• Violin worship song how deep the fathers world
    hymn arrangements,  publications,  worship

    Violin Worship Song: How Deep the Father’s Love

    Here is a new arrangement for violin and piano of the worship song How Deep the Father’s Love for Us, by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. And when you purchase this violin arrangement you get both the intermediate violin part as well as an advanced violin part. The piano accompaniment can be played with both violin parts. So, depending on the level of the player you can choose either the intermediate or advanced level solo part. Or as the player develops, they can incorporate the harder techniques and play the advanced level. The different techniques required for each level are listed below each sample.  Overall the hardest aspect for this arrangement in either of the levels is…

  • be a composer worksheet
    creativity,  improvising,  worksheet

    Be A Composer Worksheet

    Give your beginning students a chance to be a composer with this worksheet! To strengthen reading notes for the kinesthetic learner without the instrument we can have them write. Even if it’s not the student’s primary learning style, I have found that having them write music solidifies their understanding of what is on the page. We all have a learning style, whether it is visual, kinesthetic or aural. One of these ways that we absorb information more quickly than other methods. When teaching note reading, we rely heavily on the visual aspect. And rightly so, we are learning to read notes. The other learning styles are present especially as we play (kinesthetic, aural)…

  • The overlooked violas
    hymn arrangements,  worship

    The Overlooked Violas

    I was recently reminded about the overlooked violas. Especially the overlooked beginning violists. How often do they just have to play violin music transposed down a 5th. A friend emailed and asked if I knew of any hymn arrangements for a beginning violist, and I discovered there aren’t very many collections available. I actually had several hymns that I already had arranged, but hadn’t published or made available. This summer I’m working on making those available over at www.sheetmusicplus.com. I thought I would make available for free as a viola solo the one that I’m working on typesetting this week. Come Ye Sinner Poor and Needy It’s the old hymn tune ARISE…

  • How Far Is It To Bethlehem
    folk music,  hymn arrangements,  publications,  worship

    How Far Is It To Bethlehem?

    I learned the Christmas hymn “How Far Is It to Bethlehem?” when I was in 4th grade. I remember it because my family moved from Chicago to South Carolina. We began attending a small church in Clemson, SC. That year the children’s choir learned the song “How Far is It To Bethlehem?” for the Christmas program. Recently, I read an article on Frances Chesterton, wife of G. K. Chesterton. She is the author of the poem How Fari Is It To Bethlehem. I still remember most of the words for the hymn. But I didn’t realize it’s beauty and depth until I re-read it now as an adult. Who was Edith Chesterton? The…

  • Everlasting Song
    hymn arrangements,  publications,  worship

    The Everlasting Song

    My mom and I have a new collection of arrangements for violin and piano that was just released this summer, The Everlasting Song. I’m not sure I can describe it any better than what we wrote in the foreword for the book. We are thrilled to share another collection of violin solos with you. We have been collaborating on musical adventures together for the last thirty years as a mother-daughter team. Beginning with those early days of playing all the Twinkle Variations and then creating arrangements of “Jesus Loves Me” and other children’s songs, we have played together in church , at nursing homes, for family concerts, for recitals, and for…