I hope your summer is off to a good start!  Catching some gardening, jogging, piano & bass playing in between ministry has been fun for me (as well as playing guitar).  I mostly enjoy and appreciate my family.  School is out and we get to be a little more spontaneous.  I’m ministering part time at Open Door Church in Mountain View through August which takes up most of my time right now.  Through Heartfelt Music, I’m investing in equipping students through lessons and coaching.  The following are some training events in which you may want to join me.

Online Lessons Available

Strumming and Finger Picking, Level 1.  The first guitar course in the Essential Guitar Worship Series at MusicDojo.com is designed to introduce students to the most common righ t-hand strumming and picking techniques used within contemporary worship music. This course will help you to gain facility with the flat pick and will introduce you to finger picking techniques.  This course is perfect for beginner guitarists who can comfortably play chords, but need to add consistency to their right hand strumming and picking.  This two week course began yesterday, June 13th and is open for enrollment until June 20th.  You can start anytime this week.  It’s $29.95 for 10 lessons.   Click here to find out more.

Guitar Camps this Summer

I will be holding five one day Guitar Camps this summer in my home, limited to a five participants for each session.  It is more of an intimate setting with personal interaction and attention.  Because they are limited, make sure you get in the Application Form right away.  The curriculum is more intensive  in order to get a lot in, but the camps are intentionally divided up to benefit certain age groups and skill levels.  The camps are held in beautiful Mount Hermon.  They include three hours of instruction, a delicious brunch, a challenging training/resource book (The Complete Guitar Manual, with DVD, 2011), a notebook, and relevant handouts.  All the information is at our website under courses/camps.

• June 25 – Beginning Guitar Camp (Ages 9-12)
• July 9 – Beginning Guitar Camp (Ages 13-Adult)
• July 16 – Intermediate Guitar Camp (Ages 9-12)
• August 13 – Intermediate Guitar Camp (13-Adult)
• August 20 – Advanced Guitar Camp (13-Adult)

Songwriting Camp this Summer

I will be holding a one day Songwriting Camp this summer in my home, limited to a 10 participants for each session.  It is more of an intimate setting with personal interaction and attention.  Because it’s limited, make sure you get in the Application Form right away.  It includes four hours of instruction and sharing songs, a delicious brunch, a challenging training/resource book (God Songs, by Paul Baloche with Jimmy & Carol Owens), a notebook, and relevant handouts.  All the information is at our website under courses/camps.

• August 27 – Songwriting Camp (13-Adult)

Christian Guitarist Fellowship

The Christian Guitarist Fellowship is back.  Everyone is invited from beginners to advanced players, from rockers to alternative players, from acoustic to electric players, from teenagers to the ageless.  Come and meet guitarists from all over the Bay Area. Heartfelt Music Ministry is holding the Christian Guitarist Fellowship to help motivate you in your guitar playing and encourage you in Christ. There will be a short lesson for 4 levels (beginning, Intermediate, Experienced, and Advanced); we will have 2 breakout “jam” sessions where guitarists pair off with those in your skill level and share with each other; we will play some worship songs together; a few will perform in front of everyone; we’ll pray together; and discuss resources for guitarists in the Bay Area. It will be a fun fellowship and it’s free! Even those who have never played before, but want to learn to play the guitar are welcome. It will be at Open Door Church Mountain View, 1667 Miramonte Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040, on Sunday, July 10^th, from 2:30pm-4:30pm.

National Anthem at the Infineon Raceway

I’ll be playing the National Anthem on electric guitar on Sunday, July 24, to start the races.  Racers For Christ will also be holding three Chapels that morning in which I will be leading worship for.  It’s a very exciting event with dragsters, funny cars, and motorcycles racing throughout the day.  For more information, contact one of the Racers for Christ chaplains, Bob Hadidian, at (805) 801-7579.

National Worship Leader Conference

I’ll be teaching some workshops at the National Worship Leader Conference, July 18-21, in Kansas.  There emphasis this year is Engaging With God.  If any of you would like to go, you can get a 10% discount by using the discount code COATES.  It is a wonderful time for renewal and inspiration with some of the worlds leading artists, teachers and worship leaders (Jack Hayford, Matt Redman, Casting Crowns, Tim Hughes, Tommy Walker, Rebecca St. James, to name a few). Go to the National Worship Leader Conference website for more details.

Would You Consider Contributing?

We are very grateful for your support through prayer, attending events, and purchasing our products.  Some of you have been contributing monthly for years which is an important reason for our success in touching people’s lives.  We would greatly appreciate any financial contribution you could make at this time.  Go to https://heartfeltmusic.org/about/support/ to either donate a one-time gift or begin a monthly contribution.  Any amount would be appreciated.  The school guitar courses are out for the summer and so we have a need for special support.  Your tax deductible gifts help us effectively hit our target of leading others toward intimacy with God.

Cede and Reggie in Concert Friday, July 8, at 6:30pm

Cede is holding it’s second concert since the release of our new CD called New Beginnings.  It will be at Christ Community Church, 1000 S Park Victoria Dr Milpitas, CA 95035, at 6:30pm.  I will open up the concert with some worship songs, then the band will be playing hot tunes off the CD and some kickin’ praise songs like Trading My Sorrows and Ain’t Nobody.  I’m playing acoustic guitar with these 8 other phinominal studio musicians.  Listen to the songs and check us out at http://www.reverbnation.com/cedewest .  Come join us Friday, July 8^th at 6:30pm, at their coffee shop venue.

May Update

The beginning of this month was a great time to touch fathers and sons at the two Sugarpine “Mountain Men” retreats.  My son played guitar with me at one of the retreats which was so fun.  Also, the band I’m playing in called Cede held our first concert May 1^st.  A lot of people came and we sold over 170 CDs.  You can get the music at CD Baby.com.  I led worship at Felton Bible Church and Open Door Church Mountain View this month.  I’m teaching 37 different students private lessons per month continuing to mentor and encourage them.

Summer Guitar & Songwriting Camps

• June 25 – Beginning Guitar Camp (Ages 9-12)
• July 9 – Beginning Guitar Camp (Ages 13-Adult)
• July 16 – Intermediate Guitar Camp (Ages 9-12)
• August 13 – Intermediate Guitar Camp (13-Adult)
• August 20 – Advanced Guitar Camp (13-Adult)
• August 27 – Songwriting Camp (13-Adult)
  

I will be holding five one day Music Camps this summer in my home, limited to a smaller number of participants, 5 for the Guitar Camps and 10 for the Songwriting Camp.  It is more of an intimate setting with personal interaction and attention.  Because they are limited, make sure you get in the Application Form right away.  The curriculum is more intensive  in order to get a lot in, but the camps are intentionally divided up to benefit certain age groups and skill levels.  The camps are held in beautiful Mount Hermon at Reggie’s home.  They include a delicious brunch, a challenging training/resource book (2011 Complete Guitar Manual with DVD), a notebook, and relevant handouts.  All the information is at our website – https://heartfeltmusic.org/academy/courses/.

Coming Events

I’ll continue to teach private lessons this summer and will be taking on extra students who have more time for a few months.  Could you get the word out to let others know of my lessons throughout the Bay Area (More info at https://heartfeltmusic.org/academy/coaching/.  I will continue as the Interim Worship Leader with Open Door Church Mountain View through August.  In the fall, I’ll be looking for another opportunity to serve the Lord.  Here are a few coming events which more details can be found at https://heartfeltmusic.org/calendar/:

• June 3 & July 1 (Fri), 7:00pm-8:00pm – Guitar Showcase (Showcase Music Institute). Teaching workshops on Singing While Playing the Guitar.  Open to all.  The cost is $20.00 for non-SMI students.
• July 17 (Sun) – Bayside Church of Woodland.  Leading worship for their 9:15am and 11:00am services and leading a workshop for the musicians in the afternoon.
• July 18-21 (Mon-Thu) – National Worship Leader Conference (Kansas).  Teaching workshops.  Let me know if you’d like to go and I can get you a 10% discount on the registration.
• July 24 (Sun) – Infineon Raceway (Sonoma).  Playing the National Anthem on Electric Guitar at the opening ceremony and leading worship for three chapels in the morning through Racers for Christ.
• September 23-25 (Fri-Sun) – Silver Spur Christian Conference Center (Tuolumne).  Leading worship for their Men’s Retreat.

