Elizabeth Leon is an author and musician from Ashburn, Virginia. For more information, please visit www.msva.org or www.elizabethleon.org _ _ _ In August of 1999, I was the mother of an almost two-year-old daughter and was expecting a baby in December. After two years staying home with a toddler, I was desperate to regain some sense of who I […]
From Our Readers
The Choir I Hear
The following is a poem submitted by Terry York. Terry is Professor of Christian Ministry and Church Music and George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University. The Choir I Hear The choir I hearIs composed of all the singersI have conducted,All the singers with whom I have sung,All the singers I have ever heard. The […]
The Four Functions of a Church Choir
Since starting at my current church, the choir has rallied behind four “functions” of a church choir and has been central in helping the church become what song-enliveners affectionately call a “singing congregation.” As the director of a church choir I use four functions to explain why the church choir exists. Those priorities help determine […]
For Singers: The Concert is WHEN?
“Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation.” – Robert H. Schuller There are two answers to the question, “What’s happening tomorrow?” if it’s posed to a member of a chorus the night before a concert: “We have a concert tomorrow night, I can’t wait.” “We have a concert tomorrow night…what do I do? AUGH!!!” […]
The Challenges…and Joys…of Traveling with an Older Choir
I’ve got the travel bug…and, luckily, I conduct an adult community choir filled with plenty of women who feel the same way I do about seeing the world. So many countries, so little time. In the four years since I founded the Bucks County Women’s Chorus we’ve embarked on two international tours. The first took […]