CUEcast: Recent Episodes
YouthCUE
CUEcast is the 3-times weekly podcast spotlighting the world of faith based youth choirs. Hosted by YouthCUE Founder, Randy Edwards, the episodes are divided into three subdivisions: CUEcast Classic (Mondays), CUEcast Communiqué (Wednesdays), and CUEcast Axiom (Fridays). The interviews, discussions, and dialogues feature a wide array of guests, including but not limited to choral conductors, successful directors, current students, and professional YouthCUE alumni. The podcast encourages the best practices for student choirs across the United States and Canada. Produced by YouthCUE, the premier organization for community based youth choirs since 1990. www.youthcue.org
Our guest today is Grant Frederick, Minister of Music at Bonsack Baptist Church in Roanoke, VA. Listen in as Grant provides us personal insights from career as a vocational music minister.
Robert Sterling talks about the benefits of YouthCUE for teenagers from his vantage point as a composer, song writer, arranger, and producer.
Hymn Correspondent Mark Edwards takes a fresh look at how hymns empower our communities of faith and how carefully selected, well-chosen hymn texts and arrangements can provide staple musical resources for directors of student choirs.
Pastor Amy Butler discusses the power of communication as we seek to lead people through the communities of faith we serve. Amy is Pastor of the National City Christian Church in Washington, D. C.
Not only is Robert Sterling our CUEcast producer and composer of all our podcast theme music, he also has become a regular contributor to our Axiom episodes. Today, Robert talks about venturing beyond our comfort zones to be able to lead our choirs and congregations to experience a broader array of musical expressions. Becoming comfortable with a broader fare of church music is necessary if we hope to gather diverse congregations under one roof to worship and make music together. I think we’ll all enjoy listening to Robert’s words of encouragement.
Grant Frederick is Minister of Music at Bonsack Baptist Church in Roanoke, Virginia. Today, Randy and Grant discuss the importance of clear, consistent communication as a way of moving ministries forward in an ever-changing world.
Today, we welcome back to CUEcast Karen Sorrells, the Director of the Academy for the Arts at First Baptist Church, Asheville, NC. Today, Randy and Karen discuss the experiences, events, and commitments that led up to her vocation in ministry and her career teaching music.
Pam Dunagan is a frequent and always welcome guest in CUEcast episodes. Today, Pam describes the friendship of two elder statesmen in religion who were close friends for several decades, Bishop Desmond Tutu and the Dali Lama. Although very different in their views of religion, the common spirituality and decency of both men made them lifelong friends and colleagues on the journey of making the world a better place. Listen as Pam describes the joy these two celebrated in one of their last meetings together. From this colorful story, you and I can learn to celebrate the joy and the presence of God in each moment of our lives.
Today, Randy borrows and develops two key quotes from Dale Carnegie, the communications icon in the mid 1900s. Carnegie’s prophetic and compassionate approach to building relationships is still highly regarded in today’s world obsessed with speed, efficiency, and raw productivity. Listen in today as Randy challenges himself and all of us to become better listeners and more proactive leaders.
Grant Frederick is Minister of Music at Bonsack Baptist Church in Roanoke, Virginia. Gaining his Masters of Music with a major in choral conducting from Baylor University in 2016, Grant is about to celebrate his fifth anniversary at his church. In today’s discussing with Randy, Grant will explain is approach to music ministry with students as well as adults in 2022.
Mark Edwards is back with another episode as our Hymn Correspondent. Today, Mark speaks with us about the nature of worship and the hymns we sing to glorify God. He specifically analyzes the hymn IMMORTAL, INVISIBLE, GOD ONLY WISE.
We welcome Timothy Peoples back to CUEcast today. Timothy is the senior pastor at Emorywood Baptist Church in High Point, North Carolina and a graduate of Yale University’s Divinity School. Today, Randy and Timothy discuss the critical importance of communication in our 2022 world.
For the past twenty-five years, Clark Sorrells has served as Minister of Music at First Baptist Church in Asheville, North Carolina. During his time at the church, Clark and his wife, Karen, began the Academy for the Arts at First Baptist Church. Beginning this past January, Clark is giving his fulltime efforts to the Academy of Arts and all the potential percolating in and around this unique ministry to children and youth. Let’s listen in as Randy and Clark discuss this venture and how it is positively impacting the students who participate.
Mary Hoffman, Director of Music at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, is a regular guest on CUEcast. Today, Mary explores the implications of the little and big decisions we make … and fail to make.
Good leadership cannot exist without strong communication, and strong communication cannot occur without being very intentional about it. Today, we hear from Karen Sorrells, Director of the Academy for the Arts at First Baptist Church in Asheville, NC. This superb community of arts academy serves several hundred teenagers and children in its quest to keep the arts vibrant and flourishing in the beautiful city of Asheville. Today, we’ll want to listen intently, because Karen covers a LOT of territory in this discussion of communication.
Mark Lawson is CEO and President of the ECS Publishing Group located in St. Louis. Having served as a minister of music early in his career, Mark is highly knowledgeable the needs and challenges of church musicians today. Let’s listen as we hear Mark and Randy discuss how, coming out of the pandemic months, we can work to rebuild and fortify our choral programs and music ministries.
Erin Clarke is Minister of Music at the First Baptist Church in Griffin, Georgia. Today, Erin tells the story of her finding her vocation as a teacher, music minister, mom of four, and an encourager of others. We believe you will thoroughly enjoy listening to Erin tell her colorful story today.
Today is a special episode of Communique as Randy speaks on the subject, WAR AND PEACE. As we live in a world that seems more and more torn by hatred, divisiveness, and cruelty, we can be reminded that of our greatest gifts for expressing the love and reconciliation of Christ … is prayer. We hope you will be encouraged and energized by the words that follow.
Timothy Peoples is senior pastor of Emorywood Baptist Church in High Point, North Carolina. A bright young light and fresh face among young senior pastors, Timothy is a graduate of Yale University’s Divinity School and is pursuing his Doctorate of Ministry at Emory’s Candler School of Theology. Today, Randy and Timothy discuss the factors that have brought Timothy into his vocation and calling to ministry.
Dr. Allen Lott is Professor of Music History in the School of Church Music and Worship at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Allen is a renowned researcher and musicologist with a special interest in Brahms’s Requiem. Today, you will hear Dr. Lott make interesting comparisons to the selection of Brahms’s texts and how YouthCUE selects its anthems for our festival participants to sing. Listen as Allen provides his fascinating insights on beauty and truth.
Dr. Aaron Tyler is Professor of Global Affairs at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. In today’s episode, Randy and Aaron discuss the importance of effective communication in public discourse, family dynamics, and with high school and college students as they grow. In the next several minutes, be ready to take in much valuable information and many insights as to how we can all become more effective as we relate to others through the communication process.
Dr. Tim Sharp is an author, researcher, conductor, composer, strategist, futurist, and collaborator. From 2007 through 2020, Dr. Sharp was the Executive Director of the American Choral Directors Association. Today, Randy and Tim discuss the state of choral music in the spring of 2022.
