04/26/10: My article "Musical Mentoring" appears on pages 15-17 of the March/April 2010 issue of Creator Magazine (Vol 32, No 2 for those who are interested in such things). It's more or less a reprint of the article that appeared in Reformed Worship, but this version includes a section on my early baseball career.

04/21/10: A site redesign is in the works. It will look nice.

03/10/10: Looking for that last-minute, practically-sings-itself, easy-on-the-budget anthem for Lent or Holy Week? Why don't you give my anthem "Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed" a try? Take a listen, then make as many copies as you need for a paltry $15.

02/02/10: The Calvin Worship Symposium is now just a delightful memory. It was great catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Some people have asked where they can get scores for my songs that were sung during symposium worship services. Look no further! Download "People of the Lord" and the brand new "A Mark of Grace."

01/29/10: Global Songs for Worship--a new CD by The Choral Scholars, Norma de Waal Malefyt (piano/organ) and me--is now out. If you didn't pick one up at the Calvin Worship Symposium, you can buy one from Adoro Music Publishing for a mere $10. "What?" you say, "a recording of 28 songs from around the world for a paltry ten spot?" Yes, my friend, you heard me right.

01/21/10: I'm feverishly trying to finish preparing for this year's Calvin Worship Symposium. Some highlights for me this year include the release of the Global Songs for Worship CD (it's one of the symposium freebies), leading worship with Sojourn Community Church musicians and Keith and Kristyn Getty, and the premiere of a new song called "A Mark of Grace."

12/11/09: My arrangement of Ira Sankey's "There Were Ninety and Nine" that first appeared in Singing the New Testament is now also included in Bert Polman/Faith Alive's new Hymns for Worship.

11/28/09: My arrangement of "Come Thou Fount" for violin and piano is included in the recently released Augsburg Fortress collection Piano Plus Volume 2: Hymns for Piano and Solo Instrument. I haven't gotten a chance to read through all the other arrangements in the book, but it looks like it would be well worth buying.

11/15/09: On Monday I led a chapel at Calvin College focusing on my song "Rest in the Lord, My Soul," based on Psalm 127. Read my blog post for more information. It seems that Calvin College can't get enough of me and the Psalms--I'll be giving a talk this Thursday at Calvin's CALL (Calvin Academy for Lifelong Learning) noontime series entitled "Is there still a place for Psalm-singing in worship?" I'd love to see you there!

11/06/09: I just had a record-breakin month: in October, 29,505 unique visitors came to my website. That means two things: a lot of people are coming to check out my music (thank you!), and each one of you is unique.

10/10/09: While in Singapore this summer I gave a plenary about the arts in worship. Later I was asked to turn my presentation into an article for the Methodist School of Music newsletter, MSMNews. I was quite pleased with the results. Since it summarizes some of the things I've been thinking about lately, I thought some of you would like to read it. Check out page 2 of the August 2009 MSMNews to read the article "Nothing But the Truth: The Worship Arts as a Theology of the Heart." While you're there, check out the pictures in the rest of the newsletter where you'll get a feel for the conference I attended in Singapore

09/30/09: Bob Kauflin describes The Art of Worship as "Comprehensive, practical, winsome, and insightful. Especially helpful for churches seeking to introduce modern music to their congregation." He even liked it enough to include it as one of the give away books at the WorshipGod08 conference. Thanks, Bob! Now let's return the love and check out his book Worship Matters. It looks great.

08/17/09: My book The Art of Worship was recently released in a Korean translation by YWAM Korea. I can't understand a word of it, but it looks great. I'd love to hear from anyone who has read it in Korean. I'm dying to know what the translator did with things like "pivot tone modulation."

07/18/09: It's one thing to write articles, but you know you've hit the big time when someone quotes your article. Frances Swaggart (yes, Jimmy's wife) quotes my article The Changing World of Church Music in her "Contemplative Spirituality--The Worship of the Modern Church" on pages 12-14 of the The Evangelist (vol 40, no 3). Be forewarned--she doesn't think much of the global church, liturgy, the early church or Robert Webber. As far as I'm concerned you can have your opinions about the first three, butd don't disrespect Robert Webber. He is one of my heroes.

