For all Parish Musicians, Cantors, Choir Members, Conductors, Clergy, Music and RE Teachers, Catechists and all who love sung prayer.
A wonderful event!
The third APMN Conference was held at the Rendezvous Hotel, Scarborough Beach, Perth, WA.
The conference featured:
- National and international speakers and workshop presenters
- Showcase Concert
- Conference Mass
- Conference Dinner
Conference Keynote and Workshop Sessions
Clare Johnson
So Let Us All with One Accord: Music as Ecclesial Glue.
Music acts as a special type of ‘ecclesial glue’ within the liturgical assembly, generating communal bonds which facilitate the glorification of God and the sanctification of the faithful. How the diverse members of the assembly become unified through full, conscious and active participation in the performance of good liturgical music, and by what methods this unification can occur, will be explored in this address. How does music function as ecclesial glue? How is our faith nourished and strengthened by the bonds music creates? What is it about music that enables our hearts to be filled with the Spirit?
Michael Mangan
Let the Children Come: Choosing & Using Music for Family-Friendly Liturgies
Song is a vital component in any liturgical celebration but especially when the Assembly includes children “ in view of their special affinity for music.” (DMC 30). Michael will outline principles for choosing music to support vibrant inter-generational liturgical participation and highlight a range of music to enhance school and parish liturgies.
Fiona Dyball
Liturgical Music in Secondary Schools – Singing Our Catholic Identity
A practical and engaging workshop on liturgical music for the Catholic Secondary School context. This workshop seeks to explore principles around the process of choosing music with young people to mentor, empower, and educate them as Music Ministers. The workshop explains how to meet young people where they are, while also opening the riches of their wider faith tradition. The workshop includes singing through music that has enriched liturgy at Marcellin College, Melbourne where Fiona was Director of Music, and at Boston College where Fiona was the first Graduate Assistant for Liturgical Music at the School of Theology and Ministry.
The following material is available for download:
Sophy Morley
Paul Mason
Catholic Worship Book II: A New Resource for Parish Liturgy
Good quality liturgical music fosters effective liturgical practice and spirituality. This workshop explores the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference’s Catholic Worship Book II, published in 2016, as a rich source of traditional and contemporary liturgical music, offering music for the revised translation of the Order of Mass, Mass Settings, Rites and Sacraments, the Church’s Year (Advent – Christ the King) and Morning and Evening Prayer. Musicians and liturgy teams searching for quality liturgical music will discover treasures here from sources past and present. This workshop will ‘unpack’ Catholic Worship Book II, so come and sing, ask questions, and explore this resource.
The following material is available for download:
Chris deSilva
Music in the RCIA Rituals
The workshop will make participants aware of the ways in which music can be part of the rituals of the RCIA and equip them with the resources that will enable them to incorporate music in them. It will cover the place of music in the rituals; learning of suitable music; planning of rituals with music; role play of rituals with music and resources. The participants will gain an understanding of the place of music in the rituals; an experience of the celebration of some of the rituals with music and resources to enable them to incorporate music in their rituals.
Keiran Crichton
Perspectives on Music Under the Southern Cross
This paper discusses liturgical music in relation to ritual time, exploring the relationship between culture, memory, and the experience of temporality. This paper also explores music as a part of community life, asking how it serves as a point of boundary conflict, and considering the wider implications of power and cultural transformation. Through the exploration of examples, this paper seeks to ask how music can deepen and enrich the living of our baptism.
Jim Clinch
If you can play a keyboard you can play an organ.
“Helping keyboard players and pianists to lead congregational singing with an organ – the easy way!
From traditional to contemporary music find out just how versatile an organ is and how easy it is to use.”
The following material is available for download:
Jen Charadia
Sing with Joy in Religious Education, School Liturgy and Staff Spiritual Formation
This workshop will provide music, inspiration, ideas and resources for use in your whole school community. Music for Masses and liturgies will be shared as well as resources for staff prayer and spiritual formation. As a Catholic school principal Jen understands the need for schools to ensure quality music in the prayer, liturgical and RE life of the school.
Monica O’Brien
One Licence – Inspiring Congregational Song
One License (the new merger between Licensing Online and One LIcense) provides parishes, schools and Christian organisations with licenses to affordably and legally access a vast repertoire of music from local and international composers of religious music. This workshop will provide an overview of the exciting features of the various One License licenses including Reprint, Practice Track and Podcast/Streaming Licenses plus general music copyright information. Time will be allocated for Q&A.
