Today continues our series on continuing education. There are many music degrees available across the country at respected colleges, but what about music ministry-specific degrees? How can we combine the experience of a college education with high-level musical, theological and liturgical educations as well? Today on the podcast I discuss the unveiling of a brand-new program available at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The program, built for an undergraduate program, seeks to provide a realistic education for today’s music minister.

Today I sit down with Dr. Stephen Benham to discuss this brand new program. Dr. Benham is a professor of Music Education at Duquesne University and a sacred musician himself. He joins us today from his office in Pittsburgh.

Today continues our series on continuing education. Gail Hartin, chair of the Cantor Certificate Committee, talks with us about the benefits of achieving each level of the Cantor Certificate process. Why is it important? Why should a cantor commit to a Cantor Certificate? This is a great episode to send to your cantors who are considering working towards a certificate in 2022!

Well, I hope this episode finds you rested and at least partially recovered from the joy and stress of the Christmas celebrations! We find these weeks in Winter Ordinary Time to be those of restoration and recovery when it comes to pastoral music. It’s a moment of breath before we pivot and, yes, start to think of Lent. But let’s not begin that journey just yet! Today starts a month-long focus on continuing education opportunities. As we begin this new calendar year, it's important for us to take time for renewal, education and formation. It's at the center of who we are and what we do at NPM. This year we are committing to learning and formation opportunities, and invite you to join us!

The first opportunity of learning we’ll be featuring is The Essentials of Catholic Liturgy. Liturgy, Life and Discipleship, the third track of the Essentials of Catholic Liturgy, begins this month and is developed in partnership with NPM and LTP. These six weeks of courses emphasize the celebration of the Eucharist as our source and summit of Christian life, and will help pastoral ministers—musicians and liturgists, notably—discuss and break open how liturgy interacts with the modern world, evangelization, mystagogy, social justice, and spirituality.

And so I sat down with Timothy Johnston to dig deeper. Until very recently, Timothy served as an Editor and Liturgical Training Consultant for Liturgy Training Publications. Timothy joins us today from the Archdiocese of Washington, DC.