While the first day of Autumn is a few weeks away, summer is effectively over as the school year begins in districts and dioceses across the country. This means that, for many parishes, the new music ministry season is upon us, too. Just like classroom teachers, music ministers are welcoming back familiar faces, returning to regular schedules, and once again asking age-old questions like, “how could they have forgotten so much over the summer?”

As we start up the new year, we thought it would be good to start with a pep talk. And who better to give it than ValLimar Jansen? Today, we’ll hear a reprise of ValLimar’s keynote given at this year’s national convention.

Here is the official description:

"Imagine you are in a concert hall and Itzhak Perlman is performing on stage. The hair stands up on the back of your neck and you can barely take a breath. Perlman's passion flows into the room. He is aflame. He has mastered the rules and technique and yet they are far from his thinking. He has transcended the rubrics and yet upholds them. They have become a part of his musical instincts. Passion for the musical moment consumes him and he is consumed by the music. Can we praise God like this? Can we get there in liturgical music ministry? Yes, we can!"