074: What Should I Play for Church?

Growing up playing in church services gave me much of my early performance experience, and it’s a topic I’ve never explored on the podcast until now. In this solo episode, I’m sharing my journey with sacred music, from childhood church performances to my studies in Sacred Music. I’ll be talking about my favorite hymn arrangers, like Lloyd Larson and Mark Hayes, and will offer suggestions for pianists of all levels looking to incorporate sacred music into their repertoire. Whether you're teaching students to play in church or looking to expand your own playing, I hope you’ll find some useful resources in this episode.

• Rachel shared her experience playing sacred music in church from a young age.
• She explained how her Sacred Music degree shaped her understanding of church music and performance.
• Her early experiences playing hymns and offertories during church services.
• She shared her favorite hymn arrangers, like Marilynn Ham, Dino, and Mark Hayes.
• Rachel highlighted Lloyd Larson as her favorite arranger for accessible yet beautiful hymns.
• She recommended Dennis Alexander’s sacred music for intermediate students.
• She mentioned Roger House’s pieces as accessible yet technical arrangements.
• She introduced Larry Shackley’s Sacred Rhapsody for advanced pianists.
• Rachel shared Michael Larkin’s All Creatures of Our God and King with hymns and original pieces.
• She encouraged listeners to share their favorite sacred music suggestions.

Links Mentioned

• Rachel's Favorite Sacred Piano Books
• Amanda Tero Music
• Susan Staples Bell Music for Worship
• Mark Hayes' Hymn Harmonizations
• Michael Larkin's All Creatures of Our God and King
• Marilynn Ham Books
• TopMusic Piano Podcast 010: From Concept to Composition with Susan Staples Bell
• Download the latest TopMusic Magazine edition here.

About Rachel Ehring Dr. Rachel Ehring is a pianist, teacher, music administrator, and lover of piano teaching gadgets. She holds a DMA in Collaborative Piano from the University of Colorado Boulder and a MM in Accompanying from the University of Kansas. She currently serves as Director at St. John’s Conservatory of the Arts in Orange County, CA. Previously, she held positions at Concordia University Irvine and Henderson State University. Rachel is passionate about empowering music teachers to create engaging and exciting lessons for students of all ages. When she isn’t playing the piano, you might find Rachel reading books with her son or walking her beagle Frieda.

• Visit her website at RachelEhring.com
• Visit her Instagram page: