Sugarpine Christian Conference Center’s Father & Son Retreat

This last weekend went very well as I led the men and boys in singing and worship.  It was a “Mountain Men” fishing retreat with lots of fun activities and the singing and teaching time were spiritually inspiring.  Scott Simmerok, from San Jose First Baptist, did a fine job speaking.  I took my son’s with me and had one of the best times together.  Some families had been coming to the camp for 10 to 15 years.  It was great to see familiar faces as I’ve led worship there about 6 years.
.

Online Guitar Lessons with MusicDojo.com

My first guitar lessons online really worked!  I wasn’t sure how they were going to work out, but the two week beginner’s course on Strumming and Finger Picking was a success.  A student from Portugal enjoyed the class and wrote, “I had a really nice time at the course.  It brought my practice routines again.  The course is very well structured, I think it’s pretty cool!  It´s been a pleasure to study, as well as interact with you!”  This course was the first in MusicDojo.com’s new series called Essential Worship Guitar.
.

Creekside Community Church

Ministry with Creekside Community Church has been busy but fulfilling.  Easter, as well as the week before, was a good way to zero in on what Christianity is all about:  Jesus as King, the cross, and the resurrection.  Our four services (Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and two on Easter) reflected the celebrative and somber moods of each event and highlighted the life of Christ in us (Galations 2:20).  I’m enjoying working with the people and organizing each worship service.  We are currently going through 40 Days of Love and the musicians are studying the book The Missing Element of Worship:  What’s Love Got to Do with It? by Tom Kraeuter.
.

Heartfelt Music Board Conference Call

We had a conference call a couple of weeks ago to catch up with the personal happenings of the Board members and keep the momentum going for Heartfelt Music Ministry.  I love those guys and appreciate their prayers and thoughtful insights as they oversee this ministry.  The economic crisis we’re in right now is affecting everyone.  Fortunately, faith and the “heart” of things really come out during hard times.
.

Private Lessons & Coaching

I approach each lesson as I do most things with the attitude of, “What would I want if it were for me?” (Do unto others…).  So, each student gets the best treatment in lessons, better than anything out there.  Of course, learning is largely based on the student themselves.  But, the lessons are top notch with tailored coaching toward personal goals, multi-media interaction during the lesson, quality resources and materials, multiple emphasis (guitar, songwriting, voice), a Lesson Summary Video, and communication throughout the month.  I’m stepping it up because that is what I would want.  My students appreciate it!

.

.

Coming Events

March 1 (Sun) The Christian Guitarist Fellowship in Alamo
March 6 (Fri) The BASS Convention in Castro Valley
March 13 (Fri) Private Lessons in Danville
March 20 (Fri) Private Lessons in Los Altos
April 5 (Sun) The Christian Guitarist Fellowship in Alamo
April 17-19 (Fri-Sun) Sugarpine Father/Son Mountain Men I Retreat in Oakhurst
April 24-26 (Fri-Sun) Sugarpine Father/Son Mountain Men II Retreat in Oakhurst

The first Christian Guitarist Fellowship was a blast and went very well. Ten people came which was just fine for the first time considering it was the Superbowl weekend. I started out with a Phil Keaggy video as people were coming in. We started at 2:00pm with an introduction and discussion as to people’s expectations and desires. I gave a lesson on contemporary chords, did a little demonstration, and then we paired off in order to “jam” together. I took two young beginners, an advanced guitarist friend took another adult beginner and the rest paired off with varying skill levels. We came back together and played through some well known praise songs. Everyone enjoyed it and said they want to come back in March. We are going to hold it the first Sunday of every month. I’m excited about it!

I’ve been teaching private lessons in guitar, voice, songwriting and worship leading in Los Altos for over 2 years and find it both fulfilling and a powerful avenue for students to become what God is leading them towards.
.

I’ve upgraded the lessons/coaching to include:

• A new notebook for helpful handouts and song chord charts.
• A Lesson Video Summary to download and see the techniques from each class.
• A Private Assignment Page which I communicate with each student their individual assignment and resources.
• More DVD and audio/visual examples to spark new ideas and rivet a particular technique into memory.
  .

I’ll be teaching once a month in four locations:  Los Altos, Danville (my home), Mount Hermon, and Sacramento.  Let me know if you’re interested or you know someone who is.

