[Kid Inspiration]

So first night at the Grove Studio for 2008 kids album. Lots of work to do. But I am up for the challenge. There are a couple songs I believe will be VERY powerful for kids to sing. So next two weeks are spent getting ready for recording on 8th October. Pictured Andrew Crawford recording guru.

So it’s midnight and I just finished a song (hopefully) for our upcoming kids album.

My wife Beci is in bed and here I am all inspired about kids worshipping God and keeping her awake.

I think it will be a powerful song. Talking about Jesus being near, and wanting to spend the rest of our lives in His house. “I’m so glad you’re here, I’m so glad you’re near…” well I don’t want to ruin it

But man is it a process. Getting a song written is like giving birth to a baby that sometimes refuses to come out. Or at least that is our experience.

This year has proven to be just as tough as always to find the God songs. But I guess not much worthwhile is easy. The pain of creating can lead to great beauty.

I hope and pray that is true for this years album, that the kids at our church and ultimately around the world would encounter Jesus. Because if they do, they will never forget it. And they will never forget him.

It’s 10:51 PM Sunday night.

I feel like writing something down.

I feel a little quirky. It might just be the album I just bought (on the itunes store on my iPhone – didn’t even leave my bed) (the fact I just told you that makes me a little sad).

Medeski, Martin and Wood are one of my favourite bands. Hard to categorise… they are kinda Jazz, Groove, Funk etc.

They released a kids album at the beginning of the year… ‘Let’s go Everywhere‘.

I just found out about it!

It’s GREAT. Just a bunch of REALLY Flippin’ awesome musicians playing music their kids will love.

Very timely, as we write songs for this years kids album – don’t be surprised if this next album features some funk grooves.

A little light kids entertainment for ya! But pretty excellent dancers!

Cheeky Monkeys [Youtube]

GMA Dove Awards has gone and passed.

The Veggies win for Kids Album of the Year. Here is complete list of winners.

Children’s Music Album of the Year
VeggieTales Christian Hit Music; VeggieTales; Christopher Davis; Big Idea Records

Cool.

American idol sing ‘Shout to the Lord’ in the finale of their ‘Idol gives back show’. Although removing Jesus from the song. But hey, still a great way to include evangelical USA.

Harry Connick concert went OFF!

Terrible picture I know, but an absolutely brilliant concert. He is a BRILLIANT entertainer and got two standings O’s at the end. I have never seen him live before, mainly owing to the fact that I grew up in New Zealand, and the only musicians that made the trip were either buskers, or doing it for charity… (it’s expensive to get to Middle Earth).

So one of the perks of being in Sydney is that you get a few more acts come through.

The band played a bunch of stuff from his lastest album Oh, My NOLA. He did a bunch of songs from that, and a whole lotta New Orleans old school! (St James Infirmary Blues, Basin Street Blues…)

There is a great Wikipedia page up about the tour, check it out if you are into it!

A great finish to a BIG Easter weekend.

New from Citipointe Church in Brisbane Saturate their second Kids Album!

No samples up online???? But I can tell you the songs are awesome and the kids in the recording are ROCKIN!

[v. sach-uh-reyt] – to soak thoroughly or completely

Welcome to the rockin’ worship sound of a new generation. Saturate is a mega all in one worship pack recorded with over 1500 children in Brisbane, Australia. These songs are guaranteed to get your whole family’s pulse racing and heartbeat pumping to the sound of God’s praise. These disks professionally present something historic, powerful, and enthralling – when heaven touched earth amidst the prayers and adoration of a young generation. These kids were Saturated with God’s presence, no question – and we know that you will be too.

Each year Christian Music Today put together the ‘Best of’ Lists.

Back in 05 we were no. 5 in the best of list for kids albums.

In 06, made it to No. 2 for Super Strong God.

Now for the Best of 07… drum roll… Tied for No. 1!

Uh Oh… no where to go but down now! Will 08 bring heartache, or will we conquer the world with a No. 1 not shared with anyone else?????

But seriously, it is an amazing honour to be a part of this church and music that reaches all over the globe, and is used in churches to connect kids with their creator!!!!!

The GMA Award nominees were announced this week!

Children’s Music Album of the Year

• Absolute Modern Worship for Kids 3; Kid Connection; Craig Adams; Fervent Records
• deliberateKids; Phil Joel; Phil Joel; Indelible Creative Group
• My Father’s World; The Praise Baby Collection; Christopher Davis; Big House Kids
• Snazzy; Go Fish; Jamie Statema, Darren Rust; GFK Records
• Supernatural; Hillsong Kids; Julia A’Bell, Gio Galanti, Andrew Crawford, David Wakerley; Hillsong Music, Integrity Music
• VeggieTales Christian Hit Music; VeggieTales; Christopher Davis; Big Idea Records

Yay!

We were nominated in 06 for “Jesus is my Superhero”, and now in 08 for Supernatural!

It’s acutally a good year for Hillsong Church… The Hillsong United guys are up for Group of the Year and Praise and Worship Album of the Year… and Darlene Zschech for vocalist.

To see the full list of the nominees go to doveawards.com

Yancy has a new album out called Rock-N-Happy Heart.

From Yancynotnancy.com:

Yancy spent five years at Church on the Move in Tulsa, Oklahoma as a congregational worship leader, overseeing worship in a variety of areas and for a multitude of age groups. From elementary ministry to youth to young adults to the main worship staff, Yancy has the distinctive skill to lead all ages in worship, which led to her most recent album, a worship album for kids called Rock-N-Happy Heart that also features a companion DVD. If rock-n-roll is your style and worship is your heart. This music will bring a smile to your face.

