Sound Connections Unity’s New Thought Music Resource
Issue #87 December 2012
Produced by Music Ministry Team and the Sacred Music Resources Department. Richard Mekdeci, Editor Sue Riley, Team Chair Blair Tabor, David Ezell, Carole Tomhave, Melinda Wood-Allen, Todd Lowry, Sheryl Meyers, Megon McDonough
This Month’s Highlights─page 2 Another year of amazing service from your Music Ministry Team
2012 Sound Connections Music Conference at Unity Village─page 3 Announcing next year’s keynotes. Make plans now to attend.
Feature Article─page 4 Christmas Carols and New Thought Theology: Have we finally found our “Sacred Cow?”
From the Road – Traveling Artist Review─page 6 Kathy Zavada – Music and Ministry
CD Review─page 7 Chants to Awaken by Kathy Zavada
The Mailbox – Your Questions and Comments─page 8 Resources for your theater ministry / Music licensing in your church
New Releases, Resources & Events─page 10 See what’s new and what’s coming up
New Thought’s First Online Choral Library!─page 12 Find your holiday music here!
Job Openings for Music Directors─page 13 New! Unity Church of Bay Area, League, TX.; Unity of Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Unity of Davis, Calif.; Unity Center for Creative Living, St. Johns, Fla.
This Month’s Free Sheet Music Offering─page 14 “May You Know God” ─a beautiful, prayerful blessing song for the holiday
New Thought’s First Music Director Listing: Online Only Currently over 180 music directors in 41 states and Canada. Help us make this a complete listing for all of New Thought. Update/add your name to this valuable resource.
www.unity.org/music [email protected] 1 ThThhiis Month’s Highlights
Greetings Sound Connections Family!
Well, by the time you are reading this, you’ve probably already begun hearing those old familiar Christmas tunes playing on the radio. Christmas tree stands have already popped up and Black Friday has reminded us to start thinking about what we’re going to get old Uncle Waldo this year.
As church leaders though, we have the additional blessing and honor to be immersed in the spiritual side of the holidays as well as the commercial. And as New Thought church leaders, we have yet another blessing and honor of interpreting the Christmas story and message in a way that is practical and powerful for our lives today.
In our feature article this month (page 4), we talk about our beloved Christmas Carols and whether we use them as is, altered, or not at all. At the end of the article are links to two new and very useful documents: 1) Complete index of music available from UWM. We now have a complete list, by song, of every piece of music we offer in print. It is listed by song alphabetically and includes the author and the UWM Songbook it appears in, including the new Online Choral Library. 2) Eleven Christmas carols and suggested alternate lyrics. These are based on the lyrics from the Wings of Song hymnal and adapted to more closely coincide with Unity and New Thought teachings around Jesus and Christmas.
It’s our pleasure to introduce you to a wonderful songwriter, singer and healing presence, Kathy Zavada, in our From the Road ─Traveling Artist Review (page 6). We also review Kathy’s new chant CD Chants to Awaken (page 7).
We answer your questions about starting a theater ministry in your church and untangle some music licensing questions for you as well, in this month’s Mailbox (page 8).
This being the final Sound Connections of 2012, I want to thank the members of your tireless, amazing Music Ministry Team who assist me with the production of this valuable resource and who also plan and execute New Thought’s premier Music Conference each year at Unity Village. It’s a true gift and inspiration to work and play with such dedicated servants of Unity. Sue Riley’s leadership as chairperson continues to lead us to ground- breaking achievements in an arena where few have gone before.
And finally, it’s been my pleasure to continue to serve you in 2012 as Sacred Music Resource Coordinator here at UWM. Your love and support of me and of this position has inspired me throughout the year to continue building a solid foundation of resources and education for our music ministries.
May the Christ be born and re-born in you each day this holiday season and always.
Richard Mekdeci LUT Sacred Music Resources Coordinator Unity Worldwide Ministries
www.unity.org/music [email protected] 2 SoSoouund Connections Music Conference Ongoing Updates
SSCC--99 SSeepptteemmbbeerr 1166––2200,, 22001133 AAtt UUnniittyy VViillllaaggee
Announcing next year’s keynotes!
Rev. Michael Gott
An amazing voice and an amazing minister. Formerly Music Director at Center for Spiritual Living in Reno, Nev., Michael now serves with Howard Caesar as Associate Minister of Unity in Houston, Tex. Michael’s music and message will inspire and uplift you.
2013’s Grace Note Award Recipient – Daniel Nahmod Daniel has taken the New Thought message to literally millions of people around the world through his music. It crosses all religious, social and cultural boundaries, and is sung in practically every Unity and New Thought church and center in the world. Daniel is also known for leading inspiring retreats and workshops.
Richard, I want to thank you for the perfect introduction to Unity Village and all the New Thought music. I had a mountaintop experience at Sound Connections that I certainly was not expecting! I had two intentions while there: to bring back new music for my congregation and music for my choir to share their love! I found both! So, I think of you and all the facilitators every day and I don't want to lose the great light that shone through that week. … Thanks and have an incredible year, I hope to see you next year! David Craig
Plan now to attend New Thought’s Premier Music Conference by including it in next year’s music budget.
Be sure to become a Facebook “Friend” and rate the page after your visit.
www.unity.org/music [email protected] 3 TThishis MMonth’sonth’s FFeatureeature AArticlerticle
Christmas Carols and New Thought Theology: Have We Finally Found Our Sacred Cow? By Richard Mekdeci
Ahh, Christmas time. Whatever feelings, memories and emotions this holiday evokes, you can be sure that they are indelibly tied to the music of the season. You can’t avoid it really. Unless you turn off your radio and television, stay home, shop online, and don’t go to church, you’re most likely going to hear Jingle Bell Rock or Silent Night several times between now and Christmas Day. It is truly impossible to separate the music from the season.
The music of this holiday season is basically divided into two categories: the “sacred” and the “secular.” The secular are the fun, more universal, non-religious songs like “White Christmas,” “Jingle Bells,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” etc.
The sacred carols are of course the noels, the hymns that are about the religion of Christmas, the birth of the Savior, the nativity story, God’s reconciliation with man. These are songs like “Silent Night,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Joy to the World,” “O Holy Night,” etc.
You know the ones. You may sing them every year in your church and notice that there are some terms and language you have not heard all year until now. You’ll sing of Jesus as King of Israel, God’s only Son, the Savior of the world, the Christ child. God is the Father, Jesus is Lord ─all terminology that generally does not find its way into your average Unity or New Thought sermons and music throughout the year. As a result, this strange convergence takes place. There is that twinge of singing words you really don’t believe are true, overlaid onto the comfort and joy of singing the familiar songs we have grown up with.
Where do we draw the line? Or do we? We have basically three choices: 1) Bite the bullet and sing the songs as-is, “comfort and joy” trumping accurate messaging. 2) Change the words to beloved songs to better match what we believe, evoking rolling eyes and cries of “blasphemy” from some congregants. 3) Find new and different songs to sing all together from our growing New Thought library.
Surprisingly, I’ve found after questioning several Unity ministers and ministerial students that #1 was the most preferable. #3 came in second with #2 actually being the least desirable.
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Could it be that Unity has finally found its Sacred Cow? Is it our responsibility to sing and speak words that accurately reflect our evolving view of God and Jesus? Or, can we see the whole Christmas story as myth and these songs as the “folk songs” that preserve these stories for us? The songs don’t have to reflect our current theology if we preface them with the understanding that they are a representation of the roots from which our current theology stems.
Fortunately, whatever choice you make, we have you covered. If you are a traditionalist (#1), our Wings of Song hymnal has a great selection of traditional carols. Some have been softened and verses added or altered slightly to reflect our theology of the time (70s/80s).
For you who want to throw out the baby and the bathwater (#3), we now have over 300 songs in our New Thought library that includes 11 songbooks and a new Online Choral Library where you can find songs especially for this season (Special Services and Chants, Volumes 1 and 2).
Included at the end of this article is a link to the entire print library available from Unity Worldwide Ministries. It is listed alphabetically by song with the authors and the songbook it is located in.