07//06/09: This week I head to Berlin to enjoy my prize for winning the Calvin09 hymn contest. What's the prize, you ask? Three days in Berlin. If you hail from Berlin, let me know. I could use a tour guide. Once I get back I promise I'll get cracking on website updates. I plan to add more piano accompaniments for my congregational songs, finally move 25 new pieces from "coming soon" to the regular catalog, add more MP3s, and maybe even redesign the site and give you a way to buy merch. (Greg Scheer coffee mugs, anyone?)

06/01/09: "People of the Lord" was sung beautifully in both Geneva and Grand Rapids yesterday. It also appears in two recent publications: Reformed Worship. June 2009 #92, p28-29 and Different Voices, a new quarterly about music and worship in the Scottish churches, No.3 2009, p17, 20-21.

05/27/09: Greg goes international! I'm busy preparing for the "Recovering the Heart, Uncovering the Art" at the Methodist School of Music in Singapore June 14-17. Right after that I'll head down to North Carolina for the FUMMWA Music & Liturgical Arts Week at Lake Junaluska June 21-26. A few weeks later I'll head to Berlin for the Calvin Festtag, where they'll sing my song "People of the Lord." The song will also be a part of the Pentecost Day (05/31/09) service in Geneva, Switzerland celebrating Calvin's 500th birthday. The televised version of that service will be incorporated into the 5pm Pentecost service in the Calvin College Chapel. And you wonder why I haven't been updating my website much lately...

04/05/09: Michael Burkhardt's arrangement of my song "I'll Be a Witness to the Light" will be included in the new collection From A Distant Home: Six Global Introductions and Accompaniments published by MorningStar. Cool.

02/19/09: You've seen the leadsheet, you've heard the demo, now you can download "In a Still, Small Voice" for choir and piano (with solo and two optional treble instruments).

02/12/09: I'm doing a little spring cleaning at the site. If you have trouble finding anything, just let me know.

01/26/09: As the Bible says, "Thou who snoozest, loseth."* While you were snoozing, GIA just released my song "Deeper than the Sea" on their LeavenSong series (G-7309). I've also signed contracts with Augsburg for an arrangement of "Come Thou Fount" for violin and piano, Abingdon for "Shukuru" and "Kwake Yesu," and Adoro for "Built on the Rock," "They Will Enter Zion with Singing" and a cantata based on Psalm 113. But the Bible also says, "God helps those who help themselves,"* so help yourself to all the free music that remains right here at www.gregscheer.com. (*The Bible doesn't really say that.)

01/24/08: Faith Alive has just released Contemporary Songs for Worship which includes my songs "One Generation" (#4), "We Are Waiting" (#18), and "Deeper than the Sea" (#25), as well as seven arrangements. Unfortunately, "One Generation" has an error in measure 10. To get the authorized version, look no further.

01/10/08: The new year starts with a few workshops. Come to Third CRC of Kalamazoo on Thursday, January 15 at 7:00pm as Norma de Waal Malefyt and I present "Heart Songs, Global and Local." Later in the month you can attend the Calvin Worship Symposium where I'll lead workshops on global songs, composing and mentoring musicians. Mention this website and you'll get free admission. (Just kidding. The workshop in Kalamazoo is already free, and I can't get you any discounts to the symposium. But you can still say hi.)

11/26/08: While the rest of the world is closing out a truncated work week and anticipating turkey, football and shopping, we--the few, the proud, the music ministers--are putting the finishing touches on our Advent services. Here's a little gift: The King Shall Come. (12/10/08 addendum: We sang the song at Church of the Servant this week. Listen to the recording at my music blog.)

11/20/08: Have you ever thought about commissioning a choral anthem, hymn, or arrangement?

11/2/08: Looking for Christmas music that your praise team can lead? I've got just the thing. "A Great and Mighty Wonder" is an old text with a new tune. Here's the recently revised lead sheet and a brand new piano accompaniment. You can hear an MP3 at my musicblog.

