Austen Wilson

In addition to serving as Director of Music and Worship Arts at Mandarin United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, FL, I also sing in the Festival Singers of Florida, a 100-voice auditioned choir comprised of music educators and conductors from all over Florida and beyond. Thankfully, my church had the privilege of hosting this inspiring choir in a concert last weekend. Much of the repertoire is by living composers and the choir has a history of commissioning new choral works. During the 2021 – 2022 season, one of the pieces that had a profound impact on me was I Will Stand With You by Dr. Marques Garrett. It reminded me that music has the great potential to speak to contemporary and relevant themes in a profound way.

The genesis of Dr. Garrett’s piece was truly collaborative. In May and June 2020 when there were a series of shootings of unarmed Black persons throughout the United States, Dr. Kevin Fenton, Artistic Director of the ensemble, had a conversation with the composer. As a director of a predominantly white choir, Dr. Fenton wanted a piece that would stand for racial justice and speak to a relevant issue of our time. The text came from the singers in the ensemble in a process created by Morgan Luttig, who is pursuing a PhD in Music Education – Choral Conducting at Florida State University. For the initial prompt, she wrote the following.

“Through the grief that we feel over the losses of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many other black lives, Festival Singers of Florida (FSOF) is striving to not only say more, but also do more to fight racial injustice. Most of the membership of FSOF is from the majority population. As such, we want to hear your responses on what we can say, and what we can do, to enact change. Using selected responses to the prompt below as the textual foundation, FSOF is commissioning a new work as a response and as a call to action. If you are willing, please submit your response using the provided Google Form. All responses will remain anonymous.” 

Based on the prompt, Dr. Garrett added his own thoughts in the comment of the post soliciting responses. “Our world seems to have been turned upside down. Some of us have known about and lived through prejudiced experiences our whole lives. (There are black and brown people who constantly wonder if people are looking at them longer than usual while on a trail; if that store clerk really is following them; or if they got the job as a diversity hire. Some more direct experiences include being asked if they live in this country, neighborhood, or building; being asked to show identification as proof; and hearing racial slurs.) Others of us have known about what’s happening and have enacted change. Sadly, others have sat on the sidelines watching everything play out. In recent weeks, many more people have come to the realization that the time of passive activism is over. It is time for those of us with privilege to enact change.”

Finally, a little reminder/encouragement was added with the following to get final responses: What are some things that you wish you knew before now? What would you like to say to the majority population, especially if you are a member of that population? What do those in the majority population need to know in order to create the change that we as humans need in order to build a more unified world?” Based on the prompt, Dr. Garrett took phrases submitted by the choir and crafted the musical portion. In October 2021, I interviewed the composer about the piece. He mentioned how during the pandemic, there has been an awakening of racial awareness. During performances of I Will Stand With You, Dr. Garrett wanted audience members to reflect, put themselves in the piece, and ask themselves questions. In addition, he wanted to communicate that it’s OK to search for answers and that both a group effort and individual contributions are vital to end racism. Especially towards the end of the piece, the choir sings “I will stand with you” as an ostinato with various ensemble members saying short phrases such as, “I want to speak up; I just don’t know how” and “We cannot stand for peace without first standing for justice”. The composer mentioned that the statement of “I will stand with you” is intended as a personal statement both for the singers and the audience. To get a hold of Dr. Garrett, go to https://www.mlagmusic.com/. 

As a singer or conductor, it’s a thrill to premiere a brand new piece of choral music. From my perspective, it was incredibly moving to sing in a piece that was so relevant and could make a difference. Finally, I thought you would enjoy watching it. Enjoy the premiere of I Will Stand with You from October 2, 2021.

In our local contexts, we might not have the funds to commission a brand-new work, especially in lean financial times. On the other hand, there are a wealth of new resources that speak to relevant topics of our time. From a church musician’s perspective, I keep finding living authors whose hymns I have used. Three who I highly recommend are:

Carolyn Winfrey Gillette – http://www.carolynshymns.com/

Stephen Fearing – http://www.stephenmfearing.com/

Mark Miller – Roll Down, Justice! Songbook. This resource can be found on choristersguild.org (CGBK72). 

What are other resources have you found that speak to social issues of our time or have been a relevant vehicle for social change?

