For the last several months, I’ve been rehearsing for a worship music recording that started on December 28. People from all over the country came to my hometown of Abilene, TX to participate in a Praise & Harmony recording. It happens in a different city each year, and when a friend of mine told me about it coming to Abilene, I was excited to join in.
My worship tradition focuses on a cappella singing, but this worship style is becoming a lost art. Keith Lancaster (the founder of the praise group Acappella that was big in the 80’s) uses his talents not only to preserve this worship style but to minister to people around the world, sharing the love of Jesus through song.
Since we have no instruments to keep us on tune and in time, we all wore ear buds and listened to a “click track” broadcast over an FM radio channel to stay in tune and on beat. The click track featured a metronome clicking the beat along with a quartet plus piano singing/playing the parts. We basically had to have the music memorized, though, because all dynamics and cut offs came from our director, so we had to watch him carefully. And since we couldn’t risk having paper rattling on the recording, we sang with slides projecting the music on the front walls. My 50 year-old eyes had a little trouble seeing that far since I was in the back of the room, but we made it work.
Many of the pieces we recorded for this Overwhelming God album are a cappella arrangements of contemporary Christian songs you would hear on the radio. Others are new compositions or revitalized arrangements of long-forgotten hymns. About 250 people gathered for four days a recording, and I can’t express the joy in my spirit as my voice blended with so many other talented singers to get a small taste of what heaven must be like.
I even met a reader and possibly found a few new ones along the way.
It was a lot of hard work. Learning and memorizing 25 songs. Getting up at 6:00 am every day and working until after dinner for the 3 1/2 days of recording, but it was a glorious time of worship, ministry, and music. Truly a mountain top experience.
But then came the valley. After our last group event on Friday, I began feeling a little under the weather. Then on Saturday, an email hit my inbox that mentioned someone in the group had tested positive for COVID. I had run fever Friday night and had some congestion, so I went in for a test Saturday afternoon. Sure enough, my results were positive. Happy New Year, right?
I had been vaccinated previously, so I’m supposed to be less contagious and hopefully will have a milder case of the sickness. Right now, I feel like I have the flu, so not great, but not horrible, either. On the bright side, God kept me well long enough to complete the recording, and so far none of my family is sick. I’m taking precautions. Sequestering in my room most of the day and wearing a mask whenever I emerge. I would appreciate prayers for a quick recovery and for protection for my family.
There would be no mountains without valleys, so I’ll hold tight to the Lord’s hand until he guides my path onto more even ground.
Do you enjoy singing?
What is your favorite style of music?
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What a beautiful experience to song with new friends. Prayers for a speedy recovery, Karen!!
Thanks, Stacy. I’m doing better and will probably be back at work on Monday. The singing was truly an amazing experience, and even with COVID, I’m glad I participated.
The choir sounds like a wonderful experience. The flu doesn’t. Where and when will the finished production be available? I would love to hear it.
Thanks, Lynn. I’m not sure how long it will take for them to produce the recording, but it will be available through acappella.org – Praise and Harmony.
What an amazing experience that must have been!! When I was in high school in Illinois we did a concert every year where 22 schools combined their choirs, bands and orchestras for one concert. We all learned the music before hand and then with two rehearsals, put it all together the performance. 1200 students in the choir and 150 each in the band and orchestra! It was amazing! Hope you recover quickly and your family stays healthy! Happy New Year!
Wow! That sounds tremendous. There is something so powerful about the unity of so many voices/instruments.
So much fun! Except the COVID…Hope you feel well very soon! Thanks for sharing this with us. I LOVE acappella music!
I do, too! Even just for pleasure listening. Love groups like Home Free, Voice Play, and Pentatonix.
Oh no! I’m so sorry, Karen. But so glad you got to participate before it hit! What a wonderful experience of corporate worship.
It truly was amazing. 🙂
What a wonderful experience and uplifting time. We sang in choir, now lead the church choir, in high school. All the city choirs gathered in the city stadium, approximately 1k strong, to sing Handel’s Messiah for the city Easter Concert. Still remember most of the lyrics and parts.
Prayers for a speedy recovery and no complications.
I love Handel’s Messiah! I got to sing it once in college and will never forget it. Such an incredible piece of music focused on our Savior.
Praying for you and your family!
Thank you! We’re hanging in there. 🙂
Karen, I’ll be praying for your very speedy recovery!
I love that you participated in this recording and can’t wait to hear the final result. I think it’s wonderful for all of us in every season to continue finding ways to do the things we love — as you’ve done in this case with your singing. 🙂
It really was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience. I’m so glad I participated.
I love to sing. I grew up watching my mom lead the singing at church and I occasionally joined her. I sang choir in both high school and college. I married a fellow “burster out into song” man. If we hear a few words that match with a lyric from the past, we have been known to give our children an impromptu concert. 🙂 Right now, MercyMe is blasting from downstairs as all our kiddos are home for a snow day. We mostly listen to Christian music but dabble in 70s, 80s, 90s, and anything that strikes our fancy. Right now, my favorites are Be Alright and Thank You, Lord.
I love that “burster in song” man. 🙂 I have one, myself. In fact, he is the reason I left band and joined choir in college. 🙂 Music just adds so much joy to life. I love that you and your family “burst” on a regular basis.
Karen, I’m praying your case will be mild and short. I had Covid over a year and a half ago before vaccinations and fortunately, it only lasted two days.
What a wonderful experience you had singing! I can only imagine how awesome it was. I love Acapella and still have one of their CDs. Please let us know when and where we can find the finished product of your event.
I will, Marilyn!
Praying you are up and about soon. Maybe God just knew you needed a reason to justify to others why you needed a rest after all that recording and singing! I love a cappella and chant (ok, and country/bluegrass. LOL) I grew up singing with a church choir (as opposed to praise band) with all the harmonization and parts. MISS IT. When will the recording be released? Details, please as to name, etc. I would so love to hear it. Well done you for stepping up to the opportunity.
The name of the album will be Overwhelming God. It will be available through the Praise and Harmony website. I’ll be sure to share more details when production is finished.
So sorry to hear that this evil virus made it to you…Hope it will continue to be mild and health will be restored quickly…I have managed to evade it so far, but they say it is a matter of not if but when…:( I am so glad you were able to participate in such a glorious musical experience…I love to sing and just recently “aged-out” (by choice) of our church choir after at least 60 years…Started as a teen and will hit 80 this year…The isolation and “silence” of the pandemic (I live alone and my cat is not a great conversationalist) appears to have dried up my vocal cords so that my voice “breaks” frequently when I sing…I did not want my occasional squawks to detract from the choir’s performance, so I chose to drop out..I still sit on the front row at church and let my alto fly as is will….Prayers for your swift and complete recovery….
Prayers for healing for you!
We love a cappella music and sang with a group several years ago.
How wonderful for you that you had this experience!
Where can we find this recording? This sounds like a wonderful resource.