Oxford, Arkansas, population 642 – said the sign as I passed into the “city limits” of a town that . . .well, I’m not sure it would even qualify for a town at that! Oxford doesn’t even have a stop sign to claim as it’s own, so what does that make it? (Tiny, eh?) Anyway, The Kingsmen Quartet were singing at the Oxford Baptist Church. We went last year when they sang there and were delighted to go see them again in the same venue. Every year it keeps getting better and better! I don’t know if it’s possible to describe the power in which the Kingsmen sang that night – it was outstanding!
The night began by the pastor and his wife singing a duet of a few hymns melodied together, then had the congregation join them in the singing. The pastor introduced the Kingsmen and we on our way to a awesome evening!
The Kingsmen opened their concert with the classic Glory Road and went straight into Next Cloud, which Bryan announced went to number one on the Singing News (SN) charts back in 2000. Bryan introduced their next song by making mention that it was the first song picked for their Missing People project and that Dustin Sweatman (from the Mark Trammell Quartet) wrote it just for them! The audience heartily clapped the whole way through it. They did their introductions different that evening, introducing a member, then singing a song featuring that person, instead of introducing everyone at the same time. Ray was first, the song accompanying his introduction was Getcha’ To The Other Side. The crowd loved this song giving their stamp of approval by a standing ovation. Cody was introduced next. Bryan made mention that Cody has a piano solo Cd for sale for anyone who was interested, Cody just so happened to have a copy of it laying on his keyboard and he held it up for everybody to see. Bryan said, “Well, since half of you are looking at him playing instead of us singing, we’ll let him play one.” Cody played A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, and received a standing ovation. Bryan introduced Randy, who sang God Knows. After they finished the song, Bryan mentioned that God cares about both the big things and the small things in our lives, and asked, “aren’t you thankful tonight that we serve a God who not only knows, but cares?” The next song Bryan introduced by asking if they could practice it on the crowd. He said, “Truth is, someone on this stage doesn’t know all of his words. Now, I’m not going to tell you who that is, because I don’t want to embarrass him. . .but, Randy knows the words because it features him, I know my words, Huggy (Harold) knows the words, and that boy even knows when to play the piano, …. but I’m not going to tell you who doesn’t know the words to this song.” (Ray looked like he really wanted to say something, but Bryan continued.) “Now big Jim Hamel always use to give us advice about what to do when you forget the words to a song,” Bryan went on, “you simply sing ‘watermelon, watermelon, watermelon’ and no one will know the difference.” They sang Someday, and every time Ray sang his bass part ,Bryan gave him a thumbs up to assure him he sang the words right. Then Bryan was trying to teach Ray how to snap his fingers on beat in the middle of the song, but the highlight was on the second to last chorus, where Ray started to sing, “WATERMELON, WATERMELON, WATERMELON!” Everyone was rolling in laughter! I’m sure some of you have experienced the fun they have on-stage. After all the fun, Bryan introduced Harold, or among Kingsmen fans, Huggy Bear. He said that this song Huggy was going to come sing, they found out is #2 on the SN charts. – God Saw A Cross. I can’t describe the power and emotion with which they sang this song. Vocally, their dynamics were perfect, and you could tell that every one of those guys put their all into it. No wonder it received a standing ovation. This song closed the first half of the concert.
That night, Harold and Bryan were really having fun with the Cd pitch. When they finished talking about their special, they said, “and before we left Ashville we stopped over at Sam’s Club and bought some of these nice white bags with “thank you” written on them in red lettering (Bryan pulls one out of his fist like a magic trick), and if you buy our special we will give you this absolutely free with our Cd’s as our “love gift” to you. It’s really quite nice, they have multiple use, you know, you can use them as a trash can liner, a rain cap,” etc. etc. (They were just having too much fun with that one!)
I’m So Glad featuring Harold, kicked off their second set. Next, was When I Walk On The Streets Of Gold, and I was so excited when they sang Without Jesus. I’ve never seen them sing that one with this line up and it was wonderful! They nailed it! They also sang Meet Me At The Table and Justified, featuring Randy. This was the first time that I’ve seen them sing Justified live and it was awesome – Randy did such a great job! Something really neat, was how they used the theme of Justified to introduce When God Ran. Emphasizing that even though we are justified, we can still feel unworthy of forgiveness, then used the theme of When God Ran to assure everyone that no matter how far you’ve run away, you can always come back “home”. He’s All I Need followed When God Ran, which was very appropriate when you consider, yet again, the themes of both songs. They continued to sing the chorus as the pastor gave the invitation, then, they sealed the night with When I Wake Up To Sleep No More. There was not one person sitting during the entire song, everyone was on their feet clapping their hearts out! Bryan called up a young man who was sitting in the second row to come up and sing with them. On the end, Harold hit a an extremely high note (I don’t even think a soprano could compete!)
In conclusion, there is only one word I can think of – WOW! The Kingsmen really put their all into that concert. Which really shows how much there hearts are in this for the ministry. For one, Ray wasn’t feeling well that night, no one would have blamed him if he decided to stay on the bus that night, but he didn’t, he came out and sang anyway. Another thing, even though the church could hold around a 150, they didn’t have a very good turn out – yet, they sang just as passionately as they did at the Brumley Sing in front of hundreds. These guys are quality. If they come to your area any time in the future, please don’t miss the blessing of seeing them! Guys, great job! Keep it up!
P.S. The Kingsmen started a twelve day road trip that night (Thursday the 12th), I know they would appreciate your prayers for them as they will only have Monday off, and will be singing every one of the eleven nights. That’s not easy to do. Please keep them in your prayers for this trip.