And for you optimists who believe you can salvage the beauty of our traditional songs and still maintain some congruence with our beliefs, I’ve included at the end of this article a link to a document with 11 traditional Christmas songs with altered word suggestions to be more in alignment with our New Thought beliefs.
I think it would be a great discussion to have for next month’s issue: Are you a 1, a 2 or a 3 when it comes to traditional Christmas music?
Link for Unity Worldwide Ministries’ catalog of available sheet music listed by song: http://www.unityworldwideministries.org/our-songs-print
Link to “Eleven Christmas Carols With Suggested Alternate Lyric”:http://www.unityworldwideministries.org/eleven-christmas-carols- suggested-alternate-words
www.unity.org/music [email protected] 5 FrFrroom the Road – Traveliing Artiists Reviiew
Bring this awesome artist to your church or center!
Kathy Zavada is a nationally-acclaimed recording/performing artist of sacred music and a popular, engaging speaker and retreat/workshop leader. She is also an ordained Interfaith Minister and travels extensively sharing an integrated inspirational message as both guest speaker and guest performing artist. Over the past 20 years, she has been invited to present her program at hundreds of New Thought centers as well as in private schools, public concerts, radio interviews, and at innumerable retreats.
She has served as Music Director for Unity Church of Davis, Calif. She tours nine months out of the year, and has a full schedule of both speaking and singing engagements at spiritual centers nationwide. She also offers three annual spiritual/nature retreats in Mt. Shasta, Lake Tahoe, and Maui.
Kathy has been interested in the study of world religions for the past 25 years and has recently completed a two-year Interfaith Seminary and is an ordained Interfaith Minister. She has been a guest speaker for over 15 years and has enjoyed refining her skills as a worship minister. She has received numerous invitations to serve in a ministerial capacity and looks forward to moving from a traveling ministry to serving one congregation.
Kathy has dedicated her life to living wakefully and supporting others in their process of healing, opening, and becoming more conscious. She has journeyed to India five times and spent months there committed to her spiritual growth through the practices of meditation, chanting, study of scripture, and selfless service.
Kathy’s songs have been featured by such luminaries as Byron Katie, Greg Braden, Adyashanti, and countless others. She has co-facilitated and shared her music at retreats with Barbara-Marx Hubbard, Gangaji, Mary Manin-Morrisey, Wendy Craig-Purcell, Michael Moran, Gary Zukav, James Twyman, and many other spiritual teachers, authors and ministers.
Kathy was the youngest piano student accepted at the University of Florida at 13 years old. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in Music and Psychology.
To contact Kathy for speaking engagements, musical presentations, concerts, workshops and retreats, write her at [email protected].
See also: Kathy Speaking in Grass Valley, CA (YouTube video) See also: Kathy’s Spiritual/Nature Retreats
www.unity.org/music [email protected] 6 CD Review Chants to Awaken by Kathy Zavada Reviewed by Richard Mekdeci
Chants to Awaken, the eleventh CD from this prolific artist and musician, is a collection of beautiful and devotional chants she has been recording for the past year. The collection includes some of Kathy’s original chants as well as classic favorites from a few other songwriters.
These nine chants range in length from just over 4 minutes to 7-and-a-half minutes, and are as much a joy to listen to as to sing along with. Anytime an artist and voice of Kathy’s caliber produces a CD of chants, you can be assured it will be worth the buy─not just for your listening pleasure, but also as a source of beautifully written and performed music that can be incorporated into your services and choir repertoire.
The selections on Chants to Awaken range from simple, singable song forms, to call-and- response and Taizé-like rounds. Lyrically appropriate and powerful for any New Thought church, Chants to Awaken is a valuable addition to your personal or church library.
Highlights “Peace on Earth” opens the CD with a uniting message of empowerment for all people, leading into the chorus, a familiar and beloved affirmation in Unity: “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” Two other parts weave over the chorus to create a gorgeous refrain for your congregation or choir.
“Mother of All Things” would lend well to a Taizé service with a simple, repeated line and vocal descants weaving throughout above.
“Take Me Home” contains a call-and-response verse and chorus which overlay on each other beautifully.
