Mixed Choir Choral Music by Travis L. Boyd

At Worship Sounds Music, there are always new songs in progress.

See the links in our sidebar to publishers and music distributors which offer Travis L. Boyd’s music.

Click this image to go to our Worship Sounds Music website.

Look for:

*  New Choral Anthems
*  Additional voicings of Anthems
*  New Anthem Orchestrations (which also work for our Medium Voice Solos)
*  New Solo Music (or additional keys for our Solos)
*  New Accompaniment Tracks for our Anthems and Solos

NOTE:  We also plan to add free downloads of Reader’s Theater Scripts to our blog (in PDF format, ready to print) in the near future.

Here’s our YouTube playlist of Video Demos for our
Mixed Choir Choral Anthems. 

*  Video demos of new Anthems are added to this playlist when they are prepared for an Anthem or voicing that is new.
*  The playlist includes Anthems in SATB, SSATB, SAB, and 2-part voicings.
*  All of our Choral Anthems are in the process of being added to Sheet Music Plus. We’ll let you know when they become available there.

TO VIEW THE PLAYLIST TITLES, CLICK THE ICON BESIDE THE WORD “PLAYLIST” IN THE UPPER LEFT CORNER OF THE BLACK VIDEO FRAME. THEN, USE THE GRAY TAB ON THE FAR RIGHT OF THE LIST AT TOP TO PULL DOWN AND SCROLL THROUGH TITLES.

YOU CAN ALSO VIEW THE PLAYLIST ON YOUTUBE BY CLICKING ON THE PLAYLIST NAME IN THE TOP OF THE BLACK VIDEO FRAME.

Thank you for taking the time to view and hear our Choral video demos.

Blessings to you in your life and ministry
as you seek to bring glory to God
through music.

Our Choral Anthems and Solos for Easter and Spring

Two of our songs which are available as both Choral Anthems and Vocal Solos are “I Can’t Explain” and “Into His Hands”.

“I Can’t Explain”

“I Can’t Explain” is a worship ballad with a reflective message about the wonder of God’s great love, demonstrated in the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Written by Worship Pastor and composer Travis L. Boyd, this song is available as an SATB Choral Anthem, as heard in this demo, and as a Vocal Solo, in 3 keys for Low, Medium, and High Voice.

The SATB Choral Anthem can be performed with live instruments or with the Anthem Trax heard here, a separate Mp3 download.  It could also be sung on Palm Sunday or one of the other Sundays leading up to Easter.

The Vocal Solo versions of “I Can’t Explain” (Low, Medium, and High Voice) each have an Accompaniment Track, which is an Mp3 download, with a PDF lead sheet.  In addition Solo Sheet Music is available in each of the 3 keys.

“Into Your Hands”

“Into Your Hands” is a moving power ballad with choral accompaniment.  This song is a musical prayer of total surrender to the Lordship of Christ.

There is also an SATB anthem with Solo throughout.

ADDITIONAL ANTHEMS  FOR  SPRING / EASTER / PALM  SUNDAY:

1.  “Early in the Morning”

2.  Our “Songs of the Cross” playlist of Easter and Palm Sunday Anthems

3. Our “Anthems with Hymn Lyrics” playlist

Thank you for your worship ministry and your interest in Worship Sounds Music.  All of our music is designed to be practical for worship ministry, Biblically sound, musically memorable, and lyrically meaningful.  Blessings to you in your life and ministry,

Travis L. Boyd, Worship Sounds Music

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In Addition, several of our Published anthems would work very well for Springtime, Easter, or Palm Sunday. 

These include:

FROM  LORENZ, INCOPORATED  (LORENZ  MUSIC)

( A )  “Amazing Grace!  Eternal Life!”  Published by Lorenz (Monarch Division)
An SATB power ballad, this anthem contains a whole gospel message, with a bridge section that is a lyrical paraphrase of John 3:16 & 17. The anthem steadily builds in intensity to the victorious ending.
* Listening link: http://www.lorenz.com/med/sample/10_3228M.mp3
* Sample pages link: http://www.lorenz.com/med/pages/10_3228M.pdf (Use back arrow to return to blog after viewing!)
* A Full Orchestration is available, as heard in the Studio Demo. A Performance/Accompaniment CD is also available.

(NOTE:  See the blog post entitled “Blessings Through Worshipping Together” for information about the CD and DVD recordings of this piece by The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma, and The Oklahoma Baptist Symphony).
This anthem has also been recorded by the evangelistic group, The Farrells, as the title song of one of their CDs; and many videos can be found on YouTube and Vimeo of this anthem being sung in English, Mandarin, Korean, and Italian.  “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” has also been published in the Mandarin language in a book for Chinese Choirs.

( B ) “All the Praise”… An upbeat SATB anthem of praise with lyrical verses and a rhythmic chorus:
“Holy, holy, holy
You are God Almighty.
Holy, holy, holy
Holy is Your Name.
Only You are worthy
Worthy of all honor.
All the praise belongs to You!”

* Listening link: http://www.lorenz.com/med/sample/10_3033M.mp3
(minimize Listening link & click Sample page link to view & hear)
* Sample pages link: http://www.lorenz.com/med/pages/10_3033M.pdf
(Use back arrow to return to blog after viewing!)
A Brass & Rhythm score + parts set is available. A performance/accompaniment CD is also available.

( C ) “God is Faithful”… SATB with solo throughout

Lorenz product page link for “God is Faithful” http://www.lorenz.com/product.aspx?id=10_2978M
* Listening link: http://www.lorenz.com/Med/Sample/10_2978M.mp3
* Sample pages link: http://www.lorenz.com/Med/Pages/10_2978M.pdf (Use back arrow to return to blog after viewing!)
(See our blog post entitled “Blessings Through God’s Faithfulness” for more information about the story of this song & recordings by both The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma and The Sons of Jubal)
* Performance video link: (TTBB arrangement, recorded at a Sons of Jubal concert in September, 2010) http://vimeo.com/15390308
A full orchestration is available for this piece, as heard in the studio demo. A performance/accompaniment CD is also available.

( D ) “Magnificent Praise”… An SATB mix of traditional style and contemporary rhythms, this anthem has a message about giving our best to God as we praise Him and “tell of His excellent ways.”
* Listening link: http://www.lorenz.com/Med/sample/10_3445M.mp3
* Sample pages link: http://www.lorenz.com/Med/Pages/10_3445M.pdf (Use back arrow to return to blog after viewing!)
A Brass & Rhythm Score + parts set is available. A performance/accompaniment CD is also available.
“With all that is in us, we give You magnificent praise!”

( E ) “The Great I Am”… An SATB anthem with a bold declaration of faith.
* Listening link: http://www.lorenz.com/med/sample/10_3281M.mp3
* Sample pages link: http://www.lorenz.com/med/pages/10_3281M.pdf (Use back arrow to return to blog after viewing!)
A Brass & Rhythm Score + parts set is available. A performance/accompaniment CD is also available.

FROM SHAWNEE PRESS / HAL LEONARD

( 1 ) “Children of Light”… 2 & 3 part, S(A)B
Here’s a great recording with the full orchestration: http://www.salvoaudio.com/audio/music/mus_2515.mp3
This youthful, vibrant recording was made by the Pasadena Tabernacle Songsters.
For the story of this group & recording see our blog post entitled “Blessings Through Testimony.”
* The Shawnee Press Studio Demo recording (with rhythm section only) can be heard at this link:
http://www.pinelakemusic.com/Results.aspx?search=Travis+Boyd (click listening link for “Children of Light”)

“Children of Light” is still available through several music distributors and from Hal Leonard/Shawnee Press on a print-on-demand basis.

( 2 ) “Give Thanks to the Lord”… SATB
This upbeat, rhythmic song of thanksgiving provides a joyful reminder of many reasons to give thanks.
Be sure to listen for the descant and for the verses, which give a call to thanksgiving for faithful hearts (with a quiet intensity, contrasting the energetic chorus). “Give Thanks to the Lord” was also recorded, in a special TTBB arrangement by Travis, on the “God is Faithful” CD made by The Singing Churchemen of Oklahoma, then under the direction of Dr. Bill Green. (The audio of the TTBB recording can be found in our SoundCloud set of “Recordings made by BGCO groups” (Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma).

Original studio demo of the Choral Anthem by Shawnee Press

( 3 ) “Jesus, My Redeemer”… SATB
*Hear the original studio demo for this beautiful anthem on our Sound Cloud or on our BoydbrainMusic.com HOME PAGE in the red sidebar at left. Just click on the title to hear “Jesus, My Redeemer.”
This anthem utilizes the beautiful hymn tune known as “Slane” (“Be Thou My Vision”) with a completely new text. The lovely, flowing piano accompaniment features a recurring motif. There is a Song Story about this anthem on our Worship Sounds Music blog. (Song Story for “Jesus, My Redeemer”)

( 4 ) “Praise God”… SATB
* “Praise God” features a beautiful new melody and setting for the traditional “Doxology” lyrics, with a portion of the hymn “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” added to this amazing arrangement. You’ll love this inventive and meaningful new tune and setting for the Doxology! Hear the entire studio demo for this majestic anthem on the sound cloud below.
Or, hear a portion of the original studio demo at: http://listeninglab.stantons.com/title/praise-god/269877/

( 5 ) “Sing a Song to the Lord”… SATB
* Hear the original studio demo for this joyful, upbeat anthem of exhortation at http://listeninglab.stantons.com/title/sing-a-song-to-the-lord/335710/

( 6 ) “Tender Mercies”… SATB, with Solo
This gentle, lyrical anthem features a solo on the first verse, which continues as a descant later in the piece, along with the SATB voice parts.
* Listening: “Tender Mercies” can be heard at this link: http://listeninglab.stantons.com/title/tender-mercies/354831/
* Info: The publisher’s info page for this anthem can be found at : http://shawnee.halleonard.com/product/viewproduct.do?itemid=35022627&lid=620&seriesfeature=&menuid=10984&subsiteid=204

( 7 ) “Walking by Faith”… SATB, with Solo
This lovely ballad features a solo and was performed by The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, written for soloist Royce Brown. The original studio demo can be heard at:
http://www.jwpepper.com/8065838.item

FROM CHURCH STREET MUSIC (LIFEWAY)

(1) “You Are a Spring”… SATB, with Solo or unison section
This lyrical piece about our need for the refreshing of God’s Spirit is available at:

“You Are a Spring” was recorded on The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma’s CD entitled “The Lord is My Light.” This recording can be found in our Sound Cloud set of BGCO (Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma) Groups recordings. (See the blue Sound Cloud logo on our blog’s sidebar. It is a link to these BGCO group recordings made by The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma, and The Oklahoma Baptist Symphony.)

The demo recording for this anthem can be heard below:

There are several additional pieces published by Lifeway in their periodical publications for Childrens Choir, Senior Adult Choir, Adult Choir, and congregational praise. These are listed on our facebook page, along with contact information for re-printing these songa and anthems. http://www.facebook.com/WorshipSoundsMusic
We have not yet tracked down all of the studio demos for these publications but will do so as time permits.

(2) One of the additional Anthems published by Lifeway is “More Than a Cross”

This anthem explores the true significance of the cross, with the lyrics of the refrain stating, “More than love and mercy, life and hope, on a hill called Calvary…More than a cross, it was God reaching out for me.”

“MORE THAN A CROSS” was published in the Winter 2005-06 edition of ‘Glory Songs’ SATB, pages 27 through 32. This anthem can be reprinted with permission from Lifeway. Use this link: http://www.lifeway.com/PermissionsRequest/ to contact Lifeway. Then, choose the option “to use or publish music”. You will then be given the opportunity to enter all pertinent information in order for your request to be sent to the right individual at Lifeway for processing.