Robert Sterling is a songwriter, composer, arranger, producer, singer, sound engineer, and, according to some trusted friends, perhaps the best Sunday School teacher in the world! We hear a taste of Robert’s work every week as he produces all our CUEcast episodes … including today’s … hi there, Robert! He also wrote all the theme music for the Classic, Communique, and Axiom episodes you hear every week. Today, Robert tells a true story from his own experience as a young songwriter and arranger. It’s entitled “The Charlie Factor.” We think you’ll be inspired by hearing Robert’s words.
At the time of Pentecost, one of the most dramatic developments was when people began speaking to one another in their own languages. The miracle was that everyone understood each other! Understanding one another … REALLY understanding each other is always a miracle, even when everyone speaks English! In today’s episode, Randy welcome back the Rev. Dr. Abdue Knox, pastor of Bethel AME Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. This wonderful dialogue gives us all a great deal to consider … every day … in our lives.
Doug Haney is Minister of Music at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. A veteran church musician for over three decades, Doug has a keen interest in staying in touch with his colleagues and keeping them connected through the challenge they face in their vocations. Most recently, Doug has given increased leadership to the Polyphony Project, collaborating with both music ministers and researchers to discover what the next generation of leaders will need in the years ahead.
In this episode, Mark Edwards provides a colorful image of how hymns can provide guiding lights for navigation through our life’s journeys. Much like the sacred text of scripture, hymn texts coupled with beautiful tunes offer us people of faith unique hope and affirmation as we follow in the ways of Jesus. As we work with today’s students, we help enrich and empower their lives when we provide them with the rich gift of hymns.
We are living in a time when people can be very impatient and angry with one another. A lot of it has been caused by the pandemic, but some of it also has to do with the build-up of frustration about other things in their lives. Today, Randy will talk to us about how we can communicate love, compassion, and grace in a very chaotic world.
Jo Scurlock Dillard is past president of the Texas Music Educators Association and was for 13 years director of choral activities as Reagan High School in San Antonio. Jo remains highly active as a choral clinician for all-region and all-state groups throughout Texas and beyond. Today, Randy and Jo discuss the key components in providing visionary leadership to high school choirs today.
In today’s episode, Dana Effler takes on a journey back into her childhood when she first learned to swim. Dana says a big part of that whole process is learning to make water your friend. Listen in today as Dana makes powerful applications for the living of our everyday lives, through the pandemic or anytime.
Adam Cogliano, a native of Annapolis, Maryland, is a 2020 graduate of Truett Seminary and Baylor University. In the summer of 2020, Adam began serving as minister of music at First Baptist Church Dalton, Georgia. Beginning a brand new fulltime ministry in the midst of the pandemic was an enormous challenge. However, it was Adam’s excellent communication skills which enabled him to be in a healthy position once the pandemic began to lift. We think you’ll enjoy hearing this young man’s story of getting started against all odds.
Reverend Doctor Abdue Knox is the Senior Pastor at Greater Bethel AME Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Today, Randy and Abdue discuss the ministry at Bethel and how this vibrant congregation is meeting critically important needs throughout their community … and beyond. At the end of the Episode, Abdue talk about how important music is in bringing people together from across cultural divides.
Pam Dunagan tells a moving story originally told by Sidney Poitier who remembers his teenage years, seven decades ago. Pamela makes timely application to choral directors who teach and minister to teenagers in 2022, showing how the influence we have on todays students will follow and bless them for the rest of their lives.
Dr. Tim Sharp is an author, researcher, conductor, composer, strategist, futurist, and collaborator. From 2007 through 2020, Dr. Sharp was the Executive Director of the American Choral Directors Association. An outstanding thinker and communicator, Tim joins Randy today in a discussion of effective communication as a crucial component of strong choral leadership.
Attending this year’s TMEA convention was a life-changing experience for Randy. He wants to use the special episode of CUEcast to tell us about what he experienced and the effects it has had on him since. We hope you, too, will find hope, courage, and new energy in what you hear today.
Dr. Allen Lott is a renowned researcher and musicologist. Allen has also been an avid YouthCUE supporter from the very beginning, providing encouragement, insights, and support for the ministry we seek to provide. Two of Allen’s now-adult children, Andy and Jessie-Anne, have been YouthCUE participants over the years. Dr. Lott is Professor of Music History in the School of Church Music and Worship at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has recently written a fascinating book on Brahms’s Requiem, which is his topic today.
Jo Scurlock Dillard is an educator, clinician, mentor, student teacher supervisor, and past President of the Texas Music Educators Association. A legendary high school choral director in Texas and beyond, Jo spent 13 years as choral director at Reagan High School in San Antonio, where she built a dynasty in choral music which gained statewide and national recognition. Today, Jo and Randy discuss the critical importance of effective communication in the high school choral setting.
Taylor Scott Davis is Director of Music and Worship Arts at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas. Not only is Taylor at the helm of a large and robust music ministry at St. Andrew, he is also a world-class composer of choral and orchestral music. Recently, he and Morningstar Music have released his Magnificat, which is a glorious work we encourage you to explore. Most recently, Taylor has been the arranger for Voces8, featuring a wide array of glorious carol arrangements this past Christmas. Let’s listen in as Randy and Taylor discuss his vocation as a composer and minister of music.
Today, Robert Sterling helps us take a fresh look at our own creativity and work ethic, all from the perspective of the life of Jesus. We think you’re going to love what Robert has to say!
Dr. Lynne Gackle is Director of Choral Activities at Baylor University and the Past National President of the American Choral Directors Association. Today we will talk to Lynne about how she communicates with her students and faculty colleagues. We’ll discover how she thinks about and approaches communication in an environment of constant change has become the norm.
Dr. Lynne Gackle is Director of Choral Activities at Baylor University and the Past National President of the American Choral Directors Association. Lynne’s superb choral skills, paired with her ability to forge strong relationships, create a synergy of excellence among the students she directs. In today’s interview, Lynne explains some of how this dynamic works.
Mark Edwards returns today with another inspiring story of how hymns have sustained him and his family through some of life’s most trying times. As YouthCUE seeks to create healthy soundtracks in teenager’s lives, we need to keep in mind how the beauty of hymns can be used to provide powerful permanent underpinnings for students growing up quickly to become adults.
Now that we have completed six introductory episodes for the Communique series, it’s time to bring in some guests to discuss how all the moving parts of communication work in real life. Today, Randy interviews Taylor Scott Davis about his philosophy of communication with his staff team and the choirs he directs. Taylor is Director of Music and Choral Arts at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, and he is also a fabulous composer, now writing and arranging for Voces8. Let’s listen to what Taylor says about the importance of good communication in his ministry.
Dr. Molly Marshall is the new President of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in St. Paul, Minnesota. Molly returns to CUEcast today to continue discussing with Randy the possibilities, challenges, and blessings of helping students discern vocational calls to ministry.
Dan Jean is a frequent writer on the YouthCUE website and also in our monthly newsletter. Dan was also a guest in some of our early CUEcast episodes. A retired Methodist minister now living in upper Washington State, Dan has a way of discerning the most relevant issues and providing us timely inspiration. Today, Dan’s latest piece, titled POLYRHYTHMN, will inform, inspire, comfort and encourage.