May God richly bless you this summer!  Let me know if there’s any way I can encourage you

.
Right in the middle of this month, a dear friend died of cancer.  Ron Miller’s example and testimony was such an example of God’s mercy and love.  He maintained such a sweet attitude throughout his life and even at the end in the last weeks.  He, and his wife Carol, were adult leaders while I was a Youth Pastor 20 years ago.  We’ve been at Creekside Community Church together for the last two years.  We will miss him greatly.
.
My Heartfelt Music Ministry activities have mostly been teaching private music lessons this month, but beginning in June I’ll be doing a lot more workshops, concerts, and worship leading across the nation. Mark your calendars to pray for the following events and come if you can.  Thank you for your continued support and prayers for me and Heartfelt Music Ministry.  Here’s some of the events & workshops coming up:
.

• May 31 – Jun 11 (Mon+) – Beginning Strumming and Finger-Picking, Music Dojo .com online courses  [https://www.musicdojo.com/main.asp].  Reggie will be teaching 5 beginning strumming patterns and 5 beginning finger-picking patterns over this two week course.  These are affordable lessons with email interaction with Reggie tailored to your schedule.
  .

• June 7 (Mon) – Joni and Friends’ Family Retreat, Mission Springs Christian Conference Center, Scotts Valley, CA [http://www.joniandfriends.org/fr_schedule.php].  Reggie will be doing a concert on their first night.

.

• June 15-17 (Tue-Thu) – Regional Worship Leader Conference, Calvary Church, Albuquerque, NM [http://www.nationalworshipleaderconference.com/home].  Reggie will be teaching both the Electric Guitar and Acoustic Guitar training workshops.

.

• August 1 (Sun) – Boy Scouts of America 100 Year National Jamboree, A.P. Hill, VA [http://www.bsajamboree.org/].  Reggie will be leading worship for the Protestant Sunday Service in the middle of their week-long conference.
  .

• August 30-September 2 (Mon-Thu) – Christian Songwriters Conference, Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center, CA [http://mounthermon.org/adult/professionals/songwriters].  Reggie will be teaching songwriting workshops and judging for the songwriting competition at the conference.
  .

• September 3-6 (Fri-Mon) – Labor Day Family Camp Weekend, Sugarpine Christian Conference Center, CA [http://www.sugarpine.org/camps/FamilyCamp/FamilyCamp.shtml].  Reggie will be leading worship throughout the weekend.

.

Most of my ministry efforts has been with Creekside Community Church (Alamo).  But there has been a steady stream of meaningful ministry encounters with Heartfelt Music Ministry.  Besides private lessons and the monthly Christian Guitarist Fellowship,  June had me doing coffee shop concerts;  July had a Worship Conference in Castro Valley; August had a High School ministry reunion for Neighborhood Church in Castro Valley and the Mount Hermon Songwriter’s Conference; and the beginning of September had the last monthly Christian Guitarist Fellowship.  Thank you for your prayers through it all.

.
Happy 4th of July everyone! As we celebrate our independence as a country, let’s commit anew our dependence on Jesus.  What a collision of freedom and fulfillment!
.

There’s been some wonderful events in June with the Christian Guitarist Fellowship, an instrumental concert at Yellow Wood Coffee & Tea, and private lessons in both Danville and Los Altos.  Also, I’m beginning my second year with Creekside Community Church and it is such a blessing.  I oversee the Worship & Arts Ministry and work with the three pastors in the Student’s and Children’s ministries.  I taught on Love (1 Corinthians 13:7 & 8a) in the main service last month and will teach on Trusting in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-8) July 26th.  There’s a lot of ministry opportunities with good people to work with.  Please, pray for God’s continued blessing.
.

Ministry Update & Coming Events

Tomorrow, July 5, is our 6th monthy Christian Guitarist Fellowship.  Hope you can make it from 2:00pm to 4:00pm at Creekside Community Church in Alamo.  I know many are out of town because of the 4th of July weekend.  But if you’re around  glean from fellow guitar players and share with them what you’re learning.  We have some good stuff planned!
.
One of the best (and most affordable) two-day training conferences is Friday & Saturday, July 24 & 25.  The Lift Him Up Worship Training Conference is for all who are involved in the various aspects of woship.  Some of the training workshops cover:  Soundboard Techniques; Acoustic Guitar; Lead & Electric Guitar; Drums and Rhythm Section; Bass Guitar; Vocal; Worship Band Techniques; Platform Techniques; Worship Team Leading; The Meaning of True Worship; Genres of Worship; Prayer Worship; and Expressive Worship.  I am one of the featured presenters and workshop instructors for the conference.  Mark Kenoly and Kingdom Voice are also featured artists and instructors. The cost is very affordable at $25.00 per person for the two days of training and concert Saturday night at 7:00pm.  For more information contact New Life Christian Church at (510) 889-1304 or visit www.newlifechristianchurch.com .
.

