choirs perform only as well

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1 a practical resource for Lutheran church musicians Association of Lutheran 2016, No. 2 Church Musicians l alcm.org In this issue of In Tempo: Improving Choral Rehearsal Effectiveness, Part 1 1 Teaching New Music to Your Congregation 5 Reflections on Worship Planning 8 Called to Be a Living Voice 11 Writing and Arranging for Church Piano th Anniversary Hymn Commission 14 ALCM Receives a Gift to Expand the Raabe Prize 14 If You But Trust in God to Guide You 17 Far in the Heavens 18 Assistant Organist for the Day 20 Celebrating 30 Years of ALCM 22 Silence is Filled with Sound 23 Improving Choral Rehearsal Effectiveness Part I by Kenneth T. Kosche choirs perform only as well as they have been prepared. There are rare exceptions, but don t rely on an amazing performance after unexceptional preparation. The formative work of the choir is done in rehearsals, and whatever factors influence good rehearsals also cause good performances and vice versa. Some rehearsals are better than others; some preparation is more effective than others. There are musical and non-musical reasons for this. This two-part article addresses a number of these reasons. Part One is more general and Part Two will be more specific, using a hypothetical rehearsal to demonstrate some techniques I have found to be effective in my choral work. Let s begin with less technically musical issues and then develop the more directly musical ones. The rehearsal environment Administering the choir The director s preparation Rehearsal time management The role of musical skills The rehearsal environment Effective rehearsals are more likely to occur when the rehearsal space is optimal: adequate space, proper lighting, good ventilation, temperature control, appropriate seating, decent acoustics, proper and functional equipment, good sight lines for the choir, director, and accompanist (or the director, if also serving as accompanist). It is possible to work with inadequacies in one or more of these areas, to be sure. However, continuously dealing with many of these leads to frustration for the singers and director and compromises the quality of the rehearsal. The older I get the less I tolerate too many stairs, dimly lit balconies, uncomfortable pews or chairs, poorly arranged or cramped seating, cold or stuffy rooms, acoustical tile or carpeting, and clunky, out of tune pianos, or electronic devices that only remotely sound like a piano or organ. These all decrease rehearsal effectiveness, each in its own way. ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2 1

2 Dear friends, Originally this was to be the last issue of our second year of In Tempo, but surprise! We are moving to three issues per year, so one more is yet to come for We are grateful for your enthusiastic response to this new publication and to our consistently strong slate of contributors to each issue. Hearty thanks to the ALCM board for supporting our expanding publications portfolio, and to all authors for giving their time to share their wisdom on such a wide variety of subects. If you have a topic that you d like to see addressed, or a comment of any kind, please direct it to intempo@alcm.org or call the office at the number below. Peace be with you! Nancy Raabe, editor In Tempo is published three times a year by the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, 810 Freeman St., Valparaiso, IN l intempo@alcm.org Subscription is included with membership in ALCM. Editor: Nancy Raabe Designer: Kathryn Hillert Brewer ALCM Business Manager: Cheryl Dieter Contributors to this issue: Jeffrey Blersch, John Carter, Handt Hanson, Kenneth Kosche, Michael Krentz, Tom Leeseberg-Lange, Vincent M. Ryan, Paul Westermeyer 2 ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2 Let the director be proactive and make changes as possible. Use your imagination to correct those that you can. You probably can do nothing about a too small, cramped choir loft short of a maor remodel, but rearranging the furniture, removing extraneous items like storage cabinets, book racks, and music stands, reorienting the keyboard/piano, and getting better chairs might help. Circumambient space is important for singers. How much personal space can be allocated to the sides, front, and back of each singer during rehearsal and performance? In this case a solution could be as simple as rehearsing in another room, only going to the choir loft/balcony for a run through at the end of rehearsal or on Sunday morning before church. My point is: the physical conditions of a rehearsal setting affect the musical outcome for good or ill. Administering the choir Are you an organized person or are you artistic? False question; you need to be both. If you are not organized, you must enlist help. If you are not artistic, you may be in the wrong vocation. Planning long and short range is the key. I have gently reminded, We can t change the plan if we do not have one. Have a plan that includes music selection, preparation, scheduling rehearsals and performances. How far out do you plan the choir repertoire? Is it a week, a few weeks, a month or two, half the church year? When you order music, please realize it takes time to arrive. No, you should not make a habit of photocopying your single copies so that the choir can start rehearsing sooner. If you add up all the time it takes to pass out or collect music during rehearsals, how much choir time is wasted not only in the passing out/collecting process but in reestablishing the choir s and the director s focus? Additionally, copies are misplaced or an octavo with markings that a chorister has made gets handed to someone else. Who has my music? Choir folders with repertoire set out in advance saves precious time. Collecting several weeks or an entire season s worth of music at one time does likewise. Purchasing 20 copies of an octavo for a choir of 15 singers saves time and money in the long run. A quick extra copy is always handy, and presumably the choir will sing the selection again in the future, perhaps when the piece is out of print and unavailable. Who knows if a few new members will have oined the choir by then? What do you do when you run out of music, and how does that affect rehearsals? Planning also includes scheduling rehearsals and performances. Obviously, the choir is most effective in rehearsals and performances when all the members are present. It is disheartening to plan to rehearse one or more pieces only to find out that significant choristers are missing. If there is a way to discover this ahead of time, you can plan to rehearse around the missing persons. The same is true for performing. I keep a written list of those members who indicate they will not be present for certain rehearsals and worship services so that I can plan around their absences. In my previous parish, we determined to rehearse after church on Sundays because we were all

