are very good sports by now and almost always trust my crazy ideas!)
After the basses sang their "Om, Shanti Om" about 6 times through, I brought in another section (I changed it every time so the singers had to watch me!) and slowly another, and another. Then I took them out in reverse order, and everyone joined the basses on a unison "Om Shanti Om" at the end until it just faded out. The rehearsal was very powerful -- there was a palpable sense of peace and holiness in the room after the last note dropped off.
We sang this Peace Round at the end of the service on world peace the next Sunday. It was one of the most spiritual musical moments I've ever had, and I heard the same thing from several choir members. The congregation was BATHED in peace/Shanti/Pacem/Salaam/Shalom.
So what did I learn from this experience?
- I learned to trust my "inspirations" and crazy ideas.
- I learned that when I present ideas to the choir from an inspired place, they also get inspired and carry out the vision I had.
- I learned that Unitarian Universalists aren't always "in their head" as we are sometimes rumored to be!
- I learned that it isn't always necessary to prepare a complicated SATB choir anthem to create a sacred musical experience. Sometimes less is more. (One congregant asked how long we had prepared the piece -- she thought it sounded so difficult that we must have been practicing for months! I told her it was only three measures long and she was astounded!)
Has anyone else used this piece in worship? Do you have any experiences when you presented something very simple yet magical at a worship service?
Monday, February 16, 2009
My UU Ministry
Beth has worked at
since 2001. Her first Sunday was just two weeks before 9/11/2001. After that tragic event, she learned what music ministry meant – and in a hurry! What started out as a part-time job has turned into a deep ministry. She is now the Director of Music Ministries and she is in charge of three choirs for different ages and abilities, a concert series, Sunday morning music, musical outreach opportunities, and many special events throughout the year.
Beth is a member of the first group of Unitarian Universalist musicians who will become
through the
in June 2009. This three-year program, sponsored in part by the
, has been an excellent tool for personal and career growth.
" "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt in the heart." (Helen Keller) Among the things that drew me to OCUUC was Beth's ability to analyze the weekly service to help bring the message directly to my heart through music."
- Brenda Titus
- Brenda Titus
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