Choir can't sing?

One blogger states that it's not polite to discuss worship preferences.  Well, if your congregation doesn't sing, I found another blogger who offers 12 excellent solutions!

I may be preaching to the choir

Here's an article off the Religion News Service entitled, Many Church Choirs are Dying. Here's Why.  It's true that choirs and congregations may not be what they were.  There are many cultural reasons for this.  Where I would argue against, however, is the need for massive resources to lead a choir.  Not every church is a cathedral,  And it is not impossible to find appropriate repertoire for a small choir.  Perhaps the best resources today, are free.  The author also fails to recognize that traditional liturgy is actually on the upswing.

What type of classical musician are you?

I enjoyed this one.  Especially about the perfect hair and home cooked meals.  Whoever created this really knows their stuff!

Evensong Webcasts

I've enjoyed listening to bbc radio 3's weekly Evensong broadcasts for about ten years now.  I recently discovered a few others, which I like as well.   They allow me to listen from my phone while I'm on the train, or out for a walk.  The first is the choir of King's College, the other is St. Thomas, New York. King's offers valuable commentary before each recorded service, though St. Thomas' site has a nice calendar of events and daily web-casts.  If you get a chance, I highly recommend King's October 13th webcast with selections from Mendelssohn's Elijah.  The featured boy soloist is particularly outstanding.

Peter Philips on Conducting

I've had this one on Google Drive now for a while.  It's a good thing to know when to lead and when to get out of the way.   Peter Phillips' The Cult of the Conductor is one good essay.  I feel renewed each time I read it. 

John Elliot Gardiner reveals another side of JS Bach

I saw this in the Guardian.  Conductor, John Elliot Gardiner has new book entitled "Music in the Castle of Heaven."  On Bach's school in Thuringia, Gardiner writes that it was largely attended by the children of bourgeois tradespeople. However, he also sites documents which damn the boys as "rowdy, subversive, thuggish, beer- and wine-loving, girl-chasing … breaking windows and brandishing their daggers".

This is the Bach, I've heard about from my organ teachers, though, not the one I read about in my music history classes.  I appreciate that one of my favorites could quote scripture, and still pick up chicks.

Secrets of Organ Playing

I found this web site by Lithuanian organist, Dr. Vidas Pinkevicius.  He has many short master classes on topics ranging from  improvisation and articulation to organ building.  Even if you know some of these things, there is something for every organist to take away from this site.