Today, Randy wraps up his introduction of the Communique series. In this episode, we will discuss the four forms of communication that demand our constant attention as we stay on the cutting edge of ministry with today’s teens. There is a ton of material to cover, so let’s get started.
Dr. Tim Lyles is the Minister of Music and youth choir director at Southland Baptist Church in San Angelo, Texas. A long-time participant in YouthCUE events with his student choirs, Tim is creative on many levels in his ministry with teenagers. Today, Tim talks about some of his favorite student choir music, along with a new concept he has pioneered, called CONVERGE.
Matt Allen is an attorney and a YouthCUE alumnus living in San Antonio. You may have read some of Matt’s writings in the YouthCUE newsletter, or perhaps you heard earlier episodes written by Matt. Today’s episode, THE HINGES OF HISTORY, encourages us to be true to ourselves and to pursue our passions with energy, gratitude, humility, and confidence. When we unapologetically express our God-given gifts, the world around us changes for the better and a little bit of history is made for the good.
Strong leadership cannot exist apart from clear vision. In today’s episode, Randy provides an array of examples of how visionary leaders have changed the world around them for the better. We’ll also learn how we can enrich our own visions for the vocational work we do. Remember, it is our communication skills that provide freight for this vision among the people we serve.
Heidi Goeller gives us her unique view of the work done being done by her and her husband, Dan, in Harmony South Dakota. Be ready to be moved, challenged, and inspired by the dedication of Heidi to this transformational ministry. We can all learn lessons from her passion and commitment to the kids she serves.
Mark Edwards begins a monthly series on hymns, how we read them, how we study them, how we sing them, and how they change our lives. This episode spotlights the hymn O WORSHIP THE KING.
Is there a link between good communication and effective leadership? Well … yes … there is! In today’s episode we look at the landscape from the negative, seeing what happens in groups when leadership is inept at communication skills. We don’t remain negative for long, however, because in the next Communique episode next week, we will discuss the enormous blessings of becoming a leader with strong vision.
Seminary President Molly Marshall (United Theology of the Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN) provides insights into her visionary leadership in theological education. Molly relates a story that transformed her thinking, even as a young girl, about her potential as a minister and a theologian. Molly is always a pleasure and blessing to hear, and we believe you will thoroughly enjoy this interview.
Pam Dunagan does it again. Providing the gentle touch of joy and peace, Pam reads a story which is sure to touch our hearts, heal hurts, and cause us to go into the new year with more hope and love. Play!
Have you ever been frustrated by the leadership of some people placed in the position of power? Have you ever tried to get inside a leader’s head, because the leader may not be good at communicating what he’s thinking and feeling? This episode is for you, and this whole series is a must in helping know what to do next.
Composer and educator Dan Goeller brings us up to date on his vocational venture as he describes the transformational work of Harmony South Dakota. Listen quickly as Dan provides an array of visions and dreams which are coming true as he and Heidi work with the children in Sioux Falls, SD. We will all be challenged and encouraged by Dan’s and Heidi’s extraordinary vision for the children they serve.
Dan Jean provides superb insight -- as always -- into the beginning of a new year. Coming out of Christmas and finding ourselves in the first days of 2022, we can all use the wisdom of this kind, prophetic voice.
In the second episode of the introduction to Communique, Randy will begin outlining the terms we need to understand if we are to become superb communicators. Just knowing the terms is not enough, however; we also have to learn to use the tools as a means to become effective in communication and leadership.
Randy Edwards speaks to the fears of trying something new and how taking a calculated risk or two can evolve into some of life’s biggest blessings. The episode will feature excerpts of Randy’s pragmatic choral innovations and will provide encouragement for all of us who long to try something new.
Today we are revisited by Matt Allen, one of our most insightful writers. Using his vivid imagination as well as his superb common sense and practical application of spiritual truths, Matt explores the life us Jesus from the viewpoint of a musician. You’ll find this episode particularly fascinating.
Welcome to Season 3 of CUEcast! This is the inaugural episode of Communique, which drops on Wednesdays. In the first six episodes of Communique, Randy will lay the groundwork and set the foundation for what we need to know about the process of communication. The introductory episodes are rather thick with information but important to understand. Please stay tuned as this series becomes more and more practical as we put the foundational material into practice.
Welcome to Season 3 of CUEcast! In today’s episode, Randy engages the YouthCUE staff in a discussion of ways we hope to move forward with our programming and other ministry offerings in 2022. Tina McCartney, Daniel Zamora, and Edie Dutton will be interviewed with the hope that our listeners will call upon a member of the YouthCUE staff when we can assist you with your ministry.
Weslee Hill is Minister of Congregational Care at the Brentwood United Methodist Church in Nashville. Weslee has always been by nature a caring person, and her training as a family counselor has broadened her capacity to extend compassion and support to the large congregation she serves. She is also mom to three teenage boys, providing joys and challenges in her everyday home life. Today, Weslee and Randy discuss the importance of self-care and how, by taking proper care of ourselves, we position ourselves to better minister the students in our choirs.
Randy Edwards provides a reflection of the power of standing still in the midst of busy seasons, turbulent times, and uncertain futures.
Dr. Terry York returns as our guest today to provide us a special treat for the Advent Season. As a special gift for Advent, Terry will read for us a few samples of his prayers, prose, and poetry included in his latest book, titled, LET OUR WORDS BECOME FLESH. Listen closely and carefully, for in these strong and sensitive phrases is a plethora of inspiration and comfort.
Mary Hoffman is Director of Music at the Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. In today's episode, Mary expands a text excerpt from Handel's Messiah and the Old Testament prophets as she speaks with us about "The Refiner’s Fire."
Dr. Daniel Zamora, Keyboard Artist in Residence at YouthCUE, shares with us three of his lovely carol arrangements for various instruments. Also are included are the background stories on these arrangements from the time Dan grew up as a lad in Mexico City. This episode will be a wonderful gift for the beginning of our Advent Season.
Christopher Adams is a recent Duke Divinity School graduate and currently the Assistant to the Senior Pastor at Woodland Baptist Church in San Antonio. In this episode of CUEcast Axiom, Christopher speaks of how gratitude shapes our faith development and encourages us to see a landscape much broader than just our own little world. As you listen, you will be challenged to make thanksgiving a way of thinking, a way of serving others, a way of life.
Dr. Terry York of Baylor’s Truett Seminary dialogues with Randy about the dangers he sees in American churches today. In this interview, we’ll hear some serious warnings about proverbial sink holes into which today’s congregations could fall. But they do not discuss only the dangers; real encouragement and ways to move our communities of faith towards authentic worship are also presented.
Pamela Dunagan returns to CUEcast with some new reminders about the importance of gratitude. During this season of Thanksgiving, we all need to be reminded of the importance of living lives with grateful hearts. In today’s episode, we’ll enjoy some stories from Pam’s childhood and how her entire world view was shaped by the gratitude she practiced as a young girl.
Lynn Duke Urda, Founder and Director of the Gwinnett Young Singers north of Atlanta, has fascinating stories about the genesis of the Young Singers. In today’s episode, Randy interviews Lynn about and the expansive programming she continues to build today. Lynn is the quintessential energetic, enthusiastic voice of experience for all of us who direct student choirs in our churches, schools, and communities. Please listen and be newly inspired for your work with today’s teenagers.
Holly Reynolds Lee, Founder and Director of Voices in Praise (VIP) in Dunkirk, MD, relays results of a crucial question she asked her graduating seniors. We encourage our listeners to observe carefully the words of Holly in this episode; they are central to what makes student choir such an important ministry among today’s teenagers.
Randy and Aaron continue their earlier discussion on cross-cultural conversations and how crucial they are for understanding in a very complex and divisive world.
In this delightful and enlightening episode, Dana Effler assures us that “One Side Does Not Fit All.” Inspiration awaits!
Randy welcomes back pastor Stuart Lamkin for a discussion on how Stuart’s youth choir experience twenty-five years ago helped prepare him specifically for his vocation as a senior pastor and the ministry he provides today.
Randy continues his series on “Distancing Our Student Choirs.” Robert and Cindy Sterling read today’s episode, providing a recap of earlier series episodes and providing four distinct advantages for having our students properly distanced when they sing in the choral setting. At YouthCUE, we have seen students grow into this new space by singing more confidently and sensitively.
Today, Randy interviews Dr. Aaron Tyler, Professor of International Affairs at St. Mary’s University of Texas. Aaron’s global work, consulting, and writing in the arena of peace and justice are both fascinating and instructive. In today’s conversation, Aaron and Randy discuss the importance of cross-cultural dialogue and how crucial it is in our communities, nation, as well as around the world. As you listen, be ready to be challenged and expanded, for there is an enormous need today for proactive listening.
Randy continues his series on “Distancing Our Student Choirs.” Today, we look at the advantages to the choral sound when young singers are spaced appropriately and have room to breathe, listen, produce their own sound, and blend. Three decades of festivals at YouthCUE have provided the laboratory for finding better ways to seat and stand students so they can provide a better, more vibrant, more in-tune sound.
YouthCUE alumnus and now senior pastor Stuart Lamkin provides memories from his youth choir experience and lessons learned in student choirs for his ministry today. Stuart’s memory of music provides a virtual anthology of text, melodies, and harmonies as he recounts his time singing as a teenager. Listen, and be amazed and inspired!
In today’s episode, Randy begins a series on “Distancing Our Student Choirs.” As social distancing has become a hot topic of discussion and protocol these days, it might come as a surprise to some that providing a little more distance for our singers might be a good thing to continue well beyond pandemic times.
Linda Poetschke is retired voice professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Linda stays active as a teacher and coach, regularly teaching voice to outstanding high school students. In today’s episode, Linda and Randy discuss the adolescent voice and how to make the most of teaching teenage and college-age singers. Numerous practical applications will be provided in today’s delightful conversation.
YouthCUE alumnus Matt Allen shares a story about the piano he played as a young piano student. In the true and colorful narrative, titled “In Praise of Wurlitzers,” Matt describes how imperfect situations and second place wins provide us powerful opportunities to become more empathetic, caring people. Using what we have, we can make an enormous contribution to those younger around us. This episode is read by Robert Sterling.
Dr. George Mason and Randy continue their conversation about faith communities and church culture in 2021. It is important to realize that culture is not only found “out there” in secular society; the churches and communities of faith we serve also have our own cultures and sets of “rules.” It is essential that we continually examine our church cultures to see if we are, indeed, reflecting the love and compassion of Jesus Christ.
Randy continues his series on Beauty with encouragement for choral directors to let our lights shine for our singers. Too often, we are deeply entrenched behind our thick boundaries and fail to be at our best when reflecting our joy in the choral music we create together. Today’s episode will suggest practical ways to become more expressive and effective.
Dr. David Stephenson is the Choral Director at Lexington High School in Lexington, SC. In today’s interview, Randy and David discuss what it takes to keep a vibrant high school program going through the ups and downs of community uncertainty. Serving in public schools, David has a deep sense of call to the students he serves. Today, David shares with us his commitment to choral excellence and being a role model for the young singers under his care.
In this episode, Randy continues his series on beauty and how it relates to our choral teaching. Crucial to our success as directors is our own personal response to beauty. Our students long to see us as seekers and lovers of beauty in the pursuit of choral excellence.
Mary Hoffman is Director of Music at the Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. Today, Randy and Mary discuss the place of difficult dialogues within the community of faith. We’ll take a look at ways to begin those difficult conversations and to remain people of grace as we work through controversial issues.
In this episode, Randy begins a three-week series on beauty. Listen in and develop a greater appreciation of the beauty at hand all around us, along with new insights as to how to impact our student choirs with that beauty!
Randy interviews Dr. Michelle Roueché about the challenges of working with choral groups in unstable times. From Michelle’s perspective in higher education, we can all learn more about how to relate to our students and minister powerfully to them through uncertain times.
In this inaugural CUEcast Axiom Episode, Randy Edwards speaks about the worldwide need for strong leadership. Whether on the world stage, in our nation, communities, churches, or student choirs, there seems to be a dearth of strong leadership to help us through our current challenges. Randy encourages all of us to make new commitments to become strong leaders in the hurting world around us.
In the first CUEcast Classic Episode of Season 2, Randy Edwards interviews Dr. George Mason about what it means to be church amidst the instability of 2021. Part 1 of this interview occurs today, and the follow-up episode will be released October 5. Listen and be inspired and challenged!
Kathy Fletcher is Director of Children’s and Youth Music at Peachtree United Methodist Church in Atlanta. In today’s episode, Kathy and Randy discuss some of the new challenges and triumphs of student choir ministry in 2021. Be prepared to take some notes and be inspired as we hear how this leading church is grappling with key issues and becoming more and more innovative in facing the challenges head.
In April, Dr. Jonathan Rodgers released a brand new teaching vehicle for students called CUEcoach. As YouthCUE sought to engage directors and students to provide them new methods of teaching through the pandemic and beyond, Jonathan suggested an innovative video approach that would take choral training directly to the young singers. In this episode, Randy and Jonathan discuss how this great new educational offering came to be, how he made it so engaging, and how it was produced.
Anna Osterman and Remington Foster are Texas public high school choir teachers. Late in the summer of 2020, Anna and Remington provided CUEcast an interview to discuss how they were planning to tech during the coming months of pandemic. In this episode, we will check back with these two young teachers and ask, “How is that working out for you?” These two bright shining stars in high school choral music will make us laugh as well as consider the challenges we face in the months and years ahead.
Randy’s father passed away on March 9, 2021 after a long battle with vascular dementia. On what would have been Truett’s 95th birthday on May 4, Randy will present a touching tribute to his dad, recalling the many ways the elder Edwards impacted the lives of his four children and many people across the country who knew him. For the creative artists among us, this episode will be fascinating and enlightening.
