Listen to the Spirit – Melbourne 2019

Tony Alonso

Listen to This! A Not So Universal Language

The phrase “music is a universal language” is invoked so frequently in conversations about the expressive power of song that it often passes without a second thought. But any pastoral musician or liturgist who has experienced the diverse passions that the selection of a particular hymn can elicit among members of our assemblies knows that the multivalent way in which music is received is far from universal and can even be quite divisive. This keynote will engage emerging work in neuroscience and music to deepen contemporary conversations about musical styles in worship to encourage us beyond polarized conversations to ones grounded in pastoral understanding.

The following documents are available for download:

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Diana MacAlintal

Liturgical Participation: How We Learn the True Christian Spirit

We all know that liturgical participation is important. But it takes more than just showing up and doing a liturgical ministry to genuinely embody the true Christian spirit. It takes openness, discernment, and conversion. To put it bluntly, we need to ask ourselves what good is it if the bread and wine change, but we don’t? Together we will explore three levels of liturgical participation for music ministers that will help them enter more deeply into the life-changing encounter with Christ who invites us at every liturgy to be formed by the Spirit to give glory to the Father by our lives.

The following documents are available for download:

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Tony Alonso

Becoming What We Sing: Liturgical Reflections from the Heart of Pope Francis

For many decades, we have expanded our understanding of the relationship between liturgy, belief, and daily living. But in separating these categories out for reflection, we often create stark divisions between them that miss their porousness in the practice of everyday life. This workshop will explore the fluid relationship between liturgy, belief, and daily living through the mandate of Pope Francis, grounding us in a vision that sees all of life eucharistically.

The following documents are available for download:

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Diana MacAlintal

Becoming Leaders of Sung Prayer

When psalmists and cantors lead an assembly in song, we do more than just sing. We lead people in prayer and proclamation. This requires us not only to hone our musical skills but also to foster a life of deep prayer, faith, and, most of all, love for God’s Word and the people who announce that word by their lives. In this plenary workshop, Tony and Diana will highlight spiritual and musical habits that will help us become true and credible leaders of sung prayer for the church.

The following documents are available for download:

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John Burland

Let The Children Sing! Music For Sacraments, Seasons And Celebrations

The use of song in classroom Religious Education is an effective and engaging way to teach and celebrate our faith. Music increases learning and enhances celebration. In this session John will share a variety of music that deepens children’s understanding of sacraments, the Liturgical Year and major Church feasts/ celebrations. These ‘easy to learn’ songs are rich in Church teaching and Scripture. They invite the use of prayerful movement and gesture. You will leave filled with the joy of the Gospel and equipped to creatively share the message of Christ with your children.

The following documents are available for download:

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Seth Harsh

Music in Youth Ministry

A sharing of the strategy and successes of youth ministry in Wollongong with a particular focus on the use of music. The workshop will also include helpful tips on repertoire, performance, training, liturgical implementation, and diocesan agency networking/collaboration strategies.

The following documents are available for download:

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Ursula O’Rourke

Singing the Rites of Christian Initiation

Every moment in the RCIA process is enhanced by the singing of acclamations, responses, refrains, and hymnody appropriate to the particular Rite being celebrated. Such music supports the liturgical action, facilitates participation in the liturgy, and brings out more clearly the meaning of the texts. This workshop will enable participants to experience a variety of musical styles and settings that are appropriate to the Rites celebrated throughout the RCIA process.

The following documents are available for download:

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Peter Wardrobe

Dorico for Composers

Dorico is Steinberg’s new notation editor and is rapidly gaining use among composers because of its super efficient workflow. With its logical approach to setting up players, instruments and multiple page layouts, Dorico very quickly produces beautifully typeset music manuscripts and audio files. It also supports composing to video. Steinberg is a division of Yamaha Music and Peter Wardrobe, the Dorico Education Specialist at Yamaha Music Australia Pty. Ltd., has presented in many forums on the benefits of Dorico. He will lead this workshop on Dorico, especially focused on the Composer’s perspective of the software.