3 Kenneth Kosche conduts a choir performing in Tisovec, Slovakia. there for worship and thus could avoid a night out during the week. This may not work for you, but it might be worth exploring holding some rehearsals at times other than when they have been traditionally scheduled. Do you allow seasonal members? In my previous parish, several persons had circumstances which did not permit their singing the entire choir season. I let them know several weeks before beginning Advent/Christmas music and Holy Week/Easter music so that they could arrange to be present for rehearsals at those times. Doing so allowed them to use their musical gifts, and the choir and congregation benefitted as a result. The others in the choir were always welcoming. The director s preparation After you have selected the music, ordered new pieces, and pulled the appropriate files from the choir library, you prepare in greater detail. Your preparation actually began with the selection process when you determined the requirements of each piece and assessed if the choir could meet them adequately, learn the music in sufficient time, and sing beautifully. Have you ever ordered a selection for your choir only to discover later how unsuitable it was? Some advanced preparation might have forestalled a problem no amount of rehearsing, no matter how efficiently you went about it, could resolve. Selecting music, beginning rehearsals, and then abandoning a piece is highly ineffective and can also be disheartening. True, one must be realistic and know this occasionally happens for a good reason. Some directors change their minds too easily and pull a piece after spending rehearsal time on it. This is certainly ineffective rehearsing. There is no substitute for score study. We all wing it once in awhile, but winging it can develop into a time wasting habit, frustrating the choir, the accompanist, and the director. Please do not count on being a step ahead of the choir. I dislike a chorister trying to direct my rehearsal for me by referring to this part and that part, and Oh, if the altos would ust hear the interval on the top of page four Some singers like to show off in this way, oddly not always the better ones. But when they know I am unappreciative and someone still asks these kinds of questions, I realize I was not sufficiently prepared or I would have caught it in advance of the question. Then I have no basis to complain because I muffed it as a director. Rehearsal time management Good rehearsing relies on effective use of time. If only I had one more rehearsal. I have said it myself. Time has run out and the group is not as prepared as it should be. What to do? By the time a director asks this question, it is already too late except to promise that next time this will not happen again. Ah, yes. Next time I have found that my best rehearsals were well organized, followed a routine, and my expectations were known to the choir, including how much time I planned to rehearse each piece. It is ineffective rehearsing to kind of, sort of, work over a piece until you more or less feel ready to slide on into the next. By scheduling a set amount of time per piece and identifying specific goals for that time frame, you can bring a choir to mastery over the music in a series of rehearsals. I will show more precisely how this is done in Part Two, the hypothetical rehearsal. When one rehearses loosely and open-endedly, director and choir alike suddenly discover the end of the rehearsal has arrived, and only a portion of the music was rehearsed. What an uncomfortable dilemma this is! There are two inviolable rehearsal commandments. The first ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2 3

4 is: start on time. Period. There must be no waiting around for the choir to eventually drift in. When it is the time to start, then start. Employ an expected starting routine such as a prayer, a hymn, a warmup, preferably not announcements (save those for the end), or whatever you choose, but start on time. If the expectation is set that choir starts on time with something of importance, members will make it their business to be present from the beginning. Rehearsals begun by talking and passing music out and collecting old music is a tremendous time waster. Late comers force you to repeat the activity, resulting in more wasted time. Occasionally someone may arrive late. Allow the singer to slip in without comment, and keep on going. Some years ago members of my choir watched a popular family TV series that ended at 7:00 p.m. The practical thing to do was to begin the rehearsal at 7:15 p.m. to not waste fifteen minutes of everyone else s time. Consequently, we ended fifteen minutes later to compensate. The second choir commandment is like the first: end on time. (More in the next installment.) Effective rehearsing is inversely proportional to the amount of time spent talking. Sing more; talk less. Choir members should not be talking in the first place. For the director, making lengthy explanations or giving detailed directions does not increase efficiency. Pithy comments (I refer to these as command words in Part Two) specific to the score or the choir s singing are best. The rare inspiring speech or explanation is an exception. It is far too easy to lapse into long explanations, detailed background history, short stories, humorous anecdotes, and other items that, while interesting, take the focus off the work at hand. Am I guilty of any of these? Oh my, yes! That is why I feel qualified to comment about them. Minimize talking generally and avoid extraneous talking. The role of musical skills A significant efficiency in rehearsals is the choir s collective ability to sight-read. Space here does not permit expounding methodologies except to recommend that a little time spent along the way reaps huge rewards over time. One easy suggestion: have members of the whole choir regularly sing other sections parts often. This practice also minimizes talking and keeps the choir focused. It permits various sections to understand musical details in the whole fabric of the music that they would not know otherwise. Bands cannot do this; choirs are blessed to possess the whole score. Sometimes the same musical details are present in more than one choir part. Consequently, knowing the details as they occur in the tenor part, for example, allows the sopranos to know them in their part too. For those who read music minimally or not at all, this practice awakens awareness that pitches move higher and lower and have longer and shorter rhythmic values regardless of which clef is used and without the singer needing to name pitch names. These details can come later (more in Part Two). Model how you wish the choir to sing vocally as much as possible. Banging it out on the piano is far less musical (I often get a headache from it), and it does not allow for artistic expression unless subtly done remember, they are singing parts, not playing them. Your singing allows you to demonstrate to the choir expressively far more than pitch and rhythmic accuracy. Of course, then you have to know their parts, don t you? Earlier I wrote that directors need to be organized and artistic. Many directors have years of experience and one or more degrees in music, but some are pressed into service with minimal backgrounds maybe because they play the piano or the clarinet, or because they are the spouse of the pastor. It goes far beyond the scope of these two articles to develop their musical skills. There are many books available on the subect. I offer my little book as a starting point. 1 Many college music programs offer workshops or degree programs in evenings, on weekends, and during summers. ALCM materials, conferences, and workshops are great resources. For directors possessing good skills and insights, please take it as a challenge to mentor someone who could use your assistance. Dr. Kenneth T. Kosche is Professor of Music Emeritus of Concordia University Wisconsin. In retirement he remains an active parish musician, having over fifty years of experience directing church, school, community, and college choirs. 1 A Novice s Guide to Directing the Church Choir, CPH (also available in Kindle format). 4 ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2