Clare Johnson
Forming and Directing a Choir
Vatican II teaches that: “Choirs must be diligently developed” so that “whenever a liturgical service is to be celebrated with song, the whole assembly of the faithful is enabled…to contribute the active participation that rightly belongs to it.” (SC#114) This workshop will explore how to form a liturgical choir (children, youth or adult) and will provide practical suggestions and useful tips for directing a liturgical choir. Learn from an experienced chorister, choir director and singing teacher how to start a choir from scratch, how to nurture young voices, the importance of warm-ups, how to keep rehearsals interesting, how to get the best out of a choir in performance, and how to nurture an understanding of the choir’s ministry within the liturgical assembly both as individual worshippers and as prayer leaders.
The following material is available for download:
Alessio Loiacono
Music for Sacramental Celebrations of First Penance, First Eucharist and Confirmation
This workshop will examine how to select and prepare music for the Sacraments of First Penance, First Eucharist and Confirmation. This workshop will each participants music for these celebrations, so that they music ready to implement in their parish sacramental celebrations.
The following material is available for download:
Amanda McKenna
How to Proclaim the Responsorial Psalm in Song: the Cantor as Leader
This workshop will explore how best to lead the Responsorial Psalm as a Cantor/Music Group when you have strong singers and when you don’t. Drawing largely from Amanda’s Psalm collection (“Sing The Responsorial Psalms”) we will learn new material as well as practical tips to help draw in the assembly. We will also look at the role of the Cantor in facilitating prayer and focus on how to deliver the Psalms in a pastoral manner.
Chris deSilva
The Original Compositions of Chris deSilva
The presentation will showcase the original compositions of the presenter. They will be presented under the headings Communion Songs; Songs for the Seasons; Songs for the RCIA; Choral Settings and Responsorial Psalm Settings. The original songs have lyrics written by the composer. The Choral Settings include settings of some well-known liturgical texts and the Responsorial Psalm Settings set texts from the Lectionary. Participants will receive copies of all the music presented and a copy of the collection of Responsorial Psalm settings, Bless His Holy Name.
Beth Doherty
JoyfullySing – Making a Joyful Noise
“This workshop will look at the intersection between music, beauty, faith, and justice. The content will focus on Beth Doherty’s recently released book and CD. The book “Sing It Out” is a memoir/self help/inspiration/reflection where each chapter is based on one of the songs from her new collection iJoyfullySing. Using wisdom from the bible, the saints, and lessons learned from music ministry, the workshop will be a chance to make a joyful noise and be inspired.
There will also be some time where we share ideas and discuss the challenges and hopes of Catholic music ministry.”
Fr Tony Chiera
Fr Wayne Bendotti
Presiding in Song – the Voice of the Presider
A Workshop especially for Priests and Lay Leaders of Prayer/Liturgy. This practical Workshop will explore:
(a) Possibilities for:
- enhancing liturgical worship through the use of song/voice (tones, etc.),
- enhancing rubric gestures with voice tones,
- encouraging assembly participation through voice and gesture.
(b) The spirituality of the Priest/presider required to lead in song/voice.
(c) The use of appropriate and uplifting music/song to enhance other prayer experiences (e.g. Reconciliation services; Morning Prayer, Prayer before meetings).
A substantial period will be dedicated to engaging participants in the practical demonstration of the above.
Jennifer O’Brien
Music for the season of Advent
Brief exposition on the history of Advent and its current character. Exploration of the music (psalmody and hymnody as well as Mass settings) suitable for use at Mass during this season, focusing particularly on material included in CWB II.
The following material is available for download:
Donrita Reefman
Sing to the Lord – the Responsorial Psalms of Brother Colin D. Smith
The psalms tap into the joys, sorrows, laments etc. of today; they help the assembly connect with the scriptures and participate more fully when proclaimed in song.
Colin Smith’s newly revised psalms, the most popular complete psalms setting collections in Australia, are born out of excellent composition and a deep understanding of congregational song and likely to live on for decades to come. They are easily accessible for the most humble of parish music groups while being equally fitting for the more solemn Cathedral settings.