The following documents are available for download:

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Patrick Nisbet

Exploring the New LiturgyHelp

LiturgyHelp has been a key liturgy resource for the Australian Catholic Church for nearly 20 years. This workshop will explore the new version of LiturgyHelp and provide an overview of the content and practical suggestions on how the resources can be used to simplify liturgical planning. The LiturgyHelp system provides access to the liturgical calendar, Lectionary, Missal and a wealth of planning and prayer resources.

The following documents are available for download:

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Carmen Cheong-Clinch

Music: my voice, our voices

Bringing people from various cultures and generations together is no mean feat and often music is used to do that. Music has been described as a universal language. So how does that work? Does the genre or instruments matter? What does music mean to different generations? Based on my work as a music therapist, researcher and educator I will talk about our personal and collective relationships with music. I hope that we will bring our experiences and curiosity to discuss and learn together.

The following documents are available for download:

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Paul Taylor

The Sung Responsorial Psalm

This workshop will explore Proper, Common and Seasonal settings of the Responsorial Psalm for use during the Liturgy of the Word, and possibly other liturgical moments. Various liturgical sources (e.g. CWB (1985), Psalms for Feasts and Seasons (1991) by Christopher Willcock SJ, other local/international sources), musical styles (e.g. chant, Gelineau, “Benedictine”, through-composed), and performance practice issues (i.e. for Cantor, Accompanist and Congregation) will be examined, and participants will be encourage to sing, ask questions and reflect upon the principles and practices explored in relation to their own liturgical context.

The following documents are available for download:

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Diana MacAlintal

Liturgical Flow: Understanding the Key to Excellent Liturgy

If your Sunday liturgy is good, but you want it to be great, you may need better liturgical and musical flow. It’s a concept difficult to define yet simple to implement once you know what to look for. Learn how to spot the obstacles and unblock your way to excellent liturgy that fully engages the assembly in word, music, and action.

The following documents are available for download:

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Andrew Chinn

Singing the Year Round! Catholic Music for the Primary Classroom

A range of singing and musical stategies that will develop their ability to use song to enhance the prayer life of their classroom and school. Song has the power to bind us together in Spirit, to increase our knowledge of scripture andAndrew draws on twenty years experience as an elementary teacher and leader in Catholic schools in Sydney Australia as well as nearly twenty years as a music minister, visiting more than 1000 Catholic schools around the world. The sharing of this experience will enable participants to see and use songs in a practical, hands-on, day to day way.

The following documents are available for download:

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Fiona Dyball

Me and Jesus/We and God: Music for Catholic Secondary Schools

This practical and uplifting Workshop breaks open a range of great repertoire for Prayer Services and Masses for students in Catholic Secondary Schools. It looks at the differences between sacred music for more devotional purposes (Me and Jesus) and music that suits the communal nature of the Mass (We and God). The Workshop offers a solid grounding to participants to help students and teachers find the best places for sacred music in the course of the liturgical and school year. Music for the mixed ensemble will also be explored. Come to sing, move and find your voice in sung prayer!

The following documents are available for download:

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Angela Gorman

Listen to the Spirit – and prepare!

This workshop session will explore the behind the scenes preparation – both spiritual and practical – of the music leader/director, musician, singer, cantor… to lead the assembly in song during Mass. Based on the Church’s documents, Angela will share and discuss some practical strategies for personal preparation that will assist the musician/singer to be fully prepared in mind, body and spirit for their magnificent music ministry in the Mass! This workshop will be participative and informative. You will sing, reflect, pray, listen and share. Prepare to be inspired!

The following documents are available for download:

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Paul Mason

The Power Of The Spirit: Liturgical Song’s Publisher Showcase

This 2019 Liturgical Song Showcase will feature psalms and songs for the liturgical year from the Liturgical Song catalogue. There are a number of new releases since the 2017 showcase, including “Psalms For All Time Volume 3”, “Hymns and Spiritual Songs”, a couple of new Mass settings, and some surprises planned for launch at the conference. In addition the showcase will feature new specialist publications “For Conductors”,  “For Choirs” and “For Projectors.”