In this case, you would enter the following information:

Glory Sounds, Winter 2005 – 2006
“More Than a Cross” by Travis Boyd
Page numbers 27 through 32

NOTE:  There are links to Publishers and Distributors of my music in the right sidebar of this blog.  Each link takes you to a page listed all of my Anthems offered by that publisher or distributor.

Why I Love to Sing in the Choir

I have always loved music, and I love to sing; but the reasons that I love to sing in my church choir are are so much deeper than that.  Here are the top ten reasons why I love to sing in the choir at my church:

MY  TOP  TEN  REASONS
FOR  JOYFULLY  SINGING  IN  THE  CHURCH  CHOIR

1.  Singing in my church choir gives me an opportunity to express my love for the Lord.

I am so thankful for God’s love and mercy and for the sacrificial life and death of Jesus and the victory of His resurrection.  How else could I express the profound spiritual understanding of the goodness of God that goes beyond words and is only revealed in my heart through the work of God’s Holy Spirit?  Someimes, within the congregation, it is only through musical praise that I feel I have done all that I can do, with God’s help, to share the message of God’s salvation and His incredible love for me and for all of mankind.

“O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people.  Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him; talk of all His wondrous works.  Glory in His holy name; let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.”   Psalm 105:1 – 3

2.  Singing in my church choir is more than a hobby or an activity.  It is a calling.

What an incredible privilege it is to know that God has allowed me to have the ability to participate in something that brings Him glory as those who love the Lord assemble together for worship!  He has made each of us with particular gifts and talents.  I believe that the calling to minister through these gifts is what gives faithful choir members the passion to continue their service and to strive for excellence in expressing their praise to the Lord.

There is a lot of  * JOY  * in fulfilling your calling and in giving praise to the Lord, who has given us everything we’ve ever had and all that we ever will have!

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast!  I will sing and make melody!  Awake, my soul!  Awake, O harp and lyre!  I will awaken the dawn!  I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples, I will sing praises to You among the nations.  For Your steadfast love is great above the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!  Let Your glory be over all the earth.”  Psalm 108:1 – 5

Lift up His name!

3.  Singing in my church choir allows for a type of expression of praise to the Lord that could not be accomplished in any other way.

Although I love all kinds of music and all kinds of arrangements, there are some songs, some lyrics, and some messages that just would not have the same intensity of expression if they were shared in any other way than through choral singing.  The Hallelujah Chorus is one such example.  Can you imagine it as a solo?  It just would not have the same impact.  There is something about voices joined together as a choir to share a message for God’s glory that is just a very unique means of expression.  Although Tom Fettke’s “The Majesty and Glory of Your Name” or Heather Sorenson’s “God of Heaven” would still have a beautiful melody when sung as a solo, the impact would not be as great as if a choir were singing these worshipful anthems and joining their hearts and souls to bring glory to God in a soaring or contemplative or victorious or joyous choral arrangement.

“Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to the sons of men!  And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of His deeds in songs of joy!”   Psalm 107:21 & 22

4.  Singing in my church choir allows me to participate in the overall ministry of leading in worship, which is a joy and a privilege.

As long as I have a voice, I want to use it to praise God.  I don’t want to miss an opportunity to use my voice and even the expression on my face to proclaim God’s goodness through all of the musical praise during congregational worship.  I realize that the choir is not just there to sing an anthem or to perform.  We are there to worship and to lead in worship.  Whether we are singing a new song or an old song, a hymn, a worship song, a choral anthem, or a musical benediction, it is a joy to share these messages of hope and faith with the people of God and to gather in God’s name for the purpose of bringing Him glory.  

“Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!  Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.”   Psalm 107:31 & 32

5.  Singing in my church choir and in other Christian choirs has given me many opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ in many settings, throughout my home country and in other countries as well.

Whether a choir is singing in an outdoor setting, a shopping mall, a small church, a prison, a nursing home or assisted living center, a juvenile detention center, a community center, a state capitol building, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D. C., or in a great concert hall in Australia or a public school in Russia, the opportunity to bring glory to God and to share the message of His love and mercy is a blessing and an incredibly humbling miracle of God’s grace!  If God had not saved a wretch like me, I would have no message to share anywhere!  

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.  Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.  Know that the Lord is God; it is He that has made us and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.  For the Lord is good:  His mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations.”   Psalm 100 (all verses, 1 – 5)

Psalm 107:8

6.  Singing in my church choir and in other Christian choirs has implanted incredibly profound messages within my heart and soul through the lyrics of the songs that I have been able to sing.

I have been incredibly blessed to invest time in learning these wonderful words and then have had the blessing of remembering them so often as the Lord uses them to speak to my heart over and over again.  Often, the words of sacred choral anthems are either entirely scripture, based upon scripture, are paraphrases of scripture, or contain some scriptural content.  Singing them helps me to learn and to remember scripture passages and spiritual truths.  As a choir member, I am not just singing these songs once a week on Sunday morning.  Because of the work aspect that goes into preparation for sharing these messages in worship, we really live with these incredible words, and they have a deep impact in our lives.  What a joy it is to sing these messages, live these truths, and share these words of truth and hope, faith and love, blessing and victory, challenge and mercy, and ministry and grace!

“O sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord all the earth.  Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; show forth His salvation from day to day.  Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders among all people.  For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised.”   Psalm 96:1 – 4a

7.  Singing in my church choir and in other Christian choirs has allowed me to get to know so many wonderful people who love the Lord and have a heart of service.

A choir becomes a family as we serve together and care for one another.  We pray for one another.  We love each other and share God’s love with each other.  There is an incredible bond when you have worshiped and cried and smiled and laughed and worked and learned and prayed together.  I can sing a wrong note or sing in the wrong place, and my choir family just considers such things to be part of the process of learning the music and growing in faith and in musical expression together.  I have never heard anyone groan or complain about singing the same portion of a song over and over in order to get it right.  We embrace our humanity as we strive to sing beyond our own abilities in order to bring God glory.

“Blessed are those who dwell in Thy house, ever singing Thy praise!   Selah”    Psalm 84:4

8.  Singing in my church choir allows me to participate in something that is so much bigger than myself.

The spiritual and emotional and mental messages that flow out of the marriage of music and lyrics in each song become so much more meaningful as I sing with my brothers and sisters in Christ.  I know something of their stories and their lives.  I know when someone is singing about God’s healing for broken hearts with deep emotion that flows from their own fountain of personal pain.  I know when someone is singing of the joy of the Lord even when they have just experienced a personal loss.  I know when the message of Christ’s victory over death has very personal meaning to one of my dear sisters or brothers.  I know when the hearts of all of us are touched with God’s mercy and when the joy is so real that I am amazed that it is not visible in the air around us.  So, not only is the sound and the arrangement something that I could never accomplish on my own.  The collective testimony of this group and the way that God is ministering to our individual hearts as we sing (and to us and through us as a choir) create an impact through the very real and heartfelt sharing of musical testimony that extends far beyond myself or any one individual.

“O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.  Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms.  For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.  In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the strength of the hills is His also.  The sea is His, and He made it; and His hands formed the dry land.  O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.  For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.”   Psalm 95:1 – 7a

9.  I believe that singing praise to God is the closest thing to Heaven that I can experience on this earth.

What could be better than the times when I have the blessing of joining my own voice and heart with the voices and hearts of a group of people whose desire is to praise God, encourage God’s people, share the story of who God is and what He has done, tell the good news of Jesus, and bring blessing and honor and glory to God?  The Bible speaks of the singers and the musicians and of choirs.  The scriptures talk about the voice of God and how He rejoices over us with singing.  There is something special about the way that God created us to use music as a form of expression that goes far beyond words.  If is much more that the music itself.  It is about how God Himself speaks through the music and then allows us to speak to Him and about Him through the music.  

“And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and wonderful are Thy deeds, O Lord God the Almighty!  Just and true are Thy ways, O King of the ages!  Who shall not fear and glorify Thy name, O Lord?  For Thou alone art Holy.  All nations shall come and worship Thee, for Thy judgements have been revealed.”  Revelation 15:3 & 4

10.  I love to sing in my church choir and in other Christian choirs because of the incredible songs that God has inspired men and women to write, which then become part of my own spiritual journey.

I believe that before a spiritual song can touch the hearts of people, God must first touch the heart of the song-writer (composer) of the song.  I believe (and know!) that every song begins with a revelation of truth from God or a new way of looking at or expressing a truth already known.  It is like experiencing my own spiritual journey as I try, then make mistakes, and then try again in rehearsal, while simultaneously experiencing the revelations that flow from the spiritual journeys of others.  I have learned so much, and my own journey has been blessed beyond words by the profound spiritual truth that I have learned through the songs I’ve been priveleged to sing with my brothers and sisters in Christ.  To me, a choir rehearsal is not just working on music.  It is a time of worship.  I have wept as my heart has been moved by the message of a song.  I have reached out to grab the hand of a friend.  I have felt my heart swell until I thought I might burst.  I have experienced joy so great that I was amazed to find my feet still on the floor.  My soul has been convicted and stirred.  My heart has been broken and mended and strengthened and challenged.  My faith has grown.  I have walked through deep valleys and enjoyed the view from some mountaintops… all while praising the Lord through the songs that he has inspired men and women to write and then to arrange for choir, for the blending and unity of hearts and minds and souls as we learn and grow and rejoice together in this lovely, human expression of the eternal and divine that we call choir.

“The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.  Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar.  And when the burnt offering began, the song to the Lord began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel.  The whole assembly worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.  When the burnt offering was finished, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped.  And Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer.  And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshipped.”  II Chronicles 29:26 – 30

What a blessing a joy it has been to sing in church choirs and in other choirs made up of my brothers and sisters in Christ!  I will continue to praise the Lord through choral music for as long as I have the opportunity.  I am so thankful to God for my salvation and for His presence in my life.  I cannot help but sing.

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This post was written by Cynthia A. Boyd, with thanksgiving to God for giving me something of eternal meaning and worth to sing about, and with love and appreciation for my favorite Choral Director, Travis L. Boyd, for giving me a love song in this life.

I am also thankful for all of the wonderful choral and band directors and voice and piano teachers who have taught me so much about music and then about singing and playing music for more than the here and now.  They include:  Dr. Jon Duncan, Dr. Bill Green, Dr. Terry Segress, Eugene Beck, Steve Westmoreland, Dr. Charles Jurrens, Mrs. Betty Westomoreland, Dr. Robert Reynolds, Faye Casey, John Robinson, Steve Smith, John Casey, Dr. Charles Chapman, Dr. Merle Taff, Lillian Loe-Stoddard, Eugene Butler, Dr. Irving Bunton, Lloyd Pfautsch, Wynn Anne Hook, Ron Stanton, Eph Ely, and John Gerber, who was directing the invitation hymn when I laid down my music and left the choir loft to say “yes” to Jesus.

Sharing this post:  In order to share this blog post with your choir, congregation, or worship team, a link to this post may appear in a newsletter, bulletin, or e-mail.  In addition, reprint information is provided below (as a result of the volume of inquiries). Link to the post:  https://worshipsounds.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/why-i-love-to-sing-in-the-choir/

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REPRINT INFORMATION FOR THIS ARTICLE

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Internet postings:  In order to post this article online on your own site (other worship blogs, music ministry or church websites), you must have a working link back to our blog, with a notation that states: This article, and many others, can be found on the Worship Sounds blog at http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com  In addition, the article must be posted in its entirely.  If it is going to be online, we prefer that the original wording stays intact.  An edited version might read differently from our intent.

So, online postings must:

1.  Contain the statement previously mentioned.
2.  Be un-edited, posted as written.
3.  Contain the author’s name at the end of the article, as it appears in the blog post.

We will stand by our words and prefer to have the opportunity to answer any inquiries about the content of the article ourselves. Let us hear from you! We would love to hear about how the Lord has used the message of this article to encourage and inspire your choir, worship team, or congregation.  If you can do a follow-up comment after sharing it, that would be a real blessing to us. Thank you so much for your interest in spreading the word about the very vital and incredible experince of being a part of a worshipping choir and worship ministry in general.  It is an indescribable blessing.