Donrita will take participants on a seasonal psalm journey.
Gina Ogilvie
Monica O’Brien
Making Connections, Embracing Diversity
Via creative process, music, song, multi media, scripture, prayer and personal reflection, participants will be invited to go to the heart of what diversity means to them, to gain insights from the wisdom of others and to revisit the values of the gospel which place acceptance, hospitality, equality and joy at the center of what it means to be awake to the promptings of the Spirit. A variety of music styles will be woven throughout this experiential ‘retreat style’ workshop.
Paul Mason
“Shout Aloud and Sing for Joy”: Liturgical Song Showcase
Experience the power of singing to express our experience of the “Joy of the Gospel!” In his first Apostolic Exhortation, Pope Francis goes to great lengths to reinforce the importance of singing in our liturgies. He quotes extensively from scripture to make his point, including this line “Shout aloud and sing for joy” from Isaiah 12:6.
This showcase offers the opportunity to sing a variety of forms and genres of liturgical songs, some familiar as well as many new, including new Children’s Eucharistic Prayer Acclamations from the the new collection “Masses for Parish and School,” new psalm settings from the new collection “Psalms for All Time Volume 2,” and a sample set of songs from the collection “Hymns and Spiritual Songs.”
Each participant will receive a free music resource to take home. Other resources are available for purchase at the Liturgical Song exhibit booth.
The following material is available for download:
Donrita Reefman
Porus Walls – A Choral Retreat of Shared Musical Treasury
With shared choral singing interludes from RSCMs Ecumenical resource, “”Reform and Renew””, Donrita will reflect on the January 2017 experience of RSCM Australia’s Adelaide Summer School. This is a “choral retreat” for those who love singing in choirs and are keen to be enriched by the musical traditions of not only Catholic but also Anglican and other Churches.
The contribution of RSCM Australia in supporting Church musicians will also be highlighted.
Patricia Smith
Singing the Psalms: Beyond the Responsorial Psalm
Singing psalms has been part of the Christian liturgy since its first days. In the psalms we have a treasury of Scriptural prayer and song that we can use in the liturgy from the Entrance song to Thanksgiving yet we still tend to confine them to the Liturgy of the Word purely as Responsorial psalms. Psalms are integral to the celebration of rites and sacraments: Reconciliation, Scrutinies, Election, funerals and weddings, so let’s open up the psalms and consider how and when they might be sung by the whole assembly, cantors and choirs, in familiar versions and new settings.
The following material is available for download:
Mick McIvor
The Spirituality of the Worshipper
When you do life as a church based musician, Sundays can come around awfully fast. No sooner have you finished one Sunday, than you begin the planning process for the following one. In the business of the routine, it can be oh so easy to lose sight of one of the most fundamental questions that any worship leader can ask: “Who is in the room?”
Based on nearly 40 years experience, this a discussion and a walk through some critical issues that every worship leader needs to include in their thinking.
Fr John Fitz-Herbert
Intercultural/multilingual celebrations: preparation and celebration
This workshop will explore existing pastoral, theological and musical issues for liturgical assemblies who have believers from many cultures who speak many first and second languages and who possibly have an ordained presider from another country. Attention will also be given to the ever more necessary task of liturgy preparation for the changing face of celebrating communities in urban and rural settings.
Monica O’Brien
Sing With Joy, United in Song – Willow Publishing BIG SING!
Experience the joy of singing! Join members of the Willow Music Team for a BIG SING exploring a rich and varied repertoire of songs and hymns from Australian and international composers that explore the theme of ‘Unity in Diversity’. New compositions will be presented and each participant will receive a free music resource to take home.
Michael Mangan
Sing Justice, Live Justice – Liturgical Song Inspiring Social Action
“Inspired by sung participation (the church) goes forth to spread the Gospel with full force and compassion” (Sing to the Lord, 9). Liturgical song can be a powerful way to awaken, inspire and motivate our parishes and schools to actively live core Gospel values. Join Michael as he shares engaging repertoire which can highlight justice and the common good, and send our liturgical assemblies out to “announce the Gospel” through our everyday lives.
Leesa Horrigan
Anita Plant
Explore effective & practical musical strategies to enhance our local liturgies
We are not all wonderful sight readers, pianists or singers. This shouldn’t stop us from using the skills, gifts, faith and spirituality given to us to assist our local congregation in prayer.
