Association of Lutheran Church Musicians
August 1, 2021 e-newsletter
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Dear ALCM friends,
It was so wonderful to be with many of you a few nights ago at our virtual music celebration and biennial meeting. One of the things we celebrated was the growth in ALCM membership these last several years. All of you have been so very gracious in inviting your friends and colleagues to join ALCM. I hope as part of your program year preparations this month you will send a few emails to colleagues who should be members of ALCM inviting them to join at https://alcm.org/. (Click here to see if your friends are current members.) You might also enjoy surprising someone who has been important to you with a gift membership. As our biennial conference chair, Tim Getz, says “ALCM inspires us, brings us closer together as a community of colleagues, and strengthens us in our ministries.” Let us invite all our worship and music colleagues to enjoy these benefits by being part of our growing ALCM family.
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Blessings,
Jim Rindelaub
Executive Director
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Webinars in 2021 are offered in four separate series. Each series may be purchased individually (one series is actually free) or you may purchase a full-year webinar package (at a reduced rate!) that includes automatic registration for all sixteen webinars throughout the year.
You may register at any time through 2021 and receive recordings of the live webinars which are completed. In 2022 these webinars will revert to the regular price of $25 members/$39 nonmembers per webinar.
All webinars are on Fridays at 2:00 pm Eastern, unless otherwise noted.
Check out the TWO August webinars below!
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ALCM Friday August Webinars |
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Core Principles of Composing
Music for the Assembly
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Friday, August 13 - 2:00 pm Eastern
Which musical attributes are most important when creating music for an assembly to sing in worship? What methods are available to create the best songs? What makes a song durable or accessible? How could I get started composing my own music for worship in my congregation or setting? How does one go about selecting a text to set? What hymns need new tunes? What psalms need new settings? Which liturgical events would be enhanced or supported by well-crafted music? What are some common mistakes composers make in creating music for the liturgy? This webinar will address these and other questions related to composition for Christian assembly.
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Mark Mummert
Cantor
Trinity Lutheran Church,
Worcester, MA
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Mark Oldenburg
Professor Emeritus of the Art of Worship
United Lutheran Seminary
Gettysburg, PA
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Worship and Civic Life
Friday, August 27 - 2:00 pm Eastern
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Lutherans firmly declare that Christians are in but not of the world. That means that observing civic holidays in worship is an important but dangerous practice. How might worship leaders plan to proclaim the Gospel in the context of those festivals? And how might civic engagement more generally be part of a community’s worship life? |
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NOTE: If you have already registered for the Fall Webinar Series or the Full Year Series, do not register again. You will receive a link to the webinar in the morning on the day of the webinar.
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Our next ALCM Zoom social hour is coming up later this month and you are invited!
On Friday, August 27 at 3:00 pm Eastern Time, join your ALCM colleagues for a social hour on Zoom immediately following that day’s webinar with Mark Oldenburg on "Music and Civic Life." Think of this time like a lunch table conversation at a conference (or afternoon tea, or even happy hour, depending on your time zone and preference!) We may spend some time reflecting on the webinar, we may break into smaller groups for conversation on topics of interest, or we may just chat in whichever direction the conversation goes!
There is no cost for these Zoom conversations, and the link will be separate from the one you use for the webinar— there is no need to have attended the webinar in order to attend the social time!
We look forward to seeing you and chatting with you online!
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On the ALCM Website: Resources for Members
August Highlight
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Are you making plans to hold an in-person or virtual event? Be sure to list it on the ALCM calendar. Adding an event is as simple as filling out a brief form. Members can access the form on the members area page by clicking on the "Add an event to the event calendar" link under "What would you like to do?"
To help differentiate the various events on the calendar, the following color-coding system is used:
- ALCM-sponsored events (in red)
- Hearts*Hands*Voices events (in green)
- ALCM member-sponsored events (in blue)
- VIRTUAL events (in violet)
- Other events (in yellow)
If you're an ALCM member sponsoring a virtual event, be sure to select both categories!
