Music for the Soul Podcast

We've spoken a lot about anxiety and stress on the last few episodes of the Music for the Soul Podcast. They both can be debilitating and raise a lot of "what if" questions in our lives. However, what would happen if we started asking "what if this is God's best for my life?"   We are so blessed to welcome vocalist Ally Jackson to this week's episode of the Music for the Soul Podcast. We had the pleasure of having Ally perform for several tracks on our newest project, What Hope Says, and today she shares her experience working on those projects. She also discusses what passions drive her musical career, why attitude is one of the most important things a session singer can have, and how she manages anxiety in her career and life.   Ultimately, she left us with a great statement on anxiety. What if we just woke up everyday imagining that whatever God put in our path was His best for our life?   Who is Ally Jackson?   Ally Jackson is an incredibly talented Vocalist, Session Singer, Worship Leader, Performer currently residing in Nashville, Tennessee. Ally grew up in Davison, Michigan in a musical family and learned from a young age that her passion was in singing and performing. She has gone on to record multiple singles and albums with producers in Nashville and also performed for our latest project, What Hope Says, which you can find in the link below. Ally also is a worship leader at the First Baptist Atlanta.

Resources:

Our listeners can hear the full project of What Hope Says on our website at the link here: https://www.musicforthesoul.org/resources/what-hope-says/

You can also follow Ally's Instagram by searching @allyjacksonmusic on Instagram

Listen to Ally's Christmas Single on Spotify at the link here: https://open.spotify.com/album/0MLHsoXEMxy47fh5woLP8s

 

Stress can play a large role in musicians lives. From expectations of how they will perform during events to personal anxiety about venues or songs, how can we find calm and peace when creating and performing music. Well we are so blessed to welcome Jeniffer Roig-Francoli to this week's episode of the Music for the Soul Podcast.   Jennifer is an award-winning violinist who has performed on some of the biggest stages throughout the world. She shares with us the unique technique she learned that helped teach her to play the violin, and how it can be transformational for young kids that are learning to love playing music. Jennifer also talks about the freedom that playing music can offer to children, teens, and adults in a world where we are always connected to screens.   Finally, Jennifer talks about what inspired her to begin holistic teaching of anxiety reduction for musicians that struggle with fear, worry, and regret. She was so passionate about this project, she has written a new book, Make Great Music with Ease!: The Secret to Smarter Practice, Confident Performance, and Living a Happier Life, which you can find the link for down below.    If you are someone who is struggling with centering yourself in the moment and overcoming anxiety, we would highly encourage you to listen to this episode.   Who is Jennifer Roig-Francoli?   Jennifer Roig-Francolí is an award-winning musician and double-certified Alexander Technique teacher. As the creator of The Art of Freedom® Method for conscious living and masterful artistry, Jennifer combines her extensive professional experience with a lifelong love of meditation and perennial wisdom. Her unique pedagogical approach, offered online since 2012 and exclusively touch-free since 2018, has empowered countless musicians with reliable tools to break through obstacles to personal and professional fulfillment and success.   Jennifer’s career as a modern and baroque violinist has taken her to concert halls around the world, including solo performances at Carnegie Hall and collaborations with esteemed orchestras like the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Berlin Symphony Orchestra. She was honored as a “Rising Star” by TIME magazine and has held the positions of Concertmaster and Associate Concertmaster in various ensembles, including the Grammy Award-winning ensemble Apollo’s Fire. She can be heard on recordings with Apollo’s Fire and as a soloist on most digital streaming platforms.

