Music Committee

October 27, 2021

The Music Committee met on Wednesday, October 27. Members present included Darla Carras, Aaron Morneau, Jessica Sammis Nilles, Craig Stapert, and Amanda Halstead. Amanda updated the committee on Craig's new position as Director of Music and Communications. The committee reviewed music plans in preparation for Advent. Craig is prepared with different ideas depending on final decisions for the services in Advent. The committee reviewed current expenditures and voted to authorize Craig to use up to $1,500 of the music budget to purchase a high quality microphone specifically designed for the piano. The microphone will help the music ministry achieve great sound in recordings.

Upon recommendations from council, the committee also discussed ideas on how to streamline volunteers in our committee. The committee discussed the possibility of combining Music and Worship committees. A motion was made to recommend reducing the committee from 6 to 5 members. The motion will be voted on by email to include two members not present at the meeting. The committee agreed to meet again on Wednesday, November 17.

April 21, 2021

The Music Committee met on Wednesday, April 21 at 7:00pm. Music Committee members present included Amanda Halstead, Darla Carras, Dan Jimenez, Aaron Morneau, and Craig Stapert. The committee had a lengthy discussion regarding the rebuilding of the Steinway Model M in the sanctuary. The committee went over the proposal of $10,725 for the rebuild by piano technician Elliot Freese. The committee reviewed ideas for fundraising and the possibility of using Music Trust funds to cover part of the cost.  Amanda Halstead made a motion to use $5,000 from the Music Trust Fund and submit a proposal to fund-raise the remainder of the  cost. The motion passed unanimously. Amanda will submit a proposal for the fundraiser to Stewardship and the Church Council. Assuming the fund raising is approved by Church Council, the fund raising would begin at the end of May, the piano will be repaired over the summer and moved back to the Sanctuary by the beginning of fall.

Following the discussion of the piano, Amanda requested the committee table the idea of the handbell chimes until the fall. With low youth participation and summer right around the corner, there is no immediate need for a handbell chime set. The committee agreed to table the discussion until the fall. The committee finished the meeting with a discussion related to the church's interim time. The topic focused on our current church model and where we see LRUCC headed in the future.

February 24, 2021

The Music Committee met on the evening of February 24, at 7:30 pm. Darla Carras, Amanda Halstead, and Craig Stapert were present. The committee discussed the formation of a task force to address questions and plans for hybrid worship models. SInce not all members were present, Amanda agreed to approach other committee members separately. Amanda updated the committee on their Endowment Fund proposal to rebuild the donated Steinway piano in the sanctuary. The piano will cost approximately $10K to rebuild. The committee discussed ideas on using the Music Trust fund, completing half the work in 2021 and the other half in 2022, and/or reapplying for the grant next year. The committee is also looking into purchasing hand bell chimes for the children's youth choirs. The committee will continue to think on these ideas and wait for the next meeting when more members are present to make steps towards a decision. Craig provided updates on recording sessions planned for Lent and Easter music. Finally, Amanda updated the committee on Ashton's reduction of hours through the month of June. Since the youth are not meeting as frequently, her hours have changed from roughly 10 hours per week to 10 hours per month. As a result, her pay will also decrease by 1/4th. Ashton was in agreement with this reduction. The committee will reevaluate the situation in the summer and revise her hours and salary as needed.

October 28, 2020

The Music Committee met on October 28th, at 7pm on zoom. In attendance were members Aaron Morenau, Dan Jiminez, Jessica Nilles, Amanda Halstead, and Craig Stapert. Amanda provided the committee with updates on the Interim Senior Pastor search, music budget for 2021, stewardship campaign, and worship committee. Amanda also reported Aaron Morenau and Jessica Nilles will continue for a second term on the Music Committee. Craig reported the organ repair parts have been ordered. Hopefully, they can be installed before Advent begins. Craig also reported a generous donation of a 6ft Steinway grand piano from a family at Greenspring. The piano had to be moved quickly and is now residing in the sanctuary at LRUCC. Craig updated the committee on worship plans for Advent. Amanda suggested connecting with the Women's Ministry to provide music for the Advent Spiral. At the end of the meeting, the committee had an executive session without staff to discuss the google survey responses for Craig's annual evaluation.

September 30, 2020

The Music Committee met on September 30th at 7:00 pm. Members present included Amanda Halstead, Craig Stapert, Ashton Streavig, Jessica Sammis Nilles, Darla Carras, and Aaron Morneau. Amanda Halstead gave the committee updates from Church Council and the upcoming stewardship campaign. The committee discussed the Mission Moment on October 11th to feature photos of the music staff at work for virtual worship. Craig gave the committee an update on a necessary organ repair that will cost between $1,600-$2,000. The committee gave permission to Craig to use the organ repair fund to cover the cost. The committee discussed thoughts on important traditions in our Advent worship and how to create a meaningful Advent season in virtual worship. Our next Music Committee meeting will be October 28, 7:00 pm.

January 22, 2020

The Music Committee met on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 at 7:30 pm. The committee reviewed Fall events such as the Thanksgiving service and Advent services. Many thanks to Craig and Ashton for their hard work during the busy season. The committee discussed potential projects for 2020 including guest musicians, Open Mic Night, and exploration of new hymnals. Our church hymnal is now out of print and was purchased almost 35 years ago. The committee is exploring ideas on how the process would work, information needed in a search, and assessing the needs and desires of the congregation. The committee agreed it would be a long process with a lot of collaboration with committees and congregants.

November 20, 2019

The Music Committee met on Wednesday, November 20, at 7:30 pm. The Committee discussed updates from Church Council and current status on Room 7 updates. Then Committee reviewed Craig's draft for the November 24, Thanksgiving service and made suggestions on dividing the readings. The Committee then discussed music staff reviews for 2019 and potential goals for music ministry in 2020.

