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Association of Lutheran Church Musicians
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February 1, 2020 e-newsletter
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 ALCM has been a successful organization for more than thirty years now. Over the course of those thirty years, I think we would all recognize that change occurs. Sometimes we plan for it, and other times it is based on what life deals us in the moment.
As we continue in this new calendar and liturgical year, the ALCM Board continues to take steps for intentional study of our organization and the needs of ALCM as it evolves. Last week, the Board had an exciting retreat where we had conversations to consider the many voices within our membership. There are varied needs within our membership and there is a wide diversity of voices within our membership. In our retreat, we discussed that voices included full-time and part-time musicians as they face different needs. Other voices are those from the different Lutheran church bodies because those viewpoints should be represented.
We want to be sure that the voices present on our Board represent our membership within the organization. Are there voices that you believe should be included on the Board of Directors of this organization? Who are those voices? This doesn't necessarily mean named individuals. Rather, what types of voices do you feel should represent ALCM as we drive to what we hope will be a successful, meaningful and useful organization for years to come?
We want your input and thoughts on these questions to help guide and mold our continued conversation. Please provide your thoughts to these questions to [email protected]. Quick and immediate thoughts are welcome along with more contemplated thoughts as well.
We will use your input to be sure that we as a Board are looking at the right things for our members. This input will likely lead to some additional questions in the coming months via the e-News. We want every voice to be heard - please participate as you are able to be an integral part of this exciting time! These steps we take today solidify the foundation to secure the bright future that lies before ALCM in the next thirty plus years.
Kevin Barger
ALCM President
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For the last year or so, I have been honored to work with Cheryl Dieter, ALCM Business Manager, on a part time basis. As she is currently on medical leave, I am glad to be able to be here serving as ALCM administrator. Office hours will be Monday through Thursday, 8am-4pm CST. The office will be closed Fridays. I hope you will feel free to contact me if I can be of any assistance.
You are welcome to send cards of support to Cheryl Dieter at ALCM, 810 Freeman Street, Valparaiso, IN 46383 and they will be delivered to her.
Betty Sergent
ALCM Administrator
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Locations for 2020 Hearts*Hands*Voices events that have already been confirmed include those listed below. Those with set dates include links to the event records, and registration for these events is now open. Additional information regarding each event will be added as it becomes available.
Events with confirmed locations and dates:
Hicksville, NY -
October 24
Mendham, NJ -
August 1
Sugar Land, TX -
August 15
Winchester, VA -
October 17
Events with confirmed locations; date to be determined:
Ames, IA
Granite Bay, CA (Sacramento area)
Ithaca, NY
Check the ALCM website for additional sites and event details.
Interested in hosting a local workshop in 2020? Contact Sally Messner at
[email protected]
.
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Register for
Hearts * Hands * Voices at Valparaiso University
July 20-23, 2020!
Registration
is now open for a special Hearts * Hands * Voices event at Valparaiso University. Sponsored by ALCM Region 1 in conjunction with the 2020
Lutheran Summer Music
Academy and Festival (LSM), this four-day conference invites participants to strengthen their gifts and learn new skills through practical workshops, discussions, and hands-on learning opportunities that explore such topics as percussion, handbells, keyboard, composition and arranging, working with aging voices, singing the psalms, and more.
Each day will be framed by morning and evening prayer with the LSM community in Valparaiso University's
Chapel of the Resurrection
. Attendees will also have the option to attend pre- and post-conference events offered by LSM including a two-day Bach-intensive workshop with Dr. Christopher Cock, the Phyllis and Richard Duesenberg Chair in Lutheran Music at Valparaiso University and director of its
Bach Institute
.
Click
here
to view the full event schedule. Presenters include Jeremy Bankson, Jean Boehler, Jonathan Busarow, Karen Eddinger, Chad Fothergill, Timothy Fredstrom, Robert Hobby, Nancy Menk, Sally Messner, Anne Krentz Organ, Daniel Schwandt, and Christopher Wilson.
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Raabe Hymn Text Winning Hymns
Now Available to Members
The hymn texts selected as winners of the Raabe Hymn Text Competition are now available for use by ALCM members.
The new text for the tunes BETHOLD and SEWARD is "Praise to God with Voices Sing," written by Rev. David M. Blank. T
he new text for the tune ST. CLEMENT is "The Night You Gave Us," by ALCM member Dr. Wayne L. Wold.
The texts have been set in both melody-only and accompaniment versions and are available in both PDF and JPG format. Permission is granted to ALCM members to use these hymns without further copyright permission through 12/31/2020. To view and download these hymns,
log in to the members area of the ALCM website.
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Organ and Church Music Studies
at Lutheran Summer Music
If you have (or know of) high school-aged organ students who are interested in a fantastic summer opportunity, be sure to tell them about
Lutheran Summer Music
. In addition to lessons, studio classes, regular faculty recitals, and occasional visits by guest artists, organ students have the opportunity to regularly study and perform on the 102-rank
organ
in the
Chapel of the Resurrection
at Valparaiso University. In addition, students often accompany the chapel choir and congregation as
Thomas
and
Sander
did in 2019, as well as offer preludes and postludes for liturgies like
Abbey
and
Joel
.