…And we all thank You, Lord, for allowing us to have a part in leading others to worship You!!”

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Here are two of my favorite choral anthems, written by my husband, Worship Minister and Composer Travis L. Boyd.

For more information about this anthem, with purchasing links, click on the title to go to our Sound Cloud page for “Jesus, My Redeemer”.  There is also a set of other Publishers’ demos on our Sound Cloud.

For more information about this anthem, with purchasing links, click on the title to go to our Sound Cloud page for “Praise God”. There is also a set of other Publishers’ demos on our Sound Cloud.

Information about additional Choral Anthems, Orchestrations, Vocal Solos, and Congregational worship music by Travis L. Boyd, which can be found on our Worship Sounds Music website, is below.

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Click this image to go to our WorshipSounds website.

Find Worshipful  CHORAL  MUSIC  for your Choir written by Travis L. Boyd of Worship Sounds  Music at the links in our sidebar, especially Sheet Music Plus.

You’ll find downloadable and print Choral Anthems for Adult Choirs, Senior Adult Choirs, and Student Choirs in several voicings (SATB, SAB, SSATB, 2-Part, SSAA, and TTBB).  Many of our anthems also have Full Orchestrations available, and some also have downloadable Mp3 Accompaniment Tracks.  In addition, at Sheet Music Plus, you’ll also find our Vocal Solos, with most available in 3 keys, Solo Accompaniment Tracks, and Congregational worship music.

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Looking for answers for yourself or for a friend? Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions.   Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”:  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/ Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

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Website Revision, Music Viewing and Purchasing

Click the photo above to go directly to our WorshipSounds Music website!

Hello to all of our Boydbrain Music fans! 

We are now WorshipSounds Music !

As our last post announced. our downloadable music website is currently undergoing revision; and we have changed our company name to “WorshipSounds Music”.

Our website was temporarily down as we worked on the changes, but it is now back online.  We are still working on additions and revisions to the website that will improve its appearance and function, but the website is already re-published and fully functional !

YOU CAN ALSO SEE OUR CHORAL MUSIC VIDEO DEMOS ON FACEBOOK!

The demos for all of our Choral music are available in a Video Album on our Boydbrain Music facebook page.

Here’s the link to view video demos:

Click on this image to go directly to our Album of Choral Videos Demos

(Be sure to view them in full-screen mode to see the lyrics!)

There is information about each choral anthem posted along with its video demo that will take you back to our website for any purchases you wish to make.

Here is the link to our SHOPPING CART page, which has a nice feature.  There is a search capabiity on the shopping cart page which will allow you to look up anthems for a certain voicing or difficulty level.   Then, there is a “Return to Website”  link which will allow you to return to the Home page and go from there to either our Adult Choir website page or our Student, Sr. Adult, and School Choir website page in order to view all of the infomation and video demos for the anthems that have been identified in your searches. 

http://shop.worshipsounds.com/

We are excited about  the new WorshipSounds Music website!

http://www.worshipsounds.com

We have a new name!

WE  HAVE  BIG  NEWS !

After much thought and prayer, the name of our company has been changed

from “Boydbrain Music”  to  “WorshipSounds Music”

for both our primary blog

and our music website!

Click the photo above to go directly to our WorshipSounds Music website!

Our new URL for the website is

http://www.worshipsounds.com

The current URLs will continue to workfor both the website and the blog for a while.

*  OUR  COMPANY  FOCUS  REMAINS  THE  SAME !  *

Essentially, the name will be changed, but the focus of our Music Company will remain on providing excellent quality downloadable Choral Anthems, Orchestrations, Vocal Solos, and Congregational Praise Songs.  We will continue to expand our growing list of available music with the goal of providing music for worship and praise that is affordable, practical, Biblically sound, and musically memorable.  Our company will remain a resource for all types of worship ministry music needs and a friend of choral music as a meaningful expression of worship.

Here’s what has happened as we changed over to our new name:

* The old URL for the website has been re-directed to the new URL until at least March, so there will be no problem with finding our company website .

* The “WorshipSounds” blog URL has been changed and is now http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com   However, we have re-directed traffic from the old Boydbrain Music blog URL to the new WorshipSounds blog URL for several months to allow time for us to go back and change all of the old links.

* We have updated our website with a new look and new “WorshipSounds Music” logo photo, which will mean that all of our blog posts and links on other sites which featured the old “Boydbrain Music” logo photo will be updated as time permits.

* If you have copies of music that you have previously purchased, there is no problem with retaining them and even with making additional copies from your original PDF Master if some of yours become damaged or lost.  You are always given permission to make as many copies as needed for your own choir(s) and accompanist(s) for our low one-time Master Copy price.

* Travis will add a new webmail address to the “WorshipSounds Music” website, which will reflect the new site name.  His webmail address for any questions or problems with music orders will become Travis@worshipsoundsmusic.com, but he will keep the current webmail address of Travis@boydbrainmusic.com for a while just to make sure that we can help anyone who has previously used the old webmail address.

* Our Boydbrain Music Facebook page will stay the same for a while.  It will be more difficult to change since the current policy for pages is that name changes are not allowed for a page with more than 200 ‘likes’.  However, we can contact facebook support to ask for an exception.  There is a possibility that one will be granted and we will be able to keep our original fan page.  (Travis’ personal page was changed from Travis Boyd to Travis L. Boyd with permission after we discovered that there are so many other “Travis Boyds”  out there, including a hockey star, a football star, another worship leader with videos on Vimeo, and many more….).  If we are not allowed to change the name, we will start a new page with the new company name, invite our friends to ‘like” the new page, and eventually phase out the old page.

Why are we making this change?

Both Travis and I have known for a long time that we would eventually change the company and website name.  The Boydbrain Music name worked well for us initially because everyone who knew about Travis’ music in the early years was someone who knew us or knew of us because of our membership in and association with The Singing Churchmen and Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma and the Sons of Jubal and Jubalheirs of Georgia.  As our contacts have expanded and we have begun to have customers purchase our music who were not familiar with the name “Travis Boyd” and found us primarily because of our announcements and forum posts about Travis’ music on ChoralNet and other sites, it has become clear that a name change is needed.  In order to eventually allow others to find our website more easily when they are searching for music to be used in Worship Ministry, we need to have a company name that more accurately reflects the type of music that is available on our site.  The name change will hopefully allow a larger number of individuals, Worship Ministers, and Choral Directors to find and utilize this music to bring glory to God through worship ministry.  After considering several options, we felt that WorshipSounds Music was a good name for several reasons:

a.   The domain name and URL were available.
b.  There were not any competing downloadable music companies with simlar names showing up in our web searches.
c.  While much of our music is Choral, we also offer Vocal Solos, Orchestrations, and Congregational Worship Music.  Therefore, “Worship” was a more universal descriptive word for our offerings than “Choral”.  We will continue to list all of the available types of music in our website description and in tags associated with individual songs and with our website pages to enable people who are looking for all of these types of music to find us more easily.

Please be patient with us as all of these changes are being made.  The process will take some time.   Feel free to contact us through a message to our Boydbrain Music Facebook page or through either of the webmail addresses listed above if you have any questions about Travis’ music or about the changes.

NOTE:  If you have not visited our website for a while, there have been many recent additions! 
We have lots of new anthems, available in a multitude of voicings.  We have also added Full Orchestrations for some Anthems and several Vocal Solos, which are available in multiple keys.  Our Choral Video Demos and our new Vocal Solo Demos  make it easy for you to see and hear the music!  Pay us a re-visit, and check out what’s new at WorshipSounds Music!  http://www.worshipsoundsmusic.com

Let us know what you think about all of our changes.   We’d love to hear from you!

* NEW * on our website: “Let the Trumpet Sound!” SATB Choral

“Let the Trumpet Sound”
is a choral anthem with a classical sound and a trumpet obbligato throughout.
This majestic, joyful, and celebratory anthem works well as the opening song for a worship service or concert (or for general use).  It has been sung in an SSAA arrangement by The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma, under the direction of Dr. Bill Green.

Click the photo above to go directly to our WorshipSounds Music website!

As always, our PDF Master Copy of the anthem is available in either full page or octavo format.   With our easy and quick e-mail delivery of your download instructions and the convenience of PayPal, you could begin working on the “Let the Trumpet Sound” at your next choir rehearsal.

*  The PDF Master Copy is available for $15.00.
*  Permission is given with purchase to make as many copies as needed (for your choir and accompanists only).
*  THERE IS NO ‘per copy’ FEE!
*  $15.00  IS  ALL  THAT  YOU  WILL   PAY  FOR  ALL  THE  COPIES  YOU  NEED!
If a copy becomes lost or damaged, print another at no extra cost, even if it has been years since your purchase!

 

*  No waiting for your anthem to arrive by mail!   

*  You will be sent instructions for downloading your Master Copy shortly    after your order has been placed.
*  You can print your copies as soon as your download is complete.
(Wait a few minutes after your order to allow for Paypal processing.  Then, check for your e-mail with download instructions.) 

 

If you have any difficulty, contact us immediately at Travis’ web mail address:  Travis@worshipsounds.com  (same webmail address that is on our website’s home page). 

Click photo to go directly to the Video Demo for this anthem, with a link to the Adult Choir website page below in the Video info.

Look for this identifying thumbnail photo on our Adult Choir website page, where the anthems are listed in alphabetical order (with the exception of our Christmas anthems, which are found at the bottom of the page.)  http://www.worshipsounds.com

The trumpet obbligato is free but must be ordered separately on our WorshipSounds Music website’s Shopping Cart page.  You’ll find the obbligato adjacent to the “Let the Trumpet Sound” Anthem PDFs, with the same identifying thumbnail photo.

With  WorshipSounds  Music,  you can purchase any  NEW CHORAL ANTHEM  and have all of the copies you need (for your choir and accompanists)  for as little as $8.oo to $15.00 plus your printing costs, depending upon which anthem you choose (U.S. currency, Paypal converts).

Our goal at WorshipSounds Music is to make it possible for Choral Directors to purchase anthems for choir and ensembles, anthem orchestrations, and music for soloists that will allow the musicicans in your Church or Christian School to sing and play for God’s glory, sharing a message that will draw hearts to Him.  We believe that Choral Music is an important part of Worship Ministry and that messages can be shared through the ministry of a choir that will not have the same impact if shared in any other way.

We are a friend to Worship Ministry in general, to Choral Music in particular, and to music budgets!

We also offer many choral anthems that are fully orchestrated, with orchestrations costing $25.00 or $30.00.  All of our orchestration include all parts for strings, winds, and percussion, a full score, and a string reduction for keyboard.  They are written to be practical for church musicians and to sound wonderful no matter what your group’s instrumentation may be.  Great care is taken during the arranging process to make certain that the instrumental parts complement the message of the anthem without “covering up” the choir. 

CHECK OUT our WorshipSounds website today! 

http://www.worshipsounds.com

You will find excellent choral music that is meaningful and memorable, that has a Biblically sound message of praise and hope, and that is a joy to sing!

 

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This post was written by C. Boyd

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Do you know someone who is looking for answers?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions.   Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”:  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

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There’s a BRAND NEW Song on our Website!

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“THE  FATHER’S  BEAUTIFUL  WORLD”  

SATB or SSAA Choral arrangement, with piano accompaniment and chord symbols

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For Adult or Student Church Choirs, Ensembles, and Christian School Choirs!

*
This beautiful choral anthem, written by Travis L. Boyd, has a message of thankfulness for God’s wonderful creation and celebration of God’s majesty as revealed in His creation.  It utilizes two well-loved hymns, interwoven in a glorious medley.

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The hymn text for “All Things Bright and Beautiful” is combined with a gentle and lyrical new melody.