“In the Light” is a chant by Michael Stillwater (Heart of the Mother). Michael has a tradition of creating several easy-to-sing parts that, when sung linearly, create a beautiful song. They can also be sung together or on top of each other, producing a thick rich tapestry of melody and affirmation.
“All I Ask of You,” the hypnotic Sufi chant, closes out this gentle and powerful CD with the request, “All I ask of you is to remember me as loving you.”
“This collection of beautiful and inspiring chants brings peace, healing and expansive consciousness in the form of sacred music. Each song resonates as the prayer of every heart. One feels awake to the deepest truth and widest peace upon listening, and it’s a joy to sing along!”
To order, send $20 per CD (check or money order) to Kathy Zavada, PO Box 531, Mt. Shasta, CA 96067. Outside US, add $4.
www.unity.org/music [email protected] 7 TThehe MMailboxailbox – YYourour QQuestionsuestions aandnd CCommentsomments
Resources for Your Theater Ministry
Hello, I am a LUT attending Unity of Bellevue, Wash., and am a member of the Interpretive Arts Dream Team here. We are looking for a series of skits or playlets either to incorporate into Sunday services, or as part of special events. Some years ago I purchased a set of playlets, but I now cannot trace them. Do you have something appropriate or can you suggest where I can look? Blessings! Syd Darlington
Hi Syd, I am extremely pleased to share any and all resources I have regarding source material for theatre ministry. I hope this can add to the momentum we are building in cultivating this powerful form of expression in our Unity communities!
I’m attaching the materials we shared this summer at the Sound Connections conference. Included is a pretty good list of both mainstream sources for plays and skits and a few others that are more “spiritually” specific. http://www.unityworldwideministries.org/how-build-and-maintain-theatre-ministry Please let me know if I can help in any other way. Neil Mowles Director of Expressive Arts Unity of Dallas 972.233.7106 ext. 222 www.unitydallas.org
Hi Richard and Neil, Many thanks to both of you for the great response and materials! Our Dream Team will have a fine time researching these many possibilities! We are in the process of restoring much congregational involvement in our church, and we feel that theatre and other participatory events are the way to go. So 2013 looks like being a lot of fun and growth! Syd Darlington
Music Licensing for New Thought Music
We are looking at licensing through you (UWM) for our church. It sounds like that will take care of most New Thought songs and composers. But isn’t there another similar organization we might use? It appears to me that we only need to purchase a license for performances outside of church services or things like recording/streaming. Is that correct? Ron Rev. Ron Fritts, LLPP Unity of Quincy, Ill. [email protected]
Hey Ron, That's right. The line is "duplication" which is projecting words, printing words in your bulletin, live streaming, archiving and making recordings of your service for your
www.unity.org/music [email protected] 8 congregation. This is what requires a license. Otherwise, anything you do within your church service is exempt from copyright under the separation of church and state laws. Unfortunately nowadays, you never know when someone is recording with their phones, etc. You may want to put a "No Recording Please" sign in the sanctuary.
For New Thought artists and music, the emPower Music Rights License is for you. It is not a Unity Worldwide Ministries service though. It is offered through emPower Music & Arts at www.empowerma.com (look for “Music Rights”). Licenses for all other mainstream music are available through www.Copyrightsolver.com.
Hope that helps, R
Dear Richard, About five months ago, I became the Director of the Music Ministry at Unity of Olympia. It has been an uphill learning curve, though it has also been a great joy.
Rev. Terry Murray noticed that our services are being recorded and then "broadcast" on the Internet. This has apparently been an on-again, off-again project. Terry's concern is that we may not have a license to cover the songs made available through our Internet site. Stupidly, I heard it was happening but it went over my head because it had started long before I stepped into the position.
I need to know how best to proceed. Your advice would help greatly.
Bill Fisher Unity of Olympia, Washington
No problem, Bill, Here are your license options. Christian Copyright Solutions offers a license called "Worshipcast" which allows churches and ministries to webcast their performance of every song in the ASCAP, BMI and SESAC catalogs.
The issue here is that this license rarely covers our New Thought artists who will not get a cent from this license. The good thing is WorshipCast will cover you for your "Rock n' Roll" or "Beatle" Sundays or most Broadway and pop music.