The following documents are available for download:

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Monica O’Brien

Church Music Copyright Made Easy with One License

ONE LICENSE provides Catholic parishes, schools and Christian organisations with a variety of music licenses that cover a vast repertoire of music from local and international composers and publishers of religious music. This workshop will provide an overview of the ONE LICENSE website plus general music copyright information. Time will be allocated for Q and A.

The following documents are available for download:

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Catherine Mahony and Anne Millard-Daugherty

Was Blind…and I Still Can’t See

References to blindness occur over 50 times in the Bible: as a punishment, as an opportunity for healing, and as a metaphor. In this workshop, Catherine and Anne will lead participants to sing through some of our beloved musical repertoire, focusing on references to disability in the lyrics, and how they might be “heard” by members of the assembly with disability.

The following documents are available for download:

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Jason McFarland

The Right Way to Sing the Chants of the Roman Missal

“We’re not the kind of parish that sings chant” might be something many of us would say. Bringing ancient chant to our contemporary worship is quite complicated and rarely the best pastoral option. However, the chants newly adapted to English for the Roman Missal in 2010 are often the best pastoral option for settings where music ministers are scarce. No accompaniment is required; the assembly can easily sing along after some practice. The focus of this workshop will be singing these chants in a dynamic way (as the composers intended) to make them a true option for our common worship.

The following documents are available for download:

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Donrita Reefman

Putting the choir in its place

What do our documents really say about the role of the choir in liturgy? A workshop focussing on developing choirs and enhancing existing groups in parishes with an emphasis on the choir’s actual role in liturgy. Documents stemming from the Second Vatican Council specifically mention and attach importance to the development of choirs – this workshop gives practical suggestions pertaining to setting up choirs, ongoing musical formation of choristers, repertoire suggestions and the exploration of RSCM materials and programmes as a readily available resource to assist with this.

The following documents are available for download:

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Patricia Smith

Children’s Choirs: Method and Madness for Primary-age Liturgical Choirs

Whether you already have a liturgical choir for primary-age children or are hoping to start one, this workshop will explore the challenges of recruitment and repertoire, community-building and celebrating. It will look at making connections between parish and school, how-to’s for catechesis and liturgical awareness, and suggest lots of ideas for new music, games and warm-ups.

The following documents are available for download:

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Tim Hart

The Guitar in Worship: Supporting Full Participation In A Beautiful Liturgy

This masterclass explores the diversity of the guitar, as an instrument for use in divine worship. Participants will consider the role of the guitarist as a ‘music minister’, informed by key Church documents. Meeting the needs of the liturgical celebration will be explored through the elements of music. Performance techniques will be demonstrated to show how the guitar can be used to lead and support congregational singing, while tone and texture will be explored to create ‘beauty’ setting the mood for various seasons and prayer settings. These techniques will be applied to songs from the Catholic Worship Hymn Book II.

The following documents are available for download:

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Michael Mangan

Musicians or Ministers? What is the role of those who play and sing at Mass?

The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (CSL#7) states that Christ is truly present in the liturgical Assembly “when the Church prays and sings (together).” Unifying the Assembly in song, to become the liturgical Body of Christ, is a primary role of the liturgical musician. This focus impacts on the music we choose and on the way we lead a gathering of individuals to fully conscious and active participation in song. Come and sing through a range of repertoire and consider how our choices may (or may not!) help make Christ truly present in the Assembly.

The following documents are available for download:

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Anne Millard-Daugherty

Simply Singable: A new collection of psalms

Participants in this workshop will explore “Simply Singable” a new collection of psalms by Dr. Anne Millard-Daugherty. While learning the new psalms, participants will analyse what makes a psalm singable and discuss ideas and strategies for the psalmist to effectively aid the assembly to more fully and actively participate in the liturgy. Assisted by three cantors (ranging in age from 12 to significantly older), we will explore key aspects of leading the congregation in song: music suitability; gesture, eye contact and facial expression; and the role of the accompaniment.