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In addition, a portion of the beloved hymn, “This is My Father’s World” is featured, with the familiar tune & text.

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The resulting choral arrangement brings refreshing to some of the best loved hymn lyrics of all time!
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Your choir and congregation will love “The Father’s Beautiful World”.

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Combine your choir’s performance with a media slideshow of wonderful nature photos for even greater impact!

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Sensible voice-leading allows choral parts to be learned easily.
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Our fast and affordable “you print” method for music delivery means no waiting for your new music, and it’s the best value for your music budget!

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Both the SATB Version and the SSAA Version would also work well for ensembles.

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*
“The Father’s Beautiful World”  Choral PDF Master is available on our website’s Adult Choir page in both SATB and SSAA voicing for only $15.00, with  NO “per copy” fee!

(you will have permission to make an unlimited number of copies …for your own choir and accompanists only).

*

There is also a Vocal Solo Version of this song, available in Low, Medium, and High Voice versions on our website’s Home Page in the red sidebar at left, at a cost of only $5.00 for the PDF Solo Master, with permission to make copies for your solo, accompanists, and rhythm section players.

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Link to Video Demo

Look for this identifying thumbnail photo on our Website’s Adult Choir page (where the anthems are listed in alphabetical order)
@ http://www.worshipsounds.com/Adult_Choirs.php

Or, click the image at right to go straight to the video demo.

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This post was written by  C. A. Boyd

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Do you know someone who is looking for answers?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions.   Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”:  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL wi

Generational and Cultural Relevance in Worship Ministry

 The message of the gospel always matters. 

 It is always relevant to every life, every heart, every age, every culture, and every generation. 

 Sharing the truth of God’s love, as demonstrated through the sacrificial life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ matters more than anything else in the world. 

However, it’s not easy to find a way to communicate the life-changing and eternal message of saving grace in a world where there are is so much divisiveness.  It can be difficult to overcome generational and cultual attitudes to the extent that what really matters (the gospel message of salvation and new life in Christ) is clearly shared and understood.  In our homes, in our churches, and wherever we go, Christians need to demonstrate the love of God and apply His grace in responding to situations where a lack of generational or cultural understanding seems to be a barrier to communication.  In doing so, we need to remember that everyone wants to feel that they matter and that their opinions and beliefs are relevant.  The reality is that adults are sometimes dismissed by teenagers and children as irrelevant to contemporary culture and to the lives of the younger generation.  In the same way, adults can sometimes dismiss younger people as lacking enough maturity to be relevant to serious discussions and decision making.  If God’s people, the church, are going to make a difference through sharing the eternal truth of salvation in Christ, we have to be willing to take a fresh look at everything we do.  In light of the pre-conceived ideas and differing backgrounds on both sides of every generational and cultural issue, is it possible to find a way to unite the generations in powerful, life-changing worship?  Can the adults to whom church leadership has been entrusted become open enough to make any necessary changes on the path to reaching the hearts and minds of younger generations?

Webster defines the word relevant as:  “bearing upon or connected with the matter in hand; to the purpose; pertinent.”  In other words, when we are living and relating, worshiping and sharing in such a way that our ministry becomes relevant for reaching up to God and out to others, what we do matters!

People always matter!  We have intrinsic value because we are created by God in His image and redeemed by God through Jesus Christ, which means that our lives have eternal and infinite value.   The value of our lives or the message that we share is never the question.  However, true relevance that allows God to speak to the hearts of others through us without the barriers of cultural and relational obsolescence brings eternal value to our ministry.  In other words, God can use lives and ministries and talents and hearts that are surrendered to Him to bring about real spiritual fruit in our hearts and lives and in the lives of others.  When we are surrendered to God’s Kingdom purposes, He makes us more aware of changes that we can make to effectively minister to all of the people who make up our congregation.

The message of the gospel is always relevant.  God’s love and mercy always matters.  The problem of perceived irrelevance has never been about the message itself.  When it comes to our relevance in sharing spiritual truth, what we do relationally and the message that we project to those around us (through our lives, our words, our posture, our attitudes, our musical preparation and choices, and even the expressions on our faces) impacts their willingness to hear the message of the gospel.  When we learn to care more deeply about how God can use our lives and our willingness to seek His purpose than we do about what is comfortable and easy for us, God can indwell our hunger to bring Him glory in such a way that His Spirit brings not only relevance but Divine power to the ministry that we have been given.  This process will take some thought on our parts.  We never intend to get comfortable and begin to resist change, and we often don’t even recognize those tendencies in ourselves.  It will take awareness of where we are and a passion for becoming all that God made us to be to prompt the uncomfortable process of change (where change is necessary) and allow us to become more open to considering the types of changes that will make our ministry more effective with people of all ages.

As the chief worship leaders in our church, it is incumbent upon anyone who is a part of worship ministry to be as “relevant” to those we serve as we can be.  If we are going to really allow the Lord to use us to have an impact upon the lives of others, we must be open to new forms of expression and to refining the overall worship experience so that people are drawn to the message of the gospel rather than bored by the absence of passion and a seeming lack of commitment to excellence in what they observe and hear.   In my experiences working with teenagers through the years,  I have discovered that I have to “earn” the right to be heard by them.  The same is true of virtually any age group.  We want to know that whoever is leading us is relevant to the lives we live and is sharing a message with eternal relevance.  Most pertinent to this discussion of relevance, we want to know that these eternal truths mean so much to those who are sharing them that there is evidence of a heart of passion in the sharing process.

The kind of relevance we need as worship and ministry leaders involves bringing clarity, purpose, prerparation, and passion to all of our efforts in leading worship.  

1.  CLARITY
We need clarity because God is not the author of confusion.   Everyone on the worship team should have clarity in their thoughts and attitudes about worship and should understand that the purpose of worship is to bring glory to our God.  Every worshiper should be able to follow the music that you are sharing without confusion so that they can focus on the Lord and worship Him.

2.  PURPOSE
The purpose of everything that is done in the worship service (not just singing!) must also ultimately be to bring glory to God.  If a worship service is planned carefully, one message in song or in testimony or prayer can lead right into the next almost as a progression of thought as we worship the Lord.

3.  PREPARATION
This involves spiritual preparation for all ministry staff and worship minisry personnel.  A lot of prayer time should be invested before we ever reach pre-service rehearsals, ministerial pre-service prayer times, and, expecially, before the worship service itself begins.  As the planning takes place, all of the details should be a matter of prayer as well.  Worship ministry personnel should spend some time in prayer during rehearsals as well.

When it comes to the actual carrying out of the plan for worhip during the service, all of the leadership team should be well prepared so that the service can flow from one thing to the next and not interrupt the focus on our eternal God.  Every worship team member should know what has been planned to happen next.  What Travis calls an “expanded update” for the musicians and ministerial staff can be helpful.  Our church does publish an order of service in the bulletin.  However, the order given to those who are involved in ministry contains more information.  For example, for the staff, it might list who will be welcoming guests and who will lead a prayer.  For musicians, it might tell who is “in” on the first verse, where others come in, how many repeats of a certain song, etc.  However, this planning does not prevent sensitivity to God’s spirit.  Sometimes things change during a worship service; but if your original planning was clear, it is easier for everyone to go with the flow of God’s spirit.

4.  PASSION
Finally, we must have passion in order to be relevant as worship leaders.  Our passion for the Lord is expressed not just through musical excellence and preparation but in a transparent desire to bring glory to God.  We are all individuals, so this focus on bringing glory to God will be expressed in many different ways.  However, our passion should be far more than skin deep.  True passion is not for the sake of appearance.   True passion for the Lord must permeate our hearts and should impact our thinking, our prayer lives, our expressions of worship, and the way that we live and relate as people.  We are worshipers and seekers of God first and worship leaders second, in answer to His call on our lives.  The deep desire and passion of our hearts should be to bring glory to God, fulfilling our calling to lead worshipers and seekers of God in a relevant manner that God can use to draw others to Himself and to inspire believers to seek a closer walk with Him through a more profound understanding of worship.

When we are willing to do whatever it takes in order for the Lord to indwell our worship and use it to impact the lives of others, the spiritual foundation of understanding that the goal of worship is to bring glory to God is primary.  However, without consideration of some practical things that should also enter our awareness, we risk leaving our congregation behind and neglecting the simple relational things that could help to communicate with them more effectively.   We essentially have a dual role as worship leaders of relating to and worshiping the Lord while also relating to and leading God’s people.   This can be a difficult balance, but we can do all things through Christ.  The practical elements of relating to our congregation and thereby becoming relevant to them as worship leaders are not difficult but do require some initial thought and then continued awareness.

First of all, we must realize that there has always been and always will be a “gap” between musicians and non-musicians.  Regardless of whether we are formally trained or simply have learned by years of participation, we will always view our role as a worship ministry leader differently from the way it will be viewed by those who have never participated in music organizations or in worship ministry.  Procedures that we take for granted as normal can seem strange, irrelevant, and even boring and archaic to non-musicians.  We have our own unique language (musical terminology), as well as our own set of expectations when we evaluate what we are doing (our own musical standards).   We must not get so caught up in the use of musical skills and expressions that we leave God’s people behind.  Every song for congregational worship should be singable and in a practical key, for example.  We just need to put some thought into relating musically to people who are not formally trained musicians.

The Apostle Paul always tried to become relevant to those whom he was trying to reach and serve.  (I Cor. 9:19-23)  Paul observed the culture around him in order to reference things that the people knew and build upon their knowledge with spiritual truth in his preaching and in his conversations.   Jesus was effective in ministering to people of all walks of life because they felt he was relevant.  He used stories that related to daily life in order to explain spiritual truth, and he demonstrated continual compassion for the hardships and difficulties and losses of life.  He also saw the hearts of the people with whom he came in contact and was able to speak to their deepest needs.  When Jesus communicated with people, I believe that He gave them His full attention and was fully engaged in communicating spiritual truth.  He could draw a crowd due to more than just His healing power.  People wanted to hear what He had to say.  The truths that Jesus spoke and taught were eternal, and He must have used all that He was to communicate them clearly and with passion.  We, too, can use all that we are to communicate spiritual truth and to focus on genuine worship.  We can relate to the daily lives of people so that they know we care about the joys and sorrows in their lives.  We can relate to people by speaking to their needs and clearly demonstrating genuine compassion and agape love for them.   When led to do so, we can use appropriate cultural references and even current events to share God’s truth in a relevant manner.   We can follow the example of Jesus to become more aware of the manner in which we relate to God’s people so that no only our worship leadership but also our lives make a difference and are relevant in ministry.

When it comes to worship ministry, the need for relevance is evident even in the Psalms.  The musicians who wrote them referenced events central to the history of Israel when talking about how God had protected and preserved the nation in every circumstance they faced.  There was a continual focus on remembering all that God had been to them (Savior, Lord, Refuge..) and all that He had done.   Throughout the centuries since the Psalms were written and since Jesus walked the Earth, there have been all kinds of situations surrounding and impacting the ministry of the local church.  Churches have utilized all kinds of worship leadership and musical expression of various types; and cultural surroundings have been a key factor in influencing changes.  It would be unrealistic for us to fail to recognize the fact that worship ministry has always been in the process of change.  It is Biblical and valid to sing to the Lord a new song, inspired by the way that He is working in our lives.  Christians in our congregations as well as those who have been called to the task of worship ministry leadership have done just that throughout the centuries of church history, singing the new songs of their own generation.  In recognizing that change is a constant process, we must also recognize the resistance to change in our own lives.  It is a challenge for any of us to accept change.  Change can be painful.  Change can take us out of our comfort zone.  Change can be threatening.  However, if we are to be relevant in worship ministry leadership, we must continually ask ourselves what contemporary elements of worship and new songs could be useful and meaningful in worship ministry.   We must also be aware of traditional worship practices and songs which might serve as a barrier between the worship ministry and many people in the congregation, and thus might have a negative impact on our relevance in the church today.

