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.).

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’ll offer a workshop with Slats Toole entitled Sing the Circle Wider: Inclusive and Expansive Congregational Songs. 

There is a growing body of congregational song inviting us to name God and God’s people in new ways. The workshop will reflect on song’s potential to include, name, and invite all to worship. We’ll explore ways sacred song can expand our language and imagery, inspiring an ever-widening understanding of the Sacred, both through what we sing and how/where/when we sing. We’ll sing music from a variety of traditions and styles and brainstorm contexts in which to use them.

Music That Makes Community is excited to offer our first Intergenerational MMC Weekend on September 21 and 22, sharing paperless music and leadership practices with families at Kirchenwald in Lebanon, PA! I'll be joined by Rebecca and Zachary Stevens-Walter (and their toddler!) to explore the basics of paperless ('oral tradition') music making, learn new songs to enrich and strengthen intergenerational community, and reflect on ways to encourage participatory singing within our families and faith communities.

We begin with family dinner and a Community SING on Friday evening at 5:30 p.m., sharing songs of justice, freedom and peace from many traditions, languages, and cultures.

After breakfast on Saturday, we'll explore the basics of paperless ('oral tradition') music making, share new songs to enrich and strengthen intergenerational community, and reflect on practices that encourage participatory singing within and outside worship. The relaxed but thoughtfully structured day includes large and small group learning sessions, community art making, snacks and lunch, as well as worship services modeling how intergenerational community can gather. 

I'm excited to facilitate a weekend retreat at Eden Seminary where we'll explore the prophetic and poetic power of the Advent and Christmas seasons. Reflect on Revised Common Lectionary texts for the season (Year C) and gain insights that inspire compelling preaching and liturgy.

We'll sing together, experiencing how music from a breadth of traditions can enliven and enrich worship. And we'll share fellowship and meals together, building a community of mutual support.

Don't miss an opportunity to plan Advent and Christmas early in the liturgical year, and to be inspired and renewed through the process! 

Eden Seminary students can also register to take the course as an IFL. 

Join a dynamic gathering of musicians, clergy and lay people at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities to recharge and renew your congregational song leading. I'll be joined by MMC colleagues Conie Borchardt, John Lee, Nehemiah Luckett, and Andrea Sorum for worship, workshops, and conversation that helps you add the valuable tool of paperless song leading to your community’s singing practice. 

We'll gather in the Bigelow Chapel, a beautiful interdenominational worship space, to learn practical skills and diverse repertoire, and explore how paperless music can enrich and expand your congregation's repertoire of sung prayer and praise. This workshop will also have a special focus on music to sustain and support justice and resistance work. Song sharing and composition workshops will provide a space to create and share new protest music. 

The event begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 26 and will end at 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 28. Registration begins at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.

The workshop is generously supported by the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities and a number of scholarships are available for United Seminary students, faculty and alumni. Discounted rates are also available for individuals and congregations with limited resources, students, and seniors.

Individual Registration Rate: $350
Group Registration Rate: $650 (Two individuals from the same congregation/community)
The rate covers lunch on Friday and Saturday, dinner on Thursday and Friday, as well as workshop materials.

The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, in partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Lutheran Summer Music, invites you to a four-day skill-strengthening gathering for church musicians at Valparaiso University from Monday, July 23 to Thursday, July 26, 2018.

This gathering aims to provide a rich variety of access points to effective music ministry with emphases on practical skills and the convergent, multi-disciplinary concerns of the life of the church musician. Chanda Rule and I will represent Music That Makes Community, serving on a faculty team comprised of ecumenical music leaders from around North America.

In this 24-hour addendum to NEXT Church, we will explore together how improvisation and singing open up life-giving spaces for creative engagement with our sacred texts and the gathered community. We will delve into this year’s Eastertide passages from John. These stories offer a poetic telling of the mystery of the resurrected Christ and the embodiment of the Spirit.

We will use the tools of improvisation and the practice of paperless communal singing to break open these ancient stories, bridge the gap between our understanding of the Gospel and how we are called to live it out in the world, and provide space for worship leaders to get a jump start on planning for the season of Eastertide.

We will play, we will create, and we will reflect. Come prepared for an extraordinary time of learning and integration following the experience of the NEXT Church National Gathering.

I'm excited to offer a workshop for this year's NEXT Church gathering in Baltimore, MD focused on 'Renewing the Voice and Spirit of Choirs.'

Shrinking and aging choirs have left many congregations feeling insecure, anxious and de-energized. We'll reflect on strategies to renew the voices and spirits of smaller vocal ensembles, as well as organizational models and repertoire that can help choirs connect to the mission, schedules, and needs within their community.

Music That Makes Community is pleased to offer worship leadership and a workshop for participants at THE Inspire Conference, a two-day event focused on connections and community building for those doing ministry with children, youth, young adults, and Contemplative Justice.  

I'll join my colleague Kerri Meyer to plan and lead daily worship gatherings, and we'll share a Monday afternoon workshop exploring the basics of paperless music leadership. 

Music that Makes Community returns to the beautiful Bishop's Ranch in Sonoma County, CA for our fifth workshop over Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, January 14-17. The Ranch is an ideal setting to spend three restful days singing, learning, and recharging for the year to come while enjoying the temperate climate of Northern California. 

I'll join Kerri Meyer and Donald Schell to lead worship, plenaries, and conversations that help participants add the valuable tool of paperless song leading to their community’s singing practice.