The following documents are available for download:

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Jennifer O’Brien

Celebrating the World in Song: “Ecology” Hymns

This workshop will present a selection of hymns that celebrate creation in all its aspects that can be used in the Sunday parish Eucharist and other forms of communal prayer. While focus will be primarily on the available repertoire, time will also be spent on when during the liturgical year these hymns would be appropriately included in Sunday worship.

The following documents are available for download:

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Clare Johnson

From many into one: nurturing the choral bond

Singing together generates a special bond that is essential in a good choir. Identifying how to unify diverse personalities, preferences, skill-levels and ambitions can challenge even the most musically gifted choral leaders. Musical skill, patience and leadership qualities are necessary characteristics for a good choir director, but nurturing the choral bond requires something more. This workshop explores how to nurture the choral bond through approaches to learning, practicing, perfecting and performing choral music together, and looks at how the Spiritual element that is added when choirs minister in liturgical celebrations can enhance and expand their musical, human and spiritual bond.

The following documents are available for download:

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Tony Alonso

Singing the Seasons: Music for the Liturgical Year

In this reading and repertoire session Tony will share a range of psalms and songs for use throughout the liturgical year.

The following documents are available for download:

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Andrew Chinn

Description of presentation

Featuring all four of Butterfly Music’s artists:, Andrew Chinn (Wollongong), Drew Lane (Melbourne), Jane Mitchell (Traralgon) and Tim Hart (Mittagong), this showcase will provide a wealth of ideas for the RE Classroom and school prayer and liturgy. These four teachers have more than 110 YEARS in the classroom between them! Come and share their songs of faith, love and hope.

The following documents are available for download:

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Genevieve Bryant

Listening to the Spirit in the Youth of Australia

Using her 15 years of experience in leading music ministry in both parish and school environments, Genevieve delves into current issues facing music ministers. She will challenge us to discern the role of young people in our ministry and how music can be used as an authentic way to make connections. Genevieve will explore with you ways of creating new arrangements of our existing repertoire by using the gifts and talents of our young and emerging musicians and leaders of the church. Music chosen will be suited for use both inside and outside the liturgy.

The following documents are available for download:

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Paul Mason

The Joy and Beauty of Sunday: Key Principles for Selecting Music for Mass

In “The Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis speaks of the joy and beauty of Sunday celebrations. This workshop reviews the key principles in choosing music for consistently joyful and beautiful Masses. It addresses critical questions such as – how much singing? what are the priorities and why? what music is suitable for which parts of the liturgy? what are the performance issues to be considered in selecting music? Examples of music suitable to the various genres and parts of the Mass will be reviewed. Participants will receive a handy easy-to-use guideline and a sample pack of resources.

The following documents are available for download:

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Erica Marshall

Yes! We could sing that!

Full and active participation in liturgy is felt, expressed and nourished by the voice of assemblies who understand, believe and love what they sing. What kind of music can unlock the power and beauty of what we do in the liturgy? This session offers composers some sound liturgical principles and simple musical techniques to act as building blocks for crafting strong ritual music that forms our understanding and invites us into deeper participation in the mysteries we celebrate. You are welcome to bring your own compositions to share and to receive feedback.

The following documents are available for download:

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Anthony Young

Musical Stewardship – how are we preparing for the future?

This workshop will demonstrate practical ways of involving secondary school aged musicians in leading congregational singing so that they develop skills to use to serve their parishes and communities. It will be led by student musicians and singers from St. Laurence’s College. The practical skills needed by those who lead group singing will be demonstrated and ways of supporting students in the endeavour of leading sung worship will be canvassed.

