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WA1 Creativity & Healing: Complementary Arts of God's Kingdom Thomas Keesecker
Worship and music directors are called to be creators and healers in their faith communities. Often creativity and healing are perceived as two separate gifts but with intentional examination we discover that these two arts are complementary and should be married together in our roles of serving as liturgical artists and leaders.
Tom will weave together art from the American Visionary Art Museum, interviews with Therapeutic Musicians, and essays from the medical and worship arts communities in his presentation. Discussion and sharing by participants will be part of the hour.WA2 Crafting the Choral Rehearsal: Techniques for Effective Teaching Zebulon Highben
As church musicians and worship leaders, we understand the importance of "flow" in the context of worship: the liturgical balance between music, speech, silence, and liturgical action are carefully structured so that they complement and support each other. But how often do we consider the flow of our choral rehearsals as we plan them? This workshop will consider a variety of techniques -- including vocal warm-ups, kinesthetic activities, and diverse approaches to introducing repertoire -- which will help make your rehearsal process more effective, interesting, and enjoyable.
WA3 Let Every Instrument Be Tuned for Praise: Unusual Instruments Jerry Gunderson
Sometimes we have opportunities to include unique and colorful instruments in worship. Perhaps a guest harpist is accompanying a choir anthem and you'd like to include the harp in other parts of the worship service. Maybe one of your parishioners plays the harmonica, the bagpipes, or the Chinese erhu, or your church has recently acquired some exotic percussion instruments. This session will explore strategies and ideas for including less common instruments in worship, and will include live demonstrations with harp and other instruments.
WA4 Expanding Worship & Use of Media: How Much Is Too Much? Mark Glaeser
So, you are given the task to expand worship options at your church. How do you add to your worship offerings/styles and not offend your worshipping core? How can new media help? In addition to sermon
illustrations and/or clips, what are effective uses of media for other portions of the worship service? How much is too much?WA5 'New' Worship from an 'Old' Lutheran Perspective Aaron L. Christie
Pastor Aaron Christie (Assoc. Pastor at Trinity, Waukesha, WI and member of WELS Commission on Worship) will present an overview of a keynote address he wrote for a WELS District Pastor/Teacher/Delegate conference entitled "The Quest for New Treasure Can Be Treacherous." He will discuss recent developments in new purposes and patterns, sights and sounds in worship. He will also present recent worship developments in the Wisconsin Ev. Lutheran Synod. Once small and pietistic, WELS has the largest triennial worship conference in North American Lutheranism. Take the opportunity to catch up on "'New' Worship from an 'Old' Lutheran Perspective."
WA6 Children's Choir Resources: Repertoire and Training Jim Rindelaub
Read though and take home a free children’s choir anthem packet and learn about available teaching resources that will change your life and enhance your children’s choir rehearsals. Also being covered are musicals, curriculum and training opportunities. Materials from Choristers Guild, Augsburg Fortress, Concordia, MorningStar, GIA, Hope and Fred Bock.
WA7 Beyond Word & Song: Participant-Driven Worship Planning Carole Lea Arenson
Participant driven worship experiences teach, challenge, and unite. Discover ways a congregation can use the abundance of choral, instrumental, and lay resources to deepen their worship life. Sample worship services will include: lay lead family Thanksgiving Service using available musical and media resources, adult choir Advent or Lenten Worship, and high school/college choir Worship shared with other congregations. Plus -- tips on "how to" choose and work with lay members in a worship planning format over the course of one year.
WA8 Project Fund-Raising 101: Understanding the Fundamentals Ann Sponberg Peterson
"It is such a worthy project and our congregation surely needs it... but how on earth could we raise that much money?" How many times have we been in this conversation? Project fund-raising is part art and part science -- come and learn how understanding the fundamentals will open your vision to what is possible and what is too much of a stretch. (And notice we didn't say "impossible!")