An emPower Music Rights license specifically covers all the songs from the catalogs of just about every New Thought artists out there. So if you're doing Karen Drucker, Daniel Nahmod, Sue Riley, Jana Stanfield, Eddie Watkins Jr., or using the Unity songbooks primarily, the EMR license covers you for performance and webcasting and pays these artists healthy royalties when you use their song. EMR licenses start at about $100 per year. WorshipCast I believe is around $500 per year. So for @$600 per year, your church can be covered for just about everything it does musically.
Go to www.copyrightsolver.com for the WorshipCast license and www.empowerma.com for the emPower Music Rights license. In the meantime, always put the author and publisher's name on any lyrics you project or print for your service.
Hope that helps, R
www.unity.org/music [email protected] 9 NeNeewww RReelleeaasseess,, RReessoouurrcceess && EEvveennttss
We welcome you to send us news of CD releases, concert events, or YouTube links that you have come across that would be of interest to our community. It could be New Thought songs you’ve discovered on YouTube, touching stories for sermons, new music from your favorite artists or from your church. Links will be rotated off every 3 months. Send your link to [email protected].
New Releases
Move Ahead by Asha Lightbearer Acknowledging life’s challenges while offering release and the promise of peace, love and abundance. Listen: http://www.reverbnation.com/ashalightbearer 10/12
Resources & Links
Hello Unity Music Family. I wanted to share one of my songs with you. Hope you enjoy! Much peace! “New Day of Light” written by Kim Gerhold and performed by Kim Gerhold and T.R.U. at New Thought Unity Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. http://youtu.be/ZGOzk4UhAEE 12/12
For some humor, here is a link to a video that, apparently, a church uses during their service to promote good cell phone etiquette: http://www.youtube.com/embed/D2_c81Nnsc0 11/12
Kid Music Videos Go Global – Multi-cultural Performer Shares World Folk Music With a Quarter of a Million Viewers Worldwide. For complete info, visit DARIA’s Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/DariaMusic or her website at dariamusic.com. 10/12
Spirit SongScribe Music Transcription My name is Deana Ingraham Gurney. I transcribe your original songs, creating professional-quality lead sheets (vocal melody in standard notation, with full lyrics and chord symbols), in high-resolution printable PDF form. www.spiritsongscribe.com
www.innernetevents.com The most extensive Spiritual Event Directory serving the southern California region
www.unity.org/music [email protected] 10 Events
Presents The Eighth Annual Posi Music Festival January 18–22, 2013, Orlando, Fla., Marriott Airport. 3 nights and 4 days of concerts, workshops, song circles and jams. Whether you’re a fan or an artist, you’ll find a tribe of like-minded music lovers to celebrate the empowering power of Posi music.
Confirmed artists and presenters include: Karen Drucker, Jana Stanfield, Harold Payne, Karen Taylor Good, David Roth, Faith Rivera, Tom Kimmel, Greg Tamblyn, Sloan Wainwright, Robert Anderson, Jan Garrett, JD Martin, Gerald White, Penny Nichols, Nathan Aswell, Glen Roethell, and many more. www.emPowerMA.com to register.
Totally Cool Song School pre-event Thursday, January 17–Friday, January 18. Sharpen your songwriting chops by spending two days with some of the best songwriters on the planet. Small classes, mentoring, song critiques. Sign up today for classes with Jan Garrett, JD Martin, Tom Kimmel, Greg Tamblyn, Harold Payne and Faith Rivera.
Mark your calendars to join us for the 2013 Unity People’s Convention, June 8-13. wwww.unityworldwideministries.org/conventionww.unityworldwideministries.org/convention
www.unity.org/music [email protected] 11 UUnity’snity’s OOnlinenline CChoralhoral LLibraryibrary
Unity Worldwide Ministries is now your source for New Thought choral music. After publishing many books of songs primarily for solo and congregation, we have developed a new online distribution model especially suited to choral music.
As director of a choir or small vocal ensemble, you can download and print the required number of copies for your group. To help you choose just the right song, samples of the audio and sheet music, as well as complete lyrics, are as close as your internet connection. If your minister gives you a topic for a service, you can look up lyrics by subject, or search for keywords found in the lyrics on the site.
For a small choir (up to 10 members) full choral arrangements are $15.00. For a larger choir the price is $25.00. Unity Worldwide Ministries has selected Heart Wind Music, LLC, David Ezell, President, as the sheet music host site for the library. Audio for many of the songs in the library is available from empower Music and Arts.
Submissions will be an ongoing process, so if you have a choral arrangement of an existing New Thought song or an original choral song for any theme or special service, you can help us build a huge library of available material for you to have at your fingertips.
Submission Criteria • We are asking for “print-ready” arrangements in PDF format, professionally transcribed in Sibelius or Finale formats with piano or lead sheet and voice parts included. (Contact Richard Mekdeci for a list of qualified arrangers who can help prepare your scores for publication.) • When possible, please include an MP3 audio of the song being performed. This does not have to be a professionally-done studio recording, but enough to give the buyer an idea of the complexity and feel. A good-quality, live church performance should be adequate in most cases. • Please include a lyric sheet for each title and a suggested usage for each song (e.g., Christmas, Volunteer Sunday, Burning Bowl, general use, etc.). • Songs will be screened for quality, sing-ability, and lyric content to insure compatibility with New Thought theology. • If you submit an arrangement to an existing song that you did not write, you should have permission from the songwriter for that arrangement. When you are paid for sales, you will be responsible for compensating the authors through whatever agreement you have with them.
To select and purchase choral music, you can go to http://www.heartwindmusic.com/unwomionchli.html. For information about submitting songs for inclusion in the library, go to http://www.heartwindmusic.com/absusotobein.html.
www.unity.org/music [email protected] 12 JJobob OOpeningspenings fforor MMusicusic DDirectorsirectors
Unity Church of the Bay Area, League City, Texas, has an opening for a part-time music director. We have a vision of a dynamic, contemporary New Thought music program, and we are willing to grow into it! We are calling to us a talented person who can sing, lead congregational songs, read music and have the ability to play the piano (other musical instruments a plus). Primary duties include: selecting music for Sunday and special services, leading congregational songs, scheduling guest musicians, developing and leading a choir, directing a children’s choir or presentation for holidays, and possibly creating a band. To arrange for an interview, contact Rev. LaVern Watters at [email protected]. 12/12
Unity of Murfreesboro, Tenn. has an opening for a part-time music director. We are a small but warm and welcoming spiritual community. We are looking for some one who can read music and work well with others. Ability to lead and direct a team of volunteer musicians and singers, coordinate stage set-up, equipment and sound required. Will be required to develop a repertoire of both traditional and contemporary music appropriate for Sunday services and provide background music for meditations. Ability to write music a plus. Familiarity with PowerPoint also a plus. Familiarity with Unity spiritual principles preferred but not required. 4-5 hrs per week including 3 hours on Sunday. Call Rev. Shirley Bowman at 615.692.4636 to arrange for an interview.
Unity Center of Davis, Calif., wishes to hire a part-time music director. We are enthusiastic about the prospects of finding a talented and dedicated musician who can lead and build our music program to a new level of inspiration and professionalism. The ideal candidate would have strong vocal skills, coaching and leadership ability capable of leading congregational singing, occasional soloing and selecting appropriate music for Sunday services. Guitar or other rhythm instrument skill a plus. We are offering a stipend of $250/week. Contact [email protected] for detailed job description.
Unity Church for Creative Living, St. Johns, Fla., just south of Jacksonville, is looking for an experienced, professional musician with leadership ability to create inspirational upbeat music. We are looking for a talented person who can sing, lead congregational songs, read music and have the ability to play the piano (other musical instruments a plus). Primary duties include: selecting music for Sunday and special services, leading congregational songs, developing and leading a choir, and possibly creating a band. Prefer a bachelor’s degree in music or 5 years related experience. Please email Joanne Toates, Administration Manager, at [email protected] with your resume, or call 904.287.1505 for more information. Check out www.unityinjax.com.
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This service is offered with permission from the author. Please contact the author to request more copies or other arrangements. If you would like a piece of your sheet music offered in Sound Connections, just send a PDF file of your song to [email protected].
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