For example, choral praise is an element of worship ministry that has always been dear to my heart.  The Lord continues to give new songs for church choir ministry through those he has gifted with the ability to compose, so I don’t believe that He is finished with the use of choirs in worship ministry for His glory.  In order to be relevant in contemporary worship however, choirs will have to relinquish the role of a performing group and exchange it for the dual role of personal worshipers and leaders in worship ministry.   (The word “contemporary” here is not being used to describe a musical style but rather in the context of an overall worship ministry that is relevant today, no matter the style of the song that is being sung.)  Though there are some excellent examples of choral praise as a part of a vital contemporary worship ministry (such as the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir), there are several reasons that many churches are no longer including traditional choral praise as part of their ongong worhsip ministry.   The following facts are true of many church choirs and represent the type of disconnect that prevents some elements of worship ministry from being relevant to the hearts and lives of people of all ages in our congregations.

1. Choirs hold music folders when they sing, pulling heads down and limiting eye contact with the congregation.  This also creates a physical barrier between the choir and the congregation.  In viewing photos of choirs, one discovers that singers who are looking down at music appear to have their eyes closed.  When music must be used, choir member need to raise the music up so that their heads do not have to look down to see the music, and they can actually look over the folder as they are singing.
2. Choirs often “file in” in single file into the choir loft like some formal processional.
3. Choirs are usually physically placed as far away from the congregation as can be, due to the design of most church buildings.
4. Traditional seated choral risers do not allow for effective miking of the choir.  As a result, sound is often covered by instruments (and it’s not always their fault!), which means that the message that is supposed to be conveyed is not coming through.
5. Our emphasis is on the “performance” of an “anthem” instead of on leading our congregation in singing God’s praises.  (Would we be as committed if we weren’t singing an anthem every Sunday?)
6. Our body language is often stiff and formal.  We are concentrating on a posture that produces the maximum choral sound.
7. Our facial expressions are often lacking due to our desire to concentrate on singing the music correctly.  (This very disconnect with the congregation, by the way, means we are not singing correctly even if vocal and choral technique is exemplary!)  It is true that God looks upon our hearts, and genuine worship is always the most important thing.   However, we must remember that the congregation is not blessed with x-ray vision to see inside our hearts.  They must rely instead on their senses in order to receive a message that is being spoken, sung, dramatized, danced, or played during a worship service.  As worship leaders, we should in turn use all of our senses and all of our being to communicate so that the message goes forth with the emphasis of all that we are capable of doing in order to express it.

What a difference! This choir is aware that part of communicating the message effectively is eye contact and facial expression. They are visually engaged in worship when they sing.

While you may or may not agree with all of the statements above, I think we can all agree on the fact that in order for overall worship leadership to really effective in making an impact in our churches and in the Kingdom of God, all people who are involved in worship leadership must do everything possible to relate to our congregations.  In other words, we must be aware of the need to be relevant.

The same kinds of visual and audible disconnect that can limit the effectiveness of choral praise also exist in other areas of worship ministry.  The entire worship ministry team must have an attitude of humility and desire to continue to learn and grow in order for God give us the direction we need so desperately.  Everyone who is on the platform in a worship leadership role must be aware that there is a need to be as involved in the message of the music visually as one must be in focus and mental awareness on the technical aspects of music.  The message must speak to our own hearts first and then be communicated through our facial expression, eye contact, posture, and attitude.   It ‘s never just the music that speaks to the heart.  It is God’s spirit working through the music that makes an eternal difference in the lives of people.  If a seeming lack of interest distracts from the message, people may be so bored that they are not open to the truths that are being communicated, thus inhibiting the work of God’s Spirit.

In a time when opinions about what a true worship ministry should be vary widely, we must continually seek God’s wisdom.  A recognition that all music itself and all musical gifts come from God and that the highest expression of music is ultimately to give all glory to God must permeate our hearts and inform all that we do, including planning and preparation for worship.  We must all be aware of the visual picture we present when elevated on a platform in front of God’s people.  What kind of message is being given by our posture and our facial expressions?   How obviously involved are we in the elements of the worship service that do not require our musical gifts?  Are we listening?  Praying?  Hearing from God?  Are we seeking to give Him glory?  Are we doing all that we can do to prepare for worship leadership so that our eyes don’t have to be downcast onto the music when we are singing praises to God?  For musicians, when we are not playing as part of the worship team on a particular song, are we still involved in worshiping God?  When we sing or speak of joy or grace, does our face portray the beauty of these gifts?  When we tell of the sacrifice and agony of our Lord, is the passion we feel for Him evident on our faces?  In everything that we do, we must endeavor to avoid the distractions of complacency, seeming boredom, lack of passion, and poor preparation.  These things focus attention on the question of whether we really believe what we are singing rather than opening hearts to the truth.  Rather, we must first be genuine worshipers and then seek to convey the truth of God’s love through full awareness of our role as a part of a worship leadership team.  Only then can our vulnerability before God and before our fellow worshippers allow us to connect to His life and theirs in a manner than brings relevance to worship ministry as a true reflection of relationship rather than as an artificial performance.

God is real, and our message of His love and salvation is eternally relevant.   Lord God, help us to worship You as we seek to lead effectively and to encourage others to worship You as well.

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This post was written by Travis L. Boyd and adapted by Cynthia Boyd

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Here is a particularly well composed response by an experienced Worship Minister to a question about how a choir should function as worship leaders.  This discussion took place on the forum in the “Music in Worship”  Community on Choralnet.org , and you may view the discussion in it’s entirety by becoming a Choralnet user and a member of the “Music in Worship” community.

“There are some simple universal truths about the choir’s role as worship leaders that I believe apply in any situation.  The first is obvious but so often overlooked and disregarded that it has spawned thousands of conference presentations, books and articles over the last forty years; the choir’s primary role is to lead the people in worship.  Whether the “liturgy” (“work of the people”) is formal or informal, screens or no screens, Catholic or Reformed, Denominational on Non-Denom, hidden in a choir loft or visible front and center it is the same.  Just the fact that you recognize this and want to learn more about it says a lot about your heart, integrity, and training.

First you should have a well defined theology or Credo of the Ministry of Music because everything you do should flow out of that.  Mine is not unique and I share it here so that you might think about developing your own: Glorify, Proclaim, Minister; Glorify God, Proclaim God’s word through song, Minister to and through those who serve.  Think of Glorify as a straight line of praise from the singer upward to God; Proclaim could be seen as a line in the shape of an L—proclaiming the Word to God’s people (horizontal line outward) which brings glory to God as His word is revealed (vertical line upward); Minister to and through those who serve (an inverted T)—I think you get the idea.  We do all of these things throughout worship at different times and sometimes different styles of music.  But to do any of them since the Old Testament the choir has been set apart to perform these roles.  Therefore the choir is in a position of servant leadership.  Next:

Modeling-what the choir does and how they do it sets the example for the congregation in the “what” and “how” in a worship service.  And of course that modeling begins with the director.  Every group reflects their leader.  Our choir is in front of the congregation.  When I want the congregation to stand the choir stands first, when the offering plate is passed in the congregation it is passed in the choir (if we are not singing) even though many singers give their offering on-line or in the mail.  The choir leads the congregation in confession, responsive readings, and of course singing.  Because our liturgy is informal and varies week to week that means we take time in rehearsal to run those things, and “talk” through the order of worship, rather than leaving it to chance.  That models to the choir the importance of those things.  This of course includes the hymns (an essential and extended topic around the choir’s leadership responsibilities).

Authenticity-we often think of this in relation to our own feelings but the choir is charged with the role of leadership which may require one to set their own personal feelings aside.  What I mean is this: one must be authentic to their role, the mood and the message of the music they are making.  I always strive to motivate genuine, personal expression from the personal faith of the singer.  But let’s face it, sometimes we may not feel so joyful on Sunday morning, or mournful on Good Friday.  One principle that seems to represent the greatest level of leadership is a willingness to sacrifice and sometimes that means sacrificing your own personal mood or feelings in order to communicate.  This not acting or “faking it”.  This is about understanding one’s role, their job, and sacrificial leadership.

What flows out of authenticity is expression and that, I think, is a tougher nut to crack.  How do you “free” people up to be expressive?  (For me, this pertains to choirs “seen and unseen”.)  Try to motivate first from personal experience and faith and teach to the idea of their role of leadership, responsibility to authenticity, selfless singing, and embodiment of the music.  They really have to understand and believe in their role and the business of authenticity to their role (above). Address the business of what do you do when your feelings don’t align with the music (answer: sacrifice self for the role of being faithful to the text); share how you feel sometimes.  Maybe you need to “prime the pump”–one of my mentors, Howard Swan, was first a psychologist.  He used to say “act enthusiastic and pretty soon you’ll be enthusiastic”.  Whose spirit hasn’t been transformed by the expressive power of music?  It’s not magic, it’s a gift from God!

Practically speaking they have to lift their folders up so mouths point up and out in order to be heard and faces to be seen; you may need to look into devices or activities that drama instructors use to teach expression.

Our church has been streaming our services for some time now.  The choir has really responded to seeing (and hearing) themselves.  Even though I’ve been at this church 23 years they have a new appreciation for my musical and expressive corrections because they have seen and heard themselves. Video the choir in worship and show it to them in rehearsal.  Is their countenance aligned with the music?  Then take the same piece of music and practice embodying the character of the music.

I hope this epistle has been of some value to you.  And if you like, I’d be happy to continue this discussion with other ideas and experiences independently.  You can contact me through ChoralNet or simply go to www.Belpres.org then navigate through the drop downs: About Us/Church Staff/Worship and Music (on left hand side of page).”

Blessings on your ministry

Scott Dean

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Song Story: “For the Glory of God”

“For the Glory of God”  is a choral anthem written by Travis L. Boyd, which can currently be found on our website’s Adult Choir music page in SATB, SSAA, and TTBB voicings.  There is also a full orchestration available for this anthem.   “For the Glory of God”  features gently syncopated verses which lyrically extol the character and person of our great God, along with a strong chorus that begins with a statement of who God is in our lives, leading into an “Alleluia”  section that ends with a description of our praise for Him and a re-statement of the reason for our praise.  This anthem is in the current repertoire of the Georgia Baptist Convention’s Jubalheirs, under the direction of Dr. Jon Duncan

First Baptist Church of Dublin, Georgia

A SONG STORY
“For the Glory of God” has been a demonstration of love that began as a desire to glorify God while also encouraging the heart of a Georgia Minister of Worship.  Travis was contacted by some people who were active members of the Chancel Choir at First Baptist Church of Dublin, Georgia.  They wanted to commission an anthem in honor of the 25th Anniversary of service to the Lord and to their congregation by their Minister of Worship and Music, Dick Burrell.  It was the desire of these good people to encourage the heart of this dear servant of God through a worship song that could be sung by the choir on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary and would also then be sung by countless churches all around the world for the glory of God.  Travis normally takes as inspiration for any commission work the favorite scripture and favorite hymn title of the person or group the song is being written for.   In this case, there were no specifics given along these lines.   Travis was told that Dick likes rhythmic choral anthems.   Of course, the ultimate purpose of the piece would be to bring glory to God while also being a personal expression of love and encouragement from the choir members to their Director and Minister of Worship, who had served faithfully for many years and had recently lost his dear wife, Vicki.