The following documents are available for download:

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Patricia Smith

Music for Multilingual Celebrations

From the parish with multiple active cultural groups to the parish that celebrates Refugee and Migrant Sunday once a year, we all know the growing need for inclusive liturgies that incorporate music from different cultures. Where do we find music for a widely mixed assembly? How far should we go with singing in different languages? In this workshop we will talk about songs in multiple languages, bilingual singing, musicality and cultural identity, and bringing it all together, as we share our experiences, our successes and our ongoing challenges to build up the Body of Christ.

The following documents are available for download:

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Jacinta Jakovcevic

How can I help them sing?

A workshop focussing on the effective use of the organ in liturgy and the powerful connection between good accompaniment and singing – with special emphasis on helping the assembly to sing, exploring points pertaining to the accompaniment of choirs, cantors; and the use of the organ as a solo instrument in a liturgical context. Practical examples will be given and participants are welcome to bring along a hymn, psalm, or movement of a Mass setting. This workshop will also make mention of pianists who may already be in an accompanying role or who may wish to try playing the organ.

The following documents are available for download:

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Michael Mangan

Kids, Music & the Directory for Masses with Children: What is it & does it matter

The Directory for Masses with Children (DMC) is one of the Church’s best-kept liturgical secrets! However, it is an essential document for everyone involved in the preparation and celebration of Masses in Primary schools. It is also crucial a background for every parish liturgy and music ministry team. Come and explore the DMC’s inspiration, suggestions and directives, and discover how it influences school and parish music ministry. Using examples from his various collections, Michael will lead us to see how we can effectively use music “to help children readily and joyfully … encounter Christ together in the Eucharistic celebration.” (DMC#55)

The following documents are available for download:

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Genevieve Bryant

Description of presentation

“Listen to the Spirit and Sing” Through sharing her faith journey through music, Genevieve will explore the moments that have encouraged her and those that have held her back. She will inspire with her stories of overcoming moments of doubt, and how her connection to faith and community have encouraged her to listen to ‘one small voice,’ and flourish as a young Catholic artist.

The following documents are available for download:

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Sophy Morley

Sing With The Spirit: Using Catholic Worship Book II for Spirit-filled Liturgies

Good quality liturgical music fosters effective liturgical practice and spirituality. Catholic Worship Book II (CWB II), published for the Australian Catholic Church (2016) is a rich source of traditional and contemporary liturgical music for every Catholic parish and school, offering music for Mass, Rites, Sacraments, Liturgical Year, Morning/Evening Prayer. Musicians and liturgy teams searching for quality liturgical music will discover treasures here from past and present. Come and sing through some of the music, ask questions, and explore this comprehensive resource with its weekly music suggestions. CWBII assists liturgical musicians to sing the Church’s prayer, inspiring God’s people for mission.

The following documents are available for download:

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Roger Heagney

Writing Responsorial Psalms: Crafting the Living Word in Song

In response to the urgent need for settings in English of masses and responsorial psalms immediately after Vatican II, this distinguished Australian performer, choral director and teacher produced many masses and psalm settings for the liturgical year. Roger’s commissioned works include masses for choir and organ, solo or brass ensemble or strings. In 1979, he initiated the Bachelor of Church Music degree at the Australian Catholic University, which inspired generations of musicians to embrace live music in a liturgical setting. In this Composition Masterclass Roger will share his experience in writing responsorial psalms that support and encourage active participation. Workshop participants are encouraged to bring music manuscript or notation software to write down their own composition ideas for responsorial psalms, guided by Roger, during the workshop.

The following documents are available for download:

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Monica O’Brien

Communicating with Compassion

Communication lies at the heart of effective ministry. Misunderstandings and conflict arise in music groups, ministry teams, between staff members, volunteers and with parishioners when differing opinions and various perspectives are not genuinely considered. Participants will learn a transformational communication model that will enable them to listen more deeply, be a more effective communicator and engage with others from the position of compassion. Music, prayer and reflection will be used during the workshop.

The following documents are available for download:

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Anthony Young

The Organ in Contemporary Worship

Often worship bands in contemporary style catholic worship settings use keyboards but do not include the organ. This workshop will demonstrate ways of incorporating the organ into worship bands to enhance music making, enrich the sound of the bands, and, most importantly, support the full active and conscious participation of our congregations.