WA9 The French Connection: French Classical Performance Practice Greg Peterson
This workshop will survey music of Clerambault, Couperin, de Grigny and others, including performance practice tips and liturgical application. Performers welcome.
WA10 Expanding Liturgy with Handbells: What Works with Less than a Full Choir? Scott Barker
WB1 Late 20th Century Giants: They Shaped What We Sing, Play & Pray Scott Hyslop
The second half of the Twentieth-Century was a time of great ferment and change in the worshipping life of the Church. This sectional will examine a cross-section of the scholarship and work of key individuals whose lives have greatly influenced and shaped the very essence of our worship in the twenty-first century.
WB2 101 Ways to Build Your Best Choral Library Tom Leeseberg-Lange
This track will provide you with ideas, resources and repertoire to maximize your choral library and make your music ministry more effective. You will be introducedto choral gems you may not know as well as new manuscripts from your Lutheran colleagues. There will also be the opportunity to share ideas and resources from your own ministry experience.
WB3 An Abundance of Choral Repertoire for the Modest-Sized Choir Beth Ann Bonnecroy
Music that is accessible by a small choir can still be rich in text and tune. Together, we will sing unison, 2-part and SAB choral repertoire for all seasons of the church year. Come find music for the modest-sized choir, small ensemble, or for those occasions when rehearsal time is limited.
WB4 Church Music and Aesthetics: How It Helps Understand Today's Issues Donald C. Nevile
Most of us have had a brief introduction to the study of music aesthetics when we were in college, but may not have thought much about the subject since then. This workshop will explore and re-introduce us to some tools from philosophical and theological aesthetics, to help us make sense of the variety of musical expressions that we encounter inside and outside the church today.
WB5 Non-Traditional Worship Songs: Beyond "Lord, I Lift Your Name On High" John Helgen
If you are a music leader for "non-traditional" worship services, you probably would agree that it can be challenging to find new musical resources that are a good fit with our Lutheran heritage and liturgical practice. John Helgen, who has led Lutherans in both traditional and non-traditional worship services for over twenty years, will present a reading session and review of musical resources for non-traditional worship which embody good Lutheran theology.
WB6 The Changing Face of Music Publishing Mark W. Lawson
The world of the Church Musician has certainly changed with wider use of the internet. This session will explore subjects such as digital delivery of music, worship service streaming and pod-casts, digital printing,
print-on-demand, new licensing and copyright information, and suggestions on using new digital sources.WB7 The Nuts and Bolts of Introducing Children to the Song Eternal Rebekah Gilmore
Consider what you want the children of your music program to leave with before you consider how to begin. What texts do you want written on their hearts? What standard choral repertoire do you hope they crave? What connection will they have to the liturgy of the church and the gathering of the assembly? What experience of the Spirit will carry and inspire them forward? These are lofty questions but they require down-to-earth decisions from you. Foundational anthems, rehearsal structure, worship participation and much more will be explored to help you make those decisions and inspire future generations to sing the Song Eternal.
WB8 You Don't Have Congas? Leading Cross-Cultural Hymnody from the Organ John Ferguson
Ferguson will explore the amazing flexibility of the organ as a vehicle for the leading of congregational song. He will use his recently released volume MANY and GREAT (Morningstar) as a source book for case studies in global song that can be effectively led form the organ. From these examples a group of basic concepts will be evolved that will assist anyone wishing to enhance their abilities as song leader from the organ bench.
WB9 ALCM at 25: Where Do We Go from Here? Nancy Raabe
A conversation with ALCM Executive Director Jim Johnson and ALCM Columbus: Cantor Connection co-founder Nancy Raabe. What's in store for ALCM as the organization moves into its next quarter-century? Share your ideas for ways to strengthen ALCM's vision and learn how to energize support at the local level.
WB10 Youth Choirs: Creative Ministry Opportunities Erik Whitehill
This workshop will discuss strategies for providing creative, authentic and meaningful ministry opportunities for youth choirs, with a focus on literature selection and adaptation.
