I’ll conduct the Adult Choirs for the 2025 Bible and Church Music Conference at Masanetta Springs!
After a summer away from this beautiful wilderness retreat, I’m grateful to serve as a Village Musician with two wonderful colleagues and friends.
I will lead worship at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, focusing on the Song of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2. Join us in Marquand Chapel at 11:30 am for sung Morning Prayer.
I’ll be at Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center near Little Rock, Arkansas from April 6-9, 2024 to lead worship and workshops for Fernclipse, a four-day, three-night intergenerational Creation Care event centered on and culminating with the Total Solar Eclipse.
I’ll hear to Denver in March to be the keynote speaker for a Presbyterian Association of Musicians regional conference focused on Cultivating Community. Join us at Montview Presbyterian Church from March 7-9 for a time of learning, worship, and conversation around how we embody the welcome we proclaim.
I’ll spend 2024 and the first months of 2025 as the Interim Director of Music and Organist at The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in downtown Washington, DC. Not only does this keep me in the DMV for another year, it’s an opportunity to accompany this historic congregation during a season of transition and discernment, following a musician who has served the community faithfully for over 30 years.
I’ll join Dreams and Visions in Baltimore for their annual Queer Christmas Pageant!
I'm excited to serve as Village Musician with my colleague Patti Powell from August 6 to 12. It will be a joy to collaborate with fellow leaders and learners to make a memorable week of singing in community!
Lutheran Summer Music (LSM) is the nation’s premier faith-based music academy for high school students. In addition to advanced musical instruction and numerous performance opportunities, LSM students form an intentional community, living together for four weeks on a Lutheran college campus.
Since 1981, this unique and immersive program has guided the lives of young musicians, who credit LSM as the starting place for their future careers and vocations.
I’m honored to serve as a Guest Artist this year, collaborating with LSM clergy and faculty to lead music for daily liturgies and work with students.
Music that Makes Community is excited to offer a One-Day workshop at St. David's Episcopal Church in Nashville, Tennessee in collaboration with InterGenerate, a conference for church leaders and academics exploring intergenerational faith formation and ministry. Join Breen Sipes and Paul Vasile for a renewing day of building community through singing, learning, and fellowship, with a focus on skills for leading songs in intergenerational contexts.
Join a group of intrepid choral directors and singers for an afternoon playdate on May 18, 2023, exploring oral/aural tradition teaching practices and how they can be implemented in church, school, and community choral contexts.
To kick off another round of Composing Ourselves, a series of online workshops that encourage musical creativity and play, Paul Vasile will offer an introductory webinar on Wednesday, April 26 from 2 to 4 p.m. ET focused on writing congregational songs.
Sing Unto God and Music that Makes Community invite you to an Interfaith Community SING at Westmoreland UCC on Sunday, March 26 at 4 p.m. The afternoon of participatory singing will be led by Cantor Rosalie Will and Paul Vasile, dynamic song leaders and facilitators who work within their respective faith communities to empower songleaders and invite experiences of embodied, sung prayer.
I'll be sojourning with the congregation for the months ahead as they search for a new musician. During this focused season of listening and reflection, we will explore ways music and liturgy can be creatively integrated within worship, share music from a variety of congregational song traditions, and reflect on singing as a spiritual practice.
I’ve been invited to collaborate with The Rev. Donald Schell at Ring Lake Ranch, a special place of refreshment and recreation set high in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming.
The beauty of the mountains with their quiet lakes, wildlife, birds and flowers beckons the soul to celebrate creation in quiet and wonder. Features of the Ranch like ancient petroglyphs, a rock labyrinth and an outdoor prayer chapel invite all guests to contemplate the divine presence in a unique setting.
Join St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Helena, Montana, for a three-day participatory workshop with Paul Vasile, a visionary leader in music and worship, and Executive Director of Music that Makes Community. This event is part of the St. Paul’s George Harper Expanding Faith Series, enlivening the church of today and envisioning the church of tomorrow.
As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and its influence on music and worship, we bring our weariness and disorientation as we move forward in a changed and bruised world and church. Yet we still come to God’s table—hungry for the hospitality of welcome, relationship, and interconnection; thirsty for reinvigoration of our imagination and hope.
Join Paul Vasile on Thursday, February 3 at 1 p.m. Eastern Time for a conversation about his recent article, "How Much Paper Does a Congregation Need?," reflecting on paperless music and its uses in worship.
Join Paul Vasile and The Rev. Ashley Goff on Jan. 28, 2022, for a Community-Rooted Lenten Planning hybrid workshop, as we explore songs and liturgy for the forty-day journey of Lent.
The hybrid event will be hosted by Arlington Presbyterian Church and we're excited to welcome a small number of vaccinated individuals to attend in person, as well as our online community to attend via Zoom. The webinar will also be recorded and available afterward.
I'll be sojourning with the congregation for the months ahead as they search for a new musician. During this focused season of listening and reflection, we will explore ways music and liturgy can be creatively integrated within worship, share music from a variety of congregational song traditions, and reflect on singing as a spiritual practice. I’ll also be working with their Search Committee as they create a job description and interview potential candidates.
I'm excited to be on teaching faculty from July 18 to 25, and again serve as guest musician from July 25 to August 1. It will be a joy to collaborate with fellow leaders and learners to make a memorable two weeks!
Share a joyful week of worship, singing, composing, and learning in community with Conie Borchardt, Sylvia Miller-Mutia, David Poole, and Paul Vasile. Together we’ll explore the ancient and new practice of paperless (oral/aural tradition) music leadership, sharing songs as people did before music or words were written down.
