Because music is part of a culture and is connected to a people’s beliefs, practices, and way of life, the term music-culture refers to everything involved in their relationship with music - what they believe about it, what they do with it, the institutions that support it, and the musical objects and materials they create and use. Christian churches in diverse cultures around the world employ contemporary praise and worship music in their assemblies. The music is contemporary in that it...

Reflections from a Small Parish in Derby, CT This morning, I attended Mass at a small parish in Derby, Connecticut. It was my third visit. Each time, I have been touched by the community's humility, simplicity, and sincerity. To my delight, the young pastor there does something a little out of the ordinary. At the very end of the service, after the final blessing, he begins singing the first verse of a well-known hymn. He doesn’t announce it. He doesn’t cue the organist. (There isn’t one.) He...

The Heart of Music Making Pastoral Judgments O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together! (Ps 34:3) Does our...