Association of Lutheran Church Musicians

June 1, 2022 e-newsletter
Dear friends,

If you’re like me, you are in the midst of wrapping up your season of regular rehearsals and taking time to reflect on what happened over the course of the last several months as well as thinking about what might happen in the coming year. In addition to reflection and planning, the summer is also an important time for rejuvenation. Although the landscape of the last few years has been difficult in terms of connecting physically with colleagues and attending conferences, I’m excited by the fact that many will be taking place this summer. I want to encourage you to consider joining us for our ALCM Summer conference in Valparaiso, Indiana. We will be gathering during the closing week of Lutheran Summer Music, which is celebrating it’s 40th anniversary. If you have not yet taken the time to learn about the incredible offerings of workshops and concerts, I hope you will take a look now. It’s NOT too late to join us in person OR virtually! Just the worship alone in a space like the Chapel of the Resurrection will recharge anyone. But in addition, we have some fantastic workshops and group learning sessions that will surely offer you new ideas and renewed excitement for a new season.

Whether or not you are able to be with us there, I DO hope you will find a way to rest and rejuvenate. Through the church, the song goes on...

Jeremy Bankson
Board Member and Conference Chair
Why is this conference different from other ALCM events?
Live-streaming and recording!

Thanks to a generous gift from Mark and Kathy Helge, the entire conference will be both live-streamed and recorded—including all of the workshops, group learning sessions, and Chapel events! If you register either virtually or in person, after the conference you will have access to all of the recordings, both events you attended live and those you didn't. In essence, you’ll be able to attend everything, something we have never before been able to offer!

Would you like a preview of what will be available in person and virtually? Check out the list of workshops and group learning sessions. In addition to a hymn festival led by Martin Jean celebrating the 40th anniversary of Lutheran Summer Music, you'll hear two premier music groups in concert. There are reduced rates for more than one person registering from the same congregation or household. Much additional information is available on the conference website. Please join us!

Once again, for those of you "last-minute" decision-makers, be sure to make your lodging reservations as soon as possible. Both on-campus dormitory housing as well as conference hotels are filling up fast. If you are already registered and want to add on-campus housing, complete another registration form, this time selecting only the housing options. We have reserved blocks of reduced-rate rooms at local hotels, but once those rooms are taken, you will need to pay full price. If the hotel you want to stay at is full, try another hotel.
Valparaiso Conference Sponsorship Opportunities
 
There is still time to support our July conference in Valparaiso. All gifts are welcome and may be made from the ALCM websiteAs with all donations to ALCM, your gift can be designated in honor or in memory of a friend or loved one. All donations made by June 10, 2022 will appear in the honor role of contributors listed in the Valparaiso conference program book.
2022 Webinars
Webinars in 2022 are offered in three separate series (spring, summer, and fall) each containing three webinars. Each of the three series may be purchased individually for $25 for ALCM members and $50 for non-members or as a full-year webinar package at $60 for members and $120 for non-members. Registration for the full-year package includes automatic registration for all nine webinars throughout the year.

Registration at any time during 2022 will give access to the upcoming webinars in that series as well as recordings of the webinars which are completed. The 2022 webinars will revert to the regular price of $25 members/$39 non-members per webinar on January 16, 2023.

All webinars are on Fridays at 2:00 pm Eastern.
ALCM Friday June Webinar
Bind Us Together:
Moving Beyond Welcoming
Friday, June 17 - 2:00 pm Eastern

Nowadays, words such as globalization, diversity, and inclusion have become familiar vocabularies that we often hear in our daily lives. While interests in minority groups and refugees have increased in our globalized societies, Christians have also made significant efforts to welcome minorities. This webinar will explore how music can be used to welcome people. The presenter will share minorities’ lived experiences at North American churches, which will give participants new and/or various perspectives on how to welcome people from different cultures. We will then discuss how we can use music and church music ministry to move from welcoming to embracing people from different cultures.


NOTE: If you have already registered for the Summer 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.
Sunghee Kim
Assistant Professor of Music and the Director of Chapel Music
University Organist and Conductor of the University Kantorei
Valparaiso University,
Valparaiso, IN
Lutheran Summer Music's 40th anniversary year promises to be inspiring for students and concert attendees alike! And we can't wait to soon be back on campus watching students discover their talents, confidence, leadership, and self-worth in the context of a caring community. 
 
You're invited to join the celebration this summer, either in person or online, for recitals, concerts, and worship services. You'll find all important information, including an events calendar and travel arrangements, regularly updated at: lsmacademy.org/2022.
Looking for a new church job?

In the month of May, 39 new job listings were posted on the ALCM website. More and more often we're hearing back from churches using the ALCM service that they ended up hiring someone who responded to their listing on the ALCM site. Congregations pay a modest $25 fee for the listing, which goes directly into the scholarship fund. If you are looking for either a full-time or part-time job, be sure to visit the job listings on the ALCM website!
Dobson Pipe Organ Builders
Open House
Update from John Panning:

We’re having an open house!
Since the fire almost a year ago, we’ve taken tremendous steps back toward normalcy. We’ve established interim workshops in Lake City and are busy building a new organ for St James’ Church in Sydney, Australia, our Op. 99.
Many have asked how we’re doing, so we’re inviting you to Lake City to see for yourself. We’re eager to show you our progress and would love to have you visit. 

