Ridgecrest Music Week 2010 Day Three

Today was probably the lightest day we'll experience all week.  I started the morning with a children's choir teaching class, where I got to participate in a stick horse race.  Yes, a stick horse race.  I lost.  BUT I WAS ROBBED!  The teacher didn't explain the rules correctly, and unlike the debated calls in the World Cup, I did not contest it.  But seriously, it was a great class and I learned a lot about how to teach melody concepts to younger children.  After that I was able to take a general "idea class" on music ministry and have some materials to take back with me on that subject.  I also attended a technology in music ministry course, where we learned about different music sequencing and recording software, which won't benefit us directly at Southside anytime soon, but still helped me keep up to date in that area should we ever start doing more of our music digitally.  Worship this morning was led by Dick and Mel Tunney, who were fantastic.  Dick actually used an accordion in worship - skillfully AND effectively.  Who would have thought?  We also had our first look at the new LifeWay Music this afternoon, and I was really impressed by the songs they had out. However, I'm not sure there's any home-runs for us.  The new LifeWay Christmas Cantata is fantastic, but EXTREMELY hard.  So much so it would leave last year's "Joy Joy Joy" in the dust dust dust.

The strange thing about today was that for the first time in my Ridgecrest history, there was an evening off.  Very weird, but very welcomed.  We met up with some friends in the Asheville area I hadn't seen in 10 years over some ice creams.  I needed the relaxation and downtime.  Tomorrow's slate of classes rivals what we had on Tuesday.  We'll see how it goes!

Ridgecrest Music Week 2010 Day Two

Today was a jam packed day to say the least.  We began it early, with a session with Randy Vader and Jay Rouse.  Randy shared a story-telling style devotional laced with much humor, and Jay led in worship.  They led the reading session from PraiseGathering that followed, but I'm not sure I found anything there. They did introduce a new Christmas cantata, but only did one piece from it, so I'll have to go back and listen to the rest later online.  Mike Harland, the LifeWay Music "Czar", is the speaker for the week, and he did a pretty nice job with the "sermon," while Jay Rouse led more worship songs.  I never thought I'd say this, but the music was TOO LOUD.  Despite that, Jay was an excellent worship leader.

After morning worship, I had two hours with Michael Adler, a former TRUTH alum, I believe, who I had actually seen leading worship at Ridgecrest several years ago.  It was good to see him back in a teaching role.  He talked on methods of retooling traditional hymns to make them fit more in services that demanded a more contemporary style.  He also gave some tips as to how to combine songs into medleys in creative ways.  Some usable tips that I'll definitely put into practice.  I also went to a LifeWay Worship Project course, which ended up being just the same "commercial" I had heard two years ago when the new hymnal first came out.  I had REALLY hoped that they would have updated it with some more current info.  Still, it was worth going, as  I got a free embroidered Polo shirt, and they actually had MY SIZE!! That, my friends, is a miracle, and worth the sales pitch.  The afternoon concluded with another reading session from Lillenas, Word, and Brentwood.  Word, who usually has consistently quality stuff was a disappointment.  All in all, there were a couple of potential anthems I could see myself using, but nothing I'm running out to buy.  It seems to be a big year for ballads, and although I'm a big ballad fan, all of the publishers have really got some "sleepy" pieces this year.

The evening's feature was the Mississippi All-State Youth Choir, who did a nice, surprisingly very classical program.  They incorporated a few creative movements in as well that were very touching.  The second half of the program was a worship concert by Dennis Jernigan.  It was outstanding.  I've seen him a few times before, and he seems to get better each time.  The heart behind his music is very inspiring, and his testimony is very moving.  Although much of Dennis' music sounds the same after a concert of this length, you can't deny he is a man with a heart sold out for Jesus and a passion few artists can deliver.  He introduced much new music tonight, in addition to the standards "You are My All in All,"  "The Lord Reigns," "There is a Fountain," and my personal favorite "When the Night is Falling."

Usually I force myself to skip a class just to get a break during the day.  However, there was just too many good choices I didn't feel I should miss.  Tomorrow for the first time we have an evening off.  That will feel weird.  We may be using that time to go connect with a friend in Asheville I haven't seen in years.

Ridgecrest Music Week 2010 Day One

It is great to be back on this "Holy Hill."  We arrived this afternoon around 2pm, after an impromptu lunch stop at Fuddrucker's and the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Home in Asheville.  First on the agenda was a multi-publisher reading session, where we looked at some of the latest offerings from some of the other non-LifeWay publishers.  All in all, no real winners except for a nice Lenny LeBlanc praise chorus arrangement and a choral arrangement of a Larry Gatlin song called "Steps."  Lorenz also had some good offerings, but most of the contemporary arrangements had no melody whatsoever, no bass part whatsoever, or had screamingly high "Brooklyn Tabernacleish" high notes.  I think we get to hear some Christmas stuff tomorrow.

Tonight's evening concert featured the Tennessee Baptist Men's Chorale and Lady Chorale.  They were phenomenal.  They did some standard "big choir classics" like "Total Praise" and "He Never Failed Me Yet", crow-pleasing gospel numbers, and a few artsy high-church things.  The congregational singing was fun in the sing-a-long parts.  Followed the concert up with ice cream at the Nibble Nook.  A great start to hopefully a great week.  Tomorrow is a full day of classes, and I hope not to overdo it, as the week is young.

Senior Adult Choir Tour 2010

This year's Senior Adult Choir Tour was to Nashville, TN.  Of course, the floods in the area almost put this trip on hold.  Still, in the weeks before the trip everything had opened back up except for the riverboat tour and the mall area, which we replaced with some much needed free time and a trip to the famous "Loveless Cafe."  The Sunday before tour we performed in services at both Alexis Baptist Church and Southside Baptist Church.  We also performed in two nursing homes on tour: The NC Baptist Retirement Home in Asheville and Belcourt Terrace in Nashville.  We were able to do much sightseeing as well. We saw many notable landmarks such as the Parthenon, Bicentennial Park, The Country Music Hall of Fame, Music Row, & the Ryman as a part of the "Disover Nashville" Grayline tour.  We also saw a Grand Ole Opry show, which had been relocated to Jackson Hall at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and featured stars such as Little Jimmy Dickens, Billy Dean, Jim Lauderdale, Jean Shepherd, and bluegrass group Cherryholmes.  It was a very multigeneraltional type of concert, and we all loved it.  We also got to tour the LifeWay campus in downtown Nashville.  Everything ran like clockwork during the week, and we thank the Lord for safety in travel, fruitfulness in ministry, and for one of the best tours in recent memory.