10/14/08: Big news--my song "People of the Lord" was chosen as the official jubilee hymn of the calvin09 celebration, which marks the 500th anniversary of Jean Calvin's birth.

As Clifton Kirkpatrick, president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches (FSPC) says, “People of the Lord” suits the Calvin Jubilee admirably. “The hymn encourages the people of God to hand on the heritage of the faith to the next generation - as Calvin successfully did before us.” Moreover the composer has created a “fascinating link between the early Reformed hymns and the modern world”. It is now for the Reformed Churches to “play the hymn in as many worship services, devotions or congregational events as possible during the Calvin Year.”

So get out there and sing that hymn! You can read more and download the song in English, French, Spanish or German.

9/14/08: What's been keeping Greg busy lately? A new year at COS, for starters. Wrapping up the Faith Alive global songbook, for another. Oh yes, and buying a beautiful new home in G.R.usalem. But don't worry, there will be new posts on my music blog and the COS worship blog in the next few days, and new songs added here once they're edited and registered with CCLI.

8/2/08: Last night we sang my song May the Mind of Christ My Savior at the Worship! 2008 conference. We'll sing it again in Wilmington, DE in a few days. Feel free to download the PDF leadsheet or listen to the MP3. You can also find a simple piano accompaniment in the Sing with Me songbook.

8/31/08: As I've mentioned before, I'm slowly compiling a collection of piano accompaniments for congregational singing. The latest is available for a limited time right here as a score or at my music blog as an MP3 demo. Enjoy it while it lasts!

8/7/08: Two new projects have just been released, the fruits of my collaboration with lyricist Colin Gordon-Farleigh. The first is a collection of 11 love songs sung by Susan Marrs, When I'm with You. The next is a collection sung by the Russian vocal quintet Lyra entitled Beautiful Sound.

7/31/08: It seems that one of the pages of "Rest in the Lord" was cut off in the Call to Worship article. Because I'm a swell guy, I'm giving it to you free here. You're welcome.

7/12/08: The latest issue of Call to Worship (Volume 41.4, 2008, pages 16-24) includes an article I wrote called "Sing to the Lord a New Psalm." I'm excited that it includes four of my Psalm settings: Rest in the Lord, My Soul (Psalm 127), Hear My Words, O Lord (Psalm 5), Sing to God Our Strength (Psalm 81), and Deeper than the Sea (Psalm 36:5-9).

7/6/08: Singing the New Testament is a new hymnal with songs for many New Testament readings. It includes my songs "Grace and Peace to You" (Romans 1:1-7) and "Faith, First and Last" (Romans 1:8-17). It also includes my 10.10.10.10.10 hymn tune STUFEN. Oh wait, they ended up using TOULON instead. Bummer. I guess it's still an orphan tune. But they did use my arrangements for "There Were Ninety and Nine" (38), "Lift Up Our Eyes" (74), "Ten Lepers" (86), "Who Has Known the Mind of the Lord" (141), "We All Are Now One People" (183), "The First Place" (199), "Lo, I Have Come to Do Your Will" (219) and "Salvation Belongs to Our God" (256).

6/25/08: At this morning's CICW grants colloquium worship service, we'll sing "One Generation Will Call to the next. Why don't you download the congregational version or the choral arrangementand sing it in your church? While you're at it, let me suggest a similar song: "We Are Waiting" is equally at home with a praise band or choir, and it will soon be available in a new arrangement in the forthcoming Contemporary Songs for Worship.

5/28/08: Where in the world is Greg? Right now he's in Grand Rapids, but next week he's helping lead worship at RCA general synod in Holland (MI), June 24-26 he's leading worship and a workshop at the CICW grants colloquium, and July 30-August 6 he'll be leading three sessions at FUMMWA's Worship 2008! in Grand Rapids and Wilmington. He'll cap off all these summer activities with a September 20 Art of Worship Team Leadership workshop at Redeemer College in Ontario and the October 10-12 CFAMC conference in IA. Let me know if you need more info on any of these events!

