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Teaching Music Ministry
by Greg Scheer

From 2000 to 2005 I was the Director of Music Ministries at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, where my time was split between teaching in the music department and overseeing worship for campus ministries.

Northwestern's music ministry major curriculum aims to equip students in the many facets of local church music ministry. Therefore, the courses range from the historic to the modern, from the philosophical to the practical. The curriculum takes place under the auspices of the music department (i.e. students take music theory and history like other music majors) and in the context of a Christian liberal arts college. You can find more details about the music ministry major requirements at Northwestern's website.

The following syllabi come from the music ministry courses I taught during that time. Most of the classes were offered every other year (except Music of the Church, which was taught one or two times a year). These syllabi show one way, but not the only way, to teach about worship, and I offer them in order to begin dialogue with others. Though I no longer work in academia (I'm now at Church of the Servant and the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship in Grand Rapids, Michigan), I would be glad to answer questions about the curriculum and courses or hear your comments.

Greg Scheer
greg@gregscheer.com

Syllabi

Essay
Pedagogy Ponderings