This summer I’ll be doing something I’ve never done before. It’s really not all that remarkable in some ways, but as someone who’s been a self-employed musician pretty much all my adult life, I’ve come to realize that I have to plan my own professional development. The farther away I get from my years of higher education, the more necessary it seems to find opportunities to stimulate learning. So, come July 15th you’ll find me basking in music, workshops and worship at the annual conference of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. It’s being held in Winnipeg, and I figured if ever I was going to attend, this would be the year. I’m not 100% sure of what to expect, but I can tell you what I’m hoping for:
- enjoying worship without having to accompany any hymns
- singing harmony with others around me doing the same
- learning new songs and hymns to use at St. Andrew’s
- meeting contemporary hymn writers who will be there (or at the very least going to one of their workshops)
- meeting other musicians and pastors who are passionate about music in worship
If you’re interested in reading about the making of my second CD (still nameless), you can read about that here.
