The role music plays in developing and growing your ministry cannot be overstated. The worship experience is not only about hearing a message from a minister or learning a new interpretation of Scripture; a complete and fulfilling worship experience involves community-building, bonding and creating atmosphere through physical vibration as only music can. Read full article.
The Grace Note Award
The Grace Note Award is given annually by Unity Worldwide Ministries for outstanding contribution to New Thought Music. Recipients are chosen by the Music Ministry Team. The award is presented at the emPower Music Festival.
Music Ministry Team
Sue Riley
Claudia Carawan
Glen Roethel
Erinna Groverland
David Ezell
David is a composer, arranger, conductor and webmaster. After a career as a high school, college and community orchestra director, primarily serving African-American communities in South Carolina, he retired in 2006. In 2007 he founded Heart Wind Music, which offers online distribution of New Thought sheet music and audio. Also in 2007, he joined the Music Ministry Team. In 2012, Unity Worldwide Ministries selected Heart Wind Music to host its Online Choral Library. David has been a church music director since 1983, and is now at Unity of Columbia, S.C.
Kim-Char Meredith
Kim-Char Meredith is the music director at Unity in Naperville, Illinois, in addition to being a gifted singer/songwriter. Kim-Char also owns the Pahzee recording studio.
Jeff English
Jeff English is the music director at Unity Spiritual Center of Lansing, Michigan.
EmPower Music & Arts
Upcoming emPower Music Festival (formerly Posi(tive) Music Festival)
Online Music Library
The Online Music Library (downloadable) was established by Unity Worldwide Ministries with leadership from UWM's Music Ministry Team. You can browse the list of selections, view a sample of the sheet music, and for most of the songs listen to a recording. For one single purchase you have the right to make the copies needed for your ministry. Because the music is downloadable, you can instantly have music that you can use.
Useful Information for Your Music Program
Organizing the Music Program
- Equipment help - Recommended Equipment and Tips on Using It
- Church Presenter Agreement Form — Customizable form to be used with every presenter
- Guest Musician Agreement - Designing an Invitation Agreement Between Guest Musicians and Unity/New Thought Centers and Churches
- Hiring a Music Director
- How to Host a Successful Special Event - Hosting a guest musician for your morning music and/or a concert is a perfect way to create an interfaith event, draw new folks to your church, and uplift and inspire your music ministry.
- Job description for a Music Director
- Order of Service Suggestions
Music Program How-To
- Arranging Tips - Writing arrangements can help a music director to enable music volunteers to perform at their best
- Choir Tips: Selection, Voicing, Rehearsals and Children’s Choir
- Congregational Singing Tips
- Songleading Techniques
- Theater Ministry - How to build and maintain a theatre ministry
Service Music
- Christmas Carols - Eleven Christmas Carols with Suggested Alternate Words
- Easter Choral Music Suggestions
- Music Products - We offer songbooks of New Thought music especially chosen for our Unity communities. Many of these songbooks come with sampler or accompaniment CDs.
- Online Music Library
- Sheet Music - free sheet music attachments from past Sound Connections newsletters. You can also type in the name of an artist or song in the "Search Keyword" box if you are looking for something specific.
- Songbook Index - Listed by song title, author/s and the Unity Worldwide Ministries songbook in which the song appears.
Educational Resources
- Copyright Issues - Churches and Music Copyright Law - Music Copyright FAQs from CSL - FAQ Church Copyright Law
- Music Can Work Magic
- Posi Music Festival
- Sound Connections Newsletter Archive
