music

Transforming taste through love
Discerning good music is a hornet’s nest if there ever was one. We often declare what we like as good, tying its value to our taste. This is not unreasonable; like attracts like. We call a restaurant good if it produces quality food with flavours we appreciate. Good friends return our affection for them. Why shouldn’t good music be joined together with our taste?

The one who has ears
When I was a young boy, as my Dad and I were driving one day, he reached over, turned up the radio, looked at me, and said, “Hear that? That’s soul!”

Throw out your stereotypes of stuffy classical musicians: violinist and conductor Calvin Dyck isn’t content to celebrate Christmas the same way twice. The Bakerview MB Church, Abbotsford, B.C., member organizes…

Yahweh
Trevor Dick
Trevor Dick’s CD Yahweh is a passionate compilation of well-known hymns and newly written songs. The songs presented on the disc cross musical boundaries into a wide variety of genres, and could therefore appeal to a wide audience of music lovers.

Love Shines
Cathy AJ Hardy
Openness can threaten some, while it refreshes others. Love Shines will refresh those who are ready for it.

Choral singing has been a beloved Mennonite activity for more than 100 years, and Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) will commemorate its 10th anniversary with two spring concerts: Mar. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Westminster United Church, Winnipeg, and Mar. 27 at 3:00 p.m. in Mennonite Collegiate Institute’s (MCI) Buhler Hall, Gretna, Man.

Dappled Things
Friesen Family Band
I was truly inspired by Dappled Things, the second CD produced by the Friesen Family Band from Edmonton. Chris Friesen, pastor at Lendrum MB Church, his wife Louise, and their five children sing and make music together. The older four children (9–16) join their parents in singing amazing harmony, beautiful solos, and exquisite instrument playing. The youngest (3 years old) sings with the family at home and appears once or twice during concerts.

How much of your worship service is spent reading and hearing Scripture? Ten percent? Fifteen? More? Less? In 2004, Constance Cherry, who teaches worship and Christian ministries at Indiana Wesleyan University, surveyed a wide variety of churches in the U.S. to see how much time was spent reading Scripture during worship. She discovered that in traditional, contemporary and “blended” churches, only 2–5 percent of the service was spent reading the Word. In most congregations, significantly more time was taken for announcements than for Scripture reading.

Just As I Am
Artist: Carol Peters
Instrumental CDs can be hard to critique, as the musical range can be as broad as one’s personal taste. Carol Peters, an accomplished pianist, displays her love for both music and life in the CD Just As I Am, produced and engineered by Roy Salmond.

Rural UrbanitisMartin BlumrichRural Urbanitis is a fresh and exciting collection of acoustic/folk-style music with inspiring, honest, and hope-filled lyrics. This multi-talented musician and songwriter sings of faith, hope, and love, as it intersects with life. Martin Blumrich wrote all but one song, and in short notes in the CD jacket, describes the inspirations for each of them.