As a church musician and choir director, I believe that much of one’s success is based on the repertoire and hymnody we select, along with adapting to the needs of the ensemble and the congregation. While I strongly believe in expanding a congregation’s body of hymns they know, if I choose too many unfamiliar hymns, I’m not honoring their history and their beloved favorites. On the other hand, if I strike just the right balance between familiar and unfamiliar hymns, I’m more likely to have buy-in on the unfamiliar hymns, which in time can eventually become familiar. Similarly, anthems need to fit the needs, interests, and skill level of the ensemble. Even if an anthem comes recommended from numerous choir directors, if may or may not fit my context.  

Part of enabling transformational experiences is selecting the right hymns and right anthems for a particular context. As a Director of Music in a church, I always want to strike a balance between favorites and familiar anthems and expanding awareness of less familiar genres and composers. My philosophy is that in a given year, the music should represent the Body of Christ. For example, not relegating music by Black composers to solely Black History Month, Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, or Juneteenth, but by including music by Black composers throughout the whole year. With that in mind, I thought I would do something a little different for today’s blog post. In honor of Black History Month, here are several anthems I highly recommend that can be used throughout the whole year.

Advent

Keep Your Lamps arr. Andre Thomas, SATB, A Cappella, Hinshaw Music, Inc.

Christmas

Jesus What A Wonderful Child arr. Rollo Dilworth, SATB, SAB, SSA, or TTBB, Piano, Drums, Bass, 3 trumpets, Hal Leonard

Epiphany

Walk in the Light arr. Andre Thomas, SATB or Unison/2-part, Piano, Choristers Guild

Lent

I Want Jesus to Walk with Me arr. Rollo Dilworth, SATB with some divisi, Piano, Drums, Bass, Clarinet or Soprano Sax, Trumpet, Trombone, Hal Leonard

Oh, That Bleeding Lamb arr. Undine S Moore, SATB with divisi, A Cappella, Augsburg Fortress

Pentecost

Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit arr. William Dawson, SATB with divisi, A Cappella, Neil A. Kjos Music Company

General

Amazing Grace arr. Keith McCutcheon, SATB with divisi, Piano, Earthsongs

Ascribe to the Lord by Rosephayne Powell, SATB, SAB, SSAA, or TTBB, Piano, Gentry Publications

I Choose Love by Mark Miller, SATB or SSA and Piano, Choristers Guild

We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace arr. Undine S Moore, SATB, A Cappella, GIA Music

We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace arr. Moses Hogan, SATB with divisi, A Cappella, Hal Leonard

Except for We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace arr. Undine S Moore, I’ve conducted all the other pieces in worship. In December 2022, the Youth Choir at my church sang the SAB voicing of Jesus What A Wonderful Child. I used piano, drums, and bass and that combo helped create memorable presentations of that anthem. If you have access to a fantastic clarinet or soprano sax player, I highly recommend I Want Jesus to Walk With Me arr. Rollo Dilworth. That setting truly gets at the grief and yearning of the hymn. With that in mind, I thought I’d post a recording of the piece. I hope it inspires you!

Have you conducted any of the pieces on the list? Post below if you have!

As a church musician, I believe that the confidence ensembles have makes a profound difference in their ability to lead worship. Part of that means knowing what choir needs. Sometimes that’s the appropriate technical information with ringing or singing; for example, a reminder about breathing for a vocal choir or flow in how a bell choir is ringing. Other times, it’s the best metaphor or story to emotionally connect the ensemble to the music. Or perhaps it’s helping shift the mindset in the room. I find that the right mindset can transform a rehearsal, a piece of music, a phrase. In that context, I thought I would share a scenario that occurred within the past week that reminded me of the importance of stillness in music making, especially with regards to mindset.

I led a rehearsal last Thursday where things just weren’t clicking. We spent much longer on a piece than I had expected. Something was in the air. And it wasn’t a full moon. Perhaps you’ve had those rehearsals. In addition, we were ringing as arrangement of As the Deer for the Prelude on Sunday in worship. From past experience, I knew that we would ring the piece well and our short Sunday warm-up would unify the anthem. On the other hand, I know that mindset impacts so many aspects of music making. This piece was well within the ensemble’s skill level to play it musically with inspiration. However, I didn’t want a shaky rehearsal to color their confidence for worship. From Thursday’s rehearsal, I had a sense that we may not approach Sunday from a mindset of stillness, keeping in mind Psalm 46:10. As a result, this is an email I sent the ensemble on Saturday.

“Greetings,

Some of you may not this before tomorrow and that’s OK. A verse came to mind earlier today:

Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

This is a verse I’ve thought a lot about. Stillness is an interesting concept. If you were to sit perfectly still, you may notice that you hold your breath and/or hold some physical tension. Even when we’re sitting, our blood is flowing, our lungs moving, and we breathe. I also believe that the Spirit of God is constantly moving. So, it’s curious that God would use such a curious word as “still”.