Resources:

Our listeners can learn more about Jennifer and get in contact with her on her website at the link here: https://www.artoffreedom.me 

You can also check out her book, Make Great Music with Ease!: The Secret to Smarter Practice, Confident Performance, and Living a Happier Life, at the Amazon link here: https://www.amazon.com/Make-Great-Music-Ease-Performance-ebook/dp/B0CLL1LBWR?ref_=ast_author_mpb

 

This week's episode of the Music for the Soul Podcast is one that is very near to all of us at Music for the Soul. Founder Steve Siler shares his story about the creation of the song Whole in the Sight of God and the new music video to accompany it. Steve talks about going to get a routine ultrasound on his wife in 1994 and being told by the nurse that their son would be born with Spina Bifida. Spina Bifida is a rare birth defect where the baby's spinal cord doesn't develop properly, which can lead to complications like partial or complete paralysis and in some cases cause the child to lose their life.    Steve shares that the first thing he and his wife did was name their son Henry and began to pray diligently on what they should do for their son. After choosing to bring Henry into the world, Steve remembers hearing that God was not sending him a son with a broken body, but a complete and perfect soul from Heaven. From there, he began to write a song about his son, which he titled Whole in the Sight of God. It was a song that not only described his son, but all children that have ever been brought into this world.   Steve breaks down what it took to write a song like that, what it was like raising a child with spina bifida, and why Whole in the Sight of God is so close to his heart. We have links to listen to the song on our website as well as to our new music video created to accompany the song. We highly encourage all of you to take a moment to check them out below.

Resources:

To read more on the story of Whole in the Sight of God as well as listen to it, please visit our website at the link here: https://www.musicforthesoul.org/news/whole-in-the-sight-of-god/

You can also watch our new music video on YouTube at the link here or on our website as well: https://youtu.be/QUFNYsEYjFg

Welcome back to the second part of our two part discussion on Music for the Soul's newest project, What Hope Says. This week, Steve Siler, Scott Krippayne and Tony Wood discuss the second half of the album including the songs Tell Yourself the Truth, Taking Care of Me, Hope Says There's a Way, Merciful Jesus, Anyway, and Imagine God's Best. Steve shares that each of these songs serve to provide insight, hope and restoration for those walking through bouts of anxiety and how each of them came about.   Tony and Scott explain which songs were their favorites to work on in this album, as well as why they believe What Hope Says is one of the most impactful projects they have ever worked on. We highly encourage you to check out the full project through the link below on our website, but as always these songs are also available on all music streaming platforms. We hope this project can provide your or someone you know with anxiety the respite and healing they deserve!   Who is Scott Krippayne?   Scott Krippayne is an Emmy Award winning songwriter & producer based in the Seattle area. With 16 #1's, 23 other Top 10 singles, and over 500 songs recorded, Scott has enjoyed a productive career with success in multiple genres. His songs have appeared on releases by Demi Lovato, Bebe Rexha, Jordin Sparks, Smash Mouth, Kool & The Gang, Kutless, and Joy Williams (of The Civil Wars) among others. In addition to having various songs used in films, Scott also penned the theme song for the Nick Jr. hit series Paw Patrol and has song placements on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Netflix, MTV, VH1, Disney, and more.   Who is Tony Wood?

Tony Wood is a Dove Award nominee for “Songwriter of the Year” and is a five time Dove Award winner. He is the writer of 30 #1 songs at Christian radio. He began writing songs in high school for friends to sing at various churches in the community. He continued writing for the local church while a student at Averett College. After graduation, Tony and his wife Terri moved to Nashville in order to pursue songwriting professionally. In 1991, he signed his first publishing deal with Michael Puryear at Lorenz Creative Services/BMG Music Publishing. He has since written for Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing and Essential Music Publishing.

To date, over 800 of Tony’s songs have been recorded and released in the Contemporary Christian Music Market.  Some of the artists who have given life to his lyrics include: Michael W. Smith, Francesca Battistelli, Matt Redman, Zach Williams, Mandisa, We Are Messengers, Big Daddy Weave, Jason Crabb, Sandi Patty, Gaither Vocal Band, Reba McEntire, Ricky Skaggs and many more. 