Learn leadership skills and strategies for sharing paperless songs in your community;
Build a repertoire of songs that can be led with groups of varied ages and musical experiences;
Worship and reflect in community, deepening into spaces of listening and mutual support;
Compose paperless music to share with your community; – Develop your skills through small groups and one-on-one coaching;
Connect with like-minded leaders and find resources for creative worship and liturgy;
Explore how the energy we create through singing affects what we do in worship as a whole, as well as other parts of our human lives;
The first and last dates of the workshop are considered travel days.Check-in begins at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday with dinner at 5:30 p.m., followed by a Ghost Ranch orientation. The workshop begins Monday morning and ends Friday evening. Check-out time is 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.
The workshop will follow a general pattern of morning workshop time (9:00 a.m. to noon) with afternoons free or with optional afternoon open studio and then additional course time in the evenings (7:00–8:30 p.m.).
We're excited to join the Lower Merrimack Valley Collective for an intergenerational workshop exploring the practice of paperless (aural/oral tradition) singing, basic leadership skills in this style, and modeling how paperless music can be integrated into scripture reading and storytelling. Zachary Stephens-Walter and Paul Vasile will lead the group in participatory learning, and present paperless songs and leadership practices you can share in your community.
We'll begin with a community lunch and spend an energizing afternoon of singing and learning. View the schedule here.
Paul and Zachary will also offer musical leadership at congregations within the Lower Merrimack Valley Collective on Sunday, March 8.
I’ll join The Rev. Miranda Hassett, musician Deanna Clement, and the St. Dunstan’s community for a lively weekend of singing, learning, reflection on practices that strengthen and enrich congregational singing. I’ll work with the choir, offer a Friday evening Community SING, lead a Saturday workshop, and share in worship leadership on Sunday.
Music that Makes Community is excited to be in residence at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa this winter, sharing the ancient and new practice of paperless song leadership. Conie Borchardt, Monica Onyedika, and Paul Vasile will create a space for experiential learning where participants:
sing aural/oral tradition songs from diverse cultures, musical backgrounds, and faith expressions;
explore leadership skills that empower you to share song in your context;
worship and reflect together, deepening into spaces of listening and empathy;
experience how the energy we create through singing affects our human lives, with a specific focus on its role in worship and faith formation in the Christian and other traditions.
You’re welcome to join us throughout the weekend. All events will be held at Luther College, 700 College Drive in Decorah, IA.
Share a weekend of singing, worship, and learning in community with Sylvia Miller-Mutia, David Poole, and Paul Vasile. Together we’ll explore the ancient and new practice of paperless (oral/aural tradition) music leadership, sharing songs as people did before music or words were written down.
Learn leadership skills and strategies for sharing paperless songs in your community;
Build a repertoire of songs that can be led with groups of varied ages and musical experiences;
Worship and reflect in community, deepening into spaces of listening and
Explore how the energy we create through singing affects what we do in worship as a whole, as well as other parts of our human lives.
I’m excited to return to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to offer a pair of recitals and Christmas Carol SINGs on the recently-restored Appleton pipe organ. Concerts on December 11 or 17 are free to the public with museum admission; the program will be identical on both days. Seating is limited, so arrive early!
Join friends and strangers for a unique experience of singing together in the spectacularly resonant acoustics of the Medieval Arms and Armor gallery.
The organ represents the oldest extant product of the renowned craftsman Thomas Appleton (1785–1872) and is an iconic part of The André Mertens Galleries for Musical Instruments.
I’m excited to return to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to offer a pair of recitals and Christmas Carol SINGs on the recently-restored Appleton pipe organ. Concerts on December 11 or 18 are free to the public with museum admission; the program will be identical on both days. Seating is limited, so arrive early!
Join friends and strangers for a unique experience of singing together in the spectacularly resonant acoustics of the Medieval Arms and Armor gallery.
The organ represents the oldest extant product of the renowned craftsman Thomas Appleton (1785–1872) and is an iconic part of The André Mertens Galleries for Musical Instruments.
Paul will offer worship leadership at Waterville Congregational on Sunday morning, modeling how paperless music and leadership can be integrated into liturgy.
We'll gather at First Congregational Church in Waterville, Maine to explore the basics of paperless (oral/aural tradition) music-making, share songs to enrich and strengthen your community, and reflect on strategies for cultivating participatory singing and liturgy. Together we'll explore how the energy we create through singing affects what we do in worship as a whole, as well as other parts of our human lives.
Join Paul Vasile and local song leaders for an Intergenerational Community SING in Portland, Maine! SINGs are for individuals and families of all sizes and configurations– no musical experience is required. We'll share songs that enliven the spirit, nourish the soul, and remind us that we belong to each other.
More details to come!
I'm excited to spend a weekend at Southwood Lutheran Church, sharing paperless (oral/aural tradition) music and leadership practices! We'll join voices and hearts in song, sharing in worship, communal learning, and reflection on the spiritual practice of singing.
“Prepare the way, O Zion, your Christ is drawing near.
Let every hill and valley a level way appear.”
Explore the prophetic and poetic power of the Advent and Christmas seasons through music and improvisation with sacred text.
We’ll explore Revised Common Lectionary texts for the season (Year A), seeking insights that inspire compelling preaching and liturgy, focusing especially on creative possibilities for small and mid-sized churches.
We’ll sing together, experiencing how music from a breadth of traditions can enliven and enrich worship.
And we’ll create in community, sharing newly written liturgy and worship ideas with each other in a supportive space.
Cost: $50/person, $90/congregation (2-4 individuals)
A light lunch and workshop materials are included in the cost
