Summer is a distinct season of the year for church musicians. Here's how to make the most use out your summer—and enjoy the change of pace. Plus—a new job for Sarah! This is the last episode of Season 1. We'll be back in September! Get in touch: [email protected]; sarah-bereza.com/23; @sarahbereza; facebook.com/berezasarah; 513-580-4282

You're an organist, a choir director, or other musician. You want to get a church music job. Here's what you should do. I surveyed 268 church musicians and the people who've hired them. I learned a lot about what makes a great job applicant. Here are the highlights. Get in touch: [email protected]; sarah-bereza.com/22; @sarahbereza; facebook.com/berezasarah; 513-580-4282

Virtuosity and excellence are important, but ministers of music must also be called. Dr. Birgitta Johnson, Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina, discusses being anointed and called for music ministry in African American churches. Get in touch: [email protected]; sarah-bereza.com/21; @sarahbereza; facebook.com/berezasarah; 513-580-4282

Musical virtuosity isn't just about sound, but who makes the sound and how they make it. Dr. David VanderHamm researches the social construction of virtuosity—what counts as skill and why it matters. In thinking about the work of guitarist Tony Melendez, who was born without arms, David explores what makes us hear music as "virtuosic." Get in touch: [email protected]; sarah-bereza.com/20; @sarahbereza; facebook.com/berezasarah; 513-580-4282

When can you or should you display the musical abilities you've spent years developing? Here's how fundamentalist Christian musicians approach this question. Get in touch: [email protected]; sarah-bereza.com/19; @sarahbereza; facebook.com/berezasarah; 513-580-4282

Musical virtuosity in church services. Is it showing off? Giving God your best? Christians often come to opposite conclusions because of their different beliefs about what music IS and what it DOES in worship contexts. Dr. Joshua Busman shows how these conundrums go back to the Protestant Reformation and how in many white Evangelical churches, musicians have to play as amateurs without the mistakes of amateurishness. Get in touch: [email protected]; sarah-bereza.com/18; @sarahbereza; facebook.com/berezasarah; 513-580-4282

Learn more about the history of British Methodist Hymnody as Dr. Martin V. Clarke discusses his new book. We cover Armenian and Calvinist hymn texts, why John Wesley changed his brother's hymn texts, how a praise band is like a choir, and what makes Methodist hymnody distinctively "Methodist." Get in touch: [email protected]; sarah-bereza.com/17; @sarahbereza; facebook.com/berezasarah; 513-580-4282

Why should professional musicians play music for fun? Don't we already make enough music? Music educator Ashley Danyew discusses why playing for fun is worth (besides the obvious: it's fun). Also: mountain goats. Get in touch: [email protected]; sarah-bereza.com/16; @sarahbereza; facebook.com/berezasarah; 513-580-4282

Certified Alexander Technique instructor Ted Gibboney, D.M.A., shares how the Alexander Technique can help church musicians, as well as other people experiencing tension in their bodies. Ted was working full-time as the music director of a large church when he got a pain in his neck, literally. That discomfort—and the loss of control of his limbs—led him to healing through the Alexander Technique. Get in touch: [email protected]; sarah-bereza.com/15; @sarahbereza; facebook.com/berezasarah; 513-580-4282

Do you work as a substitute organist or hire them? This episode is for you! Guest organist Catie Moyer joins Crawford and I to explore many (many!) strategies for subbing and hiring subs. Churches all have their own idiosyncrasies, and if you know the right questions to ask, your subbing experience will be polished and less stressful. Get in touch: [email protected]; sarah-bereza.com/14; @sarahbereza; facebook.com/berezasarah; 513-580-4282.