Resources:

Our listeners can check out the full project of "What Hope Says" on our website at the link here: https://www.musicforthesoul.org/resources/what-hope-says/

We are very excited to bring you this episode today with guests Scott Krippayne, Tony Wood, and our own Steve Siler as they discuss the creation and release of Music for the Soul's latest project, What Hope Says. The team talks about how What Hope Says was conceptualized, and that after years of discussion with therapists, the number one issue most people encounter or experience in their day to day lives is anxiety. Steve goes on to explain we live in a world of constant stressors and stimulation that often times has us feeling overwhelmed and anxious, but also creates a pendulum effect where we also begin to feel anxious when there is nothing going on in our lives.   Scott Krippayne and Tony Wood share how they worked on different songs for the project including Prayers for the Anxious, No Wonder (We're Losing Our Minds), You Are Not What Happened To You, Overwhelmed, and more. They also explain how they applied their own experiences of anxiety to each of these pieces and why this project is coming out at such a crucial moment for all of us.   In times where every direction we look seems to be filled with anxiety producing stories or tasks, we hope that you will take the time to check out this project and see What Hope Says. This is the first part of a two part series, so we highly encourage you to come back to listen to part two as well!   Who is Scott Krippayne?   Scott Krippayne is an Emmy Award winning songwriter & producer based in the Seattle area. With 16 #1's, 23 other Top 10 singles, and over 500 songs recorded, Scott has enjoyed a productive career with success in multiple genres. His songs have appeared on releases by Demi Lovato, Bebe Rexha, Jordin Sparks, Smash Mouth, Kool & The Gang, Kutless, and Joy Williams (of The Civil Wars) among others. In addition to having various songs used in films, Scott also penned the theme song for the Nick Jr. hit series Paw Patrol and has song placements on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Netflix, MTV, VH1, Disney, and more.   Who is Tony Wood?

Tony Wood is a Dove Award nominee for “Songwriter of the Year” and is a five time Dove Award winner. He is the writer of 30 #1 songs at Christian radio. He began writing songs in high school for friends to sing at various churches in the community. He continued writing for the local church while a student at Averett College. After graduation, Tony and his wife Terri moved to Nashville in order to pursue songwriting professionally. In 1991, he signed his first publishing deal with Michael Puryear at Lorenz Creative Services/BMG Music Publishing. He has since written for Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing and Essential Music Publishing.

To date, over 800 of Tony’s songs have been recorded and released in the Contemporary Christian Music Market.  Some of the artists who have given life to his lyrics include: Michael W. Smith, Francesca Battistelli, Matt Redman, Zach Williams, Mandisa, We Are Messengers, Big Daddy Weave, Jason Crabb, Sandi Patty, Gaither Vocal Band, Reba McEntire, Ricky Skaggs and many more. 

Resources:

Our listeners can check out the full project of "What Hope Says" on our website at the link here: https://www.musicforthesoul.org/resources/what-hope-says/

Directing choirs is one of the most important pieces to delivering the emotion and depth of a song. That is why we are blessed to welcome Choral Director and Musician Chris Smith to this episode of the Music for the Soul Podcast. Chris shares his experience of directing choirs, starting in 1990 with a local church in Nashville at the request of one of his friends Reverend Dr. James K Bailey as a "one time thing".   From there, Chris discovered his passion not only for creating music, but also managing and directing it. He has gone on to work on many different Gospel songs and projects, including quite a few at Music for the Soul, and we are delighted for him to share what this has meant for him and the impact it has had on countless lives!     Who is Chris Smith?

Christopher Smith is an amazing arranger, musician, choir director and contractor who has worked in the musical industry since becoming an organ player for his church when he was 17 years old. We are honored to have had Chris provide his talents on the following Music for the Soul Projects: After the Storm, Binder of the Broken, City of Hope, Where is the Ground, Child of God, Days of Hope, Dignity, Precious Lord Take My Hand, Hope Says There's A Way, More Than A Survivor, and Save a Child.

Resources:

Our listeners can hear one of the songs Chris Smith worked on, Precious Lord Take My Hand, and learn more about all of the projects Chris played a part in on our website at the link here: https://www.musicforthesoul.org/resources/precious-lord-take-my-hand/

We are incredibly blessed to welcome a living legend to the Music for the Soul Podcast today: Grammy Award-winning singer Larnelle Harris. Join us as Larnelle shares stories from his remarkable career and reveals how his passion for singing began. He talks about starting out as a percussionist before transitioning to being a singer. However, just as his career began to take off, he faced a life-changing challenge—losing his voice. Larnelle states that this was a critical moment in his career that led him to immerse himself in scripture and prayer, which fostered a strong relationship with the Lord.   Larnelle felt immense spiritual growth from that time and shares how he used that to grow a career spanning five decades, 18 albums, 5 Grammys, and countless other accolades. He shares invaluable lessons learned from both his faith and his time as a singer, emphasizing how God uniquely uses each person for His glory and the importance of remaining humble in the music industry.   Finally we talk about portions of his book, Shaped Notes: How Ordinary People with Extraordinary Gifts Influenced My Life and Career, which our listeners can learn more about down below. We highly recommend today's episode as Larnelle is an excellent speaker, story teller, and a dear friend of Music for the Soul!   Who is Larnelle Harris?

Admired by fans and peers alike for his majestic tenor voice, Larnelle Harris has become the personification of talent and integrity in a career that spans over five decades. He is the only person in history to be a member of three distinct hall of fame organizations: the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and the Amateur Radio Hall of Fame. He was twice inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, both as a solo artist and as part of the Gaither Vocal Band. He has achieved nineteen #1 radio singles and a plethora of top 10 hits. Harris was the first Christian artist to perform inside the Kremlin after the fall of the Soviet Union. He is one of a handful of celebrities to receive the Ad Council's Silver Bell Award for Distinguished Public Service in recognition of his song "Mighty Spirit" as the theme song for the longest-running Public Service Announcement in television history. He recently performed for the National Day of Prayer event in Washington D.C., at New York City’s famed Carnegie Hall, and sang for a gathering of U.N. Ambassadors in our nation’s capitol. Harris and his wife of 45 years, Cynthia (a.k.a. Mitzy), reside in Louisville, Kentucky.

Resources:

Our listeners can check out Larnelle's Book, Shaped Notes: How Ordinary People with Extraordinary Gifts Influenced My Life and Career, at the link here: https://www.amazon.com/Shaped-Notes-Ordinary-Extraordinary-Influenced-ebook/dp/B074JP7SK8?ref_=ast_author_dp

You can checkout every song that Larnelle has worked on at Music for the Soul at the link here: https://www.musicforthesoul.org/product_musicians/larnelle-harris/

 

Marketing is such an important aspect to businesses and non-profits alike. So what goes into managing a firm's brand image and creating engaging marketing that accurately reflects their message? We are blessed to have someone who has worked with Music for the Soul's social media and marketing for a few years, Kelsey Vredeveld.   Kelsey shares her story of finding her passion for marketing, what drew her to working with us at Music for the Soul, and how God played a pivotal role in guiding her down that path. She talks about how the Lord called upon her to take the chance as a young adult to move to Denver from Michigan, and why that was such an important point in her life. She also mentions her favorite things about working with Music for the Soul and some upcoming projects she is working on.   Who is Kelsey Vredeveld?

Driven, passionate, creative thinker with a mind for marketing, Kelsey achieved a Bachelor of Arts from Hope College, double majoring in Communications and Business Management. She now works on actively expanding her professional experience in marketing, branding, and design. These explorations have granted proficiency in public speaking, time management, and attention to detail as well as professional training in digital promotion, public relations, web design, and graphic design suites.

Kelsey has provided incredible work with Music for the Soul in managing our social media platforms, creating audiograms for those platforms and so much more.