Robert Sterling has recently released and important new book entitled PRINCIPLES OF CHORAL ARRANGING. Written for professional musicians and students alike, this valuable new work is gaining traction across the country as a must-read for choral musicians, arrangers, songwriters, singers, and composers alike. In today’s episode, Randy and Robert discuss the motivation and features of the new book and how it can help all musicians better understand choral treatment in music.
John Purifoy, a composer and church musician, and Mike Massar, a pastor and orator, are close friends who have discovered a unique chemistry working together in the realm of worship. In today’s conversation with Randy, John and Mike will look at the anchors of worship and how, as a duo, they have planned and implemented rich and unique worship experiences together. We will take a special look at how worship will have likely changed when we return back to a new normal following the pandemic. Join us for this colorful discussion.
Rev. Wyndee Holbrook is Director of the Interfaith San Antonio Alliance and Pastor in Residence at Laurel Heights United Methodist Church. In this important interview, Wyndee and Randy discuss the value of bringing students into the larger world of interfaith relationships, education, and collaboration. Whether your student choir is actually ready to take this significant step out into the community or not, this awareness-expanding conversation will unveil some new ways of thinking as we consider our ministries beyond the COVID pandemic.
Wiff Rudd is Professor of Trumpet at Baylor University. An extraordinary player and a legendary teacher, Wiff has performed and presented master classes at more than 350 universities and music festivals on five continents. In recent years, Baylor’s trumpet ensembles have won six first place prizes at the National Trumpet. In Episode 68, Randy and Wiff discuss Wiff’s brand new book on teaching, entitled SIDE BY SIDE.
Four university women -- Macy Drew, Amber Borman, Kate Dutton, and Gabbi Newell -- discuss the challenge they face on campus and how their common experience in the San Antonio Youth Chorale is helping sustain them through the university years. It becomes obvious very quickly that these four articulate and determined young women have what it takes to make a difference for good in the world!
Jonathan Greer is a theology student at Brite Divinity School in Ft. Worth, Texas. He was drawn into this theological environment to challenge himself and further develop his skills as a peacemaker and an ambassador between local churches and the larger community in which they serve. In this fascinating dialogue, Jonathan and Randy discuss the need for established congregations to reach out the immediate communities around them. Be ready to think and be challenged as we dig deep in this thoughtful episode.
We welcome back our friend Angelique Feaster Evans as our guest on Episode 65. Angelique, the Founder and Artistic Director of the Mahogany Ensemble Theater in Shreveport, LA, is a world-class artist and performer. In this conversation, we will ask Angelique to share with us some of her favorite pieces of poetry and prose. Angelique never fails to inspire, enlighten, educate, and motivate us at YouthCUE. We invite you to listen in on the beauty!
Dr. Paul Neal is Director of Choral Activities at Berry College in Rome, GA. Having completed his DMA at UCLA under Donald Neuen, Paul was an early YouthCUE alumnus, having grown up through high school singing in Randy’s church youth choir. Paul’s musical journey beyond high school was traveled alongside a number of highly successful colleagues and a handful of extraordinary teachers. From all these relationships, Paul has gleaned an enormous cache of experience and inspiration, a treasure-trove he is now able to pass along to his students at Berry. Don’t miss this warm and wonderful chat!
American soprano Melissa Givens moves and excites audiences and critics alike with a rich, powerful tone, crystalline clarity, and intelligent musical interpretations. A champion for collaborative musical endeavors, Givens performs with various chamber groups, including Conspirare, the 2015 Grammy winner for Best Choral Performance. In today’s episode, Melissa and Randy will discuss the role of the arts in the journey towards social justice and racial equality.
Veteran minister of music and youth choir director Sid Davis (St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Houston) discusses the principles which have built his youth choir dynasty through the decades. As Sid continues to work closely with his students, the foundation being laid in their lives today is as powerful (or perhaps even more powerful) than twenty or thirty years ago. Listen in on this joyful conversation between Sid and Randy; by doing so, we will gain insights into how Sid has remained passionate, relevant, and vital in his innovative work with students.
In this episode, Randy and three high schoolers discuss the importance of words. We’ll dialogue about verbal affirmation, encouraging rhetoric, trash talk, and genuine ways of expressing openness and friendship with those we are meeting for the first time. The insights shared by these high schoolers will provide guidance for us leaders as we engage in communication with today’s teenagers, both in the choral environment and interpersonally.
Dana Effler is Director of Music and Arts Ministries at First United Methodist Church in downtown Dallas. While she gives overall leadership to the church’s diverse and robust music ministry, Dana also directs seventh though twelfth graders in The Variations Youth Choir. In today’s episode, we will hear how Dana and her husband, Tim, (who is also organist at First Methodist) are navigating ministry and continuing to make choral music with the students they lead.
Dr. Carey Cannon recalls his four-year experience singing in the US Army Chorus stationed outside Washington, D.C. Carey relates several experiences serving in the Nation’s Capital post-9-11 and how those experiences are eerily similar to recent events at the Capitol Building. Now, two decades later, Carey describes how his ministry at South Main Baptist Church in Houston is still very much about musical diplomacy. Don’t miss this most interesting, colorful and timely episode.
Longtime friends and ministerial colleagues Robert Guffey and Randy Edwards discuss the calming, uniting, and encouraging qualities of music in their congregations today. Whether in Roanoke (Robert) or San Antonio (Randy), both ministers have learned over the decades to celebrate the rich miracle of music, particularly during challenging or dark times.
Family counselor and Nashville minister Weslee Hill returns to CUEcast with an episode encouraging choral musicians to lean into our art as we face difficult times. In this interview, Randy discusses with Weslee what happens when we engage the many colors of choral music to actually address our deepest feelings and emotions rather than skipping and bouncing over them with only “happy music.” This is a fascinating conversation which has vast implications for our ministry with teenagers.
Emily Current Floyd has been busy during the pandemic. Aside from keeping up with her ongoing and creative programming at Shallowford Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Emily has just completed a great new resource published by Choristers Guild. HOW CAN WE KEEP FROM SINGING is a collection of “ten virtual rehearsal plans for youth and adult choirs to nurture faith and to sing God’s praise.” In this episode, we’ll talk choral music and how this exciting new resource came to be.
To begin 2021, Randy provides insights into the power of our “favorite things.” As you might guess, the illustrative material will include “My Favorite Things” from THE SOUND OF MUSIC. But don’t expect this to be an episode of sugar coating, playing the glad game, or living in an aloof reality. To the contrary, we will discuss the profound strength and dynamic power of concentrating on our life-changing, life-giving, life-transforming memories which can guide us confidently into our uncertain and challenging futures.
For months -- which feels like years -- student choir directors have been searching high and low for something meaningful we can provide our students to help them feel connected, energized, and engaged in music making and community building. In this episode of CUEcast, Randy discusses the concepts behind V21 (YouthCUE’s original virtual festival) and how it will minister to dozens of choirs and hundreds of students in the late spring of 2021. Listen in and see how you and your students can engage and participate. V21 is quite an intriguing concert, and most surprisingly, it will be an easy win for directors and students alike!