The First Baptist, Dublin, ministry team did a great job pulling off the surprise for our brother Dick Burrell.  What a great testimony of love from these people, who began working on this surprise months in advance.  I know that brother Dick and all of their church would join with Travis and myself in praying that this song will go on to touch and reach hearts that we will not know on this side of Heaven.  Here is the thank you
e-mail that brother Dick sent to Travis on Monday, Jan. 9th, 2012, after he been surprised with the anthem the day before:

Dick Burrell leading in worship, with the FBC Dublin Chancel Choir

“Dear Travis,

Thank you so much for the anthem, For the Glory of God.  The Chancel Choir (over 40 voices yesterday) sang it in our morning worship.  They had rehearsed whenever I was out of town at our church and other times when I was in town at either Pine Forest Methodist or FUMC.  They did a wonderful job.  Our pianist was a piano performance major at Shorter in the early 70’s and did post grad work at the Mozarteum in Austria.  They all got such a kick out of keeping this from me—-I had no clue.  I look forward to a bit later working on it with them and doing the anthem again.  You may not know that the Jubals sang God Is Faithful at my sweet Vicki’s memorial service last March, so, it was most appropriate that they commissioned you to compose the anthem for my 25th anniversary.

Dick Burrell

Thank you, again.

Dick Burrell”

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May God use this anthem and all who direct or sing or play it for His glory!

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“For the Glory of God,”  like all of Travis’ anthems, is written to be performed with or without the full orchestration.  The piano part is supportive, and chord symbols are included on the music for a rhythm section.   The orchestration is written to be practical for church orchestra and will work with a wide variety of instrumentation, though all of the parts are available for full instrumentation.  Travis is always careful in the writing of an orchestration to allow the orchestra to meaningfully enhance the performance of the anthem but also to make sure that the choir is not “covered up” when the orchestra plays.  You will be more than happy with the results of this attention to detail and to the communication of the message.

“For the Glory of God” is available on our website’s adult choir page @ http://www.worshipsounds.com   You purchase the PDF master copy in your choice of full page or octavo format for $15.00, and then you are allowed to make an unlimited number of copies (for your own choir and rhythm section only).  The orchestration, which includes parts for all instruments, a full score, and a string reduction for keyboard, is $30.00.

“For the Glory of God” can be found on our Worship Sounds Music website, on the Adult Choir music page.  http://www.worshipsounds.com

Or, to view the VIDEO DEMO without going to the website, “For the Glory of God,”  go to:  https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=419798804706616&saved
There is a link to the website page within the information for the video demo, so you can still get to the page for purchase if desired.

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This post was written by Cynthia A. Boyd

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Looking for answers for yourself or for a friend?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions.   Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”:  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about a relationship to God through Jesus Christ or about life and eternity.

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WOULD   YOU  LIKE  TO  READ  MORE  POSTS  LIKE  THIS  ONE?
Link to our  “Song Stories”  category to see all of the song story posts:  https://worshipsounds.wordpress.com/category/song-stories/

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What’s New? Check out our website!

WORSHIP JOYFULLY!

Our newest anthems, “For the Glory of God” and “For the Sins of All” are available on our WorshipSounds Music Website,

@  http://www.worshipsounds.com

*   “For the Glory of God”  is an joyful, upbeat anthem of praise!
A full orchestration is available for this anthem!

*   “For the Sins of All”  is a meaningful reminder of the sacrifice of Jesus and His victory over sin and death, meeting our need for a Savior and fulfilling God’s great plan.
    A full orchestration is also available for this anthem!

Check out our website re-design!
We now have VIDEO DEMOS that allow you to SEE AND HEAR THE MUSIC  with no scrolling!
The video does the scrolling for you!

WE’VE  ADDED  A  NEW  SOLO  WITH DOWNLOADABLE  ACCOMPANIMENT  TRACK!
Our touching anthem, “A Mother’s Love”  is now available in a solo versio, in your choice of 3 keys for Low, Medium, and High voice.  It’s perfect for Mother’s Day or for a baby Dedication.  It would also work well to be sung for a special Mom’s birthday, for a Mother’s Day gathering, or for honoring a special Mom anytime or at a family reunion.  When you purchase the solo music, you are given permission to print copies as needed for your soloists and accompanists or rhythm section.
NOTE:  Add the obbligato parts for flute (or violin) and cello to the piano accompaniment for “A Mother’s Love”  to make it extra special (or, purchase our accompaniment track).  The instrumental parts are available at no charge when you purchase the Anthem or Solo PDF Master but must be ordered separately from our shopping cart.
This actually saves you money since you won’t be reprinting the obbligati with each anthem or solo … less pages to copy!

Check out all of our changes at http://www.worshipsounds.com  !!!

YOU’LL   LOVE   OUR  NEW  VIDEO  DEMOS  !

“Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!  Praise befits the upright.  Praise the Lord with the lyre; make melody to Him with the harp of ten strings!  Sing to Him a new song, play skillfully on the strings with loud shouts.”
Psalm 33:1 – 3

He is worthy of our highest praise…For the Glory of God!

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Do you know someone who is looking for answers?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions.   Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”:  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

 

Ideas for Choir Appreciation Sunday/ Music Ministry Sunday

Sunday, January 8th, 2012, was set aside as as the first National Choir Appreciation Sunday.   However, since appreciation, thankfulness, and encouragement are always appropriate at every time of year, such an event is a good reminder for those who lead in Music and Worship Ministry to also demonstrate leadership in expressing their thankfulness publicly for the volunteers who give so much of their time and energy to participate in Choir and other Music Ministry organizations.

See the Facebook page for this event at:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/National-Choir-Appreciation-Sunday/250302075020204?sk=info

Remember that the designated date for Choir Appreciation Sunday is not the only time that you can plan an appreciation event for your choir or for all of your music ministry participants.  January may not be the best month for such an event at your church.  It can be difficult to come back right after Christmas and plan a large musical event within the month.  So, if you want to plan an Appreciation Sunday event for your Choir(s) or for all of your Music Ministry volunteers (musicians, tech team, drama group, etc),  good planning is essential.  Here are some suggestions and ideas that you may want to consider or implement.

1.  After you have formulated some plans in your mind and before you do any publicity, share your plans with your Pastor and at Staff Planning Meeting.  Your Pastor and fellow Ministers may have some ideas that will be helpful guidance for you in selecting the best date to have such an emphasis and also some ideas about how to proceed with planning that may give a boost to your own creativity.  The primary thing that you need to stress is that you want to say “thank you” to these faithful Music Ministry participants without taking the focus off of our mighty God, who is the Source of music, the Giver of gifts, and the reason we sing.  Remember that you do not have to stick to the January 8th date if that does not allow enough time for preparation right after the Christmas holidays or work well for your church, your groups, or your calendar.   Flexibility is key.

2.  In doing your planning to prepare for meeting with your Pastor and Ministerial Staff, pray for direction.  For example, you need to determine whether to make this a Music Ministry Appreciation Sunday or whether to just make the Choir your focus.   You may have other groups that you want to include in this time of thanksgiving, such as accompanists, orchestra, handbell choirs, age-group choirs (from pre-school choir to Sr. Adult Choir and everything in between), praise teams, rhythm section, tech teams, etc.

If your focus is to be for all of the Music Ministry groups, you could use a “Celebration Sunday” approach, with several groups sharing messages in song or performing together, keeping the focus on worship.  At some point, you could direct the attention of the congregation to the fact that God is the Source and Giver of Music and musical talents, that He sings over us, and that He has blessed your church with some incredible volunteers in Music Ministry.   You could ask the congregation to join you in thanking God through prayer for the gifts that He has given and the privelege of singing (and playing) music for His glory.   Applause in thanksgiving would also be appropriate, again directed at God.  At the conclusion of this focus time, I would recommend a brief statement, encouraging your congregation to verbally express their thanks to the people who are involved as volunteers in Music Ministry in your church whenever possible. stating that we all need to encourage one another, and saying that verbal encouragement to anyone who serves in any capacity within the fellowship lifts the body of Christ and draws our hearts closer to one another.   Then, get back to praise and worship of the One who gives us a reason to serve, to sing, to play, to teach, and to love.
Your Pastor may want to tie his message to the focus for the day, perhaps preaching about encouraging one another or about worship in general, but this is not absolutely necessary.  However, your planning and communication with him gives him the opportunity to do this if he feels led in this direction.

3.  Combine Choirs and include groups of all ages!  Plan to have the Youth Choir and Senior Adult Choir join the Adult Choir in sharing a message on our special emphasis Sunday.  This is the sort of thing that requires advance planning for all of the groups’ schedules as well as a little bit of extra rehearsal time, so repertore decisions and decisions about which groups to include need to take place in the early stages of planning.  (Note:  see a couple of repertoire suggestions at the end of this blog poat.)  At our church, these 3 groups could sing a song that our Senior Adult Choir already knows and has just shared at our statewide Senior Adult Choir festival.  In rehearsal times, invite your Senior Adult Choir into the Youth Choir rehearsal to help the young people learn the song. Most churches have some very lively and fun-loving Senior Adults, so this should be an energetic and enjoyable time for all.   Then, plan a joint rehearsal with all three groups, along with accompanists or orchestra and rhythm section, prior to the special emphasis Sunday.   Here are some additional ideas (some that would work best for an All-inclusive Music Minstry Celebration Sunday, and several that would work well for a Choir Appreciation focus) to consider during your planning:

a.  If you have worship banners that are not up in your Sanctuary or Worship Center all the time, consider using these to add to the celebration (of giving thanks for God’s gift of music and for the musical gifts within your volunteer musical groups) in your service that day.   Or, you may want to use several weeks to focus on the attributes of God before the focused Celebration Sunday comes to pass.  For example, if you have a banner that says, “Lamb of God,”  make this your focus on a particular Sunday.  Sing songs and read scripture that relate to the sacrifice of Jesus as the Lamb of God.  Then, if you have another banner that says, “King of Kings,” make that your focus on another week.   Save your “Jesus”  or “Lord of Lords”  or  “Mighty God” banner for the final week of Celebration emphasis when you will express thanks for your faithful Music Ministry volunteers but primarily focus on the God who has formed them, gifted them, saved them, and called them to serve.

b.  You could also have a few Music Ministry volunteers give a brief testimony, one each week, in the weeks leading up to your special emphasis Sunday.  They could tell what the opportunity to serve in this way means to them and how God speaks to them through music.

c.  Enter singing praises!  You could begin the special service by leading a worship chorus with only your accompanists and rhythm section on the platform or in the loft area.  Then have your choir come in (from the back of your Worship Center) near the end of that song or during a second, more upbeat, worship song or hymn, singing as they come down the aisles.   If you involve multiple choirs, this could be especially effective; and banners that relate to worship and praise could be carried in at the front of each group.  Perhaps each Adult or Senior Adult Choir member could walk beside a child from your childrens choirs, making sure that ‘their’ child winds up standing where the Childrens’ Choir is supposed to be (perhaps on risers or just in a group in front of the Youth and Adult Choirs).  You could even ask the congregation to stand in worship of our mighty God and join your choirs and/or musicians in lifting praise to Him.  Then, you could have an excellent trumpet player play a short but majestic fanfare just prior to the song or hymn that is used for the choir’s entrance.  Fanfare guidelines:  if someone else (your trumpet player, for example) chooses the fanfare that will be played, make sure he/she knows what key will work well with the hymn or chorus that is to follow, make sure that it is not a familiar fanfare (such as the well known ones used for the Olympics), and listen to it being played to give your final OK.   For the choral procession, I would suggest “Worthy of Worship” as a great hymn choice or “Sing to the King”  if you prefer to use a chorus.

d.  If you want to use your banners or media to focus on the attributes of God, you could build excitement leading up to the special Sunday by focusing on one attribute or name of God (Lamb of God, Bread of Life, Holy, or whatever your banners say) in each of several Sundays leading up to the planned special Worship Ministry Sunday.   During each of these services where you are focusing on a specific attribute or name of God, have each song that is shared by whatever group focus on that attribute or name, ending with the most significant attribute(s) or name(s) (such as Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Savior, Mighty God) being used on the special Sunday, with appropriate music choices.  You can also use all of your banners on that one Sunday by focusing each song or scripture reading on a different attribute or name of God (having that banner carried in during the appropriate song), ending with a “Lord of Lords” or “Mighty God”  banner and focus.  You could even have various lay leaders help you to end the time of musical praise by having each person emphatically state the name for God or for Christ on one of your banners; and when all the names have been pronounced, say that this is why we worship Him.   He is worthy of our praise.