The following documents are available for download:

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Maureen Mahon

Organ for kids, teens and adults

Maureen Mahon will describe the application of the Suzuki Method to teach young children, teens and adults to play the organ. She will demonstrate the repertoire that is used to develop the student’s technique in a sequential, developmental way that is appropriate for beginners of any age, whether or not they have had any previous experience of keyboard playing. The selection of music ranges from simple folk songs to the works of the classical masters. The method includes an introduction to hymn playing, using the organ’s unique capacity to effectively support congregational singing.

The following documents are available for download:

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Angela Quinn

Forming and Directing a Secondary School Age Choir: Repertoire and Strategies

In the current world of technology it can be hard to engage young people on an ‘exciting’ and ‘particpatory’ level. In this workshop you will be given the opportunity to experience exciting rhythms, harmonies and lyrics that inspire young people to lift their voice in prayer, both in the choir and in the congregation.

The following documents are available for download:

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Diana MacAlintal

Singing The Liturgy: What we sing and why we sing it

Due to a family illness, Fr Elio Capra has had to withdraw from the conference.  Diana Macalintal has graciously agreed to cover this workshop topic. This workshop will explore the role of music in the Eucharist for both parishes and schools. It will challenge the participants to re-visit the old four-hymns-syndrome. It will explore the catechesis necessary for this change of paradigm: The importance and centrality of music in the eucharistic liturgy. What to sing and what not to sing? Why we sing what we sing in the liturgy of the Eucharist?

The following documents are available for download:

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Josie Ryan

The Music of Deirdre Browne IBVM

As the composer of Come as you Are, the number 1 Australian Hymn for 2018 (Onelicense.net), Deirdre Browne IBVM is well known but unfortunately the extent of her compositions are not. Having worked closely with her last year while composing a new work, I will present a workshop launching the new composition to a wider public than its first performance, and also exploring her back catalogue, largely unavailable in modern editions. We anticipate having it available in a newly published or downloadable format in time for the conference.

The following documents are available for download:

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Jim Clinch

Resources at your feet

“Our parish can’t afford………” While that may be true in one sense, many “poor” parishes have equipped themselves with good instruments, equipment and people without emptying the parish purse. Over 25 years we’ve seen many mountains moved by faith and courage and we’d like to share some of those stories.

The following documents are available for download:

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John Fitz-Herbert

Celebrating the liturgy after the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart

In 2017 Australians received the ‘Uluru Statement from the Heart’ from the National Consitutional Convention. What are possible liturgical implications for our Sunday assemblies who are called to Sunday worship ‘in spirit and in truth’? Our parishes more and more include believers as well as seekers who speak many first and second languages. Add into this rich mix growing cohorts of international priests on mission within our Dioceses. Celebrating the liturgy in culturally diverse communities may be be seen as an opportunity to sing the song of the Spirit moving within all creation.

The following documents are available for download:

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Clare Johnson

Music for Catholic Funerals

Choosing liturgical music for use in Catholic funerals is a task which requires empathy, pastoral sensitivity and well-informed musicianship. Understanding what the Church teaches regarding liturgical music in Catholic funeral liturgies and being aware of the range of appropriate musical choices is essential for liturgical musicians and those aiding the grieving in the preparation of Catholic funerals. This workshop will explore Catholic Church expectations regarding music in Catholic funerals and will explore a range of appropriate choices designed to minister to the grieving, glorify God and acknowledge the life and eternal life of the deceased.

The following documents are available for download:

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Tony Alonso

The Work of Our Hands: Composing for the Catholic Church

This workshop explores the vocation of liturgical songwriting: how is it related to and distinctive from other forms of composition? What liturgical, musical, pastoral, and theological commitments ground our work? After providing foundational reflections on these questions, the last portion will provide an opportunity to share new compositions and receive collegial critique. Bring a song to share with the group!

The following documents are available for download:

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