As avid readers of this MAGAzine, you have most likely witnessed the value of music ministry programs firsthand in your own local setting, so I’ll skip over the part where I try to sell or explain why these programs are so valuable. As the years pass us by, we see continuous waves of young people who have developed their skills and...

Now that you’ve had a few extra minutes (hours, days, weeks) to practice over the last few months of “pandemic slowdown,” do you feel that your playing has gotten better? Worse? Stayed the same? I hope that it has gotten better, but it is sometimes difficult to measure progress when it is slow and spread over a long period of...

During these times of isolation, social distancing and COVID-19 constraints, we as Salvationist Christian musicians find ourselves without church services, concerts or rehearsals. This can lead to a definite motivational void when it comes to practicing our instruments.

What do we do? Do we stop practicing? Wait until restrictions ease? Dream of...

I spend a decent amount of my time researching Salvation Army music, whether this is purposefully to stay in the know, or just in the nature of my work. Thousands of published music has been released, bought, and performed across the SA world. There is both an undeniable heritage and future for Salvation Army music which continues to broaden in...

Is it possible that every generation of composers lives in the shadow of their predecessors? Where we are presently in terms of style, output, consumption and advancement won’t really be felt or truly known for years. But it is so important to look at the past to discover trends and development. This edition of Inside Composing (part...

In the last two years, Maple Leaf Brass has debuted seven composers who have been published for the first time. We have seen a general growth of interest in composition, including numerous students at Territorial Music School taking part in composition electives. As well, the music department offers ongoing correspondence and guidance to help...

As worship leaders, we put the words of worship on the lips of our congregation. The songs we choose are how our congregations will express their corporate worship with their church family that week. Putting it that way gives weight to   our role that sometimes gets lost in the   busyness and “noise” that clouds our...

The process of composing is one of discipline and mystery. Without getting too nerdy, I thought it would be interesting to write a series of articles that considers this process in hopes that we can all learn something about it. As many of you know, I have a passion for writing music. It is a high priority in my life and I truly believe it is a...

I remember as a singer in worship teams when I was starting that there was a lot of focus on being the "lead worshipper." It was the intention to lead by example and worship God fully as I lead others. The thought was this would be so infectious to the congregation that they would be drawn into their own worship experience as I was having mine...