One of the coolest things is, (at least to me) is that she has a version of I’m Reallly Happy which is a song Beci (my wife) and I wrote from Jesus is my Superhero!

And it is a FANTASTIC version, waaay better than our 2004 version!

So thanks Yancy! And everyone needs to not JUST buy the album but buy the Ministry Combo for your Children’s Ministry.

I read a lot of stuff…

In fact in an effort to read more, I am currently reading a book on speed reading… its just taking a long time. (Ha!)

(I apologise… now back to your regularly scheduled program)

The music industry is something I have been studying for some time now. I am in some way a small part of it because of our Hillsong Kids Albums, and it along with the Media industries have a lot of cultural impact on our children and families.

So David Byrne’s Article for Wired Magazine is a fascinating read.

David Byrne’s Survival Strategies for Emerging Artists — and Megastars

What is called the music business today, however, is not the business of producing music. At some point it became the business of selling CDs in plastic cases, and that business will soon be over. But that’s not bad news for music, and it’s certainly not bad news for musicians. Indeed, with all the ways to reach an audience, there have never been more opportunities for artists.

Read on

There are so many implications for the kids we minister to. Here is a list of some of them… which may or may not have come from this article:

Dave’s List for a new world:

1. Unlike the consumer culture you and I grew up in , our kids are growing up in a participation/collaboration culture
2. Music is digital and free in our kids minds
3. The ‘experience’ (events, concerts, meetings etc) will only increase in importance
4. Most of the families in your church (and probably you) are breaking copyright law in some way — which suggests to me that the law needs to change.
5. We as ‘grown ups’ need to change NOW, in order to understand the natives in this new world (our kids).
6. The video screen is the 21st Centuries stained glass window
7. Media is being produced where an audience of 100 is success, not just the blockbuster million dollar movie
8. The cost of producing excellent media will only decrease (it’s practically nothing already…if I had the skill, my home studio could produce anything from a music album to a movie score
9. YOU don’t get it yet, (neither do I)
10. Sharing a song by email/or whatever comes/and will come as naturally as breathing to kids (thereby breaking current law)
11. One of the major file sharing websites in the world went down for about a 24 hour period late last year and internet traffic in Europe went down by 35% in the same period
12. Don’t EVER put a computer or a TV in your child’s bedroom, if you do so, you are inviting porn and violence into their lives — kids get lessons before they swim, they need to know HOW and what to avoid online.
13. As kids leave my ‘Children’s Ministry’ and move in ‘Youth Ministry’ I don’t just want them to know about God, and have a deep relationship with Jesus, but also HOW to filter the world around them. Recognise and understand the culture they live in. What is beneficial and what is harmful, and how to engage culture… not to picket and denounce it!!!!
14. Harry, the Compass, Da Vinci… don’t be scared by the boogie man. In fact having your child read the golden compass during their teenage years may be one of the greatest tools to help your child identify other world views and develop a healthy response to them!
15. (What ticks me off about The Golden Compass is that the books have been around for over ten years and yet it seems that cinema is still the great evil of the Christian world, as if other forms of art ie. books, don’t matter and aren’t relevant).
16. God speaks through a donkey, he CAN and WILL speak through Britney, Madonna, The black eyed Peas, Hannah Montana, U2 — any kind of Art can be transformational.
17. Please don’t let your kids treat ‘secular’ (hate that word), art as to be avoided, you just condemned them to a life of irrelevance.
18. I have connected with some kids better through Nintendo DS than any other way
19. Somehow help your parents, to understand that the eyes are the window to the soul.We must protect that window jealously, I still remember vividly remember the first ‘inappropriate’ material I saw as a very young teenager… who was in the room, where I was, who let me see it… your kids will too… especially your boys… PROTECT THEM.
20. I am out of thoughts…

You may be wondering how I got all that from 1 article, the truth is that it was a collaborative effort from the results of much reading and study… especially blogs.

You saw it here first… final artwork for ‘Tell the World’.

Just found these randomly on YouTube, a bunch of clips with Superhero in them.

Even after writing this song four years ago it still gives me a buzz to see children around the world singing to God…

What a blessing!

After looking through my DVD’s last week I spotted something that I should have blogged about at least a year ago. Some most excellent praise and worship music for kids!

Citipointe is located in the great city of Brisbane and have services in Mansfield (Citipointe Brisbane) Coomera (Citipointe Gold Coast) and Inala (Citipointe West).

Check out their first Kids album All of My Days it is absolutely brilliant! I LOVE seeing churches give their best for children, and this church has done it. Great value with a DVD, CD and Bonus DVD you just need to order it from their site. The site says that they cannot process online international orders yet, but I had a test of the order link and it seems like you can!

I also saw Luke Harris, Citipointe’s children’s pastor lead worship with his team at last years Kidshaper conference in Melbourne, and apart from being passionate worshippers… they have a REALLY great group of leaders!

Go… buy… now…

P.S. Signing off from blog world until next weekend due to Hillsong Conference. See ya there (if ya there).

Supernatural is now available in the U.S. at all Christian Book Stores. And apparently will be shipping on March 30 in the U.K. and I guess Europe. Link

So not quite worldwide, but getting pretty close!

If you can’t get it in your country, then you can order it from here.