Posted by Bryan Moyer Suderman on Apr 9, 2013
Over the past while I have found myself writing in some different modes, and some of that writing is starting to appear in public. Here’s an article I wrote for Canadian Mennonite magazine – “Hearing Jesus as Songwriter.” And here’s a more ambitious piece – a 33 page booklet that is a bit of a study of how Jesus is portrayed as interpreter of Scripture in the Gospel of Mark. That piece is now available here… and there may well be more on its way in a similar vein… Not to worry – there’s still some songwriting going on too, but it hasn’t been as consistent or disciplined lately. That said, the backlog of “songs to write” has been steadily growing… there have been a few new songs lately… I expect that, before too long, there will be some more songwriting that will “break the logjam” that’s been building up… Stay...
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Posted by Bryan Moyer Suderman on Jan 26, 2013
In May 2011 I was invited to help plan and lead worship at a global ecumenical conference on mining, organized by KAIROS Canada. They have put together a powerful video with excerpts from the various speakers, interspersed with the refrain of a song that I wrote for the conference. You can watch or download the video here. This theme song is drawn from Leviticus 26 – a text that makes a vivid (even shocking) connection between human obedience to God’s ways (commandments, statutes, ordinances) and the health of the land. When we sing the refrain of the song (“I will remember the land”), we are singing the words that God speaks in Lev 26:42. The broader context of those words is this: the commandments in the preceding chapter (Lev 25) are all about how to deal with land/property (“sabbatical” year of rest for the land, “jubilee” year of re-distribution of land, issues of debt, servanthood, redemption of servants, etc.). Lev 26 then carries on with a description of ecological health that is described as resulting from obedience to God’s commandments (Lev 26:3-13), followed by a vision of ecological destruction resulting from disobedience (26:14-33). One way or another – whether humans implement it appropriately or not – “the land shall enjoy its sabbath” (26:33-39). And then the text describes the possibility of changed human attitudes and behaviour: “But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their ancestors… if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, then will I remember my covenant with Jacob; I will remember also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham, and I WILL REMEMBER THE LAND.” (Lev 26:40-42, emphasis added). I thought it was particularly striking to put these words of Yahweh – “I will remember the land” – to a traditional Andean Cueca rhythm and chord structure… a land that has a long history of mining and exploitation not just of mineral resources but of the people who have lived there and still live there. (I spent 4 formative years, age 12-16, living in Cochabamba, Bolivia, in the heart of the Andes mountains.) For us to sing these words together, to an Andean rhythm, in the context of a global ecumenical conference on the impacts of mining, struck me as a powerful thing. During the days of the conference I circulated around, talking to as many people as I could, asking them how we would sing these words “I will remember the land” – in their own native language. These conversations inevitably resulted in fascinating debates and conversations about what exactly the words should be, as each language and culture has its own way of articulating the nuances of these things. Which word – of the multiple options that are possible in each of our tongues – should be used to say “remember”…? To...
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Posted by Bryan Moyer Suderman on Nov 2, 2012
Don’t worry, I’m not planning to post re: US presidential politics here… but I did think I would appropriate Obama’s 2008 rallying cry (which he, in turn, appropriated from someone else – eg: Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers and, I’m sure, others – as a good songwriter/communicator should)… since it so perfectly reflects what many would feel to be an “audaciously hopeful” claim – that “small and tall” really can worship together. Long-time readers of this blog will know that this is at the core of “what I do,” and that, by a “long and winding road” (to quote yet another songwriter/communicator), I have a particular vocation for writing “songs of faith for small and tall,” helping families and congregations find ways to sing our faith together. I have become so used to this that I sometimes don’t realize just how “audacious” this really is for many people. This was brought home to me a couple of weeks ago, when Julie and I led some sessions (including Sunday morning worship) at a congregational retreat. We have been married for (dare I say it?) 20 years, and have done many things together, but it has been quite a while since we have worked together intensively as co-leaders of sessions like this. Julie is a gifted teacher, with years of experience in Christian education settings, primary classrooms, and now running a piano studio with students ranging from 4 to 74 years old. While we have very different personalities and planning/leading styles, we very much enjoyed the experience of working together and leading these sessions. Judging from the enthusiastic feedback (we’ve already been invited to a similar role at next year’s retreat), the congregation enjoyed it too. Can we worship together, in ways that engage and speak meaningfully to “small and tall” alike? Yes we can! (I’m going to add this as a new offering and “performance option” from SmallTall Music – for Julie and I to jointly lead all-ages, interactive sessions for congregational retreats. We’re looking forward to doing this more often – if this is something that you and your congregation has been looking for, please give us a call or send us a...
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Posted by Bryan Moyer Suderman on Oct 2, 2012
Last week I went into Barnside Studios just outside of town to record a couple of songs for a documentary film that is being made about a number of doctors who have been practicing family medicine in Stouffville for many, many years. It was an honour to be asked to contribute to this project by Jane Philpott, who is one of the “driving forces” behind the initiative. I wrote one new song, from the perspective of one of the doctors interviewed for the film, and the other song is an instrumental acoustic guitar piece. It was a pleasure working with the guys at “Fine Enough Records” (who run Barnside Studios) – they’ve put together a really nice facility. and do a good job. I’m looking forward to seeing (and hearing) the documentary once it’s...
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Posted by Bryan Moyer Suderman on Sep 27, 2012
It’s a new season for SmallTall Music. For the first time in half a dozen years or so I am not planning an extended fall tour. What’s going on? Over the past while we have come to the conclusion that I should go back to the original vision for SmallTall Music as a sustainable, long-term, “part-time” ministry. This means seeking other part-time work to supplement our family income, while continuing the musical vocation on a more part-time basis. Bi-vocational ministry, in other words. As a result, I will not be touring at the same rhythm as I have been for the past 6 years or so (when I have typically done a month-long tour each spring and fall, as well as shorter ones here and there). I will still do some long-distance touring, but not at the same pace. My closer-to-home musical involvements and availability remains unchanged – I expect that the shift from “full-time” to “part-time” will mostly affect the long-distance touring schedule, and a somewhat slower pace for ongoing writing and recording projects. You can see my fall performance schedule (so far) here – and feel free, of course, to contact me if you’d like to explore setting up a visit to your community! So what about the other “part-time?” Well – for the month of August I was driving a corn-delivery truck for Rouge River Farms, delivering local corn to grocery stores in the Greater Toronto Area. And as of the beginning of September I’ve been working at the Reesor Farm Kitchen here in Stouffville as… get this… a baker! That’s right – I get up in the morning and typically make 24 dozen muffins or so by 8:30 am… and then it’s on to cookies and pies, sometimes brownies or rhubarb coffee cake… (they haven’t started me on the bread-making yet, but that will come…) “A little bit of yeast makes the whole dough rise…” So I find myself revising the old nursery rhyme to fit my current bi-vocational status… “a driver, a baker, a songs-of-faith maker”… In many ways this feels like another mode of “community supported music” – folks in the community prepared to give me a job (and who are flexible and understanding regarding scheduling, as I combine this work with my ongoing music ministry). I am grateful. Just to be clear – this is not a “turning away” from my musical vocation. If anything, I believe this transition is a way to make it stable and sustainable, hopefully for a long time to come. There continue to be plenty of musical projects on the go… Keep checking this space (and/or join the SmallTall Music e-mail list on the right-hand column of this website), and I’ll be keeping you...
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