Resources:

If you would like to reach out to Kelsey for work in Marketing, Social Media Management, or anything else she discussed in today's episode, you can reach her at her email: [email protected]

Finding your giftings in life can often take unexpected turns in where you end up and what the Lord calls you to do.    We are very blessed to welcome legendary violinist and long time musican with Music for the Soul projects, David Davidson, to this week's episode of the Music for the Soul Podcast. David shares with us his story of studying and playing classical music from a young age. He shares that after picking up the violin at age 9, he continued to practice all throughout his academic career, where he would eventually earn a full scholarship to Florida State University. He would then go on to record and play dozens of pieces, while also developing a love for combining notes of classical violin with country, pop, and rock.    David shares with our listeners why he has such a passion for classical music, how it can help those looking to begin playing themselves, and why having excellent technique can really unlock the emotion of a song. David also is planning on starting a non-profit initiative with his wife that will offer day trips to a farm for children dealing with autism and other developmental disorders. We highly encourage you to listen to the end to hear more on that!   Who is David Davidson?

Nashville-based session violinist David Davidson was born into a musical family and raised in Winter Haven, FL. He took up the piano at age five and began studying violin at nine. He received a violin scholarship to attend Florida State University in Tallahassee, and turned professional at 19, initially working as a classical musician. He was concertmaster with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra for four years. In 1983, he began playing non-classical recording sessions in Nashville, eventually appearing on albums by a wide variety of major country, pop, rock, and Contemporary Christian Music artists. He was a member of the A Strings, which recorded Home for Christmas on Warner Bros. Records and in 1992 organized David Davidson & the Praise Ensemble to record the instrumental Christian album Praise Ensemble. That was followed by Psalms of Everlasting Hope. Signing to the Green Hill label in the mid-'90s, he issued a series of instrumental albums, including Silver Screen Classics, Prelude to Joy, Phantom of Broadway, Heartstrings (a duet album with pianist Russell Davis), and, in 2000, Celtic Fantasy.

Resources:

Our listeners can learn about David's works, contact him, and more at his website: http://www.davidsviolin.com

You can also listen to David's favorite song he worked on for Music for the Soul, I Miss You, at the link here: https://www.musicforthesoul.org/resources/i-miss-you/

Sexual Trauma is a topic that we have covered many times here on the Music for the Soul Podcast. The impact of sexual abuse and the subsequent trauma is an event that truly reshapes the brain of the person who has to endure the horrible actions of another person. However, we always want to remind survivors out there that there is hope and healing from sexual trauma.   That is why we are so blessed to welcome licensed therapist and founder of the Child Sexual Abuse Institute of Ohio, Vicky Didato. Vicky shares her experience of entering the professon of counseling despite it not being her initial career choice and what drove her to become a counselor for those suffering from sexual abuse. She explains where things like trauma are stored in the brain, why it's important to learn about how our left and right brain work, and how music and other areas of the five senses can unlock that trauma to begin the process of comprehension and healing.   Vicky also talks about why talk therapy alone doesn't always create the healing trauma survivors are looking for. She still highly recommends traditional talk therapy for clients struggling with their mental health and trauma, she breaks down how she has spent more than 30 years going beyond traditional talk therapy and why it has been so impactful to her client.   Who is Vicky Didato?

As Founder and Director of the Child Sexual Abuse Institute of Ohio (CSAIO), Victoria Kepler Didato has spent more than 30 years helping children and families throughout the state. Based out of Wooster, Victoria Kepler Didato and CSAIO provide consultation, training, and education for social workers and counseling professionals across America and have served over 30,000 individuals since 1982. Through CSAIO, Victoria Kepler Didato shares her experience and wisdom with professionals of all types, and has fulfilled contracts with sheriff’s departments and children’s services boards in Indiana, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. In her private practice as a counselor, Victoria Kepler Didato assists victims of sexual assault, trauma, and mental health disorders through individual and group therapy.

Resources:

Our listeners can reach out to Vicky at her email, [email protected].

You can also find some of the blog posts and songs from Music for the Soul we discussed today at the link here: https://www.musicforthesoul.org/news_topics/sexual-abuse/