Often the most effective, prayerful Liturgical Music is simple, heartfelt and authentic in prayer; enabling the congregation to participate and enter into prayerfulness themselves. The gift is twofold: from the humble, sincere musician to the faithful, then gifted back to the musician from the participating congregation.
Join Leesa and Anita in an interactive workshop, sharing practical hints, shortcuts and arrangement strategies to play to your own musical/liturgical strengths.
The following material is available for download:
Paul Mason
Effective Digital Resources for Pastoral Musicians
This workshop will explore the new digital resources available to pastoral musicians from various sources – including publishers such as Liturgical Song, GIA, OCP and One License, that:
- improve the music selection process for Sunday Mass,
- reduce time in preparation of song lists and sheet music for Sunday Mass,
- improve communications with clergy and other musicians for Sunday Mass,
- reduce time in coordinating preparation of projection slides for Sunday Mass,
- Improve the participation experience in Sunday Mass,
- reduce time in preparation of copyright reporting after Sunday Mass.
Participants will receive a resource handout to help develop effective resources in their parish and school.
The following material is available for download:
Patricia Smith
Who’s Singing the Exsultet this Year: New Choral Music for Holy Week and Easter
New music for Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil, arranged for SAB, SSA, SA or unison choirs including a setting of the Exsultet for SAB choir and two cantors, Ubi Caritas, Reproaches and Stabat Mater. Music for a mixed parish choir, bringing together ancient texts with new, accessible settings.
The following material is available for download:
Rev Dr Elio Capra
Sing with Your Voice. Sing with Your Life!
This phrase from one of St Augustine’s sermons will be used to explore the missionary dimension of liturgy, with a special emphasis on liturgical music. We gather to celebrate and then we we are sent to live what we have celebrated. How can we help the people in our parishes and the students in our schools to understand that the liturgy is not ended but send us out to be ‘missionary disciples (Pope Francis)
Josie Ryan
“Again I say rejoice” – uplifting music for Catholic funerals and memorials
This workshop offers an opportunity to explore the liturgical music appropriate for funerals. What does the Church recommend and why?
The Catholic Rite of Christian Burial is beautiful and powerful, but often foreign to the bereaved. Families planning Catholic funerals may have strong ideas regarding the music. How can well-chosen music help to foster fully conscious and active participation in a gathering of disparate faith experiences at a time of mourning? How can music lift the spirit and bring a parish or school community to rejoice? The workshop will include both contemporary and traditional works suitable for many situations.
Anita Parker
Training and mentoring young people to serve in liturgical leadership roles
Explore ideas of how teens & young adults can be trained and mentored in your parish/school to lead in liturgical roles. Based on music ministry roles, but also extending to other liturgical roles, young people can grow beyond just participation into leadership responsibilities. How do you mentor and train them? Be inspired to engage the youth, particularly in the lead up to the ACBC Year of Youth commencing 3 December 2017.
Br Michael Herry
In Your Footsteps Lord: The Holy Ground of Music and Prayer
The workshop would begin reflectively, as participants are invited to the ‘holy ground of music, prayer and the Word of God. Things then gain pace as participants experience and engage in a wide variety liturgical music, hymns, chants, new mass settings. Good liturgical vocal practice will be taught as needed through engagement in the repertoire, all the while keeping the touchstones of liturgical music clearly in mind, the prayerful worship of God and joyful, faith-filled participation. The music will be both accessible to the talents of everyday congregations, without, I believe, being trite or superficial.
The main aim of this vocal workshop will be to send participants away filled with enthusiasm and keen to share a body of new and attractive music with their congregations. A generous hand-out of free music will be made readily available and worked through. In addition reference will be made to the maristmusic website where further free sheet music and audio files may be listened to and download (including a scripture-based chant written for the particular Sunday Gospel each week).
I like presenting my workshops ‘in the round’ where I can engage fully with attendees whilst seated at my keyboard at the front. My colleague would require a data projector and screen and depending on the number in attendance I may require a boom or lapel mike.
The workshop would be of particular interest to church singers and musicians, prayer group leaders and participants, parish pastoral workers, catechists, RCIA members, RE and faith formation staff of schools.
The following material is available for download: