by Jennifer Budziak | Jan 4, 2019 | Blog, Music Directors
Within the next few days, a new book will be going to press: Diana Kodner Gökçe, author of Handbook for Cantors, Third Edition and a good friend and colleague of many years, has written a short book called Why We Sing: A Musical Guide for Catholics, aimed at helping...
by Jennifer Budziak | Dec 6, 2018 | Blog, Cantors, Children's Choirs
Where does the next generation of cantors and music ministers come from, if not from the youngest singers now? An important part of a strong youth music program is keeping your children growing and challenged and eager to keep learning. It can be challenging for...
by Jennifer Budziak | Oct 24, 2018 | Blog, Children's Choirs, Music Directors
Maybe you see the children’s choir once a week, on a weekday after school. Maybe you are wrangling kids from two programs–the parish school kids next door have homework/break time for a while after school until the public school kids get out and can join...
by Jennifer Budziak | Sep 25, 2018 | Blog, Music Directors, Worship Space Acoustics
This second post on acoustics and music-making in churches features an article by the late Richard Proulx in the first-ever GIA Quarterly magazine issue. It eloquently (if somewhat cantankerously*) lays out the basic problems and solutions. (Spoiler: carpet is never...
by Jennifer Budziak | Sep 11, 2018 | Blog, Music Directors, Worship Space Acoustics
In the past couple of weeks I’ve talked with people facing a dilemma, and a real hindrance to their ability to perform their ministry well: the committees, architects, and pastoral staffs at their churches have built and installed whole new designs (or...
by Jennifer Budziak | Aug 28, 2018 | Blog, Music Directors, Planning
(I had somehow always thought that the quote above, “Well begun is half done,” was from Mary Poppins or something like that, but when I looked it up for this post, it turns out it’s Aristotle. Go figure. As much as I try to read, my ignorance remains...
