If You Missed It

The 2011 Gospel songwriters Music Workshop has come and gone, and it was such a fabulous experience that sharing this experience will make you want to be at the next one.  This was the first time the workshop was conducted in the Tampa Bay area at the Queen Street Church of god in Christ (COGIC in St. Petersburg Florida, but it will certainly not be the last.

On Thursday night we opened with our Instrumental Musicians and our Vocal Musicians Class.  This class was conducted by Dr. Joel Johnson and Minister Robert Brown.  Those who attended this class gained a wealth of knowledge as they enjoyed the interaction with other musicians AND VOCALISTS with the same interests and talents.  There was ample opportunity to ask questions and learn by example.  Our Songwriters Class also got off to a great start under the leadership of Sister Yvonne Reed Matthews and Pastor O’Neal Porter.  The songwriters had a wide variety of song styles and genres that were quite impressive.  A new addition to our workshop line-up was our Praise Dance class under the leadership of Sister Deborah Butler Brown, assisted by Sister Darline McCoy  who shared their wonderful dance knowledge with the students.  As you can tell we got off to a great start with some enthusiastic participants and some great clinicians.

The excitement carried over to Friday Morning with our seminars, question and answer sessions and demonstrations for all to enjoy.  Some of the seminar topics included:  Simple lead sheet creation, fine tuning your craft, knowing your rights as an artist, practice techniques, etc.  There was something for everyone to enjoy and that’s just what we did.

The Culminating Concert started out with a bang on Saturday Night.  Our MC was Sister Linda Berry from the Queen Street COGIC.  Sister Berry is a dynamic woman of god who kept us moving higher and higher in the spirit as each class presented.  The first class was the Musicians and Vocal Class with their rendition of the song “How Great Is Our God” led by a dynamic young man, Sylvester Wright 16.  The presentation was marvelous and God received all the glory as the song went forth.  Ms. Veronica Floyd from the Tampa Chapter of the Foundation Fighting Blindness helped us put some purpose in our praise with her presentation about the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the upcoming Vision Walk on November 19, 2011.  We also learned about the GSH Gospel Music Awards from Ms. Gloria S. Hines as they get ready for their next awards show in January 2012.  The Praise Dance class made an outstanding presentation as they worshipped the Lord to the song, “”Joyful, Joyful” and what a joyful experience to watch the young people go forth in praise to God.

The final presentation for the evening was by our Songwriters Class.  There were 8 outstanding songs presented by 8 outstanding songwriters.  The songs evoked a wide variety of emotions because they were all so wonderful.  The sanctuary was filled with God’s glory as we enjoyed each and every presentation.  The sincerity expressed by each songwriter was so exhilarating it left you wanting more and more.

As you can see, the Gospel Songwriters Music workshop has begun a new chapter as we press forward endeavoring to do god’s will IN THE  Tampa Bay area.  This was one of the best workshops we have ever had and it far exceeded any expectations we could have imagined starting over in a new place, but as you know god can do anything , but fail.  We plan to become more active than ever as we get ready for our next workshop in June 2012.  Make plans now to be there.