Worship can be the vital centre of your faith community. When we gather to worship God, we are telling two stories: God's story and our own.

I lead workshops and festivals to teach music from around the world and to nurture a community's musical talents. I also consult with local church leaders and organizations to help them to develop a culture of vital worship.

Learn to create a culture of music-making by encouraging the musical gifts of children, young people and older folks. Learn new songs, and sing old ones anew. Learn to move as you sing, through gesture, clapping, stepping, and dancing. Learn to play as you worship, through story, poetry, and visual arts, as well as through reflection, spoken word and theological discourse. Learn to take delight and joy in the hard work of embodying a life of faith.

Workshops and hymn festivals

My events are for church leaders, congregation members, choristers, and anyone who is curious about the power of music in our midst. I customize each workshop and hymn festival to the local community; these are just a few of the workshops I've given:

Global Music in Worship

When we sing the songs of the world, we are just as likely to be singing music familiar to people close by, people with roots and family in Somalia or Chile, Havana or Hong Kong. Singing their songs as well as our own is a constant reminder to welcome others. It is a way of practicing hospitality. This workshop introduces material from both "standard" collections and new collections of global song. Rather than promoting world music as an either/or replacement for strophic, "traditional" hymns, this workshop suggests a both/and approach, integrating worship music of many styles into a nourishing whole.

The Pulse of Worship

Leaving out the rhythm instruments in much Aboriginal, African, Asian or South American music is like leaving out the melody of a hymn. Rhythm is - or can be - not just time-keeping, but an expression of emotion. In the same way that a dancing melody can charge words with life and meaning, a well-placed cymbal roll can lift a congregation's song and set it soaring. Learn the do's and don'ts in using percussion as part of worship. This workshop explores some Christian Contemporary Music (CCM) and global music as well as traditional hymns.

Sing Praises with a Psalm

The psalms are rich source of renewal, both personal and communal. Their rich emotional, theological, and dramatic range takes on deeper meaning when we sing them. Singing, chanting, moving, playing and working with psalms is the focus of this workshop.

And a Child Shall Sing the Lead: Singing with Children

Children love to learn new things, and usually do it much more quickly than adults. Paul Westermeyer writes that every age group "deserves to be treated well, and stretched beyond [their] likes and dislikes." In this workshop, learn how children can be leaders of your congregation's song.

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