Engaging a Wide Range of Instrumentalists and Vocalists
In an earlier era of WELS worship culture, it was often only festival services (and the occasional obbligato instrument with a choir selection) that merited inclusion of instruments beyond the organ. Now some churches regularly involve a wide variety of instruments beyond organ and piano. Regular use of singers beyond a choir (of adults or children) is also common. This session covers a wide range of related topics: recruitment and organization, selecting and arranging music for beginning instrumentalists, nurturing the less skilled rather than relying on the A-team, the same music in each service but with different singers/players, intergenerational ensembles, young musicians in school chapel, and more.
Bio | Martha Johnson
Martha is a 2004 graduate of Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minn., where she received a degree in education with an emphasis in music. She served at Nebraska Lutheran High School in Waco, Neb., as the choir and band director for 11 years and later as the minister of music at Bethlehem in Menomonee Falls, Wis. Currently Martha teaches 5th grade and upper grade music at Peace Lutheran School, Hartford, Wis. She also sings with The Lutheran Ceili Orchestra, Canticum Novum, and the Lutheran Chorale of Milwaukee.
Bio | Levi Nagel
Levi is a full-time staff minister serving in the area of worship for the past 19 years. From 2005–2016 he served at Grace, Falls Church, Va. He currently serves as the minister of music and worship at St. John’s, Milwaukee (Forest Home Ave.). He holds a BA in music from Wisconsin Lutheran College and a Master of Church Music degree from Concordia University Wisconsin. While living in the Washington, D.C., area, Levi sang professionally with several choirs, including the Washington Chorus and the Washington Master Chorale, for the latter of which he was the principal chair for his section. Levi has also been the artistic director of the Lutheran Chorale of Milwaukee since 2018. During the hymnal project, he served on the music subcommittee of the hymns committee, and in 2022, he served as one of the clinicians for the East Regional Choral Festival.
Pastor Caauwe serves St. John’s in Wood Lake, Minn., which has conducted a summer music program for the congregation and community for over ten years and held an annual hymn festival for five years. He serves as circuit pastor and vice president for the Hausvater Project.
Michaela is a 2022 graduate of Martin Luther College, receiving degrees in elementary education and parish music. Prior to graduation, she served twice as the summer music teacher at St. John’s in Wood Lake. In 2024, she will return as a guest organist for their annual hymn festival. After graduation, she served one-year assignments to teach 4th grade and 4th-8th music at St. John’s, Milwaukee, Wis., and to teach 2nd-4th grade and K-4th music at Our Savior, Brookings, S.D. She is an enthusiastic church organist and is passionate about sharing God’s gift of music with children.
Pastor Casmer has served for 15 years at Christ the Lord in Brookfield, Wis. He has presented on “working with a parish music director” at previous WELS worship conferences, has served on the manuals committee for the WELS Hymnal Project, and as a circuit pastor in the Southeastern Wisconsin District. He is currently pursuing a doctor of ministry degree in homiletics through Concordia Seminary (St. Louis).
Tim is in his 14th year as the media services coordinator at Wisconsin Lutheran College. During his time there he has coordinated AV technology for a variety of events in many different venues. As a member at Christ the Lord in Brookfield, Wis., Tim served on the AV/Tech Committee during the building of their new worship sanctuary.
Harvey is an attorney who spent 40-plus years handling intellectual property (IP) matters (copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, etc.). For a large law firm (Vinson & Elkins) he primarily handled IP litigation and other IP matters. For the last 20 years, he worked on IP matters (capturing, protecting, and exploiting IP) for several large corporations including General Electric and most recently Woodward, Inc., a publicly-traded aerospace company, from which he retired last year. He is a frequent presenter on copyright and other legal matters. Harvey has served on the WELS Commission on Worship and is a member of Abiding Love in Loveland, Colo.
Kristine has served as copyrights and permissions coordinator at Northwestern Publishing House (NPH) since 2008. In this role she encounters a variety of intellectual property issues and has played a key role in securing copyright permissions for NPH music resources, from Christian Worship: Supplement (2008) to the Christian Worship (2021) suite of resources. She is the NPH representative to OneLicense and strives to be a helpful resource for church copyright licensing for service folder reprints and livestreams. Having begun her career at NPH as a copy editor more than 20 years ago, she is also the lead copy editor.
Pastor Van Sice graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2017 and was assigned to start a new church in Huntersville, N.C. In Sept. 2018, after a year of community exploration and preparatory work, Huntersville Lutheran Church began public worship with a core group of ten people. As of Dec. 2023, the church has grown to nearly 100 souls with an average worship attendance of over 60 people. Pastor Van Sice also serves as the North Atlantic District Worship Coordinator.
Pastor Wilke graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2019 and was assigned to start a new mission in Brandon, S.D. In Sept. 2020, they launched worship with 30 members. By the end of 2023, the average attendance of Sure Foundation was 70 people.