Family counselor Weslee Edwards Hill is Minister of Congregational Care at the Brentwood United Methodist Church in Nashville. Aside from her critical role in caring for a congregation largely in isolation, Weslee is also mother of three young boys, two of whom are teenagers. In this highly practical episode, Weslee provides both student ministers and parents an array of helpful tools for helping teenagers through this challenging chapter of life.
Randy and Alan discuss Alan’s involvement in student choir as a teenager and how his experience in this teenage ministry laboratory is today influencing his vocation as a senior pastor. Special attention is given to navigating the treacherous waters of the pandemic as well as the toxic political rhetoric in our culture. The dialogue focuses on how we can help our students become instruments of peace.
Having served as a missionary in New Orleans and later as Senior Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Washington D.C. (2003-2014) followed by Riverside Church in New York City (2014-2019), Amy has always been fascinated by the question, “What does it take to build a community that can change the world?” Amy now serves at Interim Pastor at National City Christian Church in Washington, D.C., whose church facility is the rehearsal venue for all YouthCUE festival events in the heart of the Nation’s Capital. You’ll not want to miss this important and enlightening CUEcast episode!
Randy speaks with four students from across the United States who weigh in on how 2020 has affected their lives and their relationships with their friends. Aside from being a great resource of information for student choir directors, it would be good to have the teenagers in our choirs listen in on this discussion, as well. Be prepared to be both informed and inspired as we engage this bright quartet of high school and university students.
Dr. Cary Savage, a YouthCUE alumnus, is a brain scientist and professor at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Having previously taught at Harvard Medical School and the University of Kansas, Cary’s expertise in brain imaging provides him valuable insights into the effects of pandemic isolation and how student choir directors can help their students -- and ourselves -- through this time. Join us for this insightful discussion!
Randy leads a conversation with YouthCUE friends Pam Dunagan as well as Dan and Carlene Jean on discovering inner peace and sharing that gift with those around us. Set in the midst of our current and bitter political fray, the discussion will center around how God offers love and comfort to all of us. Please join us for this enlightening episode!
No name is currently more recognized and respected in the world of American choral music than that of Anton Armstrong. Having served as the conductor of the St. Olaf Choir for the past thirty years, Dr. Armstrong was for the decade prior on faculty at Calvin College. As a beloved conductor and educator, he is in constant demand, traveling the globe to provide his extraordinary brand of leadership to thousands of young singers every year. In this interview, Randy will discuss with Anton the current state of choral music and how directors need to respond in helping our students experience the miracle of choral music in seemingly impossible times. Says Dr. Armstrong: “I want the power of music – that Spirit – to transform those who perform and those who will hear the message. For me, that is a very powerful reason for doing what we do.”
Randy interviews Rollo Dilworth, composer, Professor of Choral Music Education and Chair of the Department of Music Education and Therapy at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance in Philadelphia. In this rich interview, we discuss the role of the arts in the struggle for racial equality and justice in the United States. Dr. Dilworth describes his own growing up experience and what propelled him to become one of the leading authorities across North America in choral education and the arts. Tune in to hear Rollo’s story and his commitment to the choral idiom as a means of changing the world through its beauty, collaboration, and mutual understanding.
In 1983, budding young youth choir director Randy Edwards came face to face with his own racism in an unexpected and most unlikely way. It was through a gentle and loving confrontation with then fourteen-year-old John Stinson that the course correction began. In this episode, Randy tells the story and engages in a rich and powerful dialogue with John Stinson, now 51. You’ll not want to miss this life-changing episode for the whole YouthCUE network and, indeed, for the whole world. Please join us!
Randy interviews actress, teacher, social activist Angelique Feaster Evans about the current climate of race relations and where we are in our nation’s progress towards racial equality and social justice. The questions and solutions are often complex and Angelique is, as always, brilliant in her communication on key issues. Sometimes what needs to be said is not easy to hear. However, when communicated by one as loving and sincere as Angelique, white Americans are inspired to be newly energized and sensitized as the allies we need to be with the communities of color around us. Please listen with open hearts to this very important and timely episode.
Dr. Allen Hightower is currently Director of Choral Studies at the University of North Texas. Previous to his appointment at UNT, he was Director of Choral Activities at Luther College as well as Director of Choral Studies at Sam Houston State University. In this interview, Randy and Allen will discuss the challenges to choral directors going forward in and beyond the COVID pandemic and how directors can actively meet the needs of today while preparing for the future.
Four church student choir directors discuss their approaches at the beginning of a new school year. Each of these leaders has been known for creativity and innovation even before the pandemic began. All directors in the YouthCUE network will benefit greatly by hearing the discussion of these highly effective colleagues.
Two faith‐based community youth choir directors discuss their current programs and how they are seeking to keep their students connected during the pandemic. Hearing about the journeys of these directors will help all of us be better and do better jobs ministering to our students.
In the thick of beginning a new school year, Randy speaks with two outstanding high school choral directors, Anna Osterman and CUEcast returning guest Remington Foster, about the challenges they are facing and how they continue to move towards hopeful futures in their schools. In this episode, we discuss totally new challenges as well as new methods of teaching and connecting with students.
Randy looks back on the first thirty‐nine episodes of CUEcast, which together have brought us to the first anniversary of the podcast. What began as an every‐other‐week episode accelerated into an every‐week program at the beginning of the pandemic in March. We’ve learned a great deal in over these fifty two weeks, and there’s much more to glean in the future.
Pamela Dunagan again joins Randy for a continuation of the discussion of Adolescent Sanctuaries. In this episode, the continued dialogue will revolve around equipping directors to help students stake out their own private safe places to enrich them and see them through life’s difficult stretches. Join us for this down-to-earth conversation between friends addressing the deeper needs of students today.
Katy Lundeen directs a youth choir in San Diego, but her day job is in a large Japanese pharmaceutical company. Her area of expertise (other than directing student choirs) is in neuroscience biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases; which means she searches for and analyzes proteins that can tell us how drugs are interacting with the brain. Like a lot of us, Katy has been working from home for the past several months, and she’s looking forward to when she might be able to work in the lab again.
In this episode, a YouthCUE alumna talks about her experience in youth choir and how it has prepared her to be on the front lines battling COVID-19. Erin Kirn was part of her youth choir from the start of 7th grade through the summer following her senior year of high school, and during this time she traveled across the United States participating in mission projects and concerts. Erin recounts her best youth choir memories and recalls some of the music which continues to support her work today.
Babs Baugh was a world-class stateswoman with a heart of gold, a talented musician, a dedicated fan of the arts, and a philanthropist to many deserving causes. She always seemed to have time to minister to friends who were hurting or listen to anyone who needed to talk, and she always knew how to find humor. To the end, she continued to fill her life with relationships old and new, ever thinking forward and giving her best energies to the people she dearly loved and cared about. This special episode, part spoken tribute and part musical salutation, represents some of the best of YouthCUE over the years to honor the woman who has largely made YouthCUE's ministry possible.