5 Teaching New Music to Your Congregation by Jeffrey Blersch we can t sing that! That tune is un-singable! Have you ever heard this from your congregation? If you have (like I have), I would be willing to bet that the reason members of your congregation might have responded that way to a new melody is that they simply don t know the tune. It s probably not that the tune itself is bad, but rather that the tune had not been taught to them. Think about it every song that we know, be it sacred or secular, was once new to us and taught to us in one way or another. So, how can we best teach new music to our congregation so that, when used in worship, the music is an addition to the text rather than a distraction from it? Here are some ideas. Step 1: Prepare Know your congregation. Some congregations are stronger singers than others (for a variety of reasons) and some are able to learn new musical material more quickly than others. If your congregation struggles with new material, first do some analysis to determine specifically what gives them trouble. For example, my congregation would struggle at first with the irregular musical meter of a plainchant which is unfamiliar to them ( Thee We Adore, Adoro te devote. LSB 640, ELW 476), but they are able to learn a tune with a strong, sturdy meter ( The Gifts Christ Freely Gives, Denby, LSB 602) relatively quickly. Some congregations may struggle with hymns that tend to hover in the higher registers, some may struggle with hymns in which syllables are placed on quicker moving eighth notes. The point is this: try to pinpoint musical characteristics of a new hymn that tend to give your congregation fits. This will help you better plan how to introduce new music in the future. Know your forces. It is best not to introduce a new tune when you know that your congregation may be smaller than normal (on a holiday weekend, for example), or during the distribution of Holy Communion when a percentage of the congregation will be receiving the Sacrament and not engaged in singing. Plan ahead! If you know that you ll be introducing a new tune in a few weeks, let the congregation hear that tune several times in the preceding weeks by: Playing some pieces based on that hymn tune as a voluntary (make sure that the tune is obvious and not too over-decorated); Working the hymn into the liturgy by having a soloist, small group, adult choir, or children s choir sing it as an anthem or voluntary. Teach the hymn in advance to every group you can. This, of course, includes your adult choir and children s choir. Even if one or more of those choirs is not directly involved in the service on the day on which you ll introduce the new hymn, having congregation members in the pews that already know the tune is a huge help to those sitting around them. This is especially true of children; I have found that if parents hear their children singing, they are much more likely to try it themselves ( Well, if the children can do it ). Some other ideas to teach in advance: Teach it to the Sunday school children during an opening or closing time. If you have a day school, teach the hymn during school chapel and use it as a hymn of the month. Adult Bible classes provide a great opportunity for pastor and musician to team-teach a bit: the pastor can teach the content of the text and the musician can teach the tune to the class. Think about it for a moment: If you have taught a new hymn to your choirs, your Sunday school children, and your Bible class, a healthy percentage of the congregation will already know the hymn before it is used in worship. Step 2: Lead. I generally don t like to call the congregation s attention to the fact that we re doing a new tune that they probably don t know. ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2 5

6 Figure 1 That tends to create fear and is not likely to encourage enthusiastic participation. If you have done the work of preparation, and if the hymn is led well, people will follow. How do you best lead a new hymn? The rule of thumb is a simple one: make it obvious. Make what obvious? Answer: everything! The melody must be clearly heard and pronounced, the rhythms and meter must be clearly articulated and defined, the tempo must be sturdy as a rock, and the phrase endings must be clearly identifiable. How do you make the melody obvious? Here are some ideas: 1Use instrumentalists in your congregation to reinforce the melody. Since hymn melodies tend to be limited in range, this is frequently a good chance to involve younger players high school or even middle school students. Of course, you will need to take time to rehearse with them and you may need to write out the melody for transposing instruments, but it is well worth the effort. In the case of softer instruments such as the flute, consider using ust a bit of amplification to carry their sound throughout the space. You might even consider using the piano and organ together; the pianist could play the ust the melody in octaves in the upper range. 2Learn to play the hymn melody on one manual of the organ while playing the alto and tenor on a secondary manual and the bass with the pedal. This is the first thing that I have my college organ students learn after they are able to play a hymn out of the hymnal. It frequently is no more technically challenging to play a hymn this way, but it does present a visual and mental challenge as you have to train your eyes to look at the page in a different way. Practice a number of hymns this way, very slowly, and after a while you will be able to do it without practice. If you can t yet do this comfortably, rewrite the hymn with only the melody on the treble staff, the alto and tenor on the second staff, and the bass on the pedal staff. So, the beginning of By All Your Saints in Warfare (Kings Lynn, LSB 571/518, ELW 420/421 ) might look like Figure 1. Play the melody on the Great (principals and trumpet, maybe a mixture too) and play the alto/ tenor parts on the Swell (8, 4, 2, maybe a mixture). Select a pedal registration that balances the Swell (principals 16, 8, swell to pedal). 3When you play the introduction to the hymn, play the melody as a solo as outlined above, but use a slightly softer registration than you will use for singing. An increase in the volume at the beginning of stanza 1 acts as a strong cue to the congregation and encourages them to begin. Sometimes I have heard organists play the melody only (without any harmonies) to introduce the hymn. This certainly does make the melody obvious. However, I have found that it is often better to include the harmony in the background because it allows the congregation to hear the melody in a harmonic context, which, in turn, helps to make the melody more obvious since the harmonies in hymns are typically predictable. 4Assign various stanzas of the hymn to a choir (or a soloist or small group). One possibility might be this: Introduction: Organ (melody played on a solo manual) Stanza 1: Choir (organ accompanies on a softer registration) Stanzas 2-4: Congregation (play the melody of stanzas 2 and 3 on a solo manual as discussed above; play stanza 4 all on the Great) Or, you might want to give the congregation a few more chances to hear the tune: Introduction: Organ (melody played on a solo manual) Stanza 1: Choir (organ accompanies on a softer registration) Stanza 2: All (play the melody on a solo manual as discussed above) Stanza 3: Choir (organ accompanies on a softer registration) Stanza 4: All (play all on the Great) 6 ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2

7 Figure 3 5Try to predict exactly what about the particular tune you are introducing might be tricky. Some hymns are very easy to sing, with the exception of one phrase. For example, Bryn Calfaria ( Lord, Enthroned in Heavenly Splendor, LSB 534, ELW 475) is a tune which is easily learned, with the exception of the tune s last phrase (in stanza 1, Jesus, true and living bread! ). What makes this phrase tricky? The rhythms suddenly move quicker and in different patterns than in the rest of the hymn. So, what can you do to help lead a congregation through this one phrase to make it more obvious? First, be sure that your tempo is not so fast that the eighth notes are impossible to sing when you get to them. Second, play the melody in octaves during this phrase. Third, articulate! Communicate the breaths and make a distinction between which pitches are slurred and which are not so that your congregation is better able to sense where the new syllables fall. One possible accompaniment for this phrase, then, might be this (Figure 2). Figure 2 Another example: Grafton ( Now My Tongue the Mystery Telling, LSB 630) is a relatively easy tune with the exception of the final phrase. What makes the final phrase so difficult? The quick melodic leap upward from G B-flat E-flat and then back down to A-flat. I would offer the same advice as above, so the final phrase might be played like Figure 3. Step 3: Reinforce. Like any good teaching, reinforcement is needed if the congregation is to retain what they have learned. Sometimes this is more easily accomplished than others. Some hymns lend themselves to being repeated in services three or four weeks in a row. For example, an Advent hymn could be introduced on the first Sunday in Advent and used effectively in various parts of the service during all four Sundays in Advent. A new setting of the Kyrie or a hymn for Holy Communion may be repeated in the liturgy for many weeks so that there is adequate time for reinforcement. Other hymns, however, are not so easy. A new hymn for All Saints Day, for example, may not be one that is easily applied to surrounding Sundays. But you might be able to use the same tune with different text. For example, Saints, See the Cloud of Witnesses (LSB 667) and Rise, Shine You People (LSB 825, ELW 665) use the same tune (Wotkiewiecz). Another example, the tune Holy Manna is used for three different texts in LSB (540, 584, and 782) and two in ELW (461, 771). The honest truth is that there are no tunes in our hymnals which are unsingable. There are, however, many that are new or unfamiliar to any given congregation. But with good planning, leading, and reinforcement they can become treasures in a congregation s repertoire. Happy teaching! The honest truth is that there are no tunes in our hymnals which are unsingable. There are, however, many that are new or unfamiliar to any given congregation. ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2 7