Perhaps stillness is more closely related to being present and trusting in God. Perhaps stillness has a connotation of being quiet. That seems to make sense. Communion is generally quiet. That often feels like a still moment in worship. Listening also feels like stillness is involved. Generally, if I get out of my own way and let go of control, I tend to hear God and others more. That’s a kind of stillness that also makes sense to me.

Tomorrow we have the great privilege to help usher people into worship during the Prelude. I’m really looking forward to present this piece and enabling stillness and focus on God for all those attending and participating online.

In case it would help, I attached a recording. I invite you to close your eyes and listen to it. Remember to breathe while listening.

See you tomorrow at 10:20 am in the Sanctuary!

Austen”

In case you’re wondering which arrangement I used, here is the link to the piece:

https://www.hopepublishing.com/W2916_AS_THE_DEER

On Sunday, we warmed up, had a run through or two, and solidified a few sections. Both the pre-service rehearsal and the presentation of the piece in worship was very expressive.

In addition to thinking about stillness for my ensembles, I’m revisiting the concept for myself. Generally the more my mind is still and quiet, but engaged, the better I listen and the more informed and wiser are my decisions. Keeping that mindset is easier said than done. We’re still in a pandemic and especially with the Omicron variant, there’s a good chance that at any rehearsal, I could find out at the last minute about yet another choir remember needing to quarantine. Or in the course of the week, it’s easy to get swept along with stressful situations and lose that stillness. There are several activities that help me get back to stillness, such as:

• Determining my priorities for the week
• Journaling, even for a few minutes
• Breathing deeply in and out for a few cycles
• Listening to music that centers me

What are some techniques you use to become still? You are welcome to comment below.

One of the greatest joys is being fully present in a rehearsal or a worship service and making music on a deep level with others. May we all find that presence and stillness this week.

The last week of December and the first week in January are some of my favorite times of the year. The week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve helps rejuvenate me and the first week of January brings a lot of new possibilities. If you weren’t thrilled with the first part of the program/academic year, now is a great time to make some changes. Or perhaps the first part of the year went well. It’s a great time to make some tweaks to make this second half even better. It’s also a great time to re-connect with your “why”. I wrote about that in this blog post:

In past years, I spent a good amount of time setting goals for the new year using a variety of systems that didn’t always work for me. Instead in 2022, I’m trying something different by leaning more into habits and systems. One of my new favorite books is Atomic Habits by James Clear. In it, he has a quote that has given me a lot of food for thought. “We don’t rise to the level of our goals. We fall to the level of our systems.” I was both humbled and encouraged at the same time.

For my Adult Chancel Choir, music distribution and collection is sometimes clunky or frustrating. It dawned on me that perhaps the system is not the most effective. I resolved to develop a much better system so on January 2 after worship, I had a short meeting with a few choir members who were interested in serving as choir librarians. As a result of a productive and collaborative discussion, we started to develop a system that we think will work. A win-win situation: volunteers felt empowered and I could delegate more than I had anticipated. What systems do you have that need a change or an overhaul?

In addition to yearly goal setting systems that didn’t always work for me, I’ve tried many weekly to do list systems that haven’t always worked for me. Except one. This may not work for everyone, but it’s helped me. Unfortunately, I don’t remember who I heard this from, otherwise I’d give them credit.

After Thanksgiving 2021, I knew I needed to get a handle on my work load. I remembered that I had learned about the following system a few years ago and decided to try it for December 2021. I discovered that I was able to prioritize better and accomplish tasks when they needed to be done. I felt that I had more control over my priorities. The first time I tried this, it was time intensive, but the more I did it, the faster the process became.

1. On a Sunday evening or Monday morning, write down everything you need to do at work in no particular order for the upcoming week. This should be a brain dump to get everything on paper.
2. Once you’ve done that, write which day you’ll focus on each task in one of the margins.
3. Next, approximate how long each task will take.
4. On a separate sheet of paper, write a specific schedule of when you’ll do each task. Or schedule everything on your phone.
5. Rip up the original list with the brain dump.

Some of you may think “Wow! This is amazing! I’m going to do this today.” Others may be skeptical and think “That feels like way too much work.” To be honest, I wasn’t able to stick to the schedule perfectly. Interruptions occurred, certain tasks took longer or shorter than expected, and there were additional projects I needed to add to the schedule. Sometimes a task moved to another day. However, I was able to accomplish what I needed to in a given week. This system has provided some necessary discipline for me and it has given me a more realistic picture of my workload.If any of you try this, I would love to hear if it works for you!