Part Time Remote Position Available:
ALCM Education Coordinator
The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians is seeking a high-achieving and collaborative part-time employee to serve as the staff coordinator of ALCM’s Hearts, Hands, Voices local workshops including its even-numbered year conferences. The position will also coordinate the development of ALCM’s Leadership Program for Musicians virtual courses, including overseeing the updating of the program curriculum. The individual will work with ALCM’s executive director and office staff as well as planning committees to ensure tasks related to ALCM’s educational programs are executed in a timely and high-quality manner. Essential qualifications: detail oriented; excellent written and verbal communication skills; successful project management and time management track record; proven ability to meet deadlines. See the full job description. Exceptional candidates please email a cover letter and resume to jimrindelaub@alcm.org with “EDUCATION COORDINATOR APPLICATION” in the subject line. Interview scheduling to begin June 1.
Fourth Friday Happy Hour with ALCM
Friday, June 24 - 5:00 pm Eastern

Recognizing that virtual community IS real community, you are warmly invited to join "Fourth Friday Happy Hour with ALCM" on Zoom every fourth Friday at 5 p.m. Eastern. Moderated by President-Elect Nancy Raabe, Executive Director Jim Rindelaub, and a special guest from the ALCM board or staff, discussion will be oriented around a general theme each month, but the larger purpose is to encourage conversation, sharing, and community. Bring whatever thoughts, comments, or concerns are on your mind, and of course a libation of your choice. Click on this recurring link to join each month.
You are invited to freely make use of ALCM's first virtual hymn on Pentecost Sunday or at any time. Share "O Day Full of Grace" with everyone. All copyright restrictions are waived. If you own a OneLicense.net subscription and offer the hymn recording in worship, please include it when submitting your One License report.
St. Cecilia
Dear St. Cecilia is back! 

This popular advice column, located on the ALCM web site at https://alcm.org/connect/st-cecilia/, will now be taking fresh requests. Pastor Ron Koch, the “Dear Abby” of the Lutheran church music world, is the voice behind St. Cecilia, and he welcomes your questions and concerns. You can reach Ron at lcgshepherd@gmail.com or by snail mail to: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1735 Hecker Pass Highway, Gilroy, CA 95020. Telephone calls are also welcome at (408) 842-2713. All “Dear St. Cecilia” inquiries and concerns will remain anonymous and confidential. Check the web site regularly for the latest updates.
2023 Raabe Prize
Applications are now being accepted for the 2023 Raabe Prize for Excellence in Sacred Music. The Raabe Prize is established to recognize a recent musical work that promotes and extends the practice of church music as it is informed and shaped by Lutheran theological insight and worship practices. The composition so recognized will have been written during the five-year period prior to the year in which the prize is awarded and should be representative of a larger body of work by the composer. Preference will be given to those compositions that grow out of the heart of Lutheran worship – the song of the assembly that enables all to lift their voices in prayer, praise, and proclamation as they gather around Word and Sacrament.


Call for Essays:
CrossAccent, Summer 2022
Essays on the topic of “Embodiment and Technology in Worship” are welcomed for the summer 2022 issue of CrossAccent. Click here to read about this issue’s theme. Manuscripts are due on July 1, 2022.
Events are now being published both in the website calendar and in the monthly newsletter. Do you have an event that you'd like to include? ALCM members should log in and follow the link on the main members area page. Non-members should send event details to office@alcm.org for consideration.
On the June Calendar
In Tempo, ALCM's practical resource publication, invites article proposals for these topics:

1. Your "Worst and Best” story. The best and worst experiences or advice regarding playing, conducting, singing, hymn introductions, worship planning, technology, resolving conflict, any and everything church music and Lutheran worship. Which strategies turned into train wrecks? Which have you absorbed and made standard practice? Your stories of “bumps along the way” as well as successes can teach, cheer, and encourage us. If you would be willing to share your hard-earned wisdom and practical tips, please send an article proposal to intempo@alcm.org.  
 
2. Contemporary, folk, or alternative music in worship.  “Contemporary” spans a variety of interpretations and practices, as does “folk” and “alternative” - what are your “best of the best” music and resources from these broadly defined categories? If you’d like to share your suggestions (especially with musicians of modest congregation size and budget) email intempo@alcm.org for more information and writer guidelines.
Congratulations, ALCM Members!
If you use Sundays and Seasons each year, you know how vital this annual resource is for worship planning. What you may not know is that this is a totally collaborative effort, with people from across the ELCA contributing weekly and seasonal helps. Of the 74 people contributing to this year's volume, 20 of them are ALCM members!

Congratulations to all ALCM members who, in sharing their ideas and gifts, helped to shape this year's wonderful resource!

If you're not familiar with Sundays and Seasons, take a peek inside the Year A volume for 2022/2023.
Pipe Organ Encounters 2022
Sponsored by local chapters of the American Guild of Organists, Pipe Organ Encounters (POEs) offer teenagers and adults a rewarding opportunity to:
  • learn about the pipe organ and its construction;
  • receive instruction from experienced faculty;
  • visit, hear and play outstanding instruments;
  • meet and interact with peers who share an interest in the King of Instruments.

St. James Music Press is offering a grant to a church starting or revitalizing a music program. The purpose of this grant is to support new choir programs or established music ministries that are adding a new element by offering resources and professional support.

Elements awarded in the grant include:
  • Complimentary 1-Year Membership to St. James Music Press
  • $1000 - To support ministry needs
  • Quarterly program consultations with SJMP colleagues meant to help recipients maximize their SJMP membership, discuss program challenges, and celebrate/build upon program successes.

Applications must be submitted by June 30th, 2022. For complete details, visit:
Kyries & Glorias

Kyries (prayer concerns) and Glorias (thanksgivings) are posted in the members area and on this page on the ALCM website. Kyries and Glorias for the following people have been recently posted:

In memoriam

Kyrie

Gloria


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.
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.
A list of ALCM member-led 
Sunday worship streams & recordings is available at:


To be added, please email information to: office@alcm.org
The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians
nurtures and equips musicians
to serve and lead the church's song.