Once again, hundreds of Southern Gospel fans made their way into the Cowan Civic Center in Lebanon, Missouri, for the very last night of the Brumley Sing. I was privileged to be among them. This year I took a seat in a place I try to avoid at all cost – the balcony. To my great delight though, the view was great and the sound was great up there, however, the actual seats weren’t. They were bleacher seats that didn’t have a back. But I didn’t let that dampen my spirits! . . .though, after the first three groups, I took a much needed walk! (For those of you who are not familiar with the Brumley Sing, it is much like the National Quartet Convention – no intermission. So if you can’t sit for three or four hours straight, you’re going to miss seeing someone sing.) The night began with all the groups on stage with some congregation singing. Duane Garen, a very popular Brumley staff member here in Missouri, said that the week has left him very tired. He continued with his own version of a well know nursery rhyme, it goes like this, Mary had a little lamb, and would have become a sheep, but it went to the Brumley Sing, and died from lack of sleep! Well, I might have applied that to SHSM the previous week, but not to Brumley! Anyway. . .
Tribute was the first quartet to take the stage that night. Every song they sang was from their For This Time project. The first was a snappy quartet song called I Love Living In Grace. During the turn around in the track Gary said, “look at your neighbor and say, ’I’m so glad you got to see me’.” Everyone laughed. Next was their new radio single, I’ve Been Blessed. Watch out for this song! It’s one of those you will find yourself humming all day! Another new one they sang was, I Heard It, I Believe It. Then Gary introduced everyone; Dennis, Josh, Riley, and himself. He introduced the next song as sounding like a good old John Wayne song. He turned to Riley and said, “You’re probably to young to remember John Wayne,” then he turned to Dennis and said, “And you’re old enough to remember John the Baptist!” The song did have a very Western feel to it, but it fit the song perfectly and the crowd loved it. Josh’s piano solo was next. He sat down at the piano to play and Gary said, “Josh, I want you to play my favorite song from your Cd, Every Day With Jesus.” Josh stands up and walking over to Gary, says, “Well Gary, I wanted to play my favorite song off the Cd tonight.” – shrugs his shoulders and sits down at the piano again … and gives one of those laughs that only Josh can give, (which makes the audience laugh). Gary then asked, “Joshua, what is your favorite song off of your Cd?” Josh casually replies, “Every Day With Jesus.” Gary said that their next song was requested by many, it was That’s Why I Love Him So. The audience started clapping when they sang the first line! Their closing song was a very power ballad called Calvary Wins Again. It is one of those that sends chills up your spine! It received a standing ovation. I hope they release this song to radio, it would do well! When they stepped off stage, the mc called Riley back up on stage to tell him how glad they are that he is singing with Tribute and also at the Brumley Sing. You could see that Riley took that to heart.
The Kingsmen were the next quartet in line to sing. They opened with their classic Traveling Home and went into one of their new songs, When It’s All Said And Done. I Will Rise Up From The Grave was the next song they sang, they audience loved this one, they were on their feet in ovation before the song ended! Randy took the lead on Someday, an up tempo song with a great message from their Missing People’s Cd. Bryan introduced everyone, he said that their bus driver wasn’t on the road with them this weekend and that Harold was driving their bus AND singing! Go Huggy! When Bryan introduced Ray, he made mention that Ray has been singing with the Kingsmen for 45 years this year. I personally think that is awesome, 45 years is a long time to do one thing – yet, alone with one group. (Anyone that follows SGM knows that is rare.) I greatly admire Ray’s dedication to the Gospel, and to Gospel Music. Well, continuing with the evening, Cody played A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, as his piano solo. Just getting back from the Steve Hurst School of Music for piano, watching him play amazed me! Number one, every time I see the Kingsmen (which is fairly often) he is always playing something different! Two, he always gets a standing ovation no matter what he plays! (He did receive one here also.) Bryan introduced the next song as being the best song they have lyrically, sung by Randy also, which was God Knows. Harold introduced God Saw A Cross by saying that it is his testimony song, the message really gripped the audience because they were on their feet before it ended. The Kingsmen closed their set with Stand Up – which brought everyone to their feet yet another time. Bryan encouraged all to help them out with the “stand up’s” and soon the whole auditorium shook with everyone shouting “stand up” at the appropriate times.
Legacy Five was the next group of the night, opening their set with their worshipful rendition of What A Friend We Have In Jesus. New Born Feeling followed, warming everyone up for L5’s new radio single My Soul Is Firmly Anchored. Everyone clapped to the beat, enjoying the “new” song that sounds “old”. Scott told the “Florida Story”, how when a church in FL said they couldn’t pray using the name of Jesus, give any personal testimony, or read from the Bible on stage, Scott said, “With all do respect, Legacy Five isn’t coming to your church.” . . . “you need the Booth Brothers!” (Everyone laughed at the joke). Scott said that he just “had to get ’em back!” Scott Fowler was featured on When They Found Nothing, the truth and power of that song brought the audience to their feet in a standing ovation. Scott introduced their next song being a five part harmony, it was the Cathedral classic, Life Will Be Sweeter Someday. On the end of the song, Gus really hit a high, long, powerful note. The crowd loved it! Glenn sang, what I’m going to start calling his trademark song, I’ve Been Changed. Fowler told a story about Preston and Bailey, he pointed out how God can use kids to teach parents things. The story went something like this: Taryn was taking the boys to an activity and stopped at Sonic on the way to get one of those 45 ounce drinks. When the waiter brought it to her door window, she took it by the top and the lid came off, spilling the contents all over herself and the car, plus knocking over a cup of coffee from the previous day. She cleaned it up and went on her way. On the way home, she wanted to make it up to the boys for being late to their activity, so she stopped back at Sonic and told the boys they could get anything they wanted. Preston took ice cream and Bailey wanted a Sprite. This time when the waiter brought the drinks Taryn took the Sprite by the bottom, and handed it to Bailey who took it by the top . . .yeah, it fell and spilled, just like the two previously! This time, as Taryn was cleaning it up she said, “This has been a terrible day.” Bailey said, “Mommy, you shouldn’t say that, that’s not a nice thing to say to God. This is the day the Lord has made.” Taryn agreed with him, and there in the Sonic parking lot, she prayed with the boys, thanking God for the wonderful day. Scott used that story as an introduction to God’s Been Good, which was their closing song.
As Dennis Swongburg came on stage, we went to stretch our legs and visit the concession stand. We walked among the booths and visited with the artists, then made it back to our seats in time to see the Mark Trammell Quartet.
The Mark Trammell Quartet was the last quartet of the evening that we stayed to see. They began their time on stage with the smooth sounding Gentle Shepherd. Dustin played the piano and sang, and Mark played the bass guitar. (All they need is a drummer now!) Anyway, their next number was a fast quartet song called, Hallelujah I’m Going Home. They encored it once, and when Dustin went to encored it a second time, Pat went over to the keyboard and slapped the keys as a sign that they weren’t going to sing it again. The look on Dustin’s face at the thought of Pat “abusing” his keyboard was very comical. Mark talked a little about how they became a quartet after all these years of being a trio, then featured Pat Barker on How Big Is God – which received a standing ovation! They sang Amazing Grace and a new song Dustin Wrote called One Drop Of Blood. The crowd really liked that one. Next was the classic Leave Your Sorrows and Come Along. When this song started, there was such a bad feedback the guys stopped singing by the chorus, waiting for the sound tech to fix it. The sound tech though, threw her hands in the air as if to say, “I don’t know what it is.” But Dustin saved the day when he went over to their system and turned off a button – wha-la, problem fixed! The funny thing was, when I went to Steve Hurst School of Music for piano, my sister went for Sound. At Brumley she was sitting next to me and after the concert on the ride home she said, “I only went to SHSM for one week and I knew how to fix that sound problem!” Mark was featured on the Calvary Melody, which closed their time on stage receiving a standing ovation.
All the groups were wonderful that evening. I think that the Kingsmen received the best response from the audience as a whole. They were the only group to receive four standing ovations that night, with the entire auditorium on their feet, and they just sang their hearts out up there.
Tribute was great, I loved the songs they sang, all had such a great message to them. I highly recommend their Cd For This Time! Legacy Five highlighted the night with their classics and inspirational stories which complimented their songs perfectly. The Mark Trammell Quartet brought the “vintage” side of the evening alive with the hymns and good old quartet songs they sang. I say we had a very balanced variety of music that night!
Would you like to be involved in what happens on my blog? Well, here is how you can start! I have in my possession five current (2009-2010) Cd’s, all from different groups, that I would like to review for this blog. The only problem is, I don’t know which one you would be interested in seeing first. So here is how you can get involved. At the bottom of this blog is listed five Cd’s titles and the artist who recorded them, go to the comments section and list the title and artist of the Cd you would like to see reviewed first. You can list just one title, or take all five titles and list them in the order you would like to see them reviewed in, or, you could just pick two or three, etc, etc. Just let me know what one you would be interested in seeing reviewed on my blog!
Have fun!
Our runners up are. . .
1. Tribute Quartet – For This Time/2009
2. Lauren Talley – Songs In The Night/2010
3. The Kingsmen – Honoring the Heritage Volume 3/Missing People (2010/2009)
4. Master’s Voice – Songs We Like/2010
5. The Anchormen – Always A Road/2009
Friday was the last day of SHSM - I couldn’t believe how fast the week went! It was truly a sad thing to know that the following day I would have to go home. L The day began as usual, with a short trek to the cafeteria for breakfast and Chapel. Larry Buchanan taught our very last group piano class, he talked about “double vision.” Before he began talking about music, he lead us in a short devotion. He told us that his favorite Bible verse is Micah 6:8 “He has shown thee, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of thee. But to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God.” He encouraged us to do what is right “until the stars fall down.” He then started teaching by saying, “You know what happens on the last day of school? You party! So that is what we’re going to do!” He then pulls a mini pack of Seven Up from behind the piano and announces that the first thing we are going to talk about is how the seventh chord pushes you up to the one chord. After explaining a few technical things about seventh chords, he goes 
back behind the piano and says, “we want our playing to be a 100 Grand, right?” – and he pulls out a mini pack of 100 Grand candy bars and starts to pass them around. (Yeah, our class really liked Larry as a teacher! In more ways than one!) The next thing on our list to talk about was double vision, where you play one chord in one hand and a completely different chord in the other ~ for this illustration Larry pulled out Double Mint gum. (Just wait! It gets better!) He went on to talk about crunching a chord, basically a fancy word for voicing. I bet you guys can guess what he pulled out from behind the piano for this one! Yes! Crunch candy bars. Are any piano teachers getting ideas yet? LOL. Then, just for good measure, Larry gave us some Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups too, not for anything musical though, he said they are his favorite – so why not?
After the group piano class, I jotted over to the Humanities building to sit in on the songwriting class by Stephen Nix. He was talking about copyright laws, pitching songs, royalties and the music business in general. He gave us a LOT of information in that hour! I myself have three pages of notes in my notebook! By the end of that hour my mind was reeling with all sorts of information about different things. After class, I asked Stephen if he had an extra handout (I came in after the class already started), he didn’t, but on the walk over to the cafeteria for lunch he brought me up to speed on all the things I missed that he talked about at the beginning of class.
From 1:30 to 2:15 I had my private piano lesson with Larry Buchanan. We went over the “crunch” chords again, and he gave me an arrangement of Nothing But The Blood using crunch chords to practice with. He has such a great heart! I learned a lot from my lesson with him. . . . .and of course afterwards, he just so happened to have an extra piece of double mint gum!
I spent some time in one of the extra piano rooms practicing for a while, then I was off to the Songwriters Showcase that started at 3:15 in the Dixon Auditorium. There, ten different songwriters sung the songs they wrote that week. It was really neat to hear all the different ideas the writers came up with in such a short amount of time. They sure had some talented writers there this year!
