This week, I've been at the UU Musicians Network conference in Madison, WI. You may remember that it was on the final day of this conference two years ago that I awoke with this calling toward music ministry (read about it). I've been on an amazing journey ever since. This year was my first year attending in a staff music role -- and I was so proud to represent my two congregations there. I have to admit that I still feel a little intimidated, but definitely starting to build some relationships and have a little more confidence in being surrounded by music professionals. Also, as I started to discuss my “day job” with folks, I realized something - I have some valuable skills in learning and development, online learning, social media, and web design that I could be putting to work for musical organizations like UUMN. I seriously need to stop compartmentalizing my careers!
There were three big themes for me at this conference, outside of connecting and re-connecting with music colleagues. First and foremost was shared ministry in worship design. We spent the week exploring intentional engagement in radical collaboration as well as specifics on how to “think like a filmmaker” when designing worship with our keynote speaker, Dr. Marcia McFee. Think about it - many of us leave a 2.5 hour movie wanting more, but get 20 minutes into worship and start wondering when coffee hour will start. Both events are looking to tell a story that you will connect to emotionally, remember, and repeat to others. Marcia went to filmmakers to ask for their tips on how to keep an audience engaged. During her keynotes, she shared some amazing tips for both planning and delivery that involve engaging the senses, providing a sense of continuity, and the many roles music can play in worship. I took lots of notes and really look forward to working with Westside’s worship and music teams this year to experiment!
The next theme was children’s music ministry. This year, the UUMN hosted the UU Children’s Choir. What a fabulous group of young singers from across the country! The children gave us a wonderful performance, participated in workshops, and sang with us in our Sunday worship services. We had a children's choir repetoire session to explore new music and participated in workshops focused on both vocal development and movement for young singers. The director for the choir this year, Emily Ellsworth, is so inspiring to me as a children's choral conductor in the way she prepares the kids to be true musicians. Her key message was that the children's choir is only as good as the person standing in front of them - we (adults) tend to place limits on our kids rather than expanding their knowledge and respecting their ability to learn. I'm coming away with lots of fun ideas for ORUUC’s children's choir and a new respect for the possibilities of my group. More importantly, after hearing the children sing, I came away with renewed energy for inspiring young singers to connect with their faith through song. Tears welled up in my eyes every time I heard them sing, “listen to the sound of my voice,” in our joint piece, “Give Us Hope.”
The third theme I want to lift up is that of integrating Tai Chi Chuan with vocal music and conducting. Our choral clinician, Dr. Adam Con, showed us how to infuse Tai Chi principles into our singing, teaching us several key beaths from our lungs, kidneys, liver, and heart. We had the honor of performing his new work with Joshua Rist, "Guigen," derived from the Six Healing Sounds. I will carry with me that sensation of stillness and calm, with feet firmly rooted on the earth and our bodies relaxed like a tree swaying gently in the wind. He also discussed the use of circular gestures when conducting to get a fuller, more linear sound. And showed us some common conducting posture errors that can lead to a poor sound from our singers. I've heard he's writing a book - I can't wait to read it when it comes out.
There was so much more to this conference than I can put into one blog post. I joined discussions on musical meditation and on small church music ministry to gather ideas, resources, and connections. I participated in engaging, meaningful worship every morning. I re-connected with colleagues over ice cream and made new friends at the banquet and on the hotel shuttle. I really can't wait to see everyone again next summer in Arlington, VA!
As outgoing UUMN President Tim Anderson wrapped up the conference, he said he hoped that we all felt loved during our time together. I know that I felt loved and supported by every person I spoke to during the conference. I am exhausted, but certainly fed for the journey ahead.
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