Babs Baugh was a world-class stateswoman with a heart of gold, a talented musician, a dedicated fan of the arts, and a philanthropist to many deserving causes. She always seemed to have time to minister to friends who were hurting or listen to anyone who needed to talk, and she always knew how to find humor. To the end, she continued to fill her life with relationships old and new, ever thinking forward and giving her best energies to the people she dearly loved and cared about. This special episode, part spoken tribute and part musical salutation, represents some of the best of YouthCUE over the years to honor the woman who has largely made YouthCUE's ministry possible.
Elaine Hagenberg is a powerful new voice in church music. Although she has only been a full-time composer for 24 months, Elaine has already blessed the world with a colorful array of elegant choral compositions. One need only to Google “O Love” to discover how powerfully her music has impacted the lives of church, high school, and collegiate choirs around the world. Elaine's style of composition leaves singers and listeners mesmerized by the beauty of her melodies, harmonies and haunting accompaniment.
Heather Sorenson is one of the bright luminaries in church music today. Creating fresh choral settings of texts ancient and contemporary, Heather’s compositions seem to capture the essence of singers’ emotions from the first read through. In this interview, Randy will discuss with Heather the process of creativity which enables her to resonate so powerfully with the singers for whom she writes.
YouthCUE Vice-President, Preston Edwards, turns thirty-five years old today, meaning he is now age-eligible to become President of the United States. In this special birthday interview, father (Randy) and son (Preston) discuss some of what it means to be an official, bona fide adult as recognized by the American political structure. Preston will describe the person he has been, who he is seeking to be, and the leader he hopes to become.
Mark Hayes, one of the most prolific church music composers of our generation, discusses with Randy how he approaches music composition during normal days as well as the uncertain times of COVID-19. For the past 40 years, Mark has invested his efforts full-time into creating beautiful music for churches, schools, and concert halls across the globe, writing music as varied and beautiful as it is relevant. Today, Mark gives a special look at specific anthems, including some of Mark’s new music on the horizon.
Pam and Randy pick up where they left off discussing how choir directors can help their students build their own personal sanctuaries. Safe spaces are very important for all teenagers, but for some they are absolutely critical. The pandemic clamor, the relentless political mayhem, and the endless noise of life in 2020 can all combine to create chaos for adolescents. In this part of the dialogue, Pam discusses the concept YouthCUE has put forth for years—that we are in the ministry of creating soundtracks for life. This reality has perhaps never been more important than it is going forward in 2020.
In this powerful interview, James Wells, Director of Music and Director of Student Choirs at Brentwood United Methodist Church, Nashville, tells a compelling story about taking his students inside the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center in Chicago. It’s a riveting narrative, and the result is blest and enriched teenagers everywhere you look. James also provides helpful insights regarding helping our students through the disappointments of postponed graduations, canceled choir tours, and the challenge of losing important milestone events and waiting for our world to find its new normal. James’ ministry with his large student choirs runs deep, and this interview will provide great insights for all who tune in.
Pam Dunagan is a political science professor at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio. Having spent a number of years as a clinical counselor and also as a volunteer choir singer, Pam has a unique perspective on how choral music can contribute to the mental health of teenagers and adults alike. In this conversation, Randy and Pam will explore ways we can help teenagers construct for themselves healthy sanctuaries in the midst of a world that is noisy and recently has demanded a certain amount of isolation.
Dr. Jonathan Rodgers is Minister of Worship and Music at the Hunter Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL. An excellent choral clinician as well as a model minister, Jonathan is able to handle his large student choir by high levels of organization and pastoral care for his students. That’s in the normal times. What about now? In this interview, Randy will discuss with Jonathan the challenges of the pandemic and how he and his colleagues are managing to stay connected with his students through a difficult time of isolation. Be ready to think deeply and dream boldly as you take in this insightful interview.
First, Randy addresses the listeners with a special message about the protests taking place across the United States. Emily Current Floyd has been director of music at the Shallowford Presbyterian Church in Atlanta for 12 years. She is also very active as a superb workshop clinician. Using the classic YouthCUE model of the student choir mutual fund, Emily and Randy will discuss ways to keep our choirs strong and vibrant during the uncertainty of the pandemic.
Join us this week for a conversation with YouthCUE team members Tina McCartney and Edie Dutton. Conversation topics include what we have learned from more than 30 years of programming, the CUE specialty choirs which take students on journeys of growth, festivals, and the strong collaboration with YouthCUE directors.
Today Randy speaks with John Woods, the Music and Worship Pastor at Dawson Memorial Church in Birmingham, AL. John is a highly creative student choir director enjoying strong relationships with the students he loves. During the pandemic, John’s creativity is being used to its fullest potential creating new avenues of connectivity and even new relationships. John shares fresh perspectives, great ideas, and his infectious sense of hope.
Ruben Ortega grew up in a strong high school choral program and a singer in the San Antonio Youth Chorale. By the time he was ready to enter collegiate life at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Ruben had already decided he wanted to invest his musical skills in the enrichment of other students of all kinds. Soon to be in his senior year as a music education major, Ruben is now surveying the vocational horizon with great hope and optimism. He envisions a fulfilling career dedicated to the musical advancement and spiritual development of others.
Today we speak with Janis Maxwell, a youth choir director who has innovated to meet her students' needs during this extraordinary time. Janis has built a strong tradition of youth choir ministry at the First United Methodist Church of Athens, Georgia. She and her students were in high gear preparing for their Summer choir tour and mission trip when COVID-19 took the world by storm. In this episode we see how she has created new opportunities by starting virtual meetings and planning a virtual choir recording.
Robert Sterling has had a wide-ranging career as a renowned composer, producer, conductor, and studio musician of many musical styles. This multi-talented Nashville musician discusses his long and versatile career, how the music industry tried to pigeonhole him into a single style, and his relationship with fear while forging his unique artistic path. We also get a deep dive into Sterling's new genre-bending album Sounds Crazy, which proves to be an excellent and refreshing set of Christian songs.
San Antonio Youth Chorale alum and first-year Texas A&M student Macy Drew walks us through her musical life. This articulate young woman shows her energetic joy and maturity through the stories she shares. Topics include the differences between high school and community-based choirs, the SAYC model, and the positive impact of social musical experiences on today’s young people. Later in the episode, we reconnect via telephone to check in during the COVID-19 crisis.
This week, Randy interviews recently retired pediatric therapist Carlene Jean on her cutting edge music research project, which involved several SAYC students. The project speaks to the importance of music in all stages of life, and it also produced a number of unexpected positive outcomes. We then touch base with Carlene and Dan Jean during the COVID-19 crisis, reflect on the tragic news surrounding the Skagit Valley Chorale, and share some wisdom gleaned from this unique medical and cultural moment.
In this episode of CUEcast, we pause to remember all those around the world who are sick as well as the brave healthcare professionals who are daily putting themselves in harm's way. These moments of meditation are led by the 2018 CUE Choral Ambassadors, as recorded on their tour of Ireland. We also speak with Ashley Adams, a precocious graduating high school senior from Friendswood, Texas. This articulate young musician was inspired by her love for music and choral music communities to study choral music education at Baylor University in the fall. She informs us of how she and her friends are coping with the dramatic changes to their senior year due to COVID-19.
