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Props to Grenetta Mason and Donna Kelsick who organized a fantastic Urban Wellness Retreat that I participated in today. The workshops and offerings touched on a wide range of interests – alternative medicine, diet and nutrition, financial planning, aromatherapy, spa treatments, as well as yoga and Reiki sessions. They have a real sense that personal wholeness is about mind, body and spirit connection. They day was full of conversation and learning alongside some wonderful souls who are looking for balance and wholeness in their busy lives. And I love that the event was nestled right in the heart of Harlem (a beautifully rehabbed brownstone that is a B&B) and drew from the resources that are within this community. It was great to be part of an event that is intended to bring some measure of wholeness and connectedness to individuals, to our community and to our world.
The music page has been updated with three new pieces:
With Joy and Thanksgiving – a response for the sacrament of Baptism and the Welcoming of New Members
All Shall Be Amen and Alleluia – a joyous setting of a prayer by St. Augustine of Hippo for SATB choir and percussion
Let All the World in Every Corner Sing – a straightforward setting of a classic George Herbert text for unison treble or mixed choir and piano.
Click on over and take a look, and please share with folks who might be interested.
I initially imagined that this blog would be a place to share written reflections on music and faith. But over the past year I have realized that the music I compose is also a part of the conversation. It is where some of the topics I blog about actually get worked out in real time – where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. So, I have decided to create a page with sample pdfs of music that I have written and will update it with new material from time to time.
I’m especially focusing on liturgical music, as I believe that there is a need for new material that is approachable by congregations and choirs but is also well-crafted, diverse and honors the text. I’ll let you be the judge of my success or failure, though I do hope that these responses and Psalm settings can be of service to others. They are free for you to peruse; if you decide that you’d like to use one in your congregation, please contact me for information about a modest usage fee. (Believe me, I’m not in this for the money!)
An important note: All of the pieces have been used in the church that I currently serve (or in past churches) and were written with a specific community in mind. Sometimes music doesn’t translate well to other places, and that’s ok; every congregation is different. In which case, I encourage you to commission a musician in your faith community to write something that is sensitive to your congregation’s needs and character (or write it yourself, if you can). As much as publishers of every ilk might try to convince us, there is no one-size-fits-all solution that will bring vitality to a church’s worship life. But I believe that good worship happens when preachers, musicians and worship planners prayerfully ask, “What is God’s WORD for this congregation, in this particular time and place?” and then search out or even create ways for us to hear that WORD anew.
So, click on over to the music page and let me know what you think.