e.  You could choose to have a Choir Reunion or Music Ministry Reunion be a part of your special day.  If there are former members that you could contact who live within driving distance and could join you for a special Sunday emphasis, this could be very meaningful.  Be sure to give them a few weeks notice in your invitation to come.   This could also serve as a reminder of the ultimate Choir reunion that will take place someday in Heaven.

f.  Use your media capabilities to the fullest.  Have pictures of your groups (in rehearsal, from special productions, serving in various ways on mission trips, etc.) that are shown on the screen as you speak about them or when they join together to sing (and play) a special worship song.

g.  Do some research and study about the use of choirs in worship and praise (in the Bible and throughout the history of the church) so that you may be able to share some specific scriptures or brief facts during your service.  (Note:  See our page entitled “Lift Your Voice (worship scriptures)” for a great worship scripture reference from both the Old and New Testaments.  Here is the link:  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/lift-your-voice/

h.  Remember that this is a special day of encouragement and thankfulness for the people of God who use their talents to glorify God, and then ultimately direct all praise toward God Himself, who is always worthy of our thankfulness for every good thing.

i.  You could have a special dinner after the morning worship service for your Choir(s) or for all Music Ministry volunteers (at your church or at a restaurant).  This dinner could end with a prayer of commitment to continue to use our gifts in His service.

j.  Attempt to keep the focus on worship of God and Jesus and off of yourself as Worship Leader, Minister, or Pastor.  Worship is the privelege of every Christian, and you could even have a couple of teachable moments for your congregation (about 24/7 worship, seeking to glorify Him in all that we do) woven into the fabric of your focused worship time.  To help emphasize the point that worship is so much more than just singing or hearing a song, if you use a bulletin, make sure that it utilizes specific worship headings, such as”
“Worship through contemplation”   (prelude)
“Worship through proclamation”   (song of proclamation of who God is, His power, what He has done…)
“Worship through giving”  (tithes and offering)
“Worship through testimony” (spoken or sung)
“Worship through exhortation”  (a message or song of challenge or encouragement)
“Worship through thanksgiving”  (sung, spoken, or prayed)
“Worship through prayer”
“Worship through praise”
“Worship through the spoken Word”  (scripture reading)
“Worship through the proclamation of the Word”  (sermon)

You get the idea.  All that we do is worship when done with the motivation of glorifying God.
For help with ideas for communicating a theology of lifestyle worship, see our page entitled “Lifestyle Worship” at http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/lifestyle-worship/

k.  Use a meaningful reading at some point, such as excerpts from David Nassar’s book, “Glory Revealed.”   Begin reading on page 30, chapter 2, (titled ” Glory Revealed Through Conversation) under the bold print heading, “…every song we sing to the Lord is a duet and not a solo.”  Read through the end of the chapter (slightly less than 3 pages).  You will probably want to make some cuts in the text, such as the section on lullabies, for use in congregational worship; but this is a very meaningful passage that can change the outlook of individuals regarding worship for the remainder of their lives.  Decide whether to have one person read this or to divide the lines up between 2 readers, and make sure this is well-prepared in order to be most effective.

Here are a few suggestions for your repertoire on Choir Appreciation Sunday or Music Ministry Appreciation Sunday:

1.  “Sometimes I Hear God’s Music”
lyrics by the late J. Paul Williams
music by Joseph M. Martin
If this piece is already in your library, you may want to consider re-purchasing it in the updated version released as part of the “Legacy” series honoring well-known lyricist J. Paul Williams.  The arrangement has been updated by composer Joseph M. Martin, and a new orchestration has been written for this piece by Stan Pethel.   This piece is now available for SSA and TTB in addition to the SATB voicing.  For more information, here is a link to the publisher’s info page:
http://www.halleonard.com/product/viewproduct.do?itemid=35020874
To listen to the updated version of  “Sometimes I Hear God’s Music”  in SATB voicing, with the new orchestration, use this link:  http://listeninglab.stantons.com/title/sometimes-i-hear-gods-music/141068/

2.  “The Music of God”
lyrics by John Parker
music by Mark Hayes
Also published by the Harold Flammer division of Shawnee Press (now under Hal Leonard)
This piece is arranged for SATB choir (though much of the part writing is in SAB), with children’s choir, congregation, and flute obbligato.  It has an excellent text and beautiful melody.  It also encorporates the familiar hymn melody known as Ellacombe (“I Sing the Mighty Power of God”) for congregational singing.  I could not find a listening sample in my web searches, but you can obtain a free browser copy of this anthem on Mark Hayes’ website at this link:
http://www.markhayes.com/Anthems/THE-MUSIC-OF-GOD.html

3.  “Sing a Song to the Lord”
lyrics and music by Travis L. Boyd
published by Shawnee Press  (see info on our websites ‘Published Music’  page at http://www.worshipsounds.com )
This is a more upbeat choral praise anthem, in SATB voicing, with a contrast in styles between the legato verses and the rhythmic chorus.  Here is the Publisher’s description:  “Travis Boyd is fantastic at up-tempo rhythmic pieces and this youthful expression of praise is no exception. Use as a call to worship or as an intergenerational moment incorporating youth and adult choirs. The creative transition section builds to an impressive crescendo that is very exciting to sing and hear. Exhilarating!”
To listen to this anthem, use this link:  http://listeninglab.stantons.com/title/sing-a-song-to-the-lord/335710/
“Sing a Song to the Lord” is available from:
* Stanton’s (hear complete demo, price $1.75) @  http://listeninglab.stantons.com/search/?v=Travis+Boyd&t=composer&x=67&y=17
* Pine Lake (complete demo for listening, info about accompaniment track, price $1.75) at this link:  http://pinelakemusic.com/Results.aspx?search=Travis% 20Boyd&toc=false
* Sheet Music Plus (with complete demo and sample pages, no mention of trax, price $1.40) at this link:  http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/search?q=Travis+Boyd
* Music Mart (price 1.75, no demo) @ http://www.musicmart.com/Search.aspx?k=Travis%20Boyd
* Music 44 (price $1.75, no demo) @ http://www.music44.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Session_ID=6064E0ACEA8A57A23CE7B0B96DBF8E2A&Screen=SRCH&Store_Code=X&ArtistSearch=Travis_Boyd&Pg=2&SortBy=1&PerPg=12&PgChange=1
* From original publisher, Shawnee Press (price $1.75, no demo), at this link:  http://www.shawneepress.com/search/search.do?subsiteid=204&keywords=Travis+Boyd
* And from Hal Leonard (price $1.75, no demo) at this link:  http://www.halleonard.com/search/search.do?subsiteid=5&keywords=Travis+Boyd&searchcategory=00

Click this image to go to our WorshipSounds website.

4.  “Let the Trumpet Sound”
lyrics and music by Travis L. Boyd
SATB Choral with piano accompaniment and Trumpet Obbligato (obbligato can also be played on organ or keyboard)
This anthem has a classical type sound.  It has been sung, in an SSAA arrangement, by The Singing Churcwomen of Oklahoma, then under the direction of Dr. Bill Green, and was used at the beginning of the group’s worship concerts.  This anthem is available on our WorshipSounds website’s “General Use Anthems” music page.  Click the photo at right to go directly to our Worship Sounds Music website.

5.  “For the Glory of God”
lyrics and music by Travis L. Boyd
SATB Choral anthem with an upbeat message of praise, also available in SSAA and TTBB voicings
This anthem is in the current repertoire of the Georgia Baptist Convention’s Jubalheirs, a choir made up of women who are active in Worship ministry throughout the state of Georgia, under the direction of Dr. Jon Duncan.  It is also available in SSAA.   “For the Glory of God” can be found on our website’s “General Use Anthems” music page.  Click the Worship Sounds Music church photo above to go directly to our Worship Sounds Music website.

6.  “Much More Than a Song”
lyrics and music by Travis L. Boyd
SATB Choral, also available as a Vocal Solo (in 3 keys for Low, Medium, and High voice)
This anthem has been sung in a TTBB voicing by The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, then under the direction of Dr. Bill Green, and by the Georgia Baptist Convention’s Jubalheirs, under the direction of Dr. Jon Duncan.  It is a lovely ballad with a thoughtful and inspiring message about choosing to praise God in every circumstance.  “Much More Than a Song” is available on our website’s “General Use Anthems” music page.  Click the Worship Sounds Music church photo above to go directly to our Worship Sounds Music website.

7.  “Praise God”
lyrics and music by Travis (L.) Boyd
SATB Choral, published by the Glory Sounds division of Shawnee Press (now with Hal Leonard)
A lovely setting of the traditional Doxology lyrics with a flowing piano accompaniment, this choral anthem incorporates a portion of the hymn “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”.
You can hear this anthem in its entirety on our SoundCloud, and then there are links in the information about the anthem that will lead you to distributors who offer it.  Here is the link to the publisher’s choral demo on our Soundcloud:  https://soundcloud.com/#travis-l-boyd/05-praise-god-copyright?in=travis-l-boyd/sets/publishers-demos-of-my-choral
“Praise God” is available from Sheet Music Plus at this link:  http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/search?q=Travis+Boyd

8.  “All the Praise”
lyrics and music by Travis (L.) Boyd
Published by the Lorenz Corporation
SATB Choral
Available from the Lorenz Corporation, with all related products (Brass & Rhythm Score, Acc. Trax), complete demo and sample pages at this link:  http://www.lorenz.com/Results.aspx?page=1&rpp=25&title=Travis%20Boyd&voicing1=&div=&producttype=*&usage=&level=&pop=False&pod=True&bnew=True&bbest=False&sortorder=ASC&composer=&acap=False&series=&SearchOpt=&biblebook=&biblechapter=-1&bibleverse=-1&divwiseproduct=False

9.  Magnificent Praise
lyrics and music by Travis (L.) Boyd
Published by the Lorenz Corporation
SATB Choral
Available from the Lorenz Corporation, with all related products (Brass & Rhythm Score, Acc. Trax), complete demo and sample pages at this link:  http://www.lorenz.com/Results.aspx?page=1&rpp=25&title=Travis%20Boyd&voicing1=&div=&producttype=*&usage=&level=&pop=False&pod=True&bnew=True&bbest=False&sortorder=ASC&composer=&acap=False&series=&SearchOpt=&biblebook=&biblechapter=-1&bibleverse=-1&divwiseproduct=False

* If this blog post has been helpful to you, please take a moment to comment to that effect on the referring web post or social media site so that others will know that reading it is worth their time.  Please share this blog post link with others who might not see it without your referral.
* If you have additional ideas for a Choir Appreciation Sunday or Music Ministry Appreciation Sunday, please add them as comments to this blog so that others can benefit from your creativity and inspiration.  Thank  You!
* Be sure to bookmark this blog post so that you can refer back to it as you are doing your planning.   There may be additional ideas from fellow Ministers of Music and Worship that will work wonderfully for you as well.

Click on the photo above to go directly to the Home Page of our Worship Sounds Music website.

Blessings to you and to your Church and Music Ministry as you plan a special emphasis to say “thank you”  to the fine people who help you share the message of God’s love and mercy through music.  For more inspiration, check out our blog page entitled “Creative Worship Ideas.”

Travis and Cindy Boyd
WorshipSounds Music
Music for your Choirs, Ensembles, Orchestra, and Soloists
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Do you know Jesus? 

The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make!  The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation.  Here’s a blog page link to help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus.  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

* FREE * Choral Anthem PDF for your Choir or Ensemble!

WELCOME,  MINISTERS  OF  WORSHIP  AND  CHORAL  DIRECTORS!

Click on the photo above to go directly to our Worship Sounds Music website.