Especially with the Omicron variant spreading very rapidly, I may need to rethink some of my anthem choices for January and February. Anthem selection will most definitely be a top priority this week. However, I thought I would share two pieces I’m particularly excited about.

Trust in the Lord arr. Rollo Dilworth. While it’s listed as SATB, the voicing is mostly SAB. I find that the structure of the piece makes it a joy to teach. The first three sections contain very distinct melodies that are combined for the final section. I appreciate that we can see the score in this YouTube video. On the other hand, I do not think that the demo choir was stylistically appropriate on the rendition in my opinion.

Appassionata by Michael W. Joy. 3 – 6 octaves handbells, Level 3. I appreciate the varied tempos and dynamics in this piece. It makes for an emotional experience where ensemble members can focus on expressive ringing.

https://beckenhorstpress.com/appassionata/

A very Happy New Year to you! May you build on habits and systems that will help you enable transformational experiences in your ensembles.

This point of the year is always tiring, especially with extra performances, events at church, or end of semester grades due. Unfortunately, we can add the Omicron variant, quarantines, and contentious times this year. On social media, I’ve seen posts about wonderful performances, as well as stressful scenarios such as a large portion of a choir or even an accompanist having to quarantine from a concert. We are all at the collective end of our ropes. My guess is that our capability to adapt to stressful situations has been pushed to the limit. Maybe you even feel that ability has crossed that limit. As hard as it sounds, give yourself some extra grace and extra kindness. You’ve done the best you could in your circumstances. And you’re almost to a Break! Over whatever Break you have, I hope you’re able to spend time with loved ones, relax, and recharge.

With the challenges of the pandemic, I’ve gone inward to know myself and my emotions better. I’ve learned so much from authors, friends, podcasts, and other resources. A concept I’ve worked on is emotional resilience, our ability to adapt to stressful situations or crises. This is an area where I’ve definitely had some triumphs but also some failures. Perhaps you’ve felt the same. Even pre-COVID, there were tough times and unexpected surprises. The pandemic has only exacerbated the stresses of our field.

In my own emotional resilience journey, I’ve learned that if I know which emotions I’m feeling, the better I can move through uncomfortable emotions. From a musical perspective, the more emotions I’m able to identify with, the more I’ll be able to connect with my singers and ringers and the more meaning there will be in the music-making.

I’ve also learned to embrace the tension of two competing emotions at the same time. For example, I can simultaneously grieve the millions dead due to COVID in the US alone, while at the same time delight in an enthusiastic singer telling me about their upcoming Christmas plans or enjoy live music in a rehearsal or concert.

From my perspective, a number of approaches help with emotional resilience. Something that has helped me and my singers have been slow breathing exercises. On at least one choir director/music teacher podcast, I learned one specific exercise that often has helped regulate my emotions. I apologize that I don’t remember which podcast. If this is something you mentioned on your podcast, please comment below! Either sitting or standing, put your right hand on your heart and left hand on your belly. Breathe in and out, then repeat twice or more. Invite singers to close their eyes if they choose. Sometimes I’ll create short meditative statements, such as “Inhale peace and exhale anxiety”. Especially when used in an ensemble, this has a wonderful unifying feeling. Plus, it helps us get in touch with our breath. A win-win situation!

Especially this Advent, reflective music of the season has helped me. Here are three albums on Spotify that I’ve greatly appreciated this year.

December by George Winston

The Quiet Center by Thomas Keesecker

Rós: Songs of Christmas by the Norwegian Soloists Choir

While I’m ready for a Break, at the same time I’m excited for the second half of the program year. I also thought I’d give a sneak-peak into the direction of my blog posts for the first 5 – 6 months of 2022. First, I’m renaming the title! Since September 2021, every title has been started with “Creating Transformational Experiences”. Starting in January 2022, the title will start with “Enabling Transformational Experiences”. In my opinion, that word change has a more organic feel. From my experience, when we let go of control, that helps create the environment for transformational experiences to occur naturally.

Since I’m a church musician, I firmly believe that the choirs are leaders in a congregation. From my perspective, that includes modeling concepts of emotional resilience and awareness. In 2022, I’m planning on creating short activities that will intentionally build emotional resilience and a greater emotional awareness and curiosity. I will share some of those ideas in future blog posts.