The Graduation Ceremony began at 7:15, Steve introduced all the teachers that were present. (Many had already left due to traveling on the road.) Then, different teachers
would read off the names of the students, and the students would stand to be recognized. After the concert with Tribute, we received our diplomas in the lobby. The concert with Tribute was great! They sang That’s Why I Love Him So, one of their popular radio singles that made it high in the SN charts this year. When Josh went to play a piano solo and Gary said, “Josh I want you to play my favorite song off of your CD, Every Day With Jesus.” Josh says, “Well Gary, since it’s such a special night, I think I might want to play my favorite off the CD.” (Josh goes and sits down at his keyboard.) Gary then asked, “Joshua, what is your favorite off of the CD?” Josh looks at him and casually replies, “Every Day With Jesus!” Tribute also sang a really powerful song called The Cross Wins Again. They featured their new tenor, Riley Clark, on a hymn – and he sang it with such passion and emotion! He is the perfect fit for Tribute!
In closing, I would like to say that my time at Steve Hurst School of Music was the best week of my year so far. Above all, the school was centered on Christ. When it came to spiritual matters, they took their time and made sure that every need was met. The staff and students were all so friendly and encouraging no matter what your focus was. The teachers were outstanding, not only did they teach you what you wanted to learn, they put you at ease from the very beginning. There was no need to feel nervous with these teachers! If anyone is considering to learn more about music, I highly recommend Steve Hurst School. Next year it will be held July 24-29th – so sign up when they start accepting applications, it’s a week you don’t want to miss!
For those of you who are interested in the Steve Hurst School of Music, I have put together this blog not only to highlight special moments of the day, but to give everyone an idea of what you might be doing if you choose to attend next year as a student. (Which I highly recommend!) Each day is different, and there is no promise that next year will be the same as this year, but I hope this helps everyone get a feel for what we did this year. Like I mentioned earlier, everyday is different, my intentions for this blog is to share with you what my Tremendous Thursday was like! Enjoy!
As you could imagine, my day officially began with my alarm clock doing it’s job very well, waking me out of a dead sleep. By 7:00 a.m. I was off to breakfast with my buddy I met Sunday night at orientation. After the moderate walk to the cafeteria, I worked up quite the appetite! Every morning for breakfast we had the choice between bacon, eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, cereal, fruit or some sort of pastry. That morning I opted for cereal. Once we had our food and drinks, we caught up with some other vocal students that we always sit with at meals and began our regular . . . “how did you sleep last night?” greetings. It was always fun hearing the answers, which usually was a resounding, “No, how about you?”
Chapel services started at eight fifteen sharp with singing praise and worship. Each day a different staff member would lead the singing, giving them all an opportunity to use their talents outside of teaching a class. Also, a vocal teacher would usually sing a solo or two. That particular morning, Steve asked if anyone would like to stand up and give a testimony of how the Lord has worked in their lives at school so far. The man who was saved on Wednesday night shared and a lady announced that she was going to start reading and studying the Word of God regularly. You could see the change in the people just by the conviction in which they spoke, it was awesome being able to witness such a powerful moving of the spirit in these peoples lives. Both Steve Hurst and Mark Trammell shared in the devotion for the day. Steve spoke from Ephesians 2:10, how Satan uses fear against the Body of Christ and why we don’t have to fear because we are His workmanship. Mark talked about the verse in the New Testament that says “we don’t have the spirit of fear, but of a sound mind.” He encouraged everyone to operate in God’s love – that’s how we get a sound mind! Only in Him!
Directly after Chapel the group lessons started for each school. Since I was in the piano school, I headed over to the building that held our classes each day. Every group class was taught by a different piano teacher, and Thursday we had the privilege of learning from Channing Eleton. He taught us about intro’s and fills, answered all our questions, and gave us some cool ideas to add to the music we play. At the end of our class, we had a little extra time, so he asked if anyone wanted to play anything. We had two volunteers. One was a lady who is a talented church pianist who plays by ear, and the second was a young man from PA who played How Great Thou Art. After that, Channing closed our class in prayer, then we recruited someone from another class to come take a class picture with Channing!
From there I scurried down to the next building to get in on the Songwriting class, where Stephen Nix was teaching on how to pitch your songs to groups, copyright laws, licenses, and a whole lot of other interesting things! I ended up with three pages of notes! Though I was very sad I missed the beginning and some important information, Stephen was kind enough to explain to me what I missed on our walk over to the cafeteria for lunch. That’s right! Two classes and it’s time for lunch! My does the time fly when you’re learning about music! Lunch was served daily from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm.
With Lunch over, I headed back over to the building I would be spending the rest of my afternoon in – The Curtsinger. There I had a private piano lesson with Stephen Butler (not to be confused with Stephen Nix, the songwriter!). We worked on arranging hymns and how the circle of 5ths plays a key role in making arranging a simple concept to understand with a beautiful outcome in sound. He also cleared up some confusion on my part with Diminished chords (also very interesting!).
From there, I walked down the hall to the Piano Lab, where there were keyboards available with private headphones to practice on. Stephen B. and Josh S. were the teachers overseeing the Lab at that time. In case I forgot to mention, the teachers in the Lab have a special keyboard and headphone set where they can listen to you play and give you tips . . .or just listen for their enjoyment. If you had any questions about playing, it was like getting an extra private lesson!
Three o’clock started my private songwriting lesson with Noel Bohannon. We talked about rhyme. There are certain types of rhyme that are considered better than others, and there are some words, that, even though they sound like they rhyme, when digging down into the science of writing, they don’t. It was definitely a valuable lesson.
After my songwriting lesson it was time to head back up stairs to another group piano lesson, only this time with Matthew Holt. Well, sort of! As many of you may or may not know, Matthew is the Director of Southern Gospel Music at Bethel University in McKenzie, TN. He had two very important people with him from the University who talked about their courses and what they had to offer. When they finished, it was off to dinner from 4:30 – 5:30 pm!
At 5:45 pm, my performance class began. I was in Group 1, and that night we had Mike Donovan as our leader. I was one of two piano students who played in the midst of the vocalists that evening. I was also selected to go FIRST! Actually, it wasn’t that bad. I played Roger Bennett’s arrangement of Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus . . . .by God’s grace, perfectly. The other lady who played piano, I was so proud of! She has only been playing for one year, and played How Great Thou Art by ear!
