Christian Music News: Hymnplaying Seminar (2024)

I invite you to join me for a Hymnplaying Seminar! Congregational hymnplaying is a wonderful asset in a church and is becoming a bit of a lost art. While you can often find piano lessons for classical training, finding a … Continue reading →

Musician

Jun 1, 2023 - 00:00

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I invite you to join me for a Hymnplaying Seminar!

Congregational hymnplaying is a wonderful asset in a church and is becoming a bit of a lost art. While you can often find piano lessons for classical training, finding a teacher who can instruct you in improvising and congregational hymnplaying techniques can be difficult, if not impossible!

Growing up, I was blessed with wonderful teachers who helped me learn to play for church, and I have a great desire to help and encourage those who want to play the piano in church and use their talents to serve the Lord. I am limited in how many private lessons I am able to teach, but a seminar like this can pack hours of instruction into just one day. While it will be a lot of information, a printed workbook, projects to take home, and videos to go back and review later will make this a valuable resource.

When? Saturday, July 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where? New Testament Baptist Church, 437 N. Duffy Rd., Butler, PA will be the location for the in-person seminar. It will also be available online (more details below).

How Much? The seminar is $100. This includes a workbook, five hours of instruction, and lunch (for those attending in-person). There is a 10% Early Bird Discount for those who register by June 15. There are also group discounts for those who may be coming as a family or with friends. Missionaries can contact me for special rates! Email me at [email protected], or send me a message on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

NOTE: Because we are providing lunch for those who attend the seminar, the deadline to register at the regular price is July 8. After that date, the price for the in-person registration will increase by $10.

Registration: Go to www.ChristianCompositions.com to register for the seminar. Please click the correct product (in-person or virtual) and add to cart. If you are registering for a group, the discount will be calculated based on the number of registrations you choose. The Early Bird Discount will be automatically added to your cart if you register by June 15.

How will I participate in the virtual seminar? The virtual seminar will be hosted in a private Facebook group. The sessions will be live that day, and will be available to watch in the group later. If you do not have a Facebook account, you will not be able to watch live, but the sessions will be uploaded to YouTube and you will be sent links to watch the following week.

The workbook will be available as a PDF download which you can print.

Those who attend the in-person sessions will also be added to the Facebook group (if they have a Facebook account), and will be sent the YouTube links following the seminar.

How much piano do I need to know to attend? You need to have some basic knowledge of piano playing for the seminar to be helpful to you. With that being said, there will be helps for those who read music and for those who play by ear.

What topics will be covered ? This is not a complete list, but sessions will include:

Basic music fundamentals that are vital for hymnplaying

How to make your practice time more effective

How to “improvise” from the hymnal

Left hand accompaniment techniques

How to handle different time signatures

Creating and playing beautiful preludes

Accompanying choirs and special music

Tips for effective offertories

Responsibilities of a church pianist

And much more!

Should I attend in-person or online? For those who live a great distance away, online is an option that will make this available for you; however, if you are able to attend in-person, I think it will be a better experience. It is easier to see, ask questions, and participate if you are at the event. In-person space is limited, so if you plan to come, please register as soon as possible.

What if I register for in-person or virtual and then change my mind? If you register for one and decide to participate in the other, there is no change fee, but I do ask that you let me know at least a week in advance if possible. Because my space is limited at the church, and I am planning to provide lunch, I need an accurate count of who will be attending in-person.

Is the registration refundable? Because the sessions will be available online, the registration is non-refundable. If you cannot attend in-person, you will be able to watch the sessions later.

If you have further questions, please let me know!