Music at Cornerstone

Cornerstone UMC integrates the best from traditional and contemporary music in an innovative and exciting way.  New ideas and opportunities emerge on a regular basis for the experienced as well as the novice musician.

Vocal choirs and ensembles are comprised largely of volunteers, the majority of which do not read music.  However, most singers will agree that just by participating they're able to pick up some of the basic theory and fundamentals of music.  The choral anthems used embrace new as well as generally known works that are already in many church choral libraries.  Arrangements of hymns, classical and gospel, as well as folk, global/ethnic, and meditative music from traditions such as Taize and GIA are popular and well-received.

Everyone today is busy - most with families and jobs that require over forty hours a week.  Participating in our regular Sanctuary Choir requires a time commitment of 2 - 3 hours per week.  For the person looