I plan to publish two new Christmas arrangements by this weekend:

O Come All Ye Faithful (early advanced piano solo) and What Child is This? (violin solo w/ piano accompaniment

One of my daughter-in-laws needed a violin solo for Christmas….so…to save time…I adapted an earlier piano solo version of What Child is This into a piano and violin special. I REALLY enjoyed creating this one!

Many church pianists have already been practicing for their church’s Christmas program.

In many cases, the church pianist IS the choir leader and has the task of deciding what to do for a Christmas program.

My son is our choir director. He works at least 50 hours a week and the father of three small children. Needless to say,  I help out by coming up with a simple program to fit our 40 minutes per week choir practice time. (this accounts for starting roughly two months in advance; which may vary from church to church depending on your choir’s ability)

My son and I have about a 40 minute commute to church so we’re very time conscious!

Our most-involved Christmas program back in 2011 was entitled “Christmas at Home” by Ron Hamilton. We used the “readers theatre” version due to limited time. The main actors were acting their first play ever. (Part Two sampler of our Christmas at Home)

In recent years, we have experienced a much more pleasant, relaxing time through having easier Christmas programs.

I have written two VERY easy Christmas programs…one of which is FREE HERE.  I’m still editing the second FREE Christmas program.

Now…ideas for enhancing your Christmas Program…

• Lyrics taken from cantata books make for great narration when coordinating a chronological list of songs together for a short choir concert. (That’s what we’re doing this year)

• Include congregation by having them sing a song in the program. ( the choir could sing a descant taken from a hymnal while the congregation sings the melody) Another neat idea…have Pastor lead congregation in  reciting Luke 2:14 at the appropriate time during the program. Very effective! (Tip: Include Luke 2:14 in the Christmas program bulletin)

• The congregation could also stand and sing a song following their verse (Luke 2:14) Song suggestions: Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Joy to the World (include lyrics in the program bulletin)

Easy Christmas Program Suggestion:

1. Several different adults recite the Christmas story(Luke 2:1-19) in microphone off stage while children in appropriate costume act out the narration.

2. Stage setup:  Only two scenes: Manger scene center stage, shepherd scene on left or right of manger scene. (props for shepherd scene not necessary).

3. Songs can be inserted appropriately throughout the narration.

4. Extra tip:Remind children that they must listen to what’s being read so they can act accordingly…to avoid appearing mechanical

Also a good idea to remind narrators to read with conviction! It brings the story to life!!

Hopefully this will help church pianists or choir leaders trying to find last-minute ideas for an easy Christmas program.

Please feel free to leave comments or ideas below.

A reminder: I do have over a dozen FREE piano and vocal Christmas arrangements available HERE.

Sharing a few links that may give you an idea as well (don’t fully endorse all the ideas at these links… but you can sift out what you like)

Possible lyrics for poems

Creative Church Idea Attic

I absolutely LOVE the words to this Christmas carol, Who is He in Yonder Stall?  The last verse into the chorus is my favorite part as seen below.

A big thanks to Mary Lynn Van Gelderen, one of my special piano friends, who helped me with the editing process. Mary Lynn said the arrangement  fit her hands perfectly 🙂

I visualized the lyrics of the first and  last verse when creating this arrangement.

Verse One:

Who is He in yonder stall
At Whose feet the shepherds fall?
Who is He in deep distress,
Fasting in the wilderness?

Last verse:

Who is He that from the grave
Comes to heal and help and save?
Who is He that from His throne
Rules through all the world alone?

Refrain:

’Tis the Lord! O wondrous story!
’Tis the Lord! the King of glory!
At His feet we humbly fall,
Crown Him! crown Him, Lord of all!

Words & Music by Benjamin Handby (1833-1867)

Who is He in Yonder Stall

Moderately advanced Christmas piano solo, 3&1/2 pgs. Approx. 2:22 length Nice arrangement for offertory or other special event. The key change in the middle of the second verse soars into a joyful ending!

Price: $3.95

I posted a new early intermediate level piano Christmas arrangement this week in our online music store for “Silent Night”.

This particular arrangement was written for the piano student in mind so there’s more structure to it.

Click here to view sample page for “Silent Night”

I just published an early intermediate sacred piano solo of “Am I a Soldier of the Cross”.  One of my male students specifically requested this song for an offertory arrangement. Knowing this hymn was rather short…I asked him if he would like a medley with this song in it but he didn’t seem interested in my suggestion….so…I had to add an interesting intro, interlude and ending just to make this arrangement last long enough 😉

You’ll notice more structure in this piece since it was written for the student in mind.

I know this one took me a while but I’m especially picky with vocal arrangements…trying to get them just so for publication.

I’ll probably want to tweak it here and there over time but there’s a time where an artist’s creation must come to a close.

This particular song reminds me that my God is always watching over me. I don’t need to feel discouraged or troubled because God is my constant Friend and He cares for me!

I also plan to publish this in a lower key if there’s a need.

His Eye is on the Sparrow

Sacred vocal solo, High voice--Key of C (7 pgs.) Price covers two copies. (*not a flute arrangement :)) Plan to make one though.

Price: $6.00

Just to let my readers know I have entered a contest with my advanced piano arrangement of God Bless America.

The contest is hosted by Sheet Music Plus.  The name of the contest is ArrangeMe which involves legally arranging copyrighted songs from a select list.

I normally don’t enter music writing competitions but I’ve always wanted to write a piano arrangement for God Bless America.

The contest rules are:  Whoever brings in the most money in sales between June 8th through July 12th 2016….wins $300

No pressure!  🙂  Available for sale at Sheet Music Plus  (Not for sale on our site due to copyright limitations).

Super excited to announce the publication of my advanced piano solo arrangement of God Bless America!  I’ve always dreamed about being able to publish such an arrangement but copyright prevented that.

Thanks to SMP Press, aka Sheet Music Plus,  ( a site I also publish sheet music through) … now offers a chance for its publishers to arrange 1000’s of copyrighted songs through ArrangeMe with SMP Press.  I plan to use this platform of opportunity as time allows.

The advanced piano solo arrangement of God Bless America is only available through SMP Press at the following link:

My heart is full…had to share an experience that just happened today…

Just returned from playing for a funeral. It was the funeral of a former piano student’s grandmother.

The Lord’s presence was unmistakable! I played about a half hour prelude and it was as  though God was moving my hands…you could have heard a pin drop….everyone else must have sensed God’s presence too.  Nothing to do with me.

God’s presence was felt upon meeting Nathan’s warm and caring grandfather sitting  by his wife’s casket prior to the service. You could tell he walked with God and God’s peace surrounded him and his sweet family.  I would love to have known his wife. How he will miss her…married for 67 years. What a testimony!

I taught Nathan years ago when he was first learning piano. He took so well to the old hymns… which he enjoyed playing for his now deceased grandmother.  He’s now in his second year of college.  At the beginning of the service, Nathan came up and played one of my arrangements I taught him many years ago….”It is Well”.  What I didn’t know until the end of the service..was that he played this very arrangement for his grandmother as she entered heaven’s gates.

Sorry…getting a little emotional as tears run down my face while typing.

All I can say is, “God…thank you for allowing me to have a small part in your training of young people for your service and for using my music as a balm for dying saints.”  God is good!

I discreetly videoed Nathan while he played “It is Well”.   You can tell he was giving all he could for his grandmother. But now…she was hearing Nathan from heaven above 🙂