8 Reflections on Worship Planning by Handt Hanson A Brief History i had the privilege of serving Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, Minn., as Director of Worship Arts for 40 years from My commentary is based on years of experience, observation, and retirement reflection. Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy It has been said that the primary challenge to the modern church is a healthy balance between orthodoxy and orthopraxy. In other words, right thinking guides right doing. Our practice is shaped by our beliefs, and as worship planners and leaders these thoughts and skills are put into use every day. As we consider what it means to plan worship in our communities, I d like to propose a few concepts for your consideration. First, let me share some ideas that would fall under the category of orthodoxy, beliefs, or foundational principles to guide our practice and then I ll share some very specific things you can do to help your worship life. Orthodoxy: Right thinking The Plan Any good worship plan begins with the Biblical text. Whether you follow the Revised Common Lectionary, the Narrative Lectionary, or select your own texts for worship, it is the text that drives the plan. Worship should not be a self-help series, a parenting class, or a coping skills seminar. The Biblical text drives the worship plan. The Pattern The cynical among us would proclaim that worship has devolved into a sing-along and a speech. In some churches worship planning is simply stringing 4 or 5 praise songs together, and after prayer moving into 45 minutes of preaching or teaching. Art, ritual, sacrament, drama, video, dance, movie clips, interaction, gesture and a variety of worship postures can be helpful in moving us far beyond a simplistic sing-along/speech pattern. The Message Everything in the service is the message, not ust the sermon. The preachers among us may disagree with this concept, but every detail surrounding the experience of a worshiper is very important. We need to pay close attention to signage, parking, bathrooms, greeters, hospitality, information, room temperature, cleanliness, aromas, wall decorations, and every form of art. Mind Your Metaphors When planning worship, be mindful of your metaphors. Our hymnals and songbooks are filled with metaphors that attempt to give language and images for ideas that are beyond description. Sometimes we encounter sheep and shepherds, fields and flocks, seeds and soil, planting and harvesting, blood and sacrifice, and Christian soldiers marching as to war with the cross of Jesus guiding us. At best, some of these metaphors can become nonsensical and at worst downright offensive. Atonement Theories When planning worship, be mindful of your atonement theories. Throughout our hymnals and songbooks we will find various usages of atonement theories that try to describe what God was up to on the cross of Christ. A few examples are: Reversing the course Jesus death and resurrection reverses the course of human history from disobedience to obedience. Penal Substitution Jesus death is a substitutionary sacrifice that satisfies God s demand for ustice. Inspiration Jesus is the new example of what faith and obedience should look like. Christus Victor Jesus death and resurrection wins the divine conflict over Satan and the battle between good and evil. Ransom to Satan Jesus death purchases our freedom and release from slavery to Satan. As you scan your hymnals and songbooks, these theories begin to ump off the page. I have two words of caution regarding atonement theories. 1) No one atonement theory can fully capture what God was up to on the 8 ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2

9 The Parable of the Sower by Carl Dixon. Mixed media on sculpted wood panel. Copyright Carl Dixon/Koelsche Gallery. cross. 2) If your hymn/song texts live exclusively in one atonement theory, you may need to consider a broader approach. The Trap Much of the hymn/song material available today has its roots in a theology of glory. The worship music industry tends to cater to this theological bent when what would serve us best is a theology of the cross, with a healthy tension between lament and oy, suffering and ecstasy. Don t fall into the trap of using a hymn/song ust because it s being played on your local Christian radio station or in use at the church down the street. Community One of the greatest gifts of the church is the gift of community, but often the music we select gives the impression that this church thing is ust about me and Jesus. If your hymn/song texts are all from the perspective of I, search for ways to include more we texts to emphasize the communal nature of the worship gathering. The Medium Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase, the medium is the message. As worship leaders, it is quite possible that what we intend and what a worshiper perceives may be two very different things. We would never intend for worship to be an ego-driven, personality-based experience, but that might very well be the perception of some in the congregation. Worldview It has been said that our worldview has been more shaped by Plato than by the actual words and actions of Jesus. We quickly segment our worldview into categories of opposites such as heaven/earth, sacred/secular, good/evil, and spirit/body. Let s resist this kind of Gnosticism and give a more holistic worldview to our worshipers. Having ust scratched the surface of right thinking (orthodoxy), let s look for a minute at some highly practical things we can do (orthopraxy). Orthopraxy: Right doing Words Matter Words are important and they matter. Text and tune create memory. Capitalization and punctuation easily give away what theological bent you are resourcing. When in doubt, the prevailing hymnal of your denomination becomes the style guide for language, punctuation and capitalization. Study your hymnal and see how these concerns are presented. Songwriters and Songs Songwriters are not necessarily great theologians. Just because a songwriter was able to get a song recorded does not mean it s true or that you should use it. Before ou use a piece of music, ask yourself, Is this true? Given the current trends in worship songwriting it sometimes sounds as if Jesus is my new boyfriend or girlfriend. Consider these texts currently in use: Nobody loves me like you/you are beautiful in all your ways / ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2 9