Since our performance class ran over the time limit, I had just enough time to walk over to the auditorium where the concerts were being held and get a seat before the Mark Trammell Quartet came on stage to give us a wonderful concert! They opened their concert with Gentle Shepherd, then went into Hallelujah I’m Going Home, How Big Is God and a new song that Dustin Sweatman wrote, called One Drop Of Blood. (Which is quickly becoming a favorite on my play list!) They sang many more old hymns and even a spiritual! The concert closed with Steve giving a heartfelt invitation to pray. Then it was time to go grab a snack at Chick-Fil-A and hit the sack!
So there you have it! That is what one day was like for me at the Steve Hurst School of Music! It was full, fun, very educational and encouraging! (Hey! Stephen Nix would like that – two alliterations in a row! . . .never mind.)
An interesting observation from the week. With people from so many different time zones, it was interesting to hear at what time of day it was when they were eating their meals at the school. For instance, the ppl from Canada were eating dinner at 2:30 in the afternoon! For me, it was 3:30 pm. Doesn’t sound like a big deal, but think about it – breakfast was being served at 4:00 am their time~! After the evening concerts, there was a mad dash for Chick-Fil-A and Pizza Hut at the Paul Conn Center! Many of us were ready to eat!!! LOL!
I have to post Wednesday’s blog a day later due to the fact that the evening didn’t end in Dixon Hall until 11:00 pm! The Spirit of God was moving in the hearts of men and women, and when that happens, you can’t ignore it. God is doing big things at SHSM this week ….. and when you see the pics from today, you’ll see the “special guest” that showed up to songwriting class today!
Wednesday I thoroughly enjoyed the group piano class which was taught by Roy Webb. I went from group class right into a private lesson with Roy. I was able to conquer a few areas on the keys, which was very rewarding. In piano lab, Jeff Stice was the overseer, so I was thankful for the opportunity to work with Jeff and have his input. One thing I would have loved this week was to have a private lesson with Jeff Stice! Maybe next year. I also had another private songwriting class. The day went by very quickly. In the evening performance class, I played Roger’s arrangement of Redeemed. I’ve been enjoying the way they have the performance classes set up. They have the vocalists broken into four groups and assign a certain number of piano students to each group to play within those performances. This affords me the opportunity to sit in and hear some amazing vocal students from all over the country – not to mention, the beautiful songs they choose to sing for us! I’m not a vocalist, but I dare say I’ve been learning a lot just sitting in their performance time in the evening – they have a lot to focus on! It’s been truly enjoyable.
Wednesday evening at Dixon Hall almost leaves me at a loss for words. Before the BB’s took the stage, we had a time of worship lead by a few soloists, interspersed with testimony and were blessed by a children’s choir called SingAkademie which performed their own special version of the National Anthem. When the BB’s took the stage, Ronnie was noticeably absent. I suppose some were disappointed, but the Lord had his purpose in that b/c last night was Michael’s night. The guys did an awesome song set and received several standing ovations of appreciation. Michael had several of the artists join them on-stage, as you’ll see in the pics below – it was a lot fun! I’ll tell ya now, I just don’t have the words to describe what transpired on that stage last night. All I can say is, BB fans – Michael put himself out there with the most transparency and honesty that I’ve ever seen from any Southern Gospel artist (I wish everyone could have been there) …. here is a man who is following the call of God, not men. You know he’ll be put down for that. And you know who will do the most persecuting? Those who claim to be Christians. He deserves MAJOR support for being strong enough to stand up and speak out his heart’s convictions. We all know the truth is not always welcome, but that doesn’t mean we stop speaking it. There is a message that needs to be heard …. shared …. and that message is Jesus Christ. When you are about the Father’s business, and having an affect, you will have opposition – Satan does not want this lost and dying world to be saved, he wants to take as many souls to hell as he can and does so with a lot of deception. Every word spoken last night was from the heart and perfectly in-line with what the Word of God teaches – it was truth, and we all know sometimes the truth hurts, but none the less, it is what we NEED to hear. We should be on our knees praying for men like Michael, who feel the burden to speak the truth. They need lifted up in prayer daily b/c they are in a position to make an impact. And I’m not saying you have to be before big numbers to make an impact. God isn’t interested in numbers. But I am saying that they are in a position, being the group that they are, to go places most ppl wouldn’t have the opportunity to be … and so we need to be lifting this “ministry” before the Lord in prayer and praying for Ronnie, Michael and Jim daily.
With that said, I only wish you all could have been there to see Michael’s reaction when Steve pointed out on the right side of the stage, along the wall, a man standing in a white t-shirt and said, “Michael, that man trusted in Christ as his Savior tonight.” That is an image that will forever be burned in my mind. There is nothing to describe the joy of knowing another soul has come to the saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I’m going to post some pics from the night and let them tell their story, but before I do, can I share one story with you? Something I heard yesterday at lunch time that just pierced my heart. There is a family at the school this week that drove down from Alberta, Canada. They came down through Montana, and when they reached Billings the master seal went on their vehicle. The mechanic that looked at their vehicle told them there wasn’t a qualified mechanic within a four hour radius of Billings to repair their vehicle. (Don’t you find that hard to believe? I do). The mother saw this large church building and that there were cars at the church and proceeded to go inside to inquire if she could use their phone to call her husband. This mother was traveling with her two teen children to come to SHSM, and when they crossed the border, they picked up a disposable phone, which she explained didn’t allow them to make outgoing calls for 48 hours (it had to register the info or something?). They were able to receive calls, but couldn’t call out. So, off to the church to use the phone to let her husband know they had mechanical issues and were instructed to nurse the vehicle back home. Stay with me here, I’m almost done. Inside the church, she explained her situation to the church secretary and offered to PAY FOR the call. Now this was a “Christian” church. The church secretary replied, “I’m sorry, our Sr. Pastor is not here right now and he is the only one who has the authority to authorize something like that.” Are you in shock? I was.