In this episode we connect with Remington Lee Foster, a recent Stephen F. Austin University graduate, YouthCUE alumnus, and current full-time Marshall High School Choral Assistant. We discover his path into choral music, his experiences with YouthCUE, and the transformation he felt from student to teacher. We also get an update from him just a few short days ago, as a Marshall High School employee in the center of the COVID-19 pandemic. His personal story speaks in many ways to the joys of teaching, as well as the challenges choral directors all over the world are facing during this crisis.
In this heartfelt episode, founder Randy Edwards addresses the coronavirus epidemic and YouthCUE's programming during this crisis. This unprecedented worldwide event has had a stark impact on schools, communities, and musicians everywhere. Randy makes a few personal suggestions for how we will get through this, and updates us on the resources YouthCUE will be providing to help. Interspersed with this message are beautiful anthems performed by YouthCUE choirs. Remember — we are all in this together.
In this episode, retired minister Dan Jean pulls from his two careers in communications and pastoral ministry to discuss some crucially important components of ministry for students. Dan and Carlene Jean became acquainted with and involved in the ministry of the San Antonio Youth Chorale in the four years before their retirement. In a future episode of CUEcast, we will interview Carlene, who led members of SAYC to become involved in a fascinating cutting-edge ministry in San Antonio.
In 1998, university student Holly Lee began a community student choir in Dunkirk, MD, forty miles southeast of Washington, DC. Over the past twenty-two years, Voices in Praise (VIP) has grown, developed, and instilled crucial values in the students who participate. As VIP has deepened and strengthened, so has Holly, and ministry to her students is just as joyful and passionate as ever. This episode will explore the motivation and inspiration of Holly’s VIP programming and ministry.
C. L. Bass is a consummate musical craftsman and a world-class artist of choral and orchestral expression and nuance. Those who know Dr. Bass best appreciate him not only for his artistry but also for being a highly approachable human being, a kind advocate, and a loyal friend. As we go deeper into the dedication of this servant-musician, there is much to learn from the vocational commitment of this creator of musical beauty. Not only is he a teacher second to none; he is also himself a student and a life-long learner.
Over the past twenty-five years, retired church music professor and composer C. L. Bass has produced an abundance of musical resources for YouthCUE Festivals held throughout the United States and Canada. In the first of this two-part interview, Dr. Bass speaks about his primary years of musical discovery and how important personal relationships were to his early musical growth. A music educator par excellence, the informal conversation with C. L. provides powerful insights for us student choir directors as well as the teenagers we direct.
Last September’s LOOK AT THE WORLD concerts gathered a wide array of talent combined for the purpose of communicating something positive to the San Antonio and Shreveport communities. We believe our listeners will enjoy and learn a great deal from the conversation between featured artists David Portillo, Angelique Feaster Evans, and Walker Burroughs. This extraordinary trio of artists explore the subject matter and themes of the concert while reflecting on their personal experiences working together.
SAYC singers James Mack, Hope Berry, Noah Upton, and Amy Mack have each had unique though somewhat similar experiences singing as part of the LOOK AT THE WORLD mass choirs accompanied by full orchestras. We’ll take a look at not only their musical experiences surrounding these concerts, but also how the larger experience of singing together has impacted their lives for the better.
YouthCUE’s LOOK AT THE WORLD audiences over the past two years have been mesmerized and greatly moved by Angelique's evocative performances. A highly versatile actress and director of theater, Ms. Evans is especially skilled in the oratory of poetry with musical underlay. Today, listeners will get a glimpse into the background, life, commitment, talent, and vocation of an extraordinary professional who understands the teaching process and what it takes to raise up a new generation of artists.
This time a year ago, twenty-one-year-old Walker Burroughs began a months-long process of auditioning and being chosen as a finalist in the 2019 season of American Idol. The challenge was quite a ride for this young Birmingham native who is a music education major at Belmont Univerity in Nashville. In this episode of CUEcast, Walker encourages students and directors alike to set their sights high and to become all that God has created us to be
Four SAYC students—Pierce Haddad, Grace Mack, Laura Ramirez, and Shep Berry—tell us their stories about how they found their ways into the San Antonio Youth Chorale. Each has a very different story, and each had to overcome a sense of insecurity in order to become a part. However, each student is now heavily invested in the SAYC concept and are helping younger students to find their places as well.
In this episode, Metropolitan Opera tenor David Portillo discusses his youth choir friendships and how the experiences of singing choral music as a child and teenager shaped his passion, his work ethic, and his joy for his vocation. David’s love for the art goes beyond just world-class musicianship; it also is a major driving force behind his desire to enrich the faith community and to be a peacemaker throughout the world.
In the first of a two-part interview with YouthCUE alumnus and Metropolitan Opera Tenor David Portillo, host Randy Edwards asks David to tell the stories of his time growing up in church, singing in school choir, and embarking onto his challenging path as a professional operatic singer. David provides unique insights for directors who lead gifted singers as well as average musicians who stand to benefit a great deal from the involvement in choral singing.
Students become involved in youth choirs for a variety of personal reasons. But not only will we receive varied responses and reasons from the different students we ask; ask any one student why she or he sings, and you will receive a variety of answers from the same teenager. If we hope to become successful as student choir directors, it is critical that we connect with the students in several key areas and meet a variety of needs for the adolescents we serve. Hosted by Randy Edwards. Theme Music by Robert Sterling. Technical Engineer: David Fong. Producer: Robert Sterling
SAYC students Laura Ramirez, John Pradia, Macy Drew, Pierce Haddad, Leah Mayes, and Noah Upton again join host Randy Edwards to discuss how participation in student choir changes life for the better, but not just life in the present. The group discusses how directors can help students connect to a deeper, holy history in creating choral music and how that connection to the history will indeed enhance and bless their futures. Written by Randy Edwards. Theme Music by Robert Sterling. Technical Engineer: David Fong. Producer: Robert Sterling
Pierce Haddad, Leah Mayes, Noah Upton, Laura Ramirez, John Pradia, and Macy Drew join host Randy Edwards for more discussion. In today’s episode, the group discusses why the YouthCUE byline morphed in the early years from “For youth choir leaders who care,” to “Radically impacting the lives of youth.” The shift may seem insignificant, but it was a critical decision in the quest to reach today’s youth with the beauty of choral music. Theme Music by Robert Sterling. Technical Engineer: David Fong. Producer: Robert Sterling
Host Randy Edwards is joined by six high school singers who sing in the faith-based San Antonio Youth Chorale. Meet Noah Upton, Laura Ramirez, Pierce Haddad, Leah Mayes, John Pradia, and Macy Drew as they join in discussing the benefits of singing in an excellent student choir during their high school years. Included in Episode One is information on how to subscribe to the monthly newsletter and CUEcast, along with some anthem reviews which directors and students alike will find helpful. Theme music by Robert Sterling. Technical Engineer: David Fong. Producer: Robert Sterling
CUEcast host Randy Edwards introduces himself and YouthCUE and tells listeners about the new podcast. CUEcast episodes will feature students, directors, composers, YouthCUE alumni who are professional musicians, performing artists, teachers, and professors. Episode Zero sets the stage for what listeners can expect in the every-other-week chapters.