Psalms What is the importance of the psalms within the Bible and in Christian scripture? Who or what were they intended for? Why were they written? What forms do they take? Interesting questions to explore while examining the psalms more closely.The psalms are situated in the third section of the
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Instrumental Music: What’s the Point? Recently, I’ve been pondering the role of instrumental music in the worship service. During my various professional experiences leading music in different denominations and congregations, I’ve noticed that the variety of expectations people bring to worship extends to how they approach the instrumental music,
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“Don’t you want to do better”? This was the phrase uttered by conductor, Dr. Jonathan Griffiths, while he was addressing the massed choir we participated in, preparing for our Carnegie Hall debut in New York City. At the time, it was applicable to getting a bunch of amateur choristers to
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I went to the Taizé service that Robertson-Wesley hosted in November. It was the first Taizé service that I had been to in a long time. And after the first chant, all the memories of why I love this style of service came flooding back to me. I used to
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Recently, this quote really caught my eye (and brain): “If you would like to establish a connection with people from another culture, it’s always good to offer a few gifts as a gesture of friendship. But, an even better way to forge a lasting bond is by creating something together.
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In my role as the Music Editor of Gathering Magazine, a national United Church worship resource, I write an article for every quarterly edition on a topic pertinent to that edition. The most recent edition I was working on was about words and silence, and that led me to some
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After a service many people often share with me that they appreciated the music in the service. I try to have a conversation about them about what music impacted them and why. Is it familiar, some of their favourites, the style, the context, the content? Many also ask who chooses
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The Robertson-Wesley carillon has been chiming out tunes, tolls, and peals since it was installed by the Schulmerich Company in the east room in 1961. It is not a carillon that is played with a keyboard and actual bells, but the sound is made instead by semantra (rectangular metal bars
Continue readingIt’s all about the waiting…. Patience is a virtue, and that virtue is really apparent when it comes to this season of Advent. Kids are excited about Santa coming and “can’t wait” to open gifts, people are frustrated waiting in lines to pay for their purchases, and for our society
Continue readingThe United Voices of Edmonton (Robertson-Wesley Choir, Knox-Metropolitan Choir and the Willan Chorale) are preparing to undertake a choral trip to England. Because of this trip, I’ve been thinking about the community we’re creating from 3 choirs, the grounding in an an age-old tradition of evensong, the beauty of the
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