Wouldn’t you have left this person use your own personal phone if this indeed was the church policy?!!!! My heart was just sickened to hear that. And ….. it gets worse, the second church also denied the use of their phone. So she thought she would try a “smaller” church. Her third try, she found a church willing to let her use their phone to call her husband and let him know they had vehicle problems – a small, Catholic church came to their aide.
What does that speak of Christianity today? Had we not better examine our hearts and see who or what we are serving? Are we shaming the name of Christ? Do we love and care for one another as a testimony to the unsaved world?
Yeah, I could almost rant on that, I’m so appalled by it. That should NEVER be within the body of Christ.
You may be interested in knowing that it took the three of them 52 hours to get here! How’s that for a trip? They took their “good” vehicle back up to the border where the father was able to meet them and exchange vehicles. The mom said they had to drive their old “clunker” car which should have never made it here, but praise be to God, here they are! The neat thing was as she told this story, there were two sisters from Austin, TX, listening and when she finished, the one said to the other, “That makes our 12 hour trip here look like nothing!” So many neat things going on here at school …..
Well, the late nights and early mornings are taking their toll. I”m running behind with my bloggin’! I’ll leave ya’ll with a few pics to enjoy …..
Vice Mayor of Cleveland, TN, Avery Johnson addresses the students Wednesday night.
Where do I begin? Two full days of instruction and I can’t express in words the amount of support and encouragement that come from this staff! The spirit at this school is incredible. It is a privilege to get to know Steve and see his heart …. Here is a man who truly pours himself out for the benefit of others in the name of Christ.
Wow. The nights are getting longer and morning comes quickly. I’ve been having some “Bible study” time in the hallways with a few ppl. We are having a great time of fellowship in the Lord! Did I mention the school has 40 states represented and 6 providences of Canada? It’s awesome!
Eric Ollis teaches a group piano class on Tuesday.
Today Eric Ollis taught our group piano class. He didn’t consider himself a good teacher, but he did an awesome job! He had a very thorough handout and clear direction during class. The first thing he did was sit down at the piano and have everyone gather around him so they could see because he wanted not only to tell you what was on the handouts, but he wanted to show you so you could see and hear it. Throughout the class, those who were willing and had questions he had sit down on the piano bench next to him and they would work out the question. I really liked his teaching style b/c it wasn’t just verbal instruction, but he combined it with hands-on learning. No one has done that yet, and that really made an impression on a lot of the students.
Private lesson with Eric Ollis
I also had a private piano lesson with Eric Ollis. Eric went out of his way to encourage me. We worked on color chords and how they work in a piece. He showed me some little tricks that sounded really cool and encouraged me to use those principles in other songs.
My private songwriting lesson was with Jerry Meyers. He was so helpful and explained things really well that were confusing me during my group class. We looked over some verses I had been working on for a song, and he showed me how to improve my song structure. We are really going to focus on this song tomorrow. He answered all my questions and even went over on time into our lunch period to see that all my questions were answered.
I had another piano group lesson just before the evening meal and it was taught by Jeff Stice! He spoke on what it means to “disappear” which simply means that you’re not showing off and getting all the glory for your piano abilities, but instead, you are making the singer stand out more than you. (Some of you probably already knew that!) If no one notices you, you have done your job well.
This evening I was able to play in my performance class. Our group is so encouraging! No matter who sang or played, everyone clapped, screamed, hooted & hollered to encourage one another.
I found Dianna!
I was delighted to see Dianna again tonight! We didn’t have much time to visit tonight – but I think we’ll get to spend a little more time on Friday evening (I’m hoping so!). She is such a warm person!
Melissa & Jim Brady
Jim and Melissa Brady opened tonight for the Piano Fanfare in Dixon Hall. All of the piano teachers played one or two solos. Everyone did such an awesome job, it would be hard to pick a favorite. They had five keyboards on stage. Two of the teachers represented classical music with hymn arrangements. All of the SGM teachers did solos (Southern Gospel, of course!). For the grand finale, they had all ten come out on stage and play at once ….. It was so awesome! I’ll have to check my video and see if I can’t upload it to YouTube, it’s too good not to be shared! They sat two per keyboard and had such fun with it! Steve even played! The evening ended with a tribute to one of last year’s students who has gone on to be with the Lord. It was very moving.
Piano Fanfare Grand Finale!
I need to get to sleep …. But I just want to say, if you are even contemplating SHSM – do it! The blessings are immeasurable!!!!
It’s one in the morning and I’m signing off! Until tomorrow …
Yes, I had my very first songwriting class this morning, and one of the exercises was on alliteration! Fun, fun. I can’t say that I’ll become a great songwriter, but I sure enjoyed the group class …. It was challenging and fast paced.
It seems I was not the only person who wasn’t able to sleep last night due to anticipation and excitement of the first day …. Throughout the day, many professed their inability to sleep. I was up at 5:00 am and ready to go …. Which would be 4:00 am in my own time zone! Whoa! What was I thinking?!!! I’m really feeling it tonight ….
The day started off with breakfast and Chapel. Chapel consisted of singing, prayer, and a few words of encouragement from Steve Hurst from Psalm 133. He spoke on how in verse one the word “dwell” in the Hebrew means sing. Applying that to our day he said that he wants us to think of our words as songs and what our songs are singing. After Chapel, I went to an introduction to my group piano class. Josh Singletary spoke during class, introducing everyone to the teachers and having us introduce ourselves to each other. Everyone that wanted to, could say their name, goals and where they were from. I was very impressed because some of the teachers wrote down the goals of the students that they would be teaching. When I walked into my private lesson with Josh Singletary, he knew exactly what I wanted to learn and dove right in! (I’ll get to that later!)
Songwriting 101
Next on the list was the songwriting class by Stephen Nix. We talked about AAPA, (Alliteration, Assonance and Passive Alliteration). I know, I’m still trying to figure it out too! It was a very fast paced class, with a lot of ideas and exercises I would never think of! After the songwriting group class, it was already time for lunch!