10 your love and affection belongs to me/i want you I need you I love you. Our relationship with God is far more than a romantic infatuation. Some songs are ust boring. One current worship song opens with repeating a melody four times before it has a new idea. Many songs are ust three chords and a cloud of dust and use the same progressions over and over. Avoid boring songs that won t stand the test of time. Chris Tomlin songs are four steps too high for any congregation to sing. If you do his songs in their original key, all the true tenors will love it but everyone else will be caught between octaves. Generally, a vocal range from A below middle C to an octave above middle C works for most congregations. Human Voice The human voice is the best instrument for leading worship. Always defer to the congregation s voice when it comes to musical choices and leadership. Key Signatures I have been guilty of planning music for a worship service and, in rehearsal, realized that 4 of the 5 songs we re using were in the key of F. Avoid Key of F Sunday and consider using related key signatures that sound like they belong together. Dynamic Range Look for ways to create a worship experience with a wide dynamic range. For example, have the band not play on stanza 3 and ust let the congregation sing. Just because you have nine players doesn t mean they have to play every note of every song. Build a ramp in and out of the Each worship leader needs to convey the attitude that what he or she is leading is both exciting and meaningful. songs. For instance, start with ust the acoustic guitar, then add piano, add bass on the first chorus, drums come in on verse two, play a bigger second chorus, then a low meditative bridge leading to a key change for the final big choruses. The song then has an arc, an audible give and take that creates variety and interest. Is it Legal? Here is one very practical matter. Is it legal for us to use this song/ hymn? Purchase the licenses that allow you to reprint music legally. If you are planning to use a song, ask for permission. If you use a song, pay for it. Drums and Drummers A drummer s relative happiness is generally in reverse proportion to the congregation s happiness. Drummers love to play hard and loud. Don t fall into the trap of using Plexiglas around a drum kit to try to control their playing. Demand that they play in control and at an appropriate level without anything to muffle their sound. Demeanor In the three years since retiring I ve had the pleasure of experiencing a variety of worship in other congregations. As I ve observed the demeanor of some leaders, they often have a look on their face as if their dog ust died. While worship ought not be a performance medium, leaders can put a smile on their face and at the least, look pleasant. And beyond looking pleasant, each worship leader needs to convey the attitude that what he or she is leading is both exciting and meaningful. Less is More? Musicians often extol this adage but, in reality, they generally don t practice what they preach. The common tendency is for each player to play as much as possible, thinking that they are adding more to the sound when, in reality, playing more ust creates a mess. Simplify, simplify, simplify. Posture and Gesture Make sure your worship postures match what you are singing. If the song says, we are standing on holy ground you ought to have the congregation in a standing posture. If the song says, we lift our hands before you you ought to lead the congregation in doing ust that. If the song says, we kneel before in adoration you ought to make use of those kneelers you had installed many years ago. Dreaming and Details In 40 years of worship leading and planning experience, let me close by saying two things. Worship is SO weekly. As you plan and dream, you need to have the horsepower and resourcing to implement these plans every week and into the future without boredom or burnout. It s in the details. Every small thing adds up to this one big thing we call worship and it s our ob to pay attention to the details. May you more fully engage in God s kingdom work in God s world. 10 ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2

11 In the fall of 2014 a survey was sent to all ALCM members, and responses to that survey made it clear that the role of the church musician had changed dramatically in the 21st century. At its January 2015 meeting, the ALCM board reviewed results of the survey as well as the 2003 Statement on Worship & Music. The decision was made to convene a task force to review the 2003 document and to create a document that might more accurately reflect the specific role of church musicians. Copies of the initial draft of their document ( Called to Be a Living Voice ) were distributed at the biennial conference in Atlanta in July 2015, and then in September the draft was made available to the entire membership. The task force reworked the document based on comments and feedback they received. The result of their work is included here and posted on the ALCM website. In September the membership will be asked to vote whether or not to approve the statement. If approved, it will stand alongside and complement the 2003 Statement on Worship & Music to reflect the role of the church musician in today s ever-changing, ever-reforming church. Called to Be a Living Voice Final Draft lutheran church musicians lead the church s song. In the Lutheran tradition we are often known as cantors. This includes the roles of choir directors, organists, instrumental leaders, praise band leaders, song leaders, composers, arrangers, and worship planners. Since its founding in 1985 the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians (ALCM) has served its members by providing the support, learning, networking, grounding, inspiration and celebration to carry us into the future. Lutheran church musicians proclaim. We proclaim God s Word, Jesus Christ, in worship, through music. We are shaped by the Lutheran tradition as a confessing movement in the church catholic, and are rooted and guided by the western catholic musical and liturgical tradition. We are also responsive to our local contexts and cultures. We simultaneously care for our congregations local musical heritage and tradition while being bridge builders to the ever-emerging songs of the church. We delight in the riches from our past, as well as the gems in our new songs. We incorporate global music, the music of many nations and cultures, into worship. In short, we have a love of the past, a passion for the present, and excitement for the future. Lutheran church musicians lead. While some of us are employed in fulltime positions, most are employed part-time. Some are called as volunteers, often in churches that cannot afford to hire a musician. We lead the church s songs and hymns, we plan and perform choral and instrumental music, and use our talents to lead and grow the congregation s voice. We are all are called to excellence in the music that we lead. Lutheran church musicians celebrate. We celebrate the fact that the Lutheran church is a singing church, and we work to keep and expand this singing tradition. We recognize that the gathered assembly is the primary musical voice in our worship. Lutheran music is built on the foundation of congregational hymns, songs, liturgical, and other music. Thus, we form choirs, handbell ensembles and various instrumental groups that enrich the music in our worship. Lutheran church musicians challenge. We respond to cultural changes by finding ways to engage people of all ages and backgrounds in the church s music. We creatively develop new ways to involve children, youth and adults in choirs and instrumental ensembles as integral leaders. Lutheran church musicians grow and change. We foster creativity in all its forms, but especially in new musical expressions for the church. We are part of a dynamic, evolving vocation. As the song of the church changes, we remain committed to the oyful task of bringing the church s song into our assemblies to proclaim God s Word and celebrate God s sacramental presence in our midst. June 21, 2016 ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2 11

12 Writing and Arranging for Church Piano by John Carter in recent years an increasing number of churches have begun using piano in worship, many to the exclusion of the organ. This situation has led to an ever increasing demand for piano literature for use in worship. I have been asked to share some of my personal insights on the writing and arranging of piano music for worship. A lifetime of music ministry experiences, several years of working with music composition students at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio and private students, and a long career as a published writer and arranger have provided a wealth of experience from which I can draw some guidelines. Anyone who wishes to create instrumental music for worship must first understand that music for this venue is not primarily to be thought of as entertainment but rather as an enhancement or aid in creating satisfying worship experiences for the gathered community. Hymns and worship songs provide the materials with which to work, but selecting the appropriate hymns and songs to arrange is somewhat of an art. The hymns played or sung in a worship service should (1) address the theme of the service; (2) relate to the listener through both text and tune; and (3) be arranged in interesting and perhaps even unusual ways. Above all, the arrangements should not primarily call attention to the virtuosity of the performer. Improvisation is a basic skill for a hymn arranger. Improvising helps the writer to explore and test new ideas. Improvisation is not an easy thing to teach, but a writer/arranger who wishes to gain skill in improvising can improve with practice and by studying the writing of others to notice how new chord progressions or rhythms can enliven a familiar hymn. I am truly thankful for my theory and composition professors who gave me a strong background in harmonic structure and who inspired me to explore new ways of looking at tune harmonizations. One of my personal secrets in arranging hymns for the piano is that I have often drawn on my early experience writing vocal and choral music. If you look carefully at my piano writing, you might notice what seems to be enhanced choral writing, almost an SATB or SSATB structure with vocal lines and melody being tossed about between various vocal parts. You may discover other techniques and particulars in my work for yourself. Hymn settings may be made more interesting by the use of innovative rhythmic patterns. Some things to think about: Don t get locked into a rhythm pattern. Allow for the unexpected. The element of surprise is almost always good. Use of unusual rhythms such as Latin American, African or Asian are often piano keys art 12 ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2