Are you a songwriter?  You won’t want to miss the Christian Songwriters Conference at the Mount Hermon Conference Center, August 31 – September 3 (Sun-Thu).  Write, learn, eat, and play!  Located in the breathtaking coastal redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, this conference immerses you in songwriting with a close knit community of artists. Experience 3 plenary teaching sessions and 8 elective classes with experienced songwriters like Shane & Shane, Don Moen, Sara Groves, Charlie Peacock, Israel Houghton, and Joy Williams.  I will be one of the reviewers for the  songs submitted for competition and I’ll be teaching workshops throughout the week.  For more info:  http://mounthermon.org/adult/professionals/songwriters .
.
In addition to private lessons in Los Altos and Danville, I’ll be an instructor with the Showcase Music Institute in San Jose (which is a part of  Guitar Showcase) beginning in the fall.  The cool thing about these lessons is that they will be twice a month with the addition of as many workshops as you’d like throughout the month.  Each instructor gives one workshop a month which is open for all the students to attend for free as a part of the lesson package (since there are about 15 instructors, you could take up to 15 workshops).  It’s great for those who want more than the hour a month I’ve been offering.  I’ll tell you more as it gets closer.  Let me know if you’re interested as there is limited availability.  Check out their site:  http://guitarshowcase.com under Lessons.
.

Personal Update & Prayer Request

As a family, we’re doing really well.  We love to spend time together and have a lot of fun when we do.  Brandon has been busy doing things with new friends and attending camps and retreats.  He continues to draw daily.  Austin is enjoying summer with Tae Kwon Do, Gumdo, archery, gaming, and chess.  Both of them ended the year very well scholastically with straitht “A”s.  Sherri and I are very proud of them.  Sherri continues to be the best mom and wife in the universe which keeps her busy.  We’ve been affected by the economy, as many are struggling to make ends meet nowdays, so we’re having to change housing to something more affordable for us.  Please, pray for our transition which may take a few months.
.
Your continued interest and involvement in Heartfelt Music Ministry is very much appreciated!  Drop me a note on Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace anytime.  May God richly bless you throughout this month with all the unique things that summer brings your way.

~ Reggie

The summer holds some concerts and conferences you may not want to miss.

.

Christian Guitarist Fellowship

Map
.
The Christian Guitarist Fellowship is a monthly event for all Christian guitarists the first Sunday of each month, 2:00pm-4:00pm . Everyone is invited from beginners to advanced players.
.

(CANCELED) Reggie Concert & Family Movie Night  (CANCELED)

Map
.
This concert has been postponed to early Fall.

.

Yellow Wood Coffee & Tea,
Reggie’s Guitar Instrumental Music

Map.

.

Reggie will be performing a variety of instrumental music on acoustic guitar (jazz, classical, rock, celtic, and easy listening).  He’ll be using his entertaining effects and musical artistry. Come on by to relax and enjoy the music. It’s free!

.

Lift Him Up Worship Training Conference

Map

.

.

The “Lift Him Up” Worship Training Conference is for all who are involved in the various aspects of worship.  Reggie Coates, Mark Kenoly and the band Kingdom Voice are the featured artists and instructors.

.

Mount Hermon’s Christian Songwriters Conference

Map
.
WRITE, LEARN, EAT, & PLAY Located in the breathtaking coastal redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, this conference immerses you in songwriting with a close knit community of artists.

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 Mount Hermon Songwriter’s Conference was a success for all.  There was a great turn out and the program was very well done.  The best part was the people involved and their humble attitudes.  When you get big named people like Paul Baloche, Joy Williams, Charlie Peacock and Don Moen, it’s refreshing to relate to them as experienced family members.  I led two well attended workshops.  I was able to encourage many participants which provided new friendships and some networking for some who are just beginning their journey of songwriting.  The craft of songwriting is such a great tool to glorify God and help others creatively express their faith.  Thank you for your prayers.