Virtual Choir Webinar Series

Start by watching an overview of this series in the video below with Dr. Marcia McFee!

Dr. Marcia McFee understands the role of any worship artist in the church as that of creating extraordinary portals through which communities journey with the Spirit. The task is at once deeply theological and wonderfully artistic. Connecting worship professionals and volunteers to their passion and depth of spiritual leadership and skills to carry this out has been her aim in teaching and consulting for 25 years. She is the Creator and Visionary of the Worship Design Studio (www.worshipdesignstudio.com), an online educational and resource website that serves churches in several countries and denominations. She is the author of the best-selling “Think Like a Filmmaker: Sensory-Rich Worship Design for Unforgettable Messages.” She is the Ford Fellow Visiting Professor of Worship at San Francisco Theological Seminary, as well as teaching online courses for several other seminaries. www.marciamcfee.com

Mark Miller believes that everyone is a Child of God and that music is instrumental in healing the world. He also adheres to Cornel West’s belief that “Justice is what love looks like in public.” Since 2006 he has been a Lecturer in Sacred Music at Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music and Divinity School. Mark is Associate Professor of Church Music, Director of Chapel, and Composer In Residence at Drew University in Madison NJ, and is the Minister of Music of Christ Church (UCC & Am Baptist) in Summit, New Jersey. Mark is a graduate of Julliard (M.Mus. in Organ Performance) and Yale University (B.A. Music).

See more about all the webinars in this series below...

Virtual Choir: What Do You Need to Get Started

with Stephen Rodes Chen

Link to register for recording: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4hIWT0YrR1qoRPAkk1lurw

We will cover the basic process for creating a virtual choir and detail the hardware and software that you will need. We will cover hardware including microphones, computing capacity, smart phones (for individual recording) and more. We will also give an overview of software options for audio mixing and video editing noting cost, flexibility, operating system, and ease of use.

Stephen Rodes Chen hails from a family of educators and choir directors. Educated at Yale University and Berklee School of Music, he now resides in Brooklyn NY, pursuing his passion for music. His skills include composition, conducting, music/video production, music education, saxophone, voice, piano, and more. Visit Stephen on the web at http://www.stststephen.com/video.

Virtual Choir: Selecting Music & Preparing Lead Tracks

with Chris Owenby

Link to register for recording: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LoWE412OTPO2dlkWMUQnAQ

Get tips on what music works well with a virtual ensemble as well as step by step instructions for recording lead tracks that will work for your project.

Chris Owenby is the owner and founder of the Resourceful Church Musician, providing well crafted, accessible resources to help church musicians serve their choirs and musicians with passion and excellence. He has served several churches in the Atlanta area as director of adult choruses, children’s and youth choruses, music ensembles and praise teams and has taught music theory, composition and voice at The Master’s Academy and The Harmony House. Chris holds a Master of Music from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Music from LaGrange College. Mr. Owenby is not only a conductor, but also a celebrated composer of choral music with published works including "Could It Be" (Emerson Music), "O Magnum Mysterium," "Our True Savior," and "Supernova" (Imagine Music Publishing).

Free Webinar – Virtual Choir: Preparing Your Choir to Record

with Stephen Rodes Chen

Link to register for recording: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CUtfNXAYQKqbCoHRjQqbIQ

Invite your choir members to join us to learn how to get a clean recording. We will go through the process step by step, include handouts, and have plenty of time to ask questions.

Stephen Rodes Chen hails from a family of educators and choir directors. Educated at Yale University and Berklee School of Music, he now resides in Brooklyn NY, pursuing his passion for music. His skills include composition, conducting, music/video production, music education, saxophone, voice, piano, and more. Visit Stephen on the web at http://www.stststephen.com/video.

Virtual Choir: Mixing Sound with Garage Band (for Mac OS)

with Beth Watson Mueller

Link to register for recording: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_l2WDoUgCST20tL6te5bePQ

Learn how to create a quality sound mix using Garage Band (free with Mac OS). We will go through step by step to split audio from the video, move into Garage Band, correct the individual tracks, sync the tracks and work with the sound.

Virtual Choir: Mixing Sound with Audacity

with Chris Owenby

Link to register for recording: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NQV_b3_jSPS44dXWkCJdDg

Learn how to mix sound for your virtual ensemble using Audacity, a free program available for PC, Mac, and Linux.

