Something Very Wonderful Happened

It is almost time for our 2011 gospel songwriters Music Workshop and I am sure you would like to have some updated information about the last workshop. The last time many of you checked the website you saw all of the great things that happened during our 2008 workshop, but we did not provide any updated information on the 2009 and 2010 workshops. Well, something very wonderful was happening, although I did not realize all the great things god was getting ready to do. I guess I need to start at the beginning and work my way down to the end so you will understand the whole story.

I’ll begin with the opening day of our 2009 workshop because it was so exciting. We had Bishop Leonard Scott of Tyscot Records in the house. He was our guest speaker for the Talent Showcase Luncheon and it was fantastic. Thursday night we opened with our Musicians Class under the direction of Brother Jermel Kidd. Brother Kidd is an extraordinary musician and teacher who made this class so exciting for amateur and veteran musicians alike. It was not only fun, interesting and challenging, but he created a great atmosphere for sharing and learning. Brother Tommy worked with our guitar students and Minister Robert Brown taught our drum students. We also had our Vocal Class and our Songwriting Classes which are always interesting and challenging at every level.

Friday morning we started off with our workshop seminars. The first seminar was conducted by Mr. Blair Anderson of B A Solutions. He spoke with us about preparing our music portfolio for sending to others in the music industry. This was a great opportunity to learn the latest techniques for presenting personal and business information when trying to make a good impression. Attorney Norman Gillis from Nashville, Tennessee spoke to us on a variety of topics related to songwriting royalties, assignments performance rights, etc. This was one of the best seminars we have had at the workshop because we had the opportunity to speak with a music lawyer who handles these types of issues on a daily basis. He could relate real life situations to our questions. We also had Ms. Minette Streeter of Music and Taxes, Inc. speak to us about the tax ramifications dealing with intellectual property. Additionally, she spoke with us about the difference between having a legitimate business in music versus having a hobby. As you can tell, we had some exceptional seminars that everyone could enjoy.

The Culminating Concert on Saturday evening was phenomenal! Our MC was Sister Brenda Lee-Moore from Atlanta, Georgia. Who got us off to a great start with her engaging style and eloquent manner that made it easy to feel like worshipping God. The Vocal Class under the direction of Sister Katrina Washington was able to invoke the presence of God throughout the whole building with their rendition of “I Need You.” As you can imagine, there was nothing else to do but go up higher and that is exactly what we did.

The Workshop Choir sang several songs with Bishop Leonard Scott from his CD entitled “Be Lifted Up.” All praise belongs to God because we had a magnificent time as the choir ministered with Bishop Scott. You could feel yokes being broken as songs like; Sing unto the King, Bless The Lord and Lord You Reign were sung under the anointing. I am sure by now you are thinking it couldn’t get any better, but somehow it did.

The Songwriters Class under the direction of Sister Yvonne Reed Matthews, Pastor O’Neal Porter and Sister Shirley Scott, closed out our service. We had 15 talented songwriters with 15 dynamic songs. As you listened to each song you could feel the spirit of god in the words that were sung. You could also feel the sincerity of each singer as they ministered their song. God truly blessed us in a mighty way which of course should be no surprise.

Although I did not realize it at the time, 2009 would be the last workshop we would do in the Pensacola, Florida area. It seems that now god is preparing us for a new direction in a new place which means he has something very wonderful getting ready to happen. I am not sure what God will do next, but one thing I do know is that whatever it is I am ready to receive it. I pray each of you is ready to experience “something very wonderful” as we enjoy our 2011 Gospel Songwriters Music Workshop in the Tampa Bay area. If you are ready to experience something wonderful, then I invite you to go to our Registration Page and sign up now for our next workshop; you’ll be glad you did!