On 25 January 2020, we gathered together with loads of musicians and directors from around London for a day of training and encouragement in All Souls Langham Place. It was a really fantastic day thinking around the theme of Singing in the Gap. We don't have recordings of seminar streams,…
Hillsong Worship have recently released a new album named 'Awake'. It's their first studio album in a long time and it is a beauty in terms of production. Slick, interesting, emotional, and filled with musically beautiful songs. However.. lyrically, we might have some issues.
I have a friend whose job title in the footer of his emails says ‘futurist’; basically he gets paid lots of money to tell technology companies what he thinks the next new thing might be. No, I’m not going there! Don’t panic, I’m not claiming to be a prophet. But…
Sometimes its helpful to think a little deeper about the hymns and songs that we sing. So we asked Daniel Johnson to give us some historical and theological background to this Isaac Watts classic that has been recently adapted by the Gettys. We hope you find this interesting and helpful.…
Recently we emailed a number of music directors around the UK and asked what songs they had been teaching over the last few months in their churches. We hope the list below and the Spotify playlist will give you some inspiration in the coming weeks and months. Obviously with lists…
Looking at Crutches (continued) Since we started the last two posts with a quote from a composer, I thought this time we would begin with a painter. Unfortunately I began my search amongst the sayings of Salvador Dali, and I’m still trying to recover. So instead, here’s a little…
Looking at Crutches Here is how Anton Bruckner responded to his critics: “They want me to write differently. Certainly I could, but I must not. God has chosen me from thousands and given me, of all people, this talent. It is to Him that I must give account. How…
The Way Things Are “I always said God was against art and I still believe it. Anything obscene or trivial is blessed in this world and has a reward – I ask for no reward – only to live and to hear my work.” Such were Edward Elgar’s words…
We've recently come across this song, and introduced it to our church the past few Sundays. It is really beautiful and worth looking at if you are doing a series on the cross, or Jesus work to bring us to the new creation, or are looking for a song for…
One of the great privileges of serving with children's teams on camps and conferences like Word Alive and Keswick is hearing young people sing bible verses. It is brilliant. Linked at the end of this post are 2 memory verses which you may want to have a look at, both…
One of the very good things about working with brothers and sisters involved in church music from all over the world is that you are forced to think through theological issues carefully, so that they don’t become merely personal theological idiosyncrasies. Taking one particular stand on an area of theology…
Playing A Solo Instrument In A Band - Practical Basics After all that introspection, here are ten practical tips. I’m going to talk mostly about improvisation, since I’m assuming this is the area people have most questions about. What I have to say is pretty obvious, but sometimes the obvious…