At this point in time, I’m the only pianist at our church who plays for the special music. Looking forward to other pianists getting involved in this area as they become more comfortable with playing in the service.
Music can pile up REALLY fast without a place to call home. For the past several months, I’ve been using a six pocket binder that has proved VERY helpful and thought I’d share it with my readers.
I know this particular binder may not work for everyone but works great for my needs 🙂 (Binders with more than six pockets can be found on Walmart’s site)
Here’s a picture of my binder from Walmart.
Before watching this video…when you hear me mention “floppy disk”…that’s what our digital piano uses to play recordings.
Please feel free to share your own organization ideas that work for you!
I just stumbled across this simple yet elegant; free piano arrangement when viewing my latest subscriptions of youtube videos.
Love to hear Suyun’s sacred piano videos on youtube 🙂 Thanks Suyun for making us aware of this free piano arrangement for Spirit of the Living God.
The free piano arrangement for Spirit of the Living God can be downloaded at Olive Huisman’s website. (you will find more free piano arrangements as well!)
A big thanks to Olive Huisman for sharing her piano arrangements for free!
I’ve had many requests for this mission song after posting it on youtube a couple of years ago. We’re excited to be publishing James Cordell’s mission piece entitled “Bring Their Faces into Focus”. Look for this song to be published by noon (EST) tomorrow.
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 🙂
How many church pianists have ever heard of the hymn “Ready”? One of my readers recently requested an offertory arrangement for this hymn.(actually just yesterday) Thanks Nancy!
I googled the hymn because I didn’t recognize the title right away. Once I saw the music score, I realized it was one I grew up with… but rarely heard.
One main idea comes to my mind after skimming through the words of each verse…Total Commitment to Christ No Matter What. How convicting when I insert the words “Am I…” before each phrase.
After reading the words to each verse I thought, “This is a hymn worth reviving!” The writer of this hymn, Charles Tillman, was the son of an evangelist. He painted houses and was also a traveling salesman for a music company out of Raleigha, NC in the late 1800’s. Charles began his career as a singing evangelist in 1887. He died at the age of 82 in 1943.
Lyrics to “Ready”
Ready to suffer grief or pain,
Ready to stand the test,
Ready to stay at home and send
Others if He sees best.
Ready to go, ready to bear,
Ready to watch and pray,
Ready to stand aside and give,
Till He shall clear the way.
Ready to speak, ready to think,
Ready with heart and mind,
Ready to stand where He sees fit,
Ready His will to find.
Ready to speak, ready to warn,
Ready o’er souls to yearn,
Ready in life or ready in death,
Ready for His return.
Refrain:
Ready to go, ready to stay,
Ready my place to fill,
Ready for service, lowly or great,
Ready to do His will.
I hope other church pianists can use this old but wonderful hymn to enrich their music ministry at church.
Just published a new sacred vocal solo by Mina Oglesby that’s never been recorded until now..called “Rest Will Come in the Morning”.
I first discovered this piece in a songbook collection by Mina called “I Would See Jesus” published in the 1980’s. After playing through the piece, I immediately called Mina and said, “This song needs to be shared! It’s beautiful!” She allowed me to create an arrangement of this comforting song. I can’t wait to look through her books and share more of her wonderful songs filled with her love for Christ.
Appropriate song for any time of the year and would also make a nice funeral vocal solo too.
Thanks to Casie Schmidt for the wonderful recording of Mina’s song. I played in E flat for the recording. In case that’s too low for some people…I also included the arrangement in F Major but didn’t charge extra for having both arrangements.
The “Assurance Medley” has been one of my favorite sacred piano arrangements to play. I arranged this after asking the Lord to be my Savior at the age of 29.
The order of the hymns in this medley were meant to portray the feeling I had when accepting Christ as my Savior.
I hope this arrangement is an encouragement to you as it has been to me.
My piano teachers always stressed…not using the pedal as a crutch but to demand more out of my fingers by using a smoother touch as though crawling through the keys like a spider; creating a smooth touch even before adding the pedal.
Now to Robert’s clear presentation on playing the piano without the pedal…
Some friends of ours just published their first sacred vocal CD this past summer entitled “His Name is Wonderful”. I absolutely love it!
Thanks to Faith Music Missions for doing an outstanding job on this CD! You can hear samples HERE (offsite link)
You may contact me at jenifer@thechurchpianist.com to order the CD. (I do have a limited number of these CDs for $12 each plus postage.)
I was suppose to accompany them for the recording but distance prevented me from doing so but their pianist, David Chamberlain, did a wonderful job!
Hunter and Morgan commuted to our church for at least four years while attending Bible college. They served in several areas of ministry while there.
We miss them! (Hunter was the inspiration behind the congregational booklets I’ve been publishing.)
Hunter now serves in a church located in New York City while Morgan is serving in a church out in Kansas.
Back to the CD…The songs are fresh! (some haven’t been published yet)
I plan to publish at least 6 out of the 10 from this sacred vocal CD. (“God Can” by Lynndale Hardeman) is already available in our online music store HERE.
Here is a sample of one of their songs “His Name is Wonderful” written by Reece Yandle (my Dad 🙂
(Information for CD drawing is below the video)
To enter this sacred vocal cd giveaway: (a max of 2 comments per person…details below)
1. First comment (like it, nice cd, etc.)
2. Second comment: Share this article link on facebook, twitter, or other social media and leave a 2nd comment providing your social media link.
3. Winner will be notified via email from jenifer@thechurchpianist.com