October 23, 2019

The Music Committee met on Wednesday, October 23 at 7:30 pm. The Committee considered various options for highlighting our newly refurbished organ in ways that would accommodate other church events and activities, pastors' schedules, and the liturgical calendar. The committee determined that a recital on November 24 would not be optimal because the day is already quite full with a worship service, Thanksgiving at LRUCC, and the hanging of advent greenery in the sanctuary. The committee decided to accept Craig's proposal to craft a service of readings, reflections, and music -- in multiple forms but with the organ as a focal point -- that leads us in a conclusion of the church year and acknowledges Reign of Christ Sunday. Committee members will assist Craig in planning and conducting this service. We also agreed that a formal organ recital will be scheduled for sometime in 2020. The Committee also discussed the need to know where the music committee stands with respect to members and their terms.

September 18, 2019

The Music Committee reviewed the Open Mic Night event held last April. There were many positive outcomes from the event including fun church fellowship, multigenerational acts, Samantha Martin's composition of the prayer response, participation of the Bell Choir, and funds raised for the Youth Mission Trip. There were some logistical challenges in setup, communication with volunteers, and how to handle the fundraising without overshadowing the focus of fellowship. The committee will take these concerns into consideration for future planning. The committee also discussed calendar planning and agreed November 24 would be a good date for an organ recital. The organ is close to being finished with its repair work and should be operational in the next few days. The committee also discussed the idea of hosting a concert by the group, Mosaic Harmony. The committee agreed to investigate the idea further by seeking out support from other committees and the pastors.

May 19, 2019

Meal Train for Ashton Streavig

Our Youth Music Director, Ashton Streavig, is expecting a baby boy! The Music Committee is organizing a meal train for Ashton during this special time as they welcome the new family member. If you would like to sign up to prepare a meal for Ashton, please contact Amanda Halstead via email.

April 3, 2019

The Music Committee met on Wednesday, April 3rd at 7:30pm. The Committee reviewed updates from Church Council regarding budget, church safety, and Pastor David's upcoming sabbatical. The Committee discussed final preparations for Open Mic Night to be held on April 27th at 7:30pm. The Committee discussed reactions to the Lenten Taize services. Although the services were small, there were positive reactions from those who played instruments and those who attended. Music staff acknowledged is required extra work. A recommendation was made to review congregation's knowledge of Taize and the possibilities of changing the name to reflect the meditative, quiet nature of the service. The Committee also reviewed summer plans including organ repair, guest musicians, and the idea of a youth strumming group led by Jessica Sammis Nilles.

February 27, 2019

The Music Committee met on Wednesday, February 27 at 7:30pm. The Committee discussed the upcoming organ repairs this summer. The Organ Reserve Fund is just over $16K. The repairs will cost up to $18K. With the permission of past donors to the Choir Robe Fund, the Music Committee will reallocate the remaining funds to the Organ Reserve Fund. The Music Trust fund will be used in all future needs for choir robe repairs, cleaning, or purchases. With this reallocation, the Music Committee will need to raise less than $2K to cover the cost of the organ repairs. Craig will coordinate a recital in September to feature the updates to the organ and will ask for a love offering to begin replenishing the organ reserve fund. The Music Committee discussed plans for Open Mic Night, scheduled for April 27. It was agreed to reach out to Christian Ed to see if the youth would like to participate and provide them an opportunity to fundraise at Open Mic Night. The Committee discussed music plans for Lent/Easter including the addition of 4 Taize services for the Lenten suppers. Finally, the Music Committee discussed the Endowment Funds to be used to renovate Room 7 into a Youth Music and Christian Ed room this July. The room will be used for Youth music rehearsals and classes on Sunday mornings before, during, and after services. Room 7 will be open to church members at all other times. The Committee and Music Staff will move forward towards final decisions for furniture purchases.

October 24, 2018

The Music Committee met on Wednesday, October 24 at 7:30 pm. The Committee discussed music plans and logistics for Advent and updates from the Ministry Board meeting. The Committee spent most of the time creating a proposal for the Endowment Fund to dedicate a shared space for our Youth Music ensembles and Christian Ed classes.

October 3, 2018

The Music Committee met on Wednesday, October 3. The meeting focused on discussions of identifying strengths of Little River’s Music Ministry and traditions favored by the congregation. In preparation for a report to the Future Ministries Committee, the Music Committee began discussions of envisioning the future of the Music Ministry at Little RIver and future requirements in terms of physical space. The Committee also discussed options for a proposal for the Endowment Fund. After brainstorming many different ideas, the Committee agreed to move forward on creating a proposal for a dedicated space for Youth Music and will seek out potential collaboration with Christian Education, Arts Committee, and Trustees. Additionally, the Committee prepared logistics for the upcoming Ministry Fair on October 14th.

August 29, 2018

The Music Committee met on Wednesday, August 29 at 7:30 pm. The Committee discussed possibilities for musical contributions to the Silent Auction for Rally Day and plans for a table at the Ministry Board Fair on October 14. The Music Committee spent most of the meeting discussing the organ and its need for repairs. The organ's electronics are malfunctioning and the organ preset buttons are failing because of aging in the electronics. Craig must manually change each organ stop to get a different sound. Craig is in touch with organ specialists and deciding the best course of action. Since there will by major repairs to the organ, it is the best time to make upgrades to the organ including memory expansion. The repairs will likely be done in summer 2019 to avoid any down time of the organ during the year. The Committee is exploring ways to pay for the cost in addition to using all funds from the Organ Reserve. The Committee also discussed Music Ministry goals for the future including the addition of Children's chimes and the needs of a dedicated space for Music Ministry. The Committee concluded the meeting by collaborating on evaluations for our Music staff.