The Christian Guitarist Fellowship is a monthly event for all Christian guitarists the first Sunday of each month, 2:00pm-4:00pm, at Creekside Community Church (1350 Danville Blvd.
Alamo, CA  94507, 925-820-9031 x111).  Everyone is invited from beginners to advanced players, from rockers to alternative players, from acoustic to electric players, from teenagers to the ageless.  There will be training with handouts, short demonstrations, time to jam with others, resources, and good relationship building with fellow guitarists.  There is no charge for admission and no dues.  That’s right, it’s free!
.
Our first time together will be Sunday, February 1, 2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm.  Come join the first one and make a difference for future gatherings.

The Christian Guitarist Fellowship is sponsored by Heartfelt Music Ministry and Creekside Community Church in Alamo, CA.  For 14 years, Heartfelt Music Ministry has held the Christian Guitarist Conference (and the Christian Guitar & Bass Conference) in Northern California and throughout the United States.  The economy has made it difficult for most guitarists to justify going to a specialized guitar conference, so the Christian Guitarist Fellowship is the solution.
.
Invest in yourself and share your talent with others. For more information email [email protected] See you there.

Saturday, at Lincoln Glen Church in San Jose, the afternoon proved to be the highlight as I worked with the musicians in a Leading Worship Effectively and Team Building workshop.  They soaked up the information presented and played through a couple of songs for me to observe.  They were an exemplary team with lots of expression and a well-rounded sound as a band.  We all went out to Chinese food after the workshop which was a great time to talk and share with old friends (a couple people came who I haven’t seen in years).  The twist came at the concert in the evening.  We couldn’t get my electric guitar to work.  This was disappointing to me since I planned some new material and wanted to use the “Talk Box” in the set.  So, it ended up an acoustic night, but well received.  God has a way of working things out for good (Romans 8:28)!

Hope you can come Saturday, October 25th, 7:00pm, at Lincoln Glen Church in San Jose (2700 Booksin Ave., San Jose, CA  95125; Contact Larry Albright (408) 267-3663 x813).  I’ll “pull out the stops” with both electric and acoustic guitars and a message to inspire your faith in Christ.  There is a workshop that same afternoon called Leading Worship Effectively and Team Building from 3:00pm to 5:00pm also at Lincoln Glen Church.  The cost is $20.00.  You can register at the door or online at https://heartfeltmusic.org/academy/workshops/ .

I’ll be holding a Training Day at New Life Community Church, VA, Saturday, October 18, 2008, from 9:00am to 5:30pm.  There will be five intensive workshops throughout the day.  Then on Saturday evening at 6:00pm, I’ll be in concert with a meaningful message and inspirational music.  It’s free!.  See the Calendar Page to get more information.
.

OCTOBER 18, 2008 (SATURDAY) New Life Community Church 1449 Courthouse Rd. Stafford, VA 22554 (540) 659-5356
.

FIVE INTENSIVE TRAINING WORKSHOPS: • Creative Songwriting – 9:00AM • Dynamic Guitar in Worship – 10:30AM • Improving Your Singing – 1:00PM • Leading Worship Effectively – 2:30PM • Worship Infusion – 4:00PM
.

For details, registration, and payment options about each workshop CLICK HERE.

I’ll be holding a Training Day at Creekside Community Church in Alamo, CA, Saturday, October 11, 2008, from 9:00am to 5:30pm.  There will be five intensive workshops throughout the day.  Then on Sunday evening at 6:00pm, I’ll be in concert with a meaningful message and inspirational music.  It’s free!.  See the Calendar Page to get more information.
.

Creekside Community Church 1350 Danville Blvd., Alamo, 94507 (925) 820-9031
.
FIVE INTENSIVE TRAINING WORKSHOPS: • Creative Songwriting – 9:00AM • Dynamic Guitar in Worship – 10:30AM • Leading Worship Effectively – 1:00PM • Improving Your Singing – 2:30PM • Beginning Bass Guitar – 4:00PM.
.

For details, registration, and payment options about each workshop CLICK HERE.

The Worship Wayside Retreat in Oregon was truly refreshing.  Seeing friends who’ve come to past training sessions and meeting new worship leaders hungry to learn was fun and inspirational.  Conferees enjoyed the intimate feel and quality teachers over the two day event.  I was very grateful for the encouragement I received from a number of those attending my workshops.  Here’s one email I received:

“Hi Reggie, I just wanted to thank you for your part in the worship conference I attended last weekend at Trail Christian Fellowship. I appreciate you sharing your expertise to help others play skillfully unto the Lord. Thanks for the chord charts and finger exercises. I am very motivated to practice now and hopefully I can establish a good habit of regular practice to improve my skill, not just prepare a set of songs for the next sunday…Thank you, and keep up doing what you do. Your role is extremely important to the Body of Christ!  God Bless You!”  Jim Redd  ( o )====:::