Choir Start-Up: From Vision to Voice 

Thinking of starting a choir? Whether it’s for your school, church, community, or a professional venture, this session will walk you through the full blueprint of building a successful ensemble. We'll cover everything from crafting a compelling vision and recruiting singers to repertoire planning, social media promotion, and building your choir’s reputation. With insights into auditions, team culture, and logistics, you’ll leave with the tools and inspiration to launch (or relaunch!) a choir that lasts.

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Choir Play: Games That Make Your Rehearsals Sing! (A cooperative seminar by Dr. Ashley Conway and Emily Allison)

Turn your choir rehearsal into an interactive playground of vocal games and team-building fun! This session is open to all ages and features hands-on activities that boost musicality, laughter, and group cohesion. Whether you're a choir director looking for fresh, practical ideas or a young singer ready to play, you'll leave with a resource-packed guide, complete with a QR code linking to demo videos. Come ready to sing, move, and giggle your way to stronger ensembles!

RINGING 101: Back to Bells, Getting the Bells OUT of the Closet!

This course is perfect for anyone looking to breathe new life into their handbell program. Whether you're recruiting new ringers, revitalizing existing choirs, or starting a bell choir from scratch, this session offers practical guidance tailored to your needs. You'll learn how to teach the fundamentals of ringing, even to those with little or no musical experience. By the end of the course, you'll have the tools to get a group of ringers playing a song together in just one rehearsal, bringing energy and enthusiasm to your music ministry. Beginning ringers are welcome.

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​Dynamic Directing; Conducing the Music, Not the Beat

Simple to say, difficult to do. All of us get caught up in being the metronome for our ringers. We need to give the beat to the ringers and free ourselves up to musically interpret the music. If we watched a video of someone conducting with no sound, we should be able to tell what song they are conducting from their gestures alone. In this class we will work on some basics of conducting and quickly move into how to give musical gestures.

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Maori Stick Fun

Maori is a native Polynesian culture of New Zealand. The Maori people enjoy many songs, dances, and games as part of their cultural traditions. The stick game, is one of these games. For our purposes, as handbell musicians, the stick game reinforces steady beat, coordination and partnering. AND, it’s a great stress reliever! Come have some fun and play the stick game. The game does require that you sit or kneel on the floor.

Lean into the Whispers of God: Preaching through Tragedy, Trauma & Grief

Drawing from Elijah’s encounter with the still small voice of God (1 Kings 19), this seminar invites preachers and ministry leaders to reconsider how God speaks in seasons of devastation and despair. When life is marked by tragedy, trauma, and grief, God’s presence is often revealed not in the dramatic but in the quiet, holy whisper. We will reflect on how to discern that gentle voice for ourselves and for the preaching moment. Embracing genuine sensitivity and pastoral care in prophetic proclamation requires vulnerability and clarity. Leaning into the whispers of God can help us glean how to hold space for pain while proclaiming hope, healing, justice, and freedom amidst human suffering.

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Preaching as Way-Finding: Proclaiming Paths Through Wilderness

In a world marked by uncertainty, injustice, and disorientation, preaching becomes more than mere proclamation—it becomes way-finding. This session explores how preachers help others discern where God is at work and how to move toward justice, healing, and hope in community. We will consider how prayer, resilience, and prophetic imagination shape sermons that don’t just speak truth, but make a way through the wilderness. Together, we’ll reflect on how preaching can name reality honestly while still guiding people toward God’s promised future.

Hit It Out of the Park – Successful Handbell Ministry

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Batter Up! Hit a home run! Come, see if your team can win the game as we travel the bases and learn the basics of successful handbell ministry. We will touch on topics such as  recruitment, working with personalities, bell assignments, musicianship and worship/ rehearsal planning. 

Duets, Quartets, Octets, Oh My!

Explore the world of ensemble ringing and its growing importance in the handbell world.   Since Covid, this area of handbell ministry has taken off and publishers have met the challenge. Come, see what the excitement is all about as we read through some hot off the press ensemble music!

Worship Reimagined: Storytelling as a Means of Grace

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Storytelling and the arts in worship serve as vital "means of grace," bridging the gap between sacred text and lived experience. Storytelling honors our identity as a covenant people, weaving the grand biblical narrative into our personal testimonies to reveal God’s ongoing work in the world today. Creative disciplines transform worship from a passive event into a communal experience of belonging, inviting every person to see themselves as a vital character in God’s unfolding story of redemption, justice, and hope. Participating in this workshop is an invitation to move beyond the routine and rediscover the spiritual vitality that comes when we dare to be creative. It offers a safe and sacred space to experiment with new ways of sharing the Gospel, providing practical tools for those who want to breathe fresh life into their local liturgies and a renewed sense of purpose, ready to help your congregation connect more deeply with the Word and with one another in ways that are authentic, vibrant, and transformative.

The Work of the People: Reimagining Participation in the Arts

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Worship is not a spectator sport; it is the "work of the people." Yet, many of our creative teams feel like a private club rather than an open door. This session dives into the heart of recruitment and retention, focusing on how to build a worship arts program where every person feels a sense of belonging. We will discuss "gift-mapping" your laity, creating "low-stakes" entry points for storytelling and visual arts, and fostering a community of artists who support one another spiritually as well as creatively. Join us as we move beyond the expected and discover how to ignite a passion for the arts that transforms both the artist and the congregation.

Cadences and Crossroads: Creating Your Next Chapter

Every musician encounters moments of cadence—times of closure, reflection, or transition—and crossroads, where new choices and opportunities emerge. This session explores how to navigate those turning points with confidence and creativity. From middle school to college and beyond, we’ll discuss the challenges and possibilities that arise at each stage of the musical journey. Together, we’ll share strategies for setting realistic expectations, staying motivated, and finding your place in new musical communities. Whether you’re a student, teacher, or mentor, this session will help you embrace each new chapter while keeping music a grounding force along the way.

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Choir Play: Games That Make Your Rehearsals Sing! (A cooperative seminar by Dr. Ashley Conway and Emily Allison)

Turn your choir rehearsal into an interactive playground of vocal games and team-building fun! This session is open to all ages and features hands-on activities that boost musicality, laughter, and group cohesion. Whether you're a choir director looking for fresh, practical ideas or a young singer ready to play, you'll leave with a resource-packed guide, complete with a QR code linking to demo videos. Come ready to sing, move, and giggle your way to stronger ensembles!

AI and Worship Ministries 

Does artificial intelligence have a place in the ministry of pastors, musicians, and worship planners? Can it become a faithful resource for ministry? This introductory seminar explores how AI can serve as a practical tool for worship planning. After a brief overview of how large language models work and the ethical questions surrounding AI in ministry, the session moves quickly to practical application. Participants will see demonstrations of how AI can assist in crafting prayers, liturgies, and calls to worship shaped by a specific sermon and grounded in a church’s theological and liturgical context. No prior experience with AI is required.

Embodying Our Faith: Singing as a Spiritual Practice

This seminar the session invites participants to reflect on their own relationship to singing and to consider how it might be more intentionally integrated into their personal spiritual lives and shared worship practices. We'll explore singing as a formative, life-giving practice within the Christian faith tradition, shaping both personal and communal life. The session considers singing as a vital activity that fosters self-discovery, reflection, healing, and deeper engagement with the human experience. It also reflects on how shared song in worship shapes understanding and reinforces belief, as the words communities sing carry meaning, nurture spiritual growth, and deepen connection with God and one another. Finally, it attends to the broader social dimensions of singing, recognizing its capacity to cultivate empathy, sustain solidarity, and orient communities toward meaning, responsibility, and the pursuit of justice and human dignity. 

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Black Sacred Choral Music: Understanding Genre, Style, and Tradition

This seminar offers choral directors a focused exploration of major Black sacred choral genres, including spirituals, gospel music, anthems, and accessible choral-orchestral works. The session traces the historical development of these traditions, clarifies distinctions among them, and situates each within their theological, cultural, and liturgical contexts. Attention is given to key stylistic characteristics, performance considerations, and interpretive responsibilities that honor the integrity of each genre. The session aims to deepen understanding and equip directors to engage this rich and influential repertoire with clarity, confidence, and care in their own ministry settings.

The Creative Journey: From Divine Spark to Finished Work

This session focuses on the process of creation, helping understand that "inspiration" is only about 10% of the job. Here, we will focus on the aspects of the design used for the conference.

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Architecture of Atmosphere: Designing Spaces for Encounter

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This moves away from just "interior design" and focuses on how the physical environment facilitates a spiritual experience.

Introduction to Improvisation for Liturgical Dance

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Whether an experienced mover or just getting started, this session will utilize the elements of nature to build a foundation for movement in liturgical dance. Though guided prompting, movers will explore and gain resources to expand their movement toolbox though dance improvisation.

Meditation Through Movement

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This session will provide an opportunity for individuals to rest and reset through mindful movement and meditation. Please feel free to bring a mat or towel for any floor based movement.

Playing Organ When the Sheet Music Doesn’t Cut It

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It’s one thing to play a 4-verse strophic hymn out of the hymnal. It’s another to play Black Gospel, CCM, African Praise, and every other kind of genre that doesn’t fit neatly on a page.  Have a discussion and demonstration with Mark on strategies for leading congregations with organ and a robust repertoire for a vibrant and diverse 21st century church.

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Singing Love and Justice

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In this workshop with Lindy Thompson, we will explore and discuss several of Lindy’s lyrics of love and justice. You will hear the story behind the writing of each song and we will share ideas about contexts in which the songs could be used.

Stocking the Pond: Facilitating Creativity

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What sparks you? What snaps you out of the routine and makes you pay attention?  What do you need to ignite your own creativity in your own context?

This workshop will explore the many ways inspiration comes to us. Our time together will include Lindy’s story of the what, how and why of her writing and how she cultivates an environment from which insight can spring. Participants will leave with fresh ideas to enhance their own creative pursuits and dreams.

Singing Love and Justice

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In this workshop with Mark Miller, we will explore and discuss several of Lindy’s lyrics of love and justice. You will hear the story behind the writing of each song and we will share ideas about contexts in which the songs could be used.

Skills Beyond Singing: Developing the Whole Musician in the Choral Rehearsal 

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This session proposes ways to build musicianship through aural training, movement, and vocal exploration. Short activities that can scaffold each rehearsal will have your kids excited for the newest challenge. These activities are appropriate for beginning choirs (upper elementary +) and can be modified for intermediate groups. 

Sol La? Solo! 

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Singing assessments can be terrifying! These games build confidence in individual musicianship and elicit willing participation from even tentative singers. Using a Kodály focus with aural, visual, and kinesthetic methods, these activities are “tried and true” in the beginning choir setting and can be modified for both younger and older learners.

Building Tone Quality in the Choral Rehearsal

“What you hear is not necessarily what you have to live with.” By concentrating on fundamentals of healthy singing, i.e. breath flow, relaxation of the vocal mechanism, and selection of literature that reinforces these concepts, the tone quality, intonation and blend of the choir can improve. Warm ups and constant reminders of the principles are keys to success.

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Organizing Rehearsals for Efficiency and Enjoyment

It is much easier to row downstream than upstream. Through time management, order of music rehearsed and mixing up the musical demands in the rehearsal to combat vocal and mental fatigue, choir members can go away from a rehearsal wondering where the time went, while still having a feeling of accomplishment.