On the Job Training

“Outta Here,” “The Trio,” and “Riverside” from SOUNDS CRAZY.  Who doesn’t like a story with a surprise ending? (Answer: nobody) The Bible is full of stories that don’t end up where you think they [...]

“Church” (Words & Music by Robert Sterling) from the CD Sounds Crazy. Some songs burst out in a creative rush. Others leak out over a period of days. If you look only at the time I spent [...]

“Perfect Peace” (Words & Music by Robert Sterling) There are lots of ways to write a song. The “right” way is whatever way works for the writer or writers. The words may come [...]

My previous blog on the importance of piano accompaniments in choral arranging drew a healthy response from readers. And more than one person wrote to ask (and I paraphrase): “What about those [...]

There are lots of different ways to accompany choral music. Piano, organ, brass ensemble, symphonic orchestra, rhythm section, bluegrass band, and every thinkable combination between. But the [...]

(Adapted from my blog for WorshipSongsOnline) In a time when it seems every worship leader in America has personally taken the exhortation to “Sing to the Lord a new song” by writing another [...]

Lessons learned from a life in music. (#10 in a series of posts) “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” Composing commissioned music – writing to suit a particular situation or to fulfill the creative [...]

One of the most common goals of beginning songwriters is to collaborate. We want another writer’s ideas to spur us on to new heights. We want a partner whose creative gifts complement our [...]

Lessons learned from a life in music. (#9 in a series of posts) “And So We Sing” (Shawnee Press 35027907) A song idea can come from just about anywhere. Whether it’s the latest catch phrase [...]

Lessons learned from a life in music. (#8 in a series of posts) “I Have Seen the Light” Every year for the past quarter-century or so, when Christmas rolls around, Chris Machen and I are suddenly [...]