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Remembering
Norma Aamodt-Nelson with Easter Music for Organ
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ALCM member Norma Aamodt-Nelson, 1952–2020, served as instrumental acquisitions editor at Augsburg Fortress from 1993 until her death. There she oversaw the development of a generation of music for the church’s worship, including the creation of the Augsburg Organ Library in 1999. Shortly after she died, Norma’s colleagues at Augsburg Fortress began to think of ways to honor her memory. They eventually decided to create a new volume in the Augsburg Organ Library dedicated to her. Twenty-two of the thirty-five settings in this anthology were newly composed in memory of her by composers with whom she collaborated.
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Special thanks to Omaldo Perez, who has faithfully served as director at large on the ALCM board for the past four years. Omaldo's term expired at the biennial meeting last Thursday night. His joyful spirit, insightful ideas, and willingness to serve in a variety of capacities have been greatly appreciated and will be missed by the board.
Thanks, Omaldo, for your service!
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LSM 2022 will take place June 26-July 24 on the campus of Valparaiso University. If you know a young musician in grades 8-12 who would thrive in this life-changing experience, you can Nominate a Student today!
Experience the sights and sounds from LSM 2021 by visiting the Video Library and viewing all the wonderful performances and meaningful worship services from this summer. |
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Kyries & Glorias
Kyries (prayer concerns) and Glorias (thanksgivings) are posted in the members area and on the following page on the ALCM website. The following recent Kyries and Glorias have been submitted by ALCM members.
Kyrie
John Panning, Lynn Dobson, and
employees of Dobson Pipe Organ Builders
Susan Cherwien
In memoriam:
Marva Dawn
Douglas Koons
Fritz Noack
Gloria
Deanna Witkowski
Pauline Kiltinen
Brad Ellingboe
ALCM members are invited to submit Kyries and Glorias following the link in the members area of the website. Non-members may contact the ALCM office at office@alcm.org with information for posting. |
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The Center for Church Music at Concordia University Chicago serves as a repository for special collections and works by history’s influential Christian church musicians, including significant contributions by American Lutherans. As a locus for the study of church music, the Center also disseminates papers and monographs for conferences such as CUC’s annual Vi Messerli Memorial Lectures in Church Music.
Through its work, the Center extends the legacy of a gifted generation of Lutheran church musicians. It seeks to foster an appreciation and understanding of the Church’s song among pastors, musicians, and laity, all the while encouraging the next generation of composers of sacred music.
The Center's website offers a vast array of resources. In addition they publish an occasional newsletter, the most recent of which covers the time after Pentecost. To sign up to receive their newsletter, click the " Join Our Email List" link. |
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Would you like to:
Have a mentor? Be a mentor?
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One of the great strengths of ALCM is the wealth of different gifts of its members. The board has had several discussions about how members with more experience and training might be able to help mentor other members. Before implementing any kind of mentoring "program," it would be helpful to know the level of interest of our members. If you would benefit from participating in a mentoring program, or if you would like to share your expertise with others, please send an email to executive director Jim Rindelaub with MENTOR PROGRAM in the subject line. We are not asking for a commitment at this time; this is just to gauge interest in such a program. |
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Are you a congregation looking for a musician?
A musician looking for a position?
ALCM can help!
Employment resources have been developed to assist congregations in the process of searching for and hiring a musician. Presented in a step-by-step format, these resources will guide you through the entire employment process.
The ALCM job listing service connects those looking for positions in the field of church music with congregations and other institutions that have openings. By completing an online job posting form, congregations can post their positions on the ALCM website where those looking for employment may view them.
Musicians searching for a job may view posted job openings on the ALCM website, where those looking for positions can view them. Both full-time and part-time positions are listed, and new positions are added as received.
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A list of ALCM member-led
Sunday worship streams & recordings is available at:
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