13 useful but should not be forced or sound unnatural. When in doubt, don t arpeggiate! This device is too easily overused. When pianists are writing hymn settings it can be tempting to write arrangements that are pianistically very challenging. I freely confess that some of my best composer friends write beautiful music for worship that I cannot play. But if you wish to write for publication you need to consider the average church pianist. Many of them have limited time or limited technical ability or both, and they must supply instrumental music Sunday after Sunday. These faithful church musicians need an ongoing supply of Gebrauchsmusik (useful music) that is interesting and worshipful, but can be performed with a reasonable amount of preparation. If you are interested in creating a collection of piano arrangements for publication, you need to look beyond the most familiar hymns. After all, how many settings of Amazing Grace do we need in print? Familiar hymns are usually the first ones a composer considers arranging but there are many fine hymns that are unustly ignored. There are many piano collections that feature seasonal, thematic and general hymns so it is a good idea to think about new concepts for collections. A few of my more recent collections for piano in worship are not hymn-based. I have written several that are based on Biblical themes, notably Psalm Meditations for Piano for Augsburg Fortress, which included brief original mediations on the Psalms written by my wife, Mary Kay Beall. I recently completed a collection of Hymn Miniatures for Piano consisting of 43 brief settings, many only one page in length, which may be used as interludes, introductions for congregational singing, communion music or very brief preludes and postludes. This collection is also published by Augsburg Fortress and was ust released on June 1. Publishers and composers are always looking for new ideas. If you want to write or arrange instrumental music for worship, look at the writers whose work you admire, study the church music market, and discover what musicians in the church seem to need and what they purchase. Then set your mind and your hands and your creative spirit to work. Carter Piano Collections Over the years I have published over sixty piano collections with several sacred music publishing companies. Some of my most popular collections include these from Hope Publishing Company: Carols for Piano More Carols for Piano Still More Carols for Piano Hymns for Piano I and II Todays Hymns and Song for Piano I and II Patriotic Songs for Piano Wedding Music for Piano Spirituals for Piano Spiritual Reflections for Piano Sound The Trumpet (Hymns & Spirituals for Trumpet & Piano) World Music for Piano Songs of the Shepherd Favorite Hymns Folk Hymns Easy Hymns for Four Hands You Satisfy the Hungry Heart (Communion Hymns for Piano) Shall We Gather at the River (Hymns for Piano 4 Hands) Contemporary Hymns& Songs for Piano 4 Hands, Vol. I, II, III The Collected Works of John Carter for Piano Consider the average church pianist. Many of them have limited time or limited technical ability or both, and they must supply instrumental music Sunday after Sunday. ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2 13

14 30 th Anniversary Hymn Commission in celebration of ALCM s 30th anniversary and looking forward to the 500 th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, the ALCM board commissioned Susan Briehl (text) and Zebulon Highben (tune) to write a new hymn based on Psalm 46. As Zeb worked with Susan s text ( God Alone Be Praised ), two different tunes emerged. He submitted both hymn tunes to the board, so that they could decide which to use. They decided to make both tunes available. The two tunes are included in the pages that follow. Per Crucem features a standard four-voice harmonization that can be sung by the assembly. Ad Lucem is for unison singing with a basic keyboard accompaniment and chord symbols. These two distinct renderings of the text will allow much more versatility and will hopefully make it accessible within the broad contexts of differing worship communities. Permission is granted to members of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians to use God Alone Be Praised in their congregations worship between July 2016 and December Graphics for inclusion in service folders is included in the Members Area of the ALCM website. ALCM Receives a Gift to Expand the Raabe Prize the Board of Directors of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians reoices and gives thanks in announcing that William A. and Nancy M. Raabe are giving a gift of $25,000 to ALCM in order to expand the reach of the Raabe Prize. In 1999 the Raabes gave a gift to ALCM to establish the William A. and Nancy M. Raabe Prize recognizing Excellence in Sacred Composition. Since that time ALCM has awarded the Raabe Prize to a deserving composer in odd-numbered years, announcing the prize winner at each Biennial Conference. With this new gift, the Raabe Prize Fund will sponsor ALCM events or proects that match the original intent of the fund, which is to encourage composers to create new music for worship in the Lutheran tradition. Examples of sponsored events can include, but are not limited to, commissions, colloquia, educational events, and mentoring programs. The Raabe Prize for Excellence in Composition will continue in its current form. For the first proect of the expanded Raabe Prize, ALCM has commissioned additional resources to accompany and enrich the new hymn that Susan Briehl and Zebulon Highben have written for the 500 th anniversary of the Reformation and the 30 th anniversary of ALCM. The hymn itself, God Alone Be Praised (see next pages), is being premiered at the 2016 regional conferences; it is also available for download in the Members Area of the ALCM website for members to use in their parishes. The following additional resources will be available in January 2017: Organ chorale prelude (two versions) Kevin Hildebrand Handbells (one stand-alone piece, one accompaniment for singing) John Behnke Choral concertato (one for each tune) Zeb Highben Piano (one stand-alone piece, one accompaniment for singing) John Helgen Praise Band (audio recording and print materials) Kip Fox 14 ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2

15 & b Commissioned by the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians in commemoration of its 30th anniverary ( ) and the 500th anniversary of the Reformation ( ) Susan R. Briehl, after Psalm 46 God Alone Be Praised D m. G m. D m AD LUCEM Zebulon M. Highben Bb 4 7? &? &? 1. O - ceans rise, the coast - land trem - bles; moun - tains 2. Na - tions rage, the em - pire fal - ters; seek - ing 3. Come and see; God's mer - cy gath - ers all that b b b b b F. melt ref sin G m7/bb and dry earth crum - bles. All the world with long - - uge, ex - iles wan - der. Walls and wea - pons rise and grief have shat - tered. Life from fields of death A # # groans. fear. raised. Love Through Peace, a this be n. A #.. n # # n # #. Bm D m - bides; this gra - cious prom - ise wil - der - ness a riv - er still; let pride - ful thun - der. G n ing from is F # m.. is flows yield our to to 10 &? # # # # G. help, heal songs our and of hope bless oy and us and. Bm. sol ev won - ace. God's strong word is sol - - er. God the cru - ci - fied - der. God and God a - lone G A7sus4 id dwells be D ground. here. praised. Text 2016 Susan R. Briehl; tune and arrangement 2016 Zebulon M. Highben; administered by Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to members of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians to use this hymn in their congregations' worship between July 2016 and December 2017, provided this copyright notice appears. ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2 15

