--- title: "Weaving It All Together: Church Music Planning at a Glance" description: "Weaving It All Together: Church Music Planning at a Glance" --- [![AF-prelude-logo](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Augsburg%20Fortress/AF_Prelude_Blog/AF-prelude-logo.png?width=181&height=52&name=AF-prelude-logo.png "AF-prelude-logo")](http://www.preludemusicplanner.org/) - [LEARN MORE](https://preludemusicplanner.org/) - [BLOG](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org) - [SIGN IN](https://members.preludemusicplanner.org/) # [Prelude Music Blog](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org) # Weaving It All Together: Church Music Planning at a Glance by [Jennifer Baker-Trinity](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/author/jennifer-baker-trinity) Church musicians are always planning: planning for the upcoming rehearsal, next Sunday, next Easter. No matter the situation, planning well contributes to the success of our varied ministries. This time of year can be the time to consider worship and music planning at the macro-level. We spend time with the micro-details, but do we carve out ample time for considering how all of our little plans work together for the good of the whole: enriching and vibrant worship? Do the various threads of church music interweave so that they are integral to worship and not merely decorative? The better we step back and reflect on the larger picture, the more our plans can be central to the assembly’s worship. Consider these three tips as you plan for the calendar year. ## **1. Immerse yourself in the Word** As Lutheran church musicians, we understand church music as servant to the Word. As you plan for the year, spend time looking at the arc of the lectionary texts for the coming year. What stories will we hear this year that we did not hear last year? Is there a “hole” in your choral music library; anthems for Advent, for example? What scripture texts inspire compositional creativity such as new psalm setting or communion refrain? Do you have the perfect children’s choir anthem for a Sunday in Lent? Spend intentional time individually and in collaboration for lectionary study. You and those whom you serve will reap the benefits. **Resources to help you**: [Prelude Music Planner](https://preludemusicplannerapp.azurewebsites.net/), especially searching by date/lectionary); *[Indexes for Worship Planning](http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/8092/Indexes-to-Evangelical-Lutheran-Worship?c=285662)*; [sundaysandseasons.com](http://sundaysandseasons.com/). ## **2. Begin with Holy Week and move outwards** We proclaim Jesus Christ crucified and risen as the center of our faith. What would it mean, then, to begin planning for the year starting at Holy Week? Oftentimes we get to this time of year and the liturgies for Holy Week can catch us off guard. Instead, consider starting here as you plan music for choirs and think about hymnody. Work backwards into Lent and Epiphany and then forwards into the Easter season. **Resources to help you:** In addition to the sources above, check out *[Music Sourcebook for Lent and the Three Days](http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/8119/Music-Sourcebook-for-Lent-and-the-Three-Days?c=285662).* ## **3. Make a new hymn list** In his book, *[Introducing a New Hymnal,](http://www.amazon.com/Introducing-New-Hymnal-Improve-Congregational/dp/094105019X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1442500317&sr=8-3&keywords=james+sydnor)* author James Sydnor reminds us that all congregations have a different threshold for newness. This is good to remember, especially if we may have spent the summer at conferences and other events where we learned new hymns and service music. In our excitement, we might want to come back and sing it all! Without a plan, we might try to introduce too much too quickly or we might shy away from teaching enough new hymns. In my setting, I plan to teach six new hymns between Advent and Pentecost. Such teaching will include not only learning the hymns but learning about them in newsletter articles, online, or in service bulletins. Having this plan will help me as I plan the choir year for children and adults since, as leaders of assembly song, they will learn these hymns first so they can better lead the assembly. Remember: a “new” hymn is not necessarily a hymn recently composed, but a hymn that is unfamiliar to your assembly. This could mean teaching a gem from the past that has not yet been discovered. **Resources to help you:** [sundaysandseasons.com](http://sundaysandseasons.com/), *[Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship](http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/7476/Hymnal-Companion-to-Evangelical-Lutheran-Worship?c=285662).* Posted on Sep 22, 2015 12:24:42 PM Filed Under: [Planning](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/planning), - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ![Jennifer Baker-Trinity](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Augsburg%20Fortress/AF_Prelude_Blog/Authors/JenniferBakerTrinity.jpg?width=100&height=100&name=JenniferBakerTrinity.jpg) #### Written by [Jennifer Baker-Trinity](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/author/jennifer-baker-trinity) Jennifer Baker-Trinity is a church musician and Associate in Ministry who has served congregations in Illinois, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. She has been a regular contributor to Sundays and Seasons (Prayers of Intercession, Hymns for Worship) and has authored Soli Deo Gloria: Choir Devotions for Year B (Augsburg Fortress, 2011). She leads assembly song at Beaver Lutheran Church (Beaver Springs, PA) and lives with her spouse and three children in Middleburg, Pennsylvania. ### Subscribe to Email Updates - Recent - Popular - Categories ### Lists by Topic - [review-prelude (87)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/review-prelude) - [Choral Techniques and Repertoire (56)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/choral-techniques-and-repertoire) - [Music Ministry (55)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/music-ministry) - [Planning (55)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/planning) - [Assembly Song (37)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/assembly-song) - [Potpourri (32)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/potpourri) - [Instruments and Ensembles (19)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/instruments-and-ensembles) - [Hymnody (14)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/hymnody) - [music (13)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/music) - [Uncategorized (10)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/uncategorized) - [COVID-19 (5)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/covid-19) - [Composing and arranging (5)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/composing-and-arranging) - [Coronavirus (5)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/coronavirus) - [News (5)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/news) - [Christmas (3)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/christmas) - [Easter (3)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/easter) - [Instruments (3)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/instruments) - [Social distancing (3)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/social-distancing) - [worship (3)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/worship) - [Advent (2)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/advent) - [All Creation Sings (2)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/all-creation-sings) - [Children Ministry (2)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/children-ministry) - [Lent (2)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/lent) - [Summer (2)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/summer) - [gratitude (2)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/gratitude) - [Creative Arts Camp (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/creative-arts-camp) - [Cultural (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/cultural) - [ELW (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/elw) - [Evangelical Lutheran Worship (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/evangelical-lutheran-worship) - [Holidays (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/holidays) - [Hope (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/hope) - [Hospitality (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/hospitality) - [Pentecost (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/pentecost) - [Psalms (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/psalms) - [Youth Ministry (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/youth-ministry) - [children (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/children) - [culture (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/culture) - [devotions (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/devotions) - [john the baptist (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/john-the-baptist) - [joy (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/joy) - [leadership (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/leadership) - [marriage (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/marriage) - [race (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/race) - [relationship (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/relationship) - [self-care (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/self-care) - [spiritual (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/spiritual) - [time (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/time) - [trust (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/trust) - [wedding (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/wedding) - [weddings (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/weddings) - [writing (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/writing) see all ### About Prelude Music Planner [Prelude Music Planner](http://www.preludemusicplanner.org) is the web-based tool that provides a wealth of music, thoughtful commentary, and time-saving tools for the church musician. - **Explore a wealth of music**. Search our database of congregational, choral, and instrumental church music by lectionary day, voicing, difficulty level, tune name, and more. - **Get the music you need, when you need it.** Preview the entire piece of music from beginning to end, and then download the parts you need. Subscribers will also receive a block of “points” to spend on our library of downloadable choral and instrumental pieces. - **Manage your church’s music library**. Organize your music library in one master location. 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