Workshops
Workshops will be offered at six different times during the conference:
Workshop 1 (Tuesday, 11:20-12:05)
Workshop 2 (Tuesday, 2:45-3:30)
Workshop 3 (Wednesday, 11:20-12:05)
Workshop 4 (Wednesday, 2:45-3:30)
Workshop 5 (Wednesday, 3:45-4:30)
Workshop 6 (Thursday, 10:20-11:05)
Workshop titles are listed below in alphabetical order. For a list of specific titles offered in each workshop timeslot, consult the conference schedule.
In addition to workshops, four 90-minute group learning sessions will provide opportunities for more in-depth study.
Adapting Anthems for Small Choirs – Sally Messner
Many of us are working with smaller choirs that are even smaller than they were just a year or two ago. When it is time for worship, if a singer or two can’t make it, we’re left with reduced forces and potentially uneven voicing. As much as we rehearse and prepare ahead of time, we all experience times when we need to adapt. Explore here a variety of ways to adapt anthems we’ve been rehearsing and to create simple anthems from familiar hymns that can be ready to sing with little preparation.
Workshop 1 (Tuesday, 11:20-12:05)
ALCM to LSM: Careered Musicians to Students – Thomas Bandar
An opportunity for careered leaders to share their thoughts and experiences with LSM students.
Workshop 3 (Wednesday, 11:20-12:05)
Approaching Retirement (And Already There) – Pastor Lois Martin
Congratulations on your retirement! Is this what I really expected? And what should I do now? Retirement can be anticipated with excitement and/or there may be unanticipated concerns and issues that are difficult to talk about and face. (This session will not be about financial planning or helping to sort retirement financial concerns.)
Workshop 4 (Wednesday, 2:45-3:30)
Ask the LSM Faculty – LSM Faculty
Each year an impressive group of teachers and instructors spends five weeks in intensive learning situations with LSM students. This workshop time provides an opportunity to meet with members of the LSM faculty. Bring your specific questions–vocal and instrumental–or just come for some informal conversation.
Workshop 4 (Wednesday, 2:45-3:30)
Beauty: A Service to the Neighbor – Pastor James Wetzstein
On October 5, 1544, Martin Luther preaching at a church dedication service stated, “If the occasion should arise that people did not want to or could not assemble [in the church], one could just as well preach outside by the fountain or somewhere else.” What are we who attend our places of worship to make of Luther’s pragmatic and dismissive tone? Using the categories proposed by Rudolph Otto in The Idea of the Holy, I will argue that visual and musical beauty in the context of liturgical space is an expression of the vocations of the artist as a service to the neighbor.
Workshop 1 (Tuesday, 11:20-12:05)
Caring for Aging Voices – Sally Messner
Choral singers are among some of the oldest volunteers in our congregations, and they cherish their time in the choir even as the physical act of singing becomes more difficult for them. Learn techniques specifically geared toward working with senior singers that address posture and muscle stiffness, limited agility and range, and vocal hygiene so your choir members can enjoy lifelong singing.
Workshop 2 (Tuesday, 2:45-3:30)
Workshop 5 (Wednesday, 3:45-4:30)
Copyright – Mark Lawson
This session will deal with the many and various issues surrounding the use of copyrighted materials, how to properly get permission for use and reporting use.
Workshop 2 (Tuesday, 2:45-3:30)
Workshop 3 (Wednesday, 11:20-12:05)
First the Encounter…Then the Song – Jean Boehler
Why do we do what we do? We love because God first loved us. We sing, joining the Creator whose song is eternal. We sing with Jesus, who is our song as we journey. We sing as the Holy Spirit empowers our music ministry as the church’s song continues from generation to generation.
Workshop 1 (Tuesday, 11:20-12:05)
From the Original Work to a Vocal Arrangement: Be Creative! – Calmus
Calmus will show their way of adapting vocal music to their group and how they find ways to sing a wider variety of pieces. From the original composition to a vocal arrangement – they will talk about creativity in singing verse-songs, in adapting instrumental pieces, in designing collages, and in finding individual repertoire. As performing musicians we need to be flexible, but we also always need to make decisions that respect the original composition.
Workshop 5 (Wednesday, 3:45-4:30)
Workshop 6 (Thursday, 10:20-11:05)
Harmonized Relationships: The tonic you seek – David Hein
Ministry is strongest when staff pull together. Frequently, however, musician and clergy relationships follow one of two paths: either they are excellent, productive and cooperative, or else they are fraught with difficulty, challenge, and even antagonism. In this workshop, we will attempt to define and bring clarity to the problem. Then we will look at creative, intentional ways of addressing and ultimately reframing problem relationships.
Workshop 1 (Tuesday, 11:20-12:05)
Workshop 5 (Wednesday, 3:45-4:30)
Leading from the Piano – Omaldo Perez
Leading assembly song from the piano is a lot more than just knowing how to “bring them in.” This workshop will highlight a variety of useful skills in leading and accompanying the congregation by providing models for imaginative playing. We will briefly explore character, texture, style, and even timbre in hymn-playing.
Workshop 1 (Tuesday, 11:20-12:05)
Workshop 4 (Wednesday, 2:45-3:30)
LSM Choral Workshop with Calmus
ALCM conference attendees are invited to use this workshop time to observe Calmus working with the LSM choir.
Workshop 3 (Wednesday, 11:20-12:05)
LSM to ALCM: Students to Careered Musicians – Thomas Bandar
An opportunity for LSM students to share their thoughts and experiences with ALCM members.
Workshop 6 (Thursday, 10:20-11:05)
Lutheran Liturgy 101 – Pastor John Morris
Have you ever wondered why we do what we do in our weekly liturgy? What is the history and theology that has shaped modern Lutheran liturgy and what are the pitfalls and traps? What is necessary and what is just personal preference? After our time together, I hope that you’ll leave with the basic “shape of the rite” and some freedom and knowledge about what might make that “rite” come alive.
Workshop 5 (Wednesday, 3:45-4:30)
Music Ministry beyond the Church Doors – Panel: Jean Boehler, Karen Eddinger, Pastor John Morris
This workshop, led by musicians and clergy, will discuss how music ministry happens in numerous ways beyond just Sunday morning worship.
Workshop 3 (Wednesday, 11:20-12:05)
No Age Limits: Exploring an Intergenerational Choir – Linda Martin
Gathering an ensemble of varying ages is a wonderful opportunity to help younger singers gain vocal confidence and for older adults to mentor young members in their faith journey. This session will help participants discover music selections and how to use them in worship and present a model for building community.
Workshop 1 (Tuesday, 11:20-12:05)
Not Just for Church Anymore: Creative use of handbells and hand chimes – Jeff Doebler
Handbells and hand chimes can be played in many settings within the church, school, and community. We’ll discuss ways that handbells and hand chimes can be used to serve in worship, classrooms, instrumental and vocal ensembles, and other places.
Workshop 3 (Wednesday, 11:20-12:05)
Observe LSM Studio Classes
This is the final week of Lutheran Summer Music and students have been hard at work for the past four weeks. You are invited to use this workshop time to visit one or more LSM studio classes for an insider’s look at what LSM is about.
Workshop 4 (Wednesday, 2:45-3:30)
Workshop 5 (Wednesday, 3:45-4:30)
Organ Masterclass – Martin Jean
Workshop 3 (Wednesday, 11:20-12:05)
Workshop 5 (Wednesday, 3:45-4:30)
Organ Registration – Martin Jean
This workshop will explore the art of organ registration. What is appropriate, and what can be used when your instrument doesn’t have the sounds called for?
Workshop 2 (Tuesday, 2:45-3:30)
Reading Sessions
Choral music: Unison/2-part
Monday, 1:00-1:50
Workshop 4 (Wednesday, 2:45-3:30)
Choral music: SAB, SATB
Monday, 2:00-2:50
Workshop 1 (Tuesday, 11:30-12:05)
Contemporary music
Workshop 2 (Tuesday, 2:45-3:30)
Showcase from the LSM & ALCM composition workshops – Anne Krentz Organ
Come and delight in the creative art of composition that spans the generations. Enjoy listening to pieces written and performed by LSM students who took part in this summer’s composition studio, as well as newly minted compositions written in the past few days by ALCM members. Soli Deo Gloria!
Workshop 6 (Thursday, 10:20-11:05)
Using Percussion with Global Music – Christopher Wilson
This workshop will explore the techniques to properly use a wide range of instruments in your services.
Workshop 2 (Tuesday, 2:45-3:30)
Warm-ups Set the Tone – Nancy Menk
This workshop will focus on choral warm-ups and conducting gestures that lead to beautiful choral tone and musicianship.
Workshop 4 (Wednesday, 2:45-3:30)
Welcoming All Instruments to Participate in Worship: A refresher on transposing instruments, and other tricks for preparing parts – Jeff Doebler
You may have learned all the transpositions back in college, but if you don’t have a chance to refer to that information very much, it’s easy to forget how it applies. Our discussion and handout will be a single reference for regular use. We’ll also review some other easy fixes for clefs and instrument substitutions. Our goal is to make it easy for you to invite any instrumentalist of any ability level to participate in worship.
Workshop 4 (Wednesday, 2:45-3:30)
Wonderful World of Renaissance Vocal Music – Calmus
Calmus will provide an overview of how early sacred music can be performed in a historically informed manner. They will talk about ensemble sizes, pitch, tempo relations, bar lines, and voicing. They will also share some polyphonic examples and sing together with the workshop participants.
Workshop 2 (Tuesday, 2:45-3:30)
Workshop 4 (Wednesday, 2:45-3:30)