Chris Owenby is the owner and founder of the Resourceful Church Musician, providing well crafted, accessible resources to help church musicians serve their choirs and musicians with passion and excellence. He has served several churches in the Atlanta area as director of adult choruses, children’s and youth choruses, music ensembles and praise teams and has taught music theory, composition and voice at The Master’s Academy and The Harmony House. Chris holds a Master of Music from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Music from LaGrange College. Mr. Owenby is not only a conductor, but also a celebrated composer of choral music with published works including "Could It Be" (Emerson Music), "O Magnum Mysterium," "Our True Savior," and "Supernova" (Imagine Music Publishing).

Virtual Choir: Editing Video with Movavi

with Beth Watson Mueller

Link to register for recording: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ipcznkV3Q7ecZop2On1n6g

Learn the basics of bringing in multiple video clips to create a virtual choir using Movavi software. Movavi is a popular option for video editing due to its relative low cost and ease of use.

Virtual Choir: Soundtrap & Upbeat Music - Web Based Apps

with Dr. Christen Blanton Mack

Link to register for recording: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gtyZDsuiTIK_yFDpOutG8A

Learn about Soundtrap, a web based software for audio mixing (with a monthly fee) and Upbeat Music, a virtual ensemble application similar to “Acapella” that works on Android and PC systems. Upbeat Music simplifies the audio/video editing process.

Virtual Choir: Video Editing with DaVinci Resolve

with Chris Owenby

Link to register for recording: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_krf2ItcJTzKT0frr0FZr2w

Learn how to edit your video clips into a cohesive visual array using DaVinci Resolve 16- a free video editing application.

Chris Owenby is the owner and founder of the Resourceful Church Musician, providing well crafted, accessible resources to help church musicians serve their choirs and musicians with passion and excellence. He has served several churches in the Atlanta area as director of adult choruses, children’s and youth choruses, music ensembles and praise teams and has taught music theory, composition and voice at The Master’s Academy and The Harmony House. Chris holds a Master of Music from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Music from LaGrange College. Mr. Owenby is not only a conductor, but also a celebrated composer of choral music with published works including "Could It Be" (Emerson Music), "O Magnum Mysterium," "Our True Savior," and "Supernova" (Imagine Music Publishing).

Virtual Choir: Mixing Sound Using Band Lab

with Stephen Rodes Chen

Link to register for recording: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_X02ZQPuiTYeoUXJyB_KXQA

Learn how to create a sound mix for a virtual choir project using this free software available for PC and Mac.

Stephen Rodes Chen hails from a family of educators and choir directors. Educated at Yale University and Berklee School of Music, he now resides in Brooklyn NY, pursuing his passion for music. His skills include composition, conducting, music/video production, music education, saxophone, voice, piano, and more. Visit Stephen on the web at http://www.stststephen.com/video.

Virtual Choir Webinars Wrap Up: Making Tech an Art Form

with Dr. Marcia McFee

Link to register for recording: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JZ6K8GwmSvSClZIjvbqecw

Now that you've learned the technical details of creating a virtual choir, learn how to make them a masterpiece! Marcia will talk about the artistry of the audio/video piece, as well as how it can be used in worship and online in powerful ways.

Dr. Marcia McFee understands the role of any worship artist in the church as that of creating extraordinary portals through which communities journey with the Spirit. The task is at once deeply theological and wonderfully artistic. Connecting worship professionals and volunteers to their passion and depth of spiritual leadership and skills to carry this out has been her aim in teaching and consulting for 25 years. She is the Creator and Visionary of the Worship Design Studio (www.worshipdesignstudio.com), an online educational and resource website that serves churches in several countries and denominations. She is the author of the best-selling “Think Like a Filmmaker: Sensory-Rich Worship Design for Unforgettable Messages.” She is the Ford Fellow Visiting Professor of Worship at San Francisco Theological Seminary, as well as teaching online courses for several other seminaries. www.marciamcfee.com

PRC and Worship Design Studio are pleased to offer this line up of webinars on Virtual Choir.  

PRC has spent the last two months collecting information from churches all over the country and the world about what would help them with Virtual Choir. In this series, PRC and the Worship Design Studio have attempted to cover both the general topics of Virtual Choir and then the specific how to of audio and video editing.

Visit the PRC website to find out about more Practice Resources for Churches. Please consider making a donation to support the work of the PRC and this webinar series!