May is the last month of the church choir year.  After our annual Spring Concert on May 3, we will start to get ready to close this choir year.  As I recall our year of 2014-2015, many good memories make me smile. Among them, I especially feel happy about our children’s choir group, Praise Ringers. The children have sung and played bells regularly throughout this year.  On Sunday, April 12, they played bells and showed us the signs of important words of the song, while Sanctuary Choir suppo...

How amazing it is to see the life of nature!  After many months of hiding, leaves and grasses are showing green out of drab braches and ground of a long winter.   New leaves and flowers are so soft -- like a new-born baby's skin.   But, they are so strong!  God's wondrous creation of Genesis continues - on-going  -everyday around us.

As spring is a time of new beginning, May is a month full of the celebrating ceremonies of the church and school year’s closing.   Many will venture to highe...

Those who were musicians, heads of Levite families, stayed in the rooms of the temple and were exempt from other duties because they were responsible for the work day and night.
(1 chronicles 9:33)

When I found this verse in the Bible, it took me by surprise.  All the duties in God's temple are equally important.  Why are musicians specially excluded from other work because they work day and night?

The legendary violinist Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987) said, "If I don't practice one day,...

In the 13^th century, many parts of the world were shocked by the attacks of an unbeatable rising empire. The sudden and unexpected methods used by this new power left countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe helpless against invasion. The Mongol army, led by Genghis Kahn and his sons, was horrifying for the people of the time. Today, this empire which was once the strongest in history is no longer recognized as a dominant force. Historians believe one reason the strength of the ...

When rehearsing with the church musical groups and my piano students I will often ask them to read music without singing or touching the keyboard. This practice helps them look more closely at the music and discover things they did not see before. When people sing or play instruments, they become so involved in the technical complexity of making music they sometimes miss the message that the composers wanted revealed through their music. 

I believe that we need the same approach to communi...