Greetings from Steve Morihiro and Susan Shaw, Co-Directors of Music at OCUUC.
We thought you might be interested in how we choose new music for our services to recommend to Reverend Sian Wiltshire and our Intern Minister, Kellie Kinsman.
Here is our general process:
We look through the new songs in the virtual hymnal “Sing Out Love”. Some of these “New” songs have been in our “Singing the Living Tradition” and “Singing the Journey” hymnals but they are new to us. Then we pick out our favorites.
We send the PDFs of these hymns to members of the Drummers and Strummers to review. We play them at our Meet-Ups and discuss what we like about them, or don’t like about them. This is a ZOOM and in the ROOM evaluation team.
Drummers and Strummers
The Victoria Room at OCUUC
…and On ZOOM
If you are interested in this group let us know at musicdirector@ocuuc.org.
We introduce Rev. Sian and Kellie to the “New” hymns and they also evaluate them, mostly to see how well they might fit the theme and tone of the service. The Drummers and Strummers are ready to play for the service if the hymn fits the theme of the service because we have already practiced the hymns. When we perform the hymns during the service, we gain confidence by only amplifying our more experienced players.
If the Hymn is approved by Rev. Sian and/or Kellie, and it’s a song that the choir might be interested in, we practice it with the choir and during the Sunday morning Hymn Sing-Along. After the choir performs it, we hope to repeat the hymn as a congregational hymn. So far we have sung “Carry Me” by David Burrows with the congregation. We hope to repeat “We Have Enough” (November 23 Choir Anthem) soon as a congregational hymn. Our Choir meets Thursdays in the evening.
Choir
The Sanctuary at OCUUC
…and On ZOOM
If you are interested in this group let us know at musicdirector@ocuuc.org
In addition to browsing through the hymns in the “Sing Out Love” virtual hymnal, we use other sources for music ideas, such as:
Another source of music ideas comes from “Soul Matters”
Here is a testimonial describing “Soul Matters”.
"Every month Soul Matters gives us what we need to help make the soul of our church and the souls of our folks in the pews come alive and thrive! It's all here- resources for R.E, worship and small groups, music & visual art suggestions--all topped off with loads of support!" - Rev. Catherine Cullen, Minister, First Parish Church, Duxbury, Massachusetts
Here are the “Soul Matters” Themes for 2025/2026
September: Building Belonging
October: Cultivating Compassion
November: Nurturing Gratitude
December: Choosing Hope
January: Practicing Resistance
February: Embodying Resilience
March: Paying Attention
April: Embracing Possibility
May: Awakening Curiosity
June: Flourishing Together
Another source of music is found in the Association of Unitarian Universalist Music Ministries (AUUMM) Music Database. Our own Beth Mason created this WONDERFUL database, and Steve is an expert at using it! This database assists UU music directors, choir directors, songleaders, ministers, and other worship leaders to find appropriate music choices to enhance their worship services. It is also a tool to help UU composers and lyricists disseminate their music.
We also use our own OCUUC files that include PDFs of music, slideshows of lyrics, favorite videos, and videos we created during the Pandemic. Shout out to all of our slideshow creators!
Here are some recent examples of “New” Music we have found from these resources.
Nurturing Gratitude (November’s “Soul Matters” Theme)
During the Hymn Sing-Along, we gave thanks to the many percussion instruments that have been donated to the music program. We plan to use them on the songs that involve simple chants like “I Am the Calm” by Carole Marie Downing (Rev. Sian found this one) and “Loosen” by Aly Halpert. I thought “Loosen” was a new song until I found a slideshow that had been created in 2022 by Beth Mason!
Choosing Hope (December’s “Soul Matters” Theme)
“May Peace Rain Over Us” by Steve Milloy is an example of a hymn–one that we sang during a recent Hymn Sing-Along–that supports the December theme of “Choosing Hope”:
May peace, peace rain over us. Let it fill this place.
May peace, peace rain over us, ‘til we’re filled with grace.
May it flow through the lands and the rivers, may it bring rebirth.
May peace, peace rain over us, cov’ring all the earth.
If you have any questions or suggestions about music at OCUUC, please contact Steve Morihiro or Susan Shaw musicdirector@ocuuc.org
We hope that you find peace during this most wonderful time of the year.
Susan Shaw and Steve Morihiro, both longtime choir members, are the Co-Directors of Music Ministries.