Me & Josh
The highlight of my day had to be my private piano lesson with Josh Singletary. You know Josh and his zany personality – he kept things lively, but I was surprised at his teaching style …. He really is a great teacher.
Private Lesson #1
Just from the group class in the morning he knew what I wanted to learn and not only taught me that, but more! I’ll relate a silly thing that happened during my lesson. I went to use the sustain pedal, and my foot slipped on the floor from my shoe. Josh told me to just take my shoe off, which I did. That worked fine, except when I had to stand while Josh sat at the piano to demonstrate a few things on the keys. I felt kinda like a flamingo with one shoe on and one shoe off!
Triumphant Quartet
This evenings concert in Dixon Hall featured Triumphant Quartet. What a delightful concert! They are so entertaining in so many ways. I love their emphasis on ministry, their sense of humor …. And of course their amazing piano player, Jeff Stice! Jeff played Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho – his arrangement is my favorite!!! I can see why Dianna absolutely adores this group and why they were voted favorite quartet of the year.
Forum Friends!
It was my pleasure to meet Mr. & Mrs. York, RogasingerforHim and Dianna tonight! I was able to grab a pic moments before the concert started. I was late arriving for the evening concert b/c Dustin kept us in performance class on overtime. LOL Anyway, Dianna won’t get a chance to leave tomorrow without a pic …. She’s so enjoyable to talk with. Pray for safe traveling for these dear ones as we were having some intense thunderstorms coming through.
Sorry this is rather short, but it is late and sleep is calling ….
Steve Hurst School of Music at Lee University
Hey everybody! I’m here at the Lee University for the Steve Hurst School of Music! So much has happened already and the School really hasn’t even started yet! I’m so excited! I went on a tour of the campus at three o’clock and got familiarized with the classrooms and buildings. At six I went to the orientation, where Steve talked about the classes and everything else students would need to know.
Steve speaking at orientation
Some things that really stuck out to me was that this is NOT a click school – this is a family and in Steve’s words, “if you stand alone for a minute, three people will attack you!” Also, this isn’t about singing or playing as good as someone else, this is about God using YOU! He talked about how some of the songs written at this School made it into the Singing News Charts. Hearing Steve talk about what all is going to happen this week encouraged me greatly, there is no way a person could listen to what he said and not want to dive into it full steam ahead! Tonight, the Talley’s just blew the roof off of the auditorium!!! Man are they powerful vocally, and even more importantly, the testimony they shared and encouragement given was very heartfelt. I’m very thankful for all the artists who take the time from their busy schedules to support and help out with the school …. It’s going to be a very full week!
I just wanted to post a little note and let you all know that I do have internet here! I’ll try to blog as much as my schedule will allow and keep you guys updated on my experience here and what the school is like on a day to day basis. My first private piano lesson will be tomorrow with Josh Singletary! Wha-hooo!
Signing off to catch some zzzzz’s!
Over 800 people squeezed their way into the Freeland Performing Arts center in Bristow, Oklahoma, July 10th. What would cause people to travel from Texas, North Dakota and the Carolina’s to small town Bristow? Maybe an evening with Master’s Voice, The Talley Trio and the Hoppers could do it? Definitely. Master’s Voice Homecoming was SOLD OUT – boy, was I glad that I was there! I settled into my seat on the left side of the theatre like auditorium, waiting for the concert to begin. This would be my second time seeing the Hoppers and Masters Voice live, and my very first concert with the Talley’s – what a combination! I hardly noticed that it was after ten thirty at night when the concert came to a close after starting at seven o’clock. I honestly felt like I just got there when it was time to leave. It was a very powerful evening filled with great gospel music.
His Image, a local group from Bristow, opened for the main program with “A City I Call My Home.” The male trio followed their opener with a fast number Jesus Has The Power To Give Life Again. Their next song was written by Master’s Voice very own, Ricky Capps (owner). It was titled His Mercies Are New, and if you’ve ever heard Ricky talk about the Lord, you would immediately recognize that the lyrics to this song fit his style. Next, was an upbeat song featuring their lead singer, called Throwing Rocks, interesting message in this one. It talked about how we are to be encouraging our brothers and sisters in the Lord, yet how can we do that when we are “throwing rocks” like the people in the Bible who were ready to stone the adulteress, when Jesus said, “you without sin cast the first stone.” After that, they sang a song about the cross called He Didn’t Have To Do It But He Did. Pray Through Me, was a slow worshipful one about the Holy Spirit praying through us when we don’t have the words to speak. Then they closed with a up beat number We’re Almost Home, which received a standing ovation and many shouts of approval bringing an encore.
The promoter came out to introduce the next group, while doing so he said that this was the very first sold out concert that the Freeland Performing Arts Center has ever had . . .and it was a SOUTHERN GOSPEL concert! Many amen’s followed. He also made mention that they not only sold out this year, but they had to turn away over 200 people at the door! (That’s a lot of people!) After he finished telling everyone about that, he welcomed The Talley Trio on stage, who kicked off their set with He’s So Good To Me, featuring Debra Talley. The next song really engaged the audience in clapping to the up beat tempo of Lauren singing A Promise Coming Down That Dusty Road. Debra Talley introduced Amazing Grace by saying that she went to church all her life, memorized the verses, knew the Bible stories, but didn’t know Jesus. There’s a difference. After that, Lauren came up and introduced the next song as the one that they sing that has meant the most to people. It was The Broken Ones. She didn’t even sing the first line
before the crowd whistled and shouted their approval. Lauren sang it with such passion, her stage presence was amazing! When that song concluded, she introduced her next song with her testimony of having Mono for three months and how 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 really encouraged her “In Christ Alone.” Which was the song that followed. I have to say, I’m not a big CCM fan, but Lauren sang that one better than the original artist! It was awesome! Roger came forward and said, “I think someone needs to hear this song,” and began singing My Hope Is In The Lord, a very popular radio single for the Talley’s not too long ago. Mountain Mover followed, after singing that one Roger said, “When we go to one of those first churches that are more conservative we save that one for AFTER the offering.” The audience liked that joke! Their closing song was also one of their recent popular radio singles, He’s Alive. When they came to the chorus of this song, the whole auditorium jumped to their feet in ovation. Some shouted, some waved their hands back and forth and some whistled. The lighting tech in charge of the spotlight had the spotlight going in circles and S’s over the audience which made you feel like you were in a Rock concert or something! This crowd obviously loved the Talley’s! And that kind of energy in a SG audience is great to experience.
