Association of Lutheran Church Musicians
August 1, 2018 e-newsletter

I hope that you've had a lighter schedule this summer and have taken advantage of some time to breathe and be refreshed before starting a new program season at church or school. At the hymn festival in Valpo in July, we heard: "We all need rests; without them we run out of breath." Isn't that true in music, as well as in our daily life!?
 
A highlight at the Valparaiso conference was to experience the hymn festival along with the students who were participants of Lutheran Summer Music. What a blessing to see, hear, and sing with these young people. The skilled leadership of Robert Hobby at the organ, wonderful reflections by Jennifer Baker-Trinity, and the well-prepared conference choir made all those in attendance feel welcome and inspired to offer voices and hearts to God!
 
The presentations at the conference were rich with new ideas as well as affirming what we already do as church musicians. We celebrated God's grace through a wide variety of settings with voices and instruments of all kinds. Whatever the style - voice or instrument, printed music or none - we were reminded that it's our responsibility to enable and welcome ALL the people in our pews (yes, children, too!) to participate in singing God's praise. In a few of the final moments of the conference we engaged in lively and respectful discussion about our denominational differences and beliefs. Although we came from different backgrounds and various approaches to worship and music-making, we came together as one, all worshipping the same God, and left after being fed and equipped-ready to make "a more profound Alleluia" with our home congregations.
 
If you have not yet taken the opportunity to attend one of the Hearts * Hands *Voices workshops around the country, register NOW to attend. Events scheduled for late August and September are listed below. Registration is open for all events.
 
As we busy ourselves with planning for the coming year, may we be mindful that we are the hands, feet and eyes of Christ and that our work is worthy service to God, God's people, and the world.
 
Linda Martin
Region 3 President



ALCM 2019 Biennial Conference 

Mark your calendars for next year's biennial conference, and plan to spend a few extra days exploring some of the sights in Portland:
  • Willamette Valley wine country
  • Beautiful Japanese Garden, International Rose Garden, and Chinese Garden
  • Mount Hood
  • Powell's City of Books
  • Voodoo Doughnuts

Worship, workshops, plenaries, discussions, fellowship - all building on our 2018 skill-building workshops. You won't want to miss it!

Registration is open for all events!

There are still plenty of opportunities to attend the 2018 events. A few more comments from those who have already attended an event:

"I thoroughly enjoyed every single segment, learned so much, met other musicians allowing for networking, and was spiritually touched by the worship services."
 
"Some great ideas were presented along with some great music!"
 
"Both [presenters] were well-prepared, insightful, encouraging, and offered lots of resources to help a church musician. Excellent day of music learning!!"

Click the links below to see details about the programs for the August and early September events or click the links at the end of this article to view all upcoming events organized by date or by state - there are a lot to choose from!  
Upcoming Webinars
Save the Dates!

Mark your calendars for the following upcoming ALCM webinars:
October 18, 2018
Developing and Leading a 
Children's Music Camp 

Presented by Connie Millberg

February 7, 2019
Tips for Leading a
Worship (Praise) Band 

Presented by Kip Fox

May 16, 2019
Basic Principles of 
Worship and Music 
in the Lutheran Tradition

Presented by Carl Schalk





July Survey Results

In the July e-newsletter we invited members to answer two questions, both having an educational twist.  The first question was: Would it be useful to you if ALCM offered publisher reading session webinars as a free member benefit? The second question asked participants to identify worship/music events that they have already attended or plan to attend in 2018. Here are the results of the survey.

Do you have an idea for a quick one or two question survey? Contact Jim Rindelaub at [email protected].
LSM/ALCM Hymn Festival

If you missed the live-streamed hymn festival from the Valparaiso Hearts * Hands * Voices event, you can still view and listen to it. And if you haven't already done so, treat yourself to video recordings of some of the other concerts from the LSM festival week as well as some of the worship services. They were all outstanding!



"Behold the Neighbor"

In the April 2018 e-newsletter, we introduced Philip Biedenbender's work "Behold the Neighbor,"  a piece for SATB choir and piano with text by Pastor Justin Lind-Ayres. The Augsburg University Choir, under the direction of ALCM member Mark Sedio, performed "Behold the Neighbor" on their spring tour this year. 

Philip is offering ALCM members a 20% discount on the purchase of "Behold the Neighbor." Go to Philip's website to v iew the score, hear a recording, and purchase the piece. Use the discount code ALCM2018 to receive the 20% discount.
 
Raabe Prize Submissions
Raabe Prize
Submissions for the 2019 Raabe Prize for Excellence in Sacred Composition are being accepted. Additional details about the prize and submission requirements are available on the ALCM website.

Deadline for submissions is October 1, 2018.
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