Conversations

Denominationally Promiscuous: Reflections on Leading Music Outside of One’s Own Tradition

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 […]

2025 In Review

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. […]

When Hymns Are to Be Sung in Cantonese

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 […]

What Should We Sing?: The decision-making process of a vocalist

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 […]

The “Billboard Top 40” of Church Music

The Sunday Soundtrack If you had to make a list of approximately 40 songs that best characterize your church, which songs would you choose? Here’s the catch: I’m not just […]

Elbows Up?

“Elbows up!” Canadians have been encountering this phrase a lot over the last few months. As a Canadian living in Ottawa, the nation’s capital, I most regularly come face-to-face with […]

A Tale of Two Melodies – When Hymns Are to Be Sung in Cantonese Part V of V

A Tale of Two Melodies – When Hymns Are to Be Sung in Cantonese (Part V of V: The Road Onwards)   In the previous four blogs, I have explained […]

Christmas Tunes: Don’t Forget About the Harmony

Less than a month ago we were given the opportunity to sing the same carols that we do every Christmas season. Songs like “Deck the Halls,” “O Christmas Tree,” and […]

Repetition Is Not the Enemy

I love old people. That might sound strange considering that my last blog post (click here) focused on young people; nevertheless, my mom worked in long-term care for the first half […]

Who Will Lead Our Music?

Introduction Over the summer, I was assisting several scholars with a project that explores how young people (aged 12 through 30) engage in worship. Utilizing ethnographic methods, our research team […]