Association of Lutheran Church Musicians
January 1, 2017 e-newsletter


Happy New Year, friends and colleagues!
 
Personally, I cannot believe it is 2017. The years seem to be rushing past me, at a frankly alarming rate! And I am not one to spend a lot of time thinking about the past - it's just not who I am. I'm always looking forward, ready for the next adventure or challenge. While this is good in theory, looking back from time to time can be valuable; it can help us appreciate where we are, and certainly learn from mistakes! (Like the anthem that I thought would go so well with my choir back in November...nope.) Lesson #3,463 learned. 
 
May your 2017 become what you make it; for me it will be a daily opportunity to pray, praise, and give thanks for God's gifts; to rejoice in family, friends and colleagues; to make bold decisions and learn from mistakes; and to serve the church and ALCM to the best of my ability.
 
Cheers, and God's blessings in this new year of grace.
Julie 

Julie Grindle
President,  Association of Lutheran Church Musicians

Commissioned Hymn: Additional Resources Posted  

In celebration of ALCM's 30th anniversary in 2016 and looking forward to the 500th 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 newly-commissioned hymn was introduced at last summer's regional conferences.

Thanks to an additional gift from Bill and Nancy Raabe to expand the scope of the Raabe Prize, supplemental resources to expand and enrich both versions of the commissioned hymn have been composed and posted in the members area of the ALCM website. Included are: 
  • Organ chorale prelude (2 versions) - Kevin Hildebrand
  • Handbells (one stand-alone piece, one accompaniment for singing) - John Behnke
  • Hymn concertato (one for each tune) - Zeb Highben
  • Piano (one stand-alone piece, one accompaniment for singing) - John Helgen
  • Praise Band - Kip Fox

Both the commissioned hymn and the supplemental resources may be used by current ALCM members through the end of 2017. 

Church musicians are worship specialists, so it's no surprise that worship is a highlight of ALCM biennial conferences. 2017 will be no exception. We will begin where ALCM began, in a sense. The constituting conference was held at St. Olaf College, and we will hold our opening eucharist at the recently renovated Boe Chapel. Prof. James Bobb will lead the music, with Pastor Jim Boline as presider and Pastor Kristine Carlson preaching. At the other end of the conference, we will mark the closing at Central Lutheran in Minneapolis. Pastor Susan Briehl will preside, Dr. Fred Niedner will preach, and the co-cantor at the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Sarah Herzer, will be organist. In between, we will experience an evening prayer with the monks of St. John's Abbey, Collegeville, MN, as well as stimulating daily prayer worship in Minneapolis. You won't want to miss it!
 
Robert Buckley Farlee, worship chair




Executive Director Application Deadline  

The deadline to apply for the position of ALCM executive director is this coming Friday, January 6. If you know someone you think would be a good fit for the position, please pass along the job description and encourage them to apply right away! 



OneLicense.net and LicenSingOnline Merge

For those of you who were fairly certain that the Parousia would arrive before this day ever happened, it's true: OneLicense.net and LicenSingOnline are merging. 
The new Company, jointly owned by GIA Publications, Inc. (GIA) and Oregon Catholic Press (OCP), will retain the  ONE LICENSE  name, Chicago offices, and OneLicense.net website URL. The merger takes place January 1, 2017.

Participating publishers include OCP, GIA, Augsburg Fortress, Concordia, MorningStar/ECS, Choristers Guild, Hope Publishing, Church Publishing, Oxford University Press, International Liturgy Publications, and many more. 

Tips for Lent  

The next issue of "Tips for the 30th" will cover Ash Wednesday through the Fifth Sunday in Lent. Watch your email box on or about January 15 for these new tips for Lent.

Still working on the Sundays after Epiphany? The first issue of "Tips for the 30th" covered that time of the church year. The issue is posted in the members area of the website.


Join us at Valparaiso University in 2017!  
LSM & SOSI 2017 will be hosted  on the campus of Valparaiso University
and we are excitedly preparing for our 36 th summer of 
transforming lives through faith and music.
 
NEW IN 2017! We are now offering a Musical Theatre elective!
Get a hands-on experience in Broadway style singing
and performance!

For a complete list of our electives, visit our website under "Music."

Apply today: https://lutheranmusicprogram.org/apply

Special ALCM Discount
Students can use the exclusive discount code ALCM17
for an additional $150 discount on tuition!

Additional scholarships and discounts are also available. See more online.



There's still time to register!

First Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, N.C. 
Jan. 4-6, 2017

Featuring Robert Hobby, Allen Hightower, Craig Mueller, Tom Shelton, Stephen Mitchell and Mark Lawson, the National Conference for Sacred Music is a unique conference designed to provide the practicing church musician fresh ideas to help create a vital, growing music ministry. The emphasis of this conference is providing a variety of new approaches to revitalize and reinvigorate the church's passion for music in worship. For information about the conference, registration, hotels, schedule and workshop descriptions, visit augsburgmusic.org/ncsm.