A blog connecting you to deep conversations, valuable resources, and challenging ideas
Centered In Song is a blog that features a core team of writers who care deeply about the congregation’s voice and who seek to have deep and meaningful conversations. Our team of bloggers are always on the lookout for great events, fresh ideas, and artists who are passionate about congregational singing. Because the team is made up of folk from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, this blog offers a variety of viewpoints and opinions on congregational song, celebrating the diversity that the church’s song embodies each and every week.
Adán Alejándro Fernández is an organist, harpsichordist, collaborative pianist, choral...
Adán Alejándro Fernández
Blog Editor - Spanish Language
Adán Alejándro Fernández is an organist, harpsichordist, collaborative pianist, choral and orchestral conductor, composer, and writer Primarily a liturgical musician, Dr Fernández is the Director of Music and Organist at Holy Family Catholic Church in Glendale, California, where he has developed a program of three adult choirs, a choral academy for children, a handbell choir, and a chamber music ensemble Dr Fernández is also the University Organist at California Lutheran University where he has developed a studio of young organists and oversees a recital series featuring an international roster of organists At Cal Lutheran he is also on the piano faculty and has started a monthly recital recital series called the Afternoon Bach Recital Series, featuring music by the Bach family and other baroque composers Dr Fernández is also on the Music Theory faculty at Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles and harpsichordist for Hortus Musicus, an early music consort in Los Angeles
Steven is a freelance singer based in Washington, DC, and...
Steven Blondo
Blog Proofreader
Steven is a freelance singer based in Washington, DC, and Administrative Assistant at The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada He holds Bachelor’s degrees from Southern Adventist University in Music Performance, Accounting, and International Studies, and has been active in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Chattanooga, TN, and in Florence, Italy, where he spent two years as a student and volunteer Steven enjoys film, live music, art, travel, dodgeball, and cultivating community
Mykayla Turner holds a Master of Sacred Music with a Liturgical...
Mykayla Turner
Blogger
Mykayla Turner holds a Master of Sacred Music with a Liturgical Musicology concentration and a Master of Theological Studies She obtained her ACCM in Piano Performance from Conservatory Canada Currently, she is a PhD student in the Faculty of Theology at Saint Paul University in Ottawa, ON Apart from her academic work, she is an active church musician and liturgist She also co-directs Ontario Mennonite Music Camp and chairs the team of volunteers who maintain Together in Worship, a curated collection of free worship resources from Anabaptist sources
Shannan Baker is a postdoctoral fellow in music and digital...
Shannan Baker
Blogger
Shannan Baker is a postdoctoral fellow in music and digital humanities at Baylor University, where she recently finished her PhD in Church Music (2022) Her research interests focus on contemporary worship She studies the theology and content of the lyrics, the music of the songs, the worship music industry, and how contemporary worship is used in the church While her current role focuses on research, she searches for ways to connect that research practically to the church Recently, she received the Vital Worship Teacher-Scholar grant from the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship which allowed her to start the contemporary worship training workshops for the Church Music program at Baylor
While Shannan currently lives in Waco, Texas, she is originally from Michigan She received her BA in Music (Worship Arts) from Cornerstone University (2016), and an MA in Worship (2018) and ThM with a concentration in worship (2019) from Calvin Theological Seminary Also in Grand Rapids, she served as the worship director for Monroe Community Church for three years Currently, she volunteers at her local church where she leads worship and plays various instruments including drums, keys, acoustic guitar, and bass
After obtaining her first and second bachelor degrees in Translation...
Yvette Lau
Blogger
After obtaining her first and second bachelor degrees in Translation and Chinese (HKPU), and Music (CUHK) respectively and worked in music related work in the government and later in the church in Hong Kong, Yvette Lau furthered her study at Calvin Theological Seminary for M A in Worship (2010) Recently, she has finished her Doctor of Pastoral Music at Perkins School of Theology, SMU (2024) under the supervision of Prof C Michael Hawn She has served as a worship pastor in Hong Kong for several years after her graduation at Calvin She had been one of the executive committee members of the Hong Kong Hymn Society from 2011-2017 She served at the Worship Committee for the CMA Church Union of HK from 2006-2021
In 2017, she founded Anabas Ministry which is an organization for worship renewal and started to work as a freelancer for worship related ministries including consultancy work Her passion lies in choral conducting, song writing, hymn translation from English to Cantonese (main translator for New Youth Hymns), event organization, translation of books on worship including The Art of Worship, Beyond the Worship Wars, The Worship Architect, and Glory to God, and training and teaching on worship She has been the guest instructor on Worship for Alliance Bible Seminary, China Graduate School of Theology, Bethel Bible Seminary, Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary, and Thailand Baptist Theological School
Wendell is a composer, choir director, and music educator, with...
Wendell Glick
Blog Proofreader
Wendell is a composer, choir director, and music educator, with a particular interest in contemporary hymnody and choral music He holds degrees in music composition from Wilfrid Laurier University (BMus), the University of Toronto (MMus) and Western University (PhD), and is a life member of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada Wendell’s compositions and choral arrangements have been performed by middle school, high school, college, community and touring ensembles in more than 20 states and provinces, as well as in Ireland, England, Scotland, Poland and Jamaica In addition to his music work, he enjoys model trains, tree houses, aviation, rainy days, and life with his best friend Janelle and their four lively children
David Calvert is the Creative Arts Director for Grace Community...
David Calvert
Blogger - Album Reviews
David Calvert is the Creative Arts Director for Grace Community Church in rural North Carolina, and a PhD graduate in Theology and Worship from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Last week, a diverse group gathered including songwriters, theologians, artists, worship leaders, music industry professionals, ecumenists, researchers, students, teachers, and administrators, though many wear multiple hats. We represented a rich […]
A few years ago we launched the “Reparations Royalty Pilot Program“. Many churches across the U.S. and Canada have planned and enacted a program based on our pilot guide. In […]
On April 29 to May 2 of 2026, I attended a joint conference by the “Junius B. Dotson Institute for Music and Worship in the Black Church & Beyond” and […]
We’re Not All Concert Pianists As a church musician, I try not to expect more than what is fair of a congregation. Even if a congregation is very musically literate, […]
This post is re-posted by permission of both the author and its original platform The Christian Century. To read the original post from November 2025 by Melissa Florer-Bixler, you can […]
I started a new job this semester. I now serve part-time as Director of Music for the Anglican Studies program at Saint Paul University. Anglican Studies is less of a […]
The Center for Congregational Song continues to thrive. Sometimes our work isn’t public facing, though, so each year I like to do a retrospective that shares about all we’ve accomplished. […]
The Road Full of Challenges – When Hymns Are to Be Sung in Cantonese I shared in previous blogs that hymn lyrics are worth retranslating for Cantonese-speaking Christians, even though […]
Most of the time when we think about what we should sing we are thinking about what we should plan for the congregation to sing based on a song’s theology […]
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