Next up, was Bristow, OK’s very own – Master’s Voice. When the promoter introduced these guys, the audience was on their feet to welcome them on stage before they even started singing. (Yes, we had an exceptionally excited crowd that evening!) Master’s Voice began their time on stage with Get Ready, a medium tempo song encouraging all to be ready for the Lord’s soon return. Following, was the country flavored What On Earth Are You Waiting For? The crowd clapped to the beat and during the turn around Ricky Capps (group owner and tenor singer) welcomed everyone to Bristow and their Homecoming, ending his introduction with “more than hearing great gospel music, if you are here tonight and don’t know the Lord, we’ve got a question for you.” Which lined up perfectly with the message in the chorus which says, “What on earth are you waiting for, there’s nothing here worth missing Heaven for.” How true that is! Joey, the trio’s baritone singer introduced their next song, I Know Just What He Did For Me, as currently being #52 on the Singing News charts. I was so excited when they started singing their next song, Everything The Blood Touches Lives, because it is my favorite song that this group sings! To hear it live was such a treat! It begins by featuring Joey, then moves up to feature their lead singer, Drew. It’s a very powerful song with a message like none other! Next, they sang the classic Winds of The World. Introductions followed, when Joey began talking about Ricky, he said, “He picks on us all the time and we don’t pick on him nearly as much as we should, so I’ll start tonight. I believe that Ricky Capps has the best female voice in all of Southern Gospel Music today.” Ricky then came and introduced all of the trio, and let their pianist, Ben, play a solo. Ben played a very short complex version of I’ll Fly Away at top speed, the crowd roaring their approval at the end, and Ricky looking a little smug – with that, he very light heartedly said, “Big deal! I could do that if I wanted too . . . I just don’t want too!” Ricky went on to tell the crowd how Ben can play by ear, until muddy chords projected out of the speakers to draw attention to Ben sitting in front of his keyboard using the side of his head to play the keys! The audience roared in laughter again. Introductions finished, Master’s Voice proceeded to sing three songs off of their new CD they released that night, the first was a Dottie Rambo classic, He Looked Beyond My Fault And Saw My Need. The brand new arrangement was refreshing and the vocal dynamics invigorating. You could see and hear the emotion that they put into the song. Next on the set list was, Oh The Glory Did Roll. On the 
ending, Ricky hit a sky high note that received a great response from the audience. Canaan Land Is Just In Sight followed, and everyone clapped to the familiar tune of the old hymn. That one completed, Joey came forward and told how he came to know the Lord as an into to He’s All The Above, which featured Ricky. Their next song was a very powerful ballad called He Took The Cross. They closed their set with thanking all of the ones who have served in the military past and present, and in tribute to them, sang In God We Still Trust, which received a standing ovation.
The Hoppers came on stage next opening with the classic Going Home. Roger Talley played piano for them that night (their pianist was playing at his sister’s wedding and wasn’t able to be there.) 
Dean introduced their second song with, “In the book of Isaiah we call Him Immanuel, and throughout the Scriptures He has many names, but here tonight we’re going to call Him Yahweh.” They proceeded to Yahweh, (my personal favorite song that the Hoppers sing). Claude talked about how he grew up on a tobacco farm and how he and Connie have been married for 49 years. They sang O, It Thrills Me, a snappy song with a tune that can’t help but make you smile. Kim was featured on one of their recent radio singles Grace Will Always Be Greater Than Sin, and Connie’s solo was I’ve Come Too Far To Look Back. On the latter, Claude let Mike (his son/drummer) sing the bass part. No Hopper concert would be complete with out their two signature songs, Jerusalem and Shouting Time. Jerusalem came first and stirred the crowd while Shouting Time followed. They encored Shouting Time two times, then the promoter came out and had them encore it again. My mom’s comment of Kim was, “When he came out and had them do it again, I didn’t think she could do it again, but man, that girl can sing all night!” Kim did hold some incredible notes and did it with such ease one couldn’t help but admire her abilities. Intermission followed.
When intermission ended, all the artists came together on stage and sang a few hymns together. Connie Hopper started with The Love Of God, and shared the second verse with Kim. Beulah Land followed along with I’ll Fly Away, sung by Lauren Talley. The audience approved the evening of Gospel music with many shouts and applauses.
In closing, I would like to say that this is one of the best concerts I’ve been to so far. The artists all had a great selection of songs they performed and superior stage presence. The highlight of the evening had to be the Talley’s He’s Alive, The Hoppers Shouting Time and Master’s Voice In God We Still Trust. All of these, brought the audience to their liveliest. The amount of enthusiasm in the auditorium that evening was electrifying! You have your typical SGM concert, where you will find those fans who are overly enthusiastic with their shouts, hoots, hollers and whistles ….. But it isn’t often you attend a concert where the entire audience “roars” with excitement and enthusiasm the entire evening – start to finish! This crowd was appreciative and their enthusiasm could be felt in the air. All of the groups did great, and I can’t wait to see them again!
A huge thank you to Master’s Voice, for hosting a very classy Homecoming with an excellent line-up. The facility was classy with very comfortable seating. You can tell time and thought were put into the event. I am very much looking forward to next year, when Master’s Voice will host their homecoming on July 8 & 9,2011 in Bristow at the Freeland Center …. And host two nights of concerts!!! What a line-up they have planned with the likes of Jeff & Sheri Easter, Gold City, Mike & Kelly Bowling, and Karen Peck and New River! I predict next year’s Homecoming to sell out quickly! Anyone within driving distance that might plan to attend yet your tickets NOW!
Next stop – Steve Hurst School of Music!