I’ll continue to share repertoire I use with my choirs that have been successful in my context. In addition, I’ll share books, music, or podcasts that have been meaningful to me in hopes they may be useful to you.

In case you’re looking for some reading material over the Break, a few books on emotional resilience and awareness I’ve appreciated are:

• Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett
• Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown
• Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
• Emotional Agility by Susan David

A Blessed Advent, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to you! For those who are church musicians, I hope that your Christmas Eve services bring joy, peace, love, and comfort to all.

From my experience, Thanksgiving falls at just the right time of year. There is something magical about eating good food with friends and family, followed by a day of total rest and relaxation right before December. At least that’s been my tradition. This year, that rhythm has been restored for me. I grew up in Princeton, NJ, where my parents live. Typically, I would visit for at least a few days, if not a full week. Unfortunately, last year I was not able to visit, as I did not feel comfortable flying, vaccines were not available, and the drive would have been too long from Jacksonville, FL. For those in the US, I hope that you are able to spend Thanksgiving with friends and family and get much needed breathing space before the busyness of the Advent and Christmas seasons.

I was thinking about home and The Road Home by Stephen Paulus came to mind. I’ve had the good fortune of singing the piece at least once and there is something mesmerizing about the combination of the vocal lines and the text.

While I have thought about going home from a literal standpoint, I’ve also thought about the metaphors in the text. During COVID, I’ve often felt far from a familiar path. At times, it’s felt as if I’ve lost the road and the path forward. Perhaps you can relate. Thankfully, I’m slowly figuring out what it means to forge a new path forward. I am grateful for this brief pause before the plunge of the Advent and Christmas seasons. I decided to take a few additional vacation days so this is a full week of recharging for me.

Since I last wrote about the Advent/Christmas concert at my church, I have clarified the purpose and have finalized the musical portion of the program. Entitled Journey Through Darkness and Light, my hope is that the audience will be able to pause, rest, and reflect on their faith through music, art, and readings of the Advent/Christmas seasons. In a previous post, I shared a few of the selections in the concert. I thought I would share the complete program in this post. Audience and choirs will be masked, except for Chancel Ringers and Singers during their anthems.

The King Shall Come/arr. Cathy Moklebust/Chancel Ringers

Spoken Reflection

Zion Hört die Wächter singen from BWV 140/J.S. Bach

Spoken Reflection

Rejoice! Rejoice!/arr. Cathy Moklebust/Chancel Ringers

Spoken Reflection

Lo, How a Rose/arr. Cathy Moklebust/Chancel Ringers with strings and organ

Reading with audience that interweaves Genesis 1 and John 1

O Emmanuel/Karen Marrolli/Chancel Choir

Come, Jesus, Come/Alfred Fedak/Chancel Choir

The King Shall Come/Hymn with choirs, strings, organ, and audience

Emmanuel/Peter Johns/Children’s and Youth Choirs

Light of Hope/Mark Patterson/Children’s Choir

Unto Us/Mark Patterson/Children’s Choir

Angels We Have Heard on High/Hymn with choirs, strings, organ, and audience

Jesus What A Wonderful Child/arr. Rollo Dilworth/Youth Choir

O Holy Night/arr. Jennifer Adams/Youth Choir

O Little Town of Bethlehem/Hymn with choirs, strings, organ, and audience

Night of Silence/arr. John Ferguson/Chancel Choir

Walk in the Light/arr. Andre Thomas/Chancel Choir

Spoken Blessing

O Come, All Ye Faithful/arr. David Willcocks/Hymn with choirs, strings, organ, and audience

With regards to the spoken reflections, I am choosing from Crossings: Meditations for Worship and From Glory Into Glory: Reflections for Worship, both by Susan Palo Cherwien and published by Morningstar. The readings in both collections have such imaginative and creative language and I have used those collections for other programs in the past. After my time off this week, I will finalize which readings I’ll include from a short-list that I have. At the end of each reflection, the audience will be asked a question to ponder during the subsequent musical selection.

Contingent on obtaining the proper copyright, I will be using artwork from A Sanctified Art (https://sanctifiedart.org/) and He Qi (https://www.heqiart.com/). The art will be projected on a screen during the handbell selections. During vocal selections, the texts and translations will be projected on a screen. Long-term, I hope this concert will be a first step of combining multiple artistic elements in performances. COVID has emphasized the importance of live concerts, while also giving the space to start to re-imagine what performances could look like going forward.

A lesson I keep re-learning is the importance of filling up my cup so that I am at my optimum for my choirs. May your cup be filled and your spirit recharged this week.