At Worship Sounds Music, we are currently offering a special deal for first time customers and for those who have purchased our music before.  We would love to give you
one free Choral Anthem PDF
with the purchase of an Anthem PDF

from our Worship Sounds Music website.

We have no additional “per copy” fees, which means that
you can have 2 new Anthems, with copies for all of your choir members, for $15.00 or less!

Why are we making this offer?

*  We love to praise God through Choral music and help others do the same!

*  We want to say “Thank You!”

At Worship Sounds Music, we want to say “Thank You!”  to Choir Directors or Ministers of Music and Worship who take time to look over our music and make a purchase.  We know that you are committed to choosing music that lifts up the name of the Lord and that will encourage your choir and congregation as they meet to worship.  We are humbled by your decision to consider some of our music.  However God has led you to Worship Sounds, we are grateful for you and for your passion to lead God’s people in worshipping Him.  It is an incredible blessing when God takes what each individual can do for His Kingdom and multiplies the impact far beyond anything that we could ask or think.

Many of our friends in worship ministry have known about Worship Sounds Music for a while, and others are just learning about us.

We appreciate all of you, and this free anthem offer is our way to show it!

Note:  We’re offering this promotion as long as this blog post remains.  So, whether you are a repeat customer or you are new to Worship Sounds, you can  buy one, get one FREE  with this promotion of our Choral Anthem PDFs!

With your free anthem, you will get all the copies you need of  BOTH  Choral Anthems for the low price of $10 – $15!
(plus your printing costs)

*  AFFORDABLE!  Our Choral Anthem PDF Masters cost between $10.00 and $15.00 each, with permission to make an unlimited number of copies for your group.  Your total cost for both anthems will depend upon which anthems you choose.  Your free one will be the anthem which costs the least from the 2 you have selected.

*  CONVENIENT!  With our e-delivery of your PDF Master copies, there will be no mailing costs!

*  YOUR CHOICE!  All of our Choral Anthem PDFs are available in your choice of Full Page or Octavo format.  Choose what works best with your copier and your choir folders.

*  ALL THE COPIES YOU NEED!  There is no ‘per copy’ fee! 

*  NEVER  PAY  MORE!  You will be authorized to print all the copies needed for your church or organization and can even print more later if your choir grows.  There is no additional fee whatsoever.  The one time cost of your PDF master copy is all you will ever pay!

(Note:  If you cannot use Pay Pal for your order, contact Travis directly through his webmail address to make alternate arrangements.  Travis@worshipsounds.com

In 2 easy steps, here’s how our buy 1, get 1 free promotion works:

TWO STEPS TO GET YOUR FREE ANTHEM!
Purchase one anthem PDF from our Worship Sounds Music website, and you will receive a second anthem PDF (of equal or lesser value) for your choir or ensemble ABSOLUTELY FREE by doing the following:

Step 1.  Choose and purchase your original anthem PDF. 

Note:  You can choose from your anthem from either the “General Use Anthems”  music page or the “Seasonal Anthems” music page.  Both pages have music suitable for Adult Choirs, Student Choirs, and Senior Adult Choirs.  The “General Use” page also has music for Women’s Choir and Men’s Choir.)  Our featured anthems that are on the Home Page are also on the other pages as well.  Choose any anthem! 

Step 2.  Use our webmail address to order your free anthem PDF directly from Travis.   The second anthem doesn’t have to be the same voicing or be on the same website page.(See the info on how to order below in order to make sure you give us all of the info we need to send the correct free anthem to you.)
The web mail address (for ordering your freebie or for any questions about our music) is found on our website’s Home Page.  Travis@worshipsounds.com

*  HOW  TO  ORDER  YOUR  FREE  ANTHEM  *

Use the webmail address above, and be sure to send us all of the information requested below (Anthem name, voicing, desired format, and e-mail address we are to use to send download instructions).

A.  Remember that the cost of your free PDF should be equal to or less than the cost of the PDF that you purchased.

B.  When you contact us via webmail to request your free anthems, be sure to let us know the specifics.
*  1. The name of the anthem
*  2. Your preferred format for the free PDF (octavo or full-page format)
Note:  See the paragraph at the top of our website’s Shopping Cart page for info about Copier capabilities to help you decide which format will work best with the copier you will be using.
*  3.  What voicing you prefer (if there is a choice with the anthem you selected).

C.  Remember to let us know which e-mail address you prefer to use for our response (it should match the e-mail address used for the purchase so that we can verify the offer).  Send your e-mail when you are sure that all of the needed info is there.  (Don’t worry!  If you forget something, we’ll just e-mail and ask for the needed info so you can get your music!)

We will send you an e-mail, telling you how to download your free anthem.   If you have any difficulty, please let us know through the web mail address so that we can honor our pledge to you.

Click on the photo above to go to our Worship Sounds Music website.

To Qualify for this FREE OFFER:  You DO need to be the Director of a Choir or Ensemble in order to take advantage of this free Choral anthem PDF offer.

FULL  ANTHEM  ORCHESTRATIONS  and  ACCOMPANIMENT  TRACKS  AVAILABLE:
Many of our Choral anthems have Full Orchestrations available, and our Anthem Orchestrations are priced very affordably at $25.00 or $30.00, depending upon length and difficulty level.  All of our Full Orchestrations (in bundled PDFs) include a Conductor’s Score, a string reduction for keyboard, and reproducible parts sheets for all winds, strings, and percussion (rhythm section).  In addition, some of our anthems have accompaniment trax available, and we will be adding additional accompaniment trax as time permits.  The accompaniment tracks are in the form of a downloadable Mp3 and are $10.00 each.

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ABOUT  THE  COMPOSER:

Travis L. Boyd is a former High School Band director who has been serving as a Minister of Music and Worship for many years.  As a Choral Composer, Arranger, Lyricist, and Orchestrator, he has Choral Anthems, praise songs, Anthem Orchestrations, and Brass and Rhythm Charts published with Shawnee Press / Hal Leonard, Lorenz, Inc., Lifeway, Choristers Guild, and Broadman.  His works have been translated into Chinese (Mandarin), Korean, and Italian and have been sung, played, and recorded by the following Choral and Instrumental groups:

Travis L. Boyd

*  The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma
*  The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma
*  The Oklahoma Baptist Symphony
*  The Sons of Jubal
*  The Jubalheirs
*  The Pasadena Tabernacle Songsters and Orchestra
*  The Atlanta Choral Guild
*  The Farrells
*  InOvation

…in addition to having been recorded by several individuals on custom CDs and shared in worship and concert settings, on Vimeo, and on YouTube by Adult, Children’s, and Student Choirs in Churches and Schools worldwide.  It is such a privelege to be a part of choral ministries, and Travis counts it a blessing to both direct and sing in choral organizations.  He loves to worship and praise the Lord and to lead God’s people in worship.  There is no sweeter sound!

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HELP  US  SPREAD  THE  WORD  ABOUT  Worship Sounds Music!

Like any new company, we’re unknown to many people who would be glad to hear about an affordable choice for quality choral music for choirs and ensembles of all ages,  as well as music for congregational worship, solo music, and orchestrations.  They would especially love to hear about our free anthem offer.  Feel free to share this page with your friends.

*  We welcome new subscribers to our WorshipSounds blog, which shares inspiration and practical information as well as info about WorshipSounds Music.

*  We also welcome new subscribers to our Constant Contact list for occasional e-mail updates about new Anthems, Solos, Trax, and Orchestrations added to our Website.  (Click the “Join my List” button on our Home Page.)

*  We also have two facebook pages for our company.  You’ll find both in the sidebar of our blog.  We’d love for you to “like” either the “Worship Sounds Choral Music” page or the “Worship Sounds Music & Ministry” page (or both!).   We keep them updated with info about new Choral Anthems, additional voicings, new Orchestrations and Accompaniment Tracks, and new Vocal Solos.  We also promote our worship-related blog posts and often post worship scriptures or quotes for inspiration.

If you have any questions about our company or our music, or if you’d like to share a testimony about how you have been able to praise God using some of our music with your choir, ensemble, or soloist, please send your questions, testimonies, or choir photo and info to our webmail address, as found on the homepage of our Worship Sounds Music website.

Travis@worshipsounds.com

Click this image to go to our Worship Sounds website.

Blessings to you in your life and ministry from Worship Sounds Music!

Travis L. Boyd
Worship Sounds Music,
for your Choirs, Ensembles, Orchestra, Congregation, and Soloists

Be sure to check out some of the helpful and inspirational posts on the Worship Sounds blog while you are here!

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This blog post was compiled and edited by Cynthia A. Boyd

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Do you know someone who is looking for answers?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions.   Here is the link to “Do You Know Jeusu?”:  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

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Blessings through testimony

***  THE  PASADENA  TABERNACLE  SONGSTERS  ***
The testimony of others can be uplifting and encouraging to believers.  That’s really our main task… our mission… to share the good news about the love of God, His gift of salvation, and how He continues in relationship with His children, at work in our lives in ways that we often don’t even see.   We must share these truths and the difference that knowing Him has made in our lives with those who don’t know the Lord and also with each other.   We never know how the Lord may use our personal salvation or faith walk story in the lives of others.   As Christians, sometimes the testimonies that help to strengthen our faith walk are from people that we know personally.  At other times, we may read them in a book or magazine, hear them on the radio, in a movie or television show… or even in a song!

The group in this photo takes the mission of sharing their testimony of faith very seriously.  They are the Pasadena Tabernacle Songsters from the Salvation Army’s Pasadena, CA, Tabernacle.  This group has recorded several CD’s and does a major mission trip every year.  They recorded Travis’ SAB Anthem, “Children of Light,”  (published by Shawnee Press / Hal Leonard) on their “New Day”  CD just prior to a mission trip to Australia and New Zealand.   The CD is still available at this link:  http://www.tabsongsters.org/previous.html , along with their current CD, “Amazing Grace” and several other previous CDs. Travis’ anthem, “Children of Light”  is song #12 on the “New Day” CD (yellow cover), and the text is a perfect description of the testimony of this group:  “Saved by grace, walking in faith, following Jesus Christ…we are the children of Light!”

Here is the audio from my Sound Cloud of the Pasadena Tabernacle Songsters’ recording of “Children of Light”.  Although this anthem has also been recorded by others, the Pasadena Tabernacle Songsters are the only group which has recorded the song with the full Orchestration.  Because the Publisher, Shawnee Press, had not requested or published an Orchestration, the group’s director contacted Travis and commissioned him to write a Full Orchestration for this recording and for all of the times that the song has been shared on mission trips and in their home church.  (See the note about availablility below.)

The recording of their incredible choir and orchestra, singing and playing “Children of Light” can also be found on the web at:  http://www.salvoaudio.com/audio/music/mus_2515.mp3

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“Children of Light” is still available from the following sources:
Pine Lake Music at www.pinelakemusic.com/Results.aspx?s…ch=Travis+Boyd
It is also available from Sheet Music Plus at www.sheetmusicplus.com/composers/Travis-Boyd/18033

Note:  The Orchestration heard on the Pasadena Tabernacle Songsters’ recording of “Children of Light”, commissioned by the Choir’s Director specifically for their recording project and mission trip repertoire, remains unpublished.  Travis contacted the publisher after finishing the Orchestration to see if they wanted to publish it.  However, the publisher declined.  It is, unfortunately, not available for purchase since the song is under Shawnee Press / Hal Leonard copyright and the commissioned orchestration is owned by the group (though they were willing for it to be published).

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Many more songs written by Travis L. Boyd can be found
on our Worship Sounds Music website.

Worshipful, Affordable Music for your Choir, Orchestra, Ensembles, Soloists, and Congregation

http://www.worshipsounds.com

Click photo above to go to our WorshipSounds website

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Do you know Jesus? 

The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make!  The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation.  Here’s a blog page link to help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus.  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

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