16 &? b b Commissioned by the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians in commemoration of its 30th anniverary ( ) and the 500th anniversary of the Reformation ( ) Susan R. Briehl, after Psalm O - ceans rise, the coast - land trem - bles; moun - tains melt 2. Na - tions rage, the em - pire fal - ters; seek - ing re - 3. Come and see; God's mer - cy gath - ers all that sin God Alone Be Praised PER CRUCEM Zebulon M. Highben. and fuge, and & b. # n # #? & b dry ex grief # # earth crum - bles. All the world with long - - iles have wan shat - - der. tered. Walls Life and from wea fields - pons of rise death. ing from is groans. fear. raised.. n # #? Love Through Peace, # # a this be - bides; this gra - cious prom - wil - der - ness a riv - still; let pride - ful thun - ise er der is flows yield our to to help heal songs our and of &? # # # # hope bless oy and us and sol ev won. - ace. God's strong word is sol er. der. God God the and cru God - ci a - - fied lone id dwells be ground. here. praised. Text 2016 Susan R. Briehl; music 2016 Zebulon M. Highben; administered by Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to members of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians to use this hymn in their congregations' worship between July 2016 and December 2017, provided this copyright notice appears. 16 ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2

17 hymns in perspective Paul Westermeyer If You But Trust in God to Guide You i f You But Trust in God to Guide You Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten in its original German was written by Georg Neumark ( ) in 1641 during the Thirty Years War after he had been robbed and then unexpectedly found employment. In 1681 he called it the here-and-there well-known hymn. It has voiced the Christian s trust in God for many parts of the church, well beyond what Neumark glimpsed or might have anticipated. The tune he wrote with it, which is named for it, has been widely used for many other texts. Georg Neumark ( ) was a German poet and composer of hymns. In its original German there were seven stanzas. Here is the fourth one: Er kennt die rechten Freudenstunden, Er weiss wohl, wann es nützlich sei. Wenn er uns nur hat treu erfunden Und merket keine Heuchelei, So kommt Gott, eh wir s uns versehn, Und lässet uns viel Gut s geschehn. God comes to us before we know. Here is a suggested translation: God knows the right and oyful hour, When the most useful time will be, When what is true is found to tower, And there is no hypocrisy. So then God comes before we know And lets the good before us flow. One might get the impression that this means God comes only after we have gotten rid of all of our hypocrisy. That, of course, is what Luther, speaking for all of us, found to be an exercise in complete despair and hopelessness, exactly what the Christian gospel does not mean. That is not what Neumark meant either, as he indicated in 1657 when he Trusting in God is understood to build on the rock of God s unchanging love, not on sand. Continued on page 19 ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2 17

18 in review Tom Leeseberg-Lange Far in the Heavens Far in the Heavens: Choral Music of Stephen Paulus, True Concord Voices and Orchestra, Eric Holtan, conductor. Reference Recordings, FR-716 i first became enamored of Mr. Paulus s dazzling compositional skill with his stunning Christmas carol arrangements sung by the Dale Warland Singers on Augsburg vinyl releases in the late 70s. Then several of his smaller scale choral pieces became part of my choral repertoire. His glorious Pilgrim s Hymn was sung at the funerals of two presidents. Opera, for which he became most widely known, was a true indication of the breadth of his talent. But no matter the scale of the composition, his sharply-honed craft and warm tonal preference was always evident and appreciated. This is an astonishing disc and final testament for the beloved Minnesota composer, Stephen Paulus, who passed away in October of 2014 at the age of 65 following a year of stroke-induced coma. Whatever you think of the Grammy awards, and there are many detractors who see it only as a politicized spectacle, it is gratifying to know that this final disc of Paulus s music, made with his oversight mere months before his stroke, won the 2016 Grammy 18 ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2 for Best Contemporary Classical Composition. The 66-minute CD is roughly in two parts: Prayers and Remembrances is a seven-part choral suite commissioned by the True Concord choral group and another to commemorate the events of September 11, The entire work was debuted on September 11, Using widely varied spiritual texts, Paulus attempts to evoke responses for those experiencing profound grief and offering, through music, hope for those who have lost loved ones. Most choir directors have heard, from time to time, the unfiltered utterance I don t like this piece Quick take: This is an outstanding choral CD! as their choristers try to comprehend and assimilate a new piece of music. My response has always been that you don t know it well enough to not like it. Often it ends up becoming a favorite. I have had to keep this in mind during my repeated listenings to the beginning of this disc. In fact the opening piece, section one of Prayers and Remembrances: They Are All Gone, is ust that sort of piece. It did not prompt immediate affection from me. But I ve decided that it is my fault until I know the

