Music
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My Favorite Music Resources
Hey friends! I don’t know about you, but I am always on the lookout for good music resources, especially Christian ones. As a musician and teacher, these resources are ones that I have personally found helpful, and today I’m excited to share with you some of the favorites I’ve found! Even if you’re not a musician, perhaps you know someone who is; if so, feel free to pass along the link to this post. Koerts Music. This is one of my absolute favorite places to find beautiful hymn arrangements. Mr. Koerts’ arrangements are tasteful, worshipful, and the perfect time length for a special at church. He offers piano solos and…
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Hymn History: Just As I Am
1822, Brighton, England: The glow of candlelight shone on the silver and cut glass in the Elliott dining room. Over the clink of forks and knives and the murmur of friendly chatter, the visiting preacher addressed a question to Charlotte. “Miss Elliott, if I may be so bold to ask—are you at peace with God?” Stunned by the personal inquiry, Charlotte Elliott stared at Ceasar Malan. Abruptly, she snapped, “The state of my soul is none of your business, Mr. Malan!” A hush fell over the table as she rose and stalked from the room. But Malan’s kind, direct question haunted the young woman. At last, hesitatingly, she sought the…
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Why I Love the Hymns
Hey friends! Ever since I was little, I’ve been listening to, playing, and singing the old hymns. As the years have gone by, I’ve come to love them more than ever. While I enjoy a number of godly, beautiful songs/hymns written recently, there’s just something so precious about the hymns that live on after half a century or longer! I think that they will always hold a special place in my heart. (There’s also room in there for some newer hymns, too. 😊) After reading a couple of articles on hymns lately, I began thinking about why I love them. They are rich in doctrine. Think about a hymn like…
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Hymn History: The Sands of Time
“When ye are come to the other side of the water, and have set down your foot on the shore of glorious eternity, and look back again to the waters and to your wearisome journey, and shall see in that clear glass of endless glory, nearer to the bottom of God’s wisdom, ye shall then be forced to say, ‘If God had done otherwise with me than He hath done, I had never come to the enjoyment of this crown of glory.'” –Samuel Rutherford The elderly man drew a feeble breath and looked directly at his visitor. ” Well, what did the kings emissaries want?” “They’ve summoned you to appear…
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Tips for Hymn Improvisation
Hi there! I hope that you all had a blessed weekend! As a piano player and teacher, I’ve found that one of the most challenging things for advancing pianists is improvisation, specifically on hymns. Although it’s a great start to be able to just play the notes, we really want our music to flow and be pleasing to the ears of the listeners. If you ever play with others singing, then you know that the piano player must carry everyone along, and that’s difficult to do if you play only the simple notes. On the other hand, maybe you’ve heard recordings, or you’ve watched accomplished pianists, and you feel overwhelmed…
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Christmas Music Favorites
Hi all! This is the time of year when we think about how Jesus came to earth as a baby. We also think about why He came–so that we could be redeemed and forgiven! One thing that can help us to focus on Him in this season is godly music about His coming. I’d like to share three of my favorite music cd’s to enjoy: Redemption Dawns by Anna Ferraro. You’ll enjoy this lovely piano cd with beautiful arrangements of hymns such as “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” and “O Holy Night”, arranged and played by talented musician Anna Ferraro. The selection of songs is skillfully designed to help you…