Applications for LSM 2020 (28 June-26 July) are now open, and many students receive
financial assistance
through matching grants and congregational scholarships. To learn more about the program, check out the admissions
video
or the 2019 "Festival Week"
archive
. You can also
nominate
a student at the LSM website, too!
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Lenten Resources in
CrossAccent and In Tempo
In a few weeks, the church begins its Lenten journey by observing Ash Wednesday (February 26, 2020). As you continue to plan worship for Lent and Holy Week, consider browsing previous issues of
CrossAccent
and
In Tempo
, savoring the wisdom of pastors and musicians who have penned thoughtful approaches and practical advice for our collective benefit. While not an exhaustive list, here are a few suggestions:
- Stephen Rosebrock, "Service Planning Ideas for Ash Wednesday," CrossAccent Vol. 21, No. 3 (November 2013), pp. 5-7
- Susan Palo Cherwien, "Return to the Lord: The Journey of Lent," In Tempo 2016, No. 1, pp. 10-11
- Kevin Hildebrand, "Lord, Have Mercy: Singing the Kyrie in the Season of Lent," In Tempo 2015, No. 1, pp. 4-5
- Liv Larson Andrews, "Deep Calls to Deep: Using Simple Refrains in Lenten Worship," In Tempo 2017, No. 1, p. 9
- Andrew Paul Fredel, "Choral and Assembly Song for Lent," In Tempo 2016, No. 1, pp. 8-9
- Scott Weidler, "The Three Days: Singing Salvation History," CrossAccent Vol. 22, No. 2 (Summer 2014), pp. 22-24
- Mark Oldenburg, "Maundy Thursday: Confession and Forgiveness," CrossAccent Vol. 22, No. 2 (Summer 2014), pp. 25-26
And if you've recycled past issues, shared your copies with colleagues and friends, or are new to ALCM, remember that the
Members Area
contains a downloadable and searchable archive for both journals.
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In 2018 the ALCM board of directors appointed a task force to develop a new set of resources to assist congregations in the process of searching for and hiring a church musician. The task force has been working diligently on this project and the initial resources have been posted
on the ALCM website. These employment resources are conceived to be ever-growing and evolving and there is still much to be developed, but we invite you to review the initial resources. The task force members welcome your feedback and suggestions. You can email them at
[email protected].
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2020 Southeast U.S. Tour - February 20-23
The
National Lutheran Choir
will be touring the Southeastern U.S. with concerts in Hickory, Raleigh, Charlotte and Atlanta. The 60-voice choir, led by Artistic Director,
David Cherwien,
will perform a wide-ranging program celebrating the depth and breadth of the Lutheran choral tradition, with works by Felix Mendelssohn, Ola Gjeilo and Ralph Vaughan Williams set alongside new arrangements of familiar tunes, including Kenneth Dake's "Sweet Hour of Prayer".
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2020 Membership Directory
This is a great time to invite your friends to be an ALCM member! Memberships received by February 5 will be included in the 2020 Membership Directory. Please invite your friends and colleagues to visit
https://alcm.org/about/membership-in-alcm/
today!
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Did you give multiple donations to ALCM in 2019?
Many thanks to our 353 donors contributing to ALCM in 2019! If you gave
multiple charitable contributions to ALCM in 2019 and prefer to receive one acknowledgment letter stating the total giving for the year please email
[email protected]
with this request.
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"Receiving the Day
"
A Retreat Preceding the
Institute of Liturgical Studies
Sunday, April 19 - Monday, April 20, 2020
Lindenwood Retreat Center, Donaldson, Indiana
Dorothy Bass and Lorraine Brugh, leaders
In the second week of Easter, this 24-hour retreat will be an opportunity to live into a time and space away from our church vocations. Through presentations, spiritual practices, and conversations, retreatants will explore various ways to rest, recuperate, and recover from the busyness of the Lent and Holy Week liturgies. Using the book
Receiving the Day: Christian Practices for Opening the Gift of Time*
by Dorothy Bass, the retreat will follow the book's patterns in looking into our use of time in everyday lives. Spiritual practices will include contemplative walking, journaling, labyrinth, spiritual conversation, worship, centering prayer, and hospitality.
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Plenary presenters include James Abbington, Antonio Alonso and Karol Kimmell. A plenary panel discussion will be led by Paul Westermeyer.
It begins with breath: the breath of an individual, the breath of a community. As with the Spirit that hovers in creation, infusing creation with life anew, the Spirit is at work in and through breath joined to heartbeat. Singing is natural to creatures, as hymn writer Robert Lowry asks rhetorically, "How Can I Keep from Singing?" In response to God's revelation in Christ by the Spirit's power, we cannot help but sing.
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Lutheran Summer Music: Nationwide Event Series
These events are modeled after a typical night during Lutheran Summer Music. A Recital is performed by LSM alumni and current or former students and faculty, wherein each performer has an opportunity to share the impact of LSM on their lives.
The recital is then followed by a service of
Evening Prayer
in true LSM style.
The evening concludes with a reception and time of
Fellowship
.
- February 8 & 9: Seattle, WA
- February 16: Madison, WI
- March 1: Minneapolis, MN
- March 22: Waukesha, WI
- Spring 2020: Chicago, IL
- Spring 2020: Valparaiso, IN
- Fall 2020: Houston, TX
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