19 piece much better. My hesitation might have more to do with a frequently overpowering orchestral presence rather than the composition itself. At several points the orchestra s volume severely affects the comprehensibility of the text. The recording was made in an Arizona high school gymnasium, a practice that is apparently becoming increasingly common. However, I am quite enthusiastic about the remaining six sections of this maor premiere that are exceptionally beautiful and expressive, Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace is a leading example. For me, I still have difficulty understanding how movements of such diverse textual interpretations and musical expressions can be heard as a unified piece. Time will tell. The second part of the recording is a treasury of previously unrecorded or recently revised pieces by Paulus including The Incomprehensible, a second commission from True Concord. I find Nunc Dimittis and A Little Elegy most appealing, probably because of their length and suitability for use in a liturgical service or memorial service. Still, I Have Called You by Name, based on a passage from Isaiah, is as sublime as choral music gets. This is a lot of complex music to digest at one sitting. But for my money, like great azz, the more you listen the more you ll understand. Impeccable musicianship and the performers obvious deep affection for the music make this disc an exceptional path to a better appreciation of one of our greatest modern choral composers. If you But Trust in God, continued from page 17 published the hymn with the title, A Hymn of Consolation, followed by the notation that God, in God s own time, will care for and preserve us after the saying, Cast your burden upon the Lord who will sustain you (Psalm 55:22). Felix Mendelssohn ( ) realized this. Mendelssohn wrote a cantata based on this chorale. He did not use Neumark s complete hymn, but he embodied its theological point. He began with a stanza by Israel Clauder ( ), a prayer to trust God. Then, for the second movement, he underlined the point with Neumark s first stanza where trusting in God is understood to build on the rock of God s unchanging love, not on sand. Neumark s fourth and seventh stanzas form the last two movements of Mendelssohn s cantata. The first, second, and last movements all use the tune Neumark wrote for this text, cast by Mendelssohn into A minor. Following the tune s inner logic, he modulated where the tune modulates, on the fifth line, to the relative maor of C. For the third movement Mendelssohn composed a new melody in a new key, F maor, for a soloist, not for the choir as in the other three movements. These contrasts are signals as if to say, Listen up. The melody begins by hinting at an inversion of the hymn tune. If Mendelssohn were to have followed the original hymn tune s harmonic course he would have modulated where it modulates, at the fifth line, God comes to us before we know. He did not do that. Instead, his tune modulates on the previous line. In the cantata, Mendelssohn inserts an interlude to underline this modulation. The key change comes before it should, before we expect it, before we know, before that line comes. Mendelssohn underscores the point in three other ways: by the inverted tune itself, by melodically inverting the already inverted tune at the line, So then God comes before we know, a second inverting of expectations, and by modulating to the dominant C maor here, the same key as the relative maor of A minor to which the original tune modulated where the texts in the previous two stanzas are about building on and trusting in the most high God. This hymn expresses what the church has sung, not only since the Reformation, but long before it as well: our works cannot get us into God s presence, but God can be trusted and comes to us before we know. As is so often the case, a musician expresses this musically and helps us understand it in both obvious ways that we can hear immediately and less obvious ways that cause us to ponder its depths. ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2 19

20 Assistant Organist of the Day by Vincent M. Ryan it is not news to consider the dwindling number of organists among us. Countless hours have been spent locally, regionally, and nationally trying to address the issue. The American Guild of Organists, for example, includes a Committee on the New Organist, whose purpose is to create the materials and means for engaging and developing new organists, as well as to develop and promote programs and age-appropriate materials to introduce them to the organ and enable their development as organists. The committee oversees the presentation of POEs [pipe organ encounters] and POE+s in addition to PipeWorks programs. The committee develops educational opportunities and presentations to introduce non-organists of all ages to the organ. 1 I have wrestled with this question and presented numerous workshops for children to introduce them to the pipe organ. The congregation I serve is fortunate to have a pipe organ that is easily accessible for workshops with children. Students have a chance to sit at the console, play notes, push pistons, view the inside of the pipe chamber, learn about the parts of a pipe, and take home a custom-made coloring book. Children enoy touching things. They even get the chance to hold sample pipes. At the organ workshop during Vacation Bible School last summer, 70 children (and a handful of adults) learned a little bit about this maestic instrument in the sanctuary. 20 ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2 My favorite part of sitting at the organ was getting to press the buttons to set up the sounds for the songs. Jonah, age seven As a follow-up to the VBS workshop, I invited children to sit with me one or two at a time at the console during worship. Thus commenced our Assistant Organist of the Day experiment. It has been very successful. How am I measuring success? Here are three indicators: An announcement was made at the end of August and a sign-up sheet posted on a bulletin board. Students began signing up immediately. From the first Sunday in September through Dec. 20, an assistant organist or two has been sitting on the bench next to me. The sign-up sheet has had to be replaced twice because it was full. Adults are beginning to sign up, too. The enthusiasm is spreading through the Sunday school classrooms, into the sanctuary, and into students homes. These assistant organists share about their experiences: I wasn t nervous since I wasn t playing. I liked pushing the stops, the notes, and the chimes. It was fun. I would definitely do it again (Bradley, age nine). I liked watching how fast Mr. Ryan s hands and feet were moving on the organ. I usually get nervous when I am in front of a whole group of people. It was hard to sit up straight without a back rest for such a long time (Jonah, age seven). [This is a] great way to inspire the next generation of church musicians. And my son looks forward to going to church! (Karen, parent). Perhaps the greatest measure of success came one Sunday about 6 weeks into the experiment. I was playing the postlude when out of the corner of my eye I noticed five children nearly running across the sanctuary to stand behind me and watch. Some of them made themselves quite at home and slid right onto the bench. (An endearing comment: after about 30 seconds, one of the young ladies looked up at me and asked, When are you going to be done playing? ) Adults have also enoyed being an assistant. Assistants actually do not need any preparation, and I try to tailor the experience to the person. Generally, however, they do the following: turn the organ on and off; prepare the next hymn, and stay a step ahead of the worshipping congregation; push pistons, especially the general cancel at the end of each piece;

21 When I saw how truly appreciative the children were as they sat at the organ during the service, I decided to sign up and never regretted it! I was struck again by how a professional makes it all seem so easy, when in fact, the training over the years is part of the skill that leads to smooth transitions during the service parts. Jean, adult goes a long way toward fostering learning and excitement not only among the assistants but also in the congregation at large. Part of this experiment includes being quite vulnerable to accidents. Practically speaking, you never know what might happen at the console, especially with younger students. Consider, for example, what if the assistant slipped off the bench onto the pedals? Or an overly enthusiastic youngster ust wants to play? select individual stops; activate the zimbelstern; turn pages, if confident; and give pitches to the pastor for intonation. This is also an opportunity to help younger children follow the liturgy. Advent Lutheran Church has plenty of service music, which keeps us busy. During the Scripture readings the assistant and I follow along, and I encourage them to say the responses. At the sermon we always take a break from the organ bench and sit down away from the console. Assistants are thoroughly engaged during the entire worship, more so than when sitting in the pew. To date, we have had zero issues with lack of attention or misbehaving. At the conclusion of worship each student is seated for a picture on the bench, and they receive an official Assistant Organist certificate. The picture is posted in a very visible place in the church and, more importantly, a copy is mailed to the assistant with a thank you note within one day. Children especially enoy receiving mail specifically addressed to them. There is much support and cooperation from our pastor and the congregation for this proect. We are blessed to enoy an environment of grace (and a certain degree of tolerance), which At the end of the day, success is measured in the form of engaged members of the worship assembly and a thank you. In the long term, maybe one of these students will begin taking lessons. Or maybe, if they are not a musician, they will become a supporter of music. At the very least they will continue to develop a love of music that will last a lifetime. Vincent M. Ryan has been minister of music at Advent Lutheran Church, Harleysville, Penn., since January The American Guild of Organists, Committee on the New Organist,. accessed December 2, 2015, education/committee-on-the-new-organist/. ALCM in tempo 2016, No. 2 21