Monday Intensives

Monday (9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.)

On Monday, plan on attending one of our intensive sessions, offering practical tools and tips in handbells, liturgical dance, and contemporary worship. In addition to these sessions, there will be a rehearsal for those who wish to participate in the “River of Light” Oratorio closing concert as well as an organ crawl around Kansas City. Additional fees may apply.

Note that these options begin at 9 a.m., so you’ll want to be sure your arrival day/time and hotel reservation don’t conflict.

Contemporary Worship Intensive at Resurrection Downtown with Justin Huey and Matt Bisel

Resurrection Downtown, a setting designed especially for contemporary modern worship, is the laboratory for new music within Church of the Resurrection. Worship leaders Justin Huey and Matt Bisel will guide you through everything from planning worship in a more contemporary style to creating services aimed directly at inner city dwellers. In addition, they will provide examples of new music created especially for the downtown campus by musicians and congregants within the church itself. The use of a band, recruiting a band, using hymns in a modern setting and other contemporary issues will be discussed.

Additional Fee Applies: $50
Lunch included. Transportation NOT included. Event to be held at Resurrection Downtown, a 15-minute walk from the Marriott hotel.

Handbell Intensive with Rezound!

The Handbell Intensive is full to capacity.
Work with Rezound! performance coordinator Lisa Mills along with other instructors from the group to learn techniques and tips to enhance your handbell program. Four topics to be addressed during this intensive seminar include using handbells in worship, handbell techniques – basic and beyond, ringing with less than a full choir, and working with young ringers.

Handbells in Worship: We expect to hear handbells as special music or prelude/postlude in our worship. This session will include a variety of suggestions for incorporating bells throughout the service to enrich the worship experience. The possibilities are numerous! Participants will also be encouraged to share what has/hasn’t worked in their own experience.
Handbell Techniques – Basics and Beyond: A review of the basic “ring and damp” technique – making sure this fundamental step is being performed properly – and an overview of technique notations in published music. This session will also include exercises to practice the various techniques (martellato, pluck, weaving, shake, thumb damp and more) and tips to share with your choir.
Ringing With Less Than a Full Choir: Don’t let a limited number of ringers stop you from sharing the beauty of handbells in worship. We’d all love to have a full complement of ringers to perform 3-5 octave music, but what happens when you only have 6 or 4 or even fewer musicians? We’ll explore the options ranging from quartets/trios/duets.. to incorporating bell trees.. to music written specifically for fewer ringers.. to learning how to assign ringers to cover a wider range of bells than tradition dictates. These methods apply across the spectrum of musical ability and experience.
Working with Young Ringers: This class will focus on making the art of handbell ringing more accessible to young children. When we encourage their natural enthusiasm and desire to learn and couple it with the beginnings of technique and rhythm instruction, we plant the seeds of love for music that will grow with them. The session will include strategies for working with children as young as 4 years and we will have an opportunity to try some of the various techniques and share ideas.

Additional Fee Applies: $50
Lunch included. Transportation NOT included. Event to be held at Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral, a 6-minute walk from the Marriott hotel.

Dance Intensive with Sheila Beckford

This dance intensive is designed for dancers of all levels. We will explore refreshing creative concepts that will transform your worship through choreography and other artistic ministries associated with liturgical dance (for example, flagging). We will then add our gifts to complement the other spiritual gifts and elements during our time of worship. It will be a joyous time to experience the Lord through movement.

Additional Fee Applies: $20
Lunch AND Transportation included. Event to be held at St. James UMC. Transportation will return to Marriott hotel at 2 p.m.

“The River of Light” Choir Experience with Kevin Bogan and Troy Armstrong

Be a part of a new choral work, “The River of Light,” as you join with the Church of the Resurrection Choir and Orchestra to present this 75-minute original oratorio based on the stories found in the Resurrection Window. Troy Armstrong, the composer of “The River of Light” will join with Kevin Bogan, traditional music director at the Church of the Resurrection, to prepare you to sing in the closing worship event of the Convocation.

Additional Fee Applies: $40
UPDATED 1/3/19: Lunch included. Transportation NOT included. Event to be held at Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral, a 6-minute walk from the Marriott hotel.

Organ Crawl

Many may not think of Kansas City as a mecca for pipe organs, but with its close proximity to Quimby Pipe Organs, a fine music conservatory, and a fine church music program in Lawrence, the organ scene is quite robust. Join us on an organ crawl as we experience some of the area’s finest instruments, including the new Richards, Fowkes & Co. organ at Village Presbyterian Church and either the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Casavant organ or the Community of Christ Temple Casavant (depending on availability).

Additional Fee Applies: $50
Lunch AND Transportation included. Transportation will return to Marriott hotel at 2 p.m.