4/17/08: Yesterday I met hymn writer Mary Louise Bringle. One of the interesting things about her is that she starts with a tune and then writes a text--very unusual in the hymn world. It made me think about all the "orphan" tunes I have languishing in my compositional filing cabinet. It inspired me to make those tunes available to text writers who are waiting to give them a loving home. Let me introduce to you SASQUATCH ( 8.7.8.7.D), RUSTY (8.6.8.6), TWISTER (8.7.8.7.D), and MAESTRO (8.6.8.6).

4/14/08: Last week when I was at the Transforming Culture symposium in Austin, I did a short interview with Kevin Gibson. You can hear it at his very excellent http://worshipodcast.com/. (You'll need to scroll down a bit to get to Episode 5, but take your time--all the episodes are interesting.)

4/13/08: I'm thinking about creating a book of piano arrangements for accompanying congregational singing--something like my three hymn arrangements at the CICW website or like this new one of O Splendor of God's Glory Bright. What do you think? Would you buy a book of 15-20 piano arrangements like this?

3/15/08: Has it really been two months since my last update? Yes, I guess it has. I'm still alive and well, but haven't had time to update my web pages as much as I'd like lately. I'm knee deep in Easter season preparations at COS, working on the upcoming Transforming Culture symposium in Austin, and finishing editorial work on the forthcoming global songbook for the CICW. But don't worry. I'll be back in full force before you know it.

1/26/07: Did you sing "One Generation Will Call to the Next" in the chapel service at this year's Calvin Worship Symposium? Did you know that you can download the congregational version or the choral arrangement for free right here at gregscheer.com?

1/20/07: This week marks the countdown to the Calvin Worship Symposium. I'll be leading a Thursday seminar with Paul Ryan called The Art of Worship Team Leadership, Fri/Sat workshops on The Worship Team's "Other" Instruments and Where Can I Find that Song?, as well as helping to lead a few worship services. I'll be busy, but not so busy that you can't say hello!

1/5/07: I just did my post-New Year count down, and it seems that I have over 400 songs, compositions and arrangements to my credit. Certainly you can find something you like...

12/22/07: Lest anyone thinks I'm an ivory tower composer who has lost touch with the working musician, take a stroll over to my church's website where you'll find a worship blog that has recordings from recent services and things I've written for the church bulletin. And of course, my musical diary is always an open book.

12/3/07: Anyone up for a roadtrip to Austin, Texas? I'll be speaking at the Transforming Culture symposium in Austin, April 1-3. It looks like a fantastic line up, including Jeremy Begbie, Andy Crouch, Eugene Peterson and G.R.usalem's own John Witvliet. Register at a discount before January 1.

11/24/07: This time of year is a time of giving. In that spirit of giving I'm making available a bunch of piano accompaniments from the Greg Scheer Songbook: A City On a Hill, My Soul Will Glorify the Lord, Sing to the Lord a New Song, House of Praise, I Will Wait Upone the Lord, and Let His Name Be Lifted Up. By the way, you can still buy the CD--and it still rocks.

11/14/07: Looking for Advent music? (part 2) Here are some songs on my site that you can use: The text “On Jordan’s Bank The Baptist’s Cry” can be paired with the tune PUER NOBIS (“O Splendor of God’s Glory Bright”). “O Sing a Song of Bethlehem” sounds beautiful in a pop rock style. Have your choir sing my jazz ballad arrangement of “Lo, How a Rose." Try my recastings of the classic carols “The King Shall Come” and “A Great and Mighty Wonder.” Finally, my recently composed "I'll Be a Witness to the Light" has become a favorite Advent song in some churches.

11/1/07: Looking for Advent music? Check out my article "A New Thing: modern music for Advent" in the Nov/Dec 2007 issue of Worship Arts, pages 7-9.

10/20/07: On Saturday Nov 3 at 3:30pm the St. Ambrose University Choir will sing my new piece "Spring and Fall: to a young child" in the Allaert Auditorium on the St. Ambrose campus. I fully expect it to be a wonderful performance. Sadly, I can't be there because I'll be leading The Art of Worship Team Leadership workshop with Paul Ryan at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL, so please applaud the choir extra hard for me!

10/6/07: I just finished adding my choral catalog to the scriptural song index. You're welcome.

9/22/07: Today is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. I've always wanted to write music for a school alma mater or fight song. In 1998 my song "As the Deer" was the runner up tune in a search for the Bryant High School alma mater. I've been looking for a way to avenge that bitter defeat ever since. And finally my day has come! I just read the press release announcing that my music was chosen in the Illinois Central College fight song competition. You can listen to it at my music blog. In celebration of this momentus compositional victory, I am making all the music on this website available for free download. Oh that's right, all the music on this website is always available for free download...

9/15/07: Have you always wished you could search all the music at gregscheer.com by scripture? Your wish is my command. The new scriptural song index has all of my congregational songs listed. The songs from my choral catalog will be added soon.

9/14/07: I just returned from speaking at a delightful day-long conference of the Association of Christian College Music Educators in St. Louis. Next up is the Contemporary Worship Institute in Kansas City (Oct 3), The Our Community in Worship: Tie that Binds with the American Baptist Church of Michigan (Oct 19), and The Art of Worship Team Leadership with Paul Ryan at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL (Nov 3). I'd love to have you join me at one of these!

8/26/07: So you think Greg is a two dimensional composer, able to produce only music for choir and congregation? Think again! I offer you a swinging rendition of Go Down Moses for jazz combo. The chart is scored for 2 trumpets, alto and tenor sax, trombone, optional flute and rhythm section. Still want more proof? You'll find lots of variety at my musical diary. The latest post is a recording of a composition for string orchestra, but you'll find everything from punk to a college fight song.

8/18/07: I had another wild weekend of updating my website. This time I worked on my choir page. You will now find over 30 scores for choir, many of which have MP3 demos and most of which will only set you back $15 for your whole choir.

8/17/07: The leader's edition of Sing with Me just came out. In it you'll find lots of my arrangements.

7/16/07: This weekend I went crazy updating my website. There are now over 50 congregational songs with descriptions, scripture references, PDF files and in many cases MP3s. That'll keep you busy for a while...

7/13/07: I've got three songs in the new Augsburg Fortress collection Wade in the Water: "Lord, We Sing to You," "Maybe the Rain" and "The Beauty of Holiness." At a mere $9.95, you'd be foolish not to buy it!

7/3/07: There's still time to register for the Worship Teleseminar. My session on global worship takes place on Tuesday, July 24, 8-9pm (EST), but there is a great line up of speakers throughout the summer that you won't want to miss. And it's free!

6/17/07: My setting of the Charles Wesley text "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" won an honorable mention in the David C. Lam Christian Hymn Society International Hymn Tune Competition. Read the press release or download a PDF file of the music. In other runner-up news, my song "One Generation Will Call to the Next" was included in a booklet that was handed out to some 14,000 people who attended the CRCNA's Sesquicentennial Celebration this past weekend. That's the good news. The bad news? My name was spelled wrong.

6/14/07: I just returned from a week of leading worship with C.J. Grier and Jacqui Lewis at the 2007 RCA General Synod in Pella, Iowa. Some people have asked me about the song of justice and joy, "From the City to the Country," that we sang Monday. Here it is in a PDF format leadsheet and an MP3 demo. Feel free to ask me about any of the other songs.

5/20/07: Are you looking for music to celebrate the CRC sesquicentennial? Look no further! You may already know about my song "One Generation Will Call to the Next" which is one of the official sesquicentennial celebration hymns. First Christian Reformed Church of Barrie has even blogged about using it in their worship. Now there's a simple choral arrangement of the song that provides a great way to introduce it to your congregation. But wait--that's not all! Act now and you can download Bert Polman's winning sesquicentennial text "Grace through Every Generation" set to a brand new tune. Now that's cause for celebration!

5/16/07: On Sunday evening I returned from two wonderful weeks in Uganda. Soon I will be posting some audio blog reports at the CICW website that describe the trip and let you hear some of the worship I experienced.

5/16/07: My article “Singing the Psalms in Modern Worship” appears in the latest issue of Reformed Worship (June 2007, Number 84) on pages 46-47.

4/6/07: I am now a member of LicenSing. So be nice--any time you use one of my songs, please report it to LicenSing or CCLI.

3/30/07: I've been asked to join a team of worship leaders to do worship training in Uganda at the end of April. Want to learn more? Read "Cheeseballs for Uganda."

3/7/07: Check out some new, seasonal music: "What Wondrous Love" for SAB Choir and Piano would be perfect as a Lent anthem, and "Feed Us, Lord" is a congregational song that can be introduced during Lent and used as a communion song throughout the year. Get 'em while they're hot!

2/17/07: Three of my new piano arrangements for accompanying congregational singing have been added to the CICW website: "Guide My Feet," "Just As I Am, without One Plea" and "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty." Are they free? Oh yeah.

2/14/07: If you're looking for song ideas for Ascension Day, read my new article "Ascension Songs: Looking Beyond Your Hymnal" in the latest Reformed Worship (Number 83, March 2007, pp10-13).

3/5/07: This website is mainly for my church music, but those of you in the Grand Rapids area will get a chance to hear another side of me. On March 15 at 7pm, my Brass Quintet in Three Movements and 12 (for viola and cello) will be performed at the "New Music at Calvin" concert.

2/4/07: I'm taking advantage of being snowed in for the weekend: I've added an "Art of Worship" page where you can read the latest reviews (incluing a new one by Bob Kauflin) and download resources that go with the book. I've also added some new posts to my music blog.

1/12/07: Byron Borger recently wrote a great review of The Art of Worship. After you're done reading the review, head on over to his Hearts & Minds bookstore to order a copy for yourself. And finally, if you're attending the Calvin Symposium on Worship at the end of the month I'd love to have you attend one of my sessions, come hear me play bass with Keith Getty, or just say Hi.

1/12/07: Does Greg rock? This Saturday night you can find out. Come hear me play keyboard and guitar with The New Midwest at Quinne & Tuites in Grand Rapids. Show starts at 9pm.

12/27/06: I've finally taken the plunge and started a blog. But don't worry, I won't embarrass my family and friends with the dark secrets and minute details of my little life. Instead, it will be a place for me to post songs and demos that are freshly written, on my mind, or still in process. So feel free to take a peek into The Musical Diary of Greg Scheer.

12/26/06: Rick's people at Sadleback called my people at Baker (I love to say that) and the next thing I knew I was writing an article called "The Changing World of Church Music" for Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox. It's now online.

12/22/06: The wait is over--The Art of Worship is hitting the streets this week! What are people saying about it? Terry York says "Reading The Art of Worship is like witnessing a baptism... Scheer 'buries' the band and 'resurrects' a team of servants to new life in the name of full-orbed ministry, musical exellence, and community responsibility." Robert Webber calls it "a very practical tool." John Witvliet writes that the book "demonstrates that we never have to choose between integrity and relevance in preparing to lead God's people in worship." Greg Scheer says "The Art of Worship makes a great stocking stuffer!"

12/9/06: I just received word that I won this year's Iowa Choral Directors Association and Iowa Composers Forum choral commission for new choral piece for a high school level choir that will be premiered in Mason City in July at the ICDA's yearly summer symposium. It will be a setting of Gerard Manley Hopkins' text "Spring and Fall, to a young child," which is something I've always wanted to set to music.

11/12/06: The Art of Worship--an international sensation! BakerBooks has struck a deal with YWAM Publishing Korea to release a Korean-language edition of the book. Pity the person who has to translate phrases like "Harmony Sandwich" and "Utilitarian Pop Modulation." Speaking of statistically improbable phrases, amazon.com has compiled some interesting facts about my book that even I didn't know. For example, the book is quite a deal at 6,259 words per dollar. No wonder it has rocketed to position 484,474 on Amazon's sales charts on the strength of pre-release purchases alone.

9/16/06: I'm a winner! I received an honorable mention in the CRC Sesquicentennial (150th) Hymn Contest for my song "One Generation Will Call to the Next ." It will be made available through the denomination at some point in the future. For now you can read about the contest, Bert Polman's winning text, and a little tiny mention of me at the bottom of this Calvin press release.

9/16/06: I'm a loser! The other two songs I submitted to the contest lost. But don't despair--my loss is your gain. You can download the leadsheet or demo of "Deeper than the Sea," a praise song based on Psalm 36:5-9. Or move into more adventurous territory by reading or listening to "People of the Lord." It's a Genevan Psalter-style setting of Psalm 78:1-7 in 7/8 time. (And I wonder why it didn't win...)

9/10/06: "May the Mind of Christ My Savior" was just published in Faith Alive's Sing with Me song book. The song book also contains a number of my arrangements. You'll have to wait until 2007 for the accompaniment edition, which will contain over 30 of my arrangments.

9/10/06: Speaking of publications, my contemporary song suggestions are included in the recently released Call to Worship Year C lectionary aids. It was great to be able to contribute to a resource I use regularly.

8/26/06: I know a lot of you have hoped I would provide recordings of more of my songs. So last night I recorded a bunch of rough demos of my praise songs. Here they are: One Thing, May the Mind of Christ My Savior, Lead Me to the Rock, I Surrender All to You, From the City to the Country, Eternal Family, The King Shall Come, My Keeper, Prairie Prelude, and A Great and Mighty Wonder. Mind you, these are rough, one take recordings. Someday I'll record another "real" CD of songs, but for now a quick recording of my guitar and voice will have to suffice.

8/11/06: I handed in the final page edits of my book today. Why don't you just head over to amazon and pre-order it?

7/12/06: Look for some of my articles to appear this summer: "Worship Composition: Looking Back, Looking Forward" in Perspectives (you can read the full text online) , and "Hands around the World: An Introduction to African and Latin American Percussion in Worship" in The Hymn.

7/1/06: I just finished a two week seminar with Jimmie Abbington entitled "The Many Languages of African American Worship and Music." It was wonderful.

5/26/06: I promised the people who attended my workshop "Songs for Ascension: Looking Beyond Your Hymnal" at the conference With a Shout: What Difference Does the Ascension Make for Everyday Life? that they would find the piano music for "Let His Name Be Lifted Up" at my website. For a limited time I'm making the piano music and the flute music availabe to all gregscheer.com visitors. Also, feel free to listen to this mp3 or buy the Greg Scheer Song Book CD. Enjoy!

7/7/06: The BakerBooks catalog just came out, and guess what's included in the "coming soon" section? The Art of Worship, available in stores everywhere Fall of 2006!

archived 5/25/06

Tuesday, May 16th at 7:30 p.m. in the Linn-Mar High School Auditorium the Linn-Mar Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Joshua Reznicow will premiere "5," my new composition for string orchestra.

On May 25, I'll be leading a breakout session at the conference With a Shout: What Difference Does the Ascension Make for Everyday Life? at Calvin Seminary. So if you're looking for interesting Ascension songs, join me at "Songs for Ascension: Looking Beyond Your Hymnal"

archived 5/12/06

Page 23 of the recent issue of Reformed Worship (Vol. 79, March 2006) features my arrangement of "Holy, Holy, Holy" that will appear in the forthcoming "Sing with Me" songbook." Read about the songbook and hear the arrangement here.

Check out the new website design! I've eliminated the frames, created a navigation bar and have tried to clean things up in general. I don't expect that it will be perfect right off the bat, but I hope it will streamline the process so I can do what I do best--give you free music!

archived 4/29/06

If you're looking for hymns that can be used during Holy Week (or are so far ahead in your planning that you're working on Lent of next year) take a look at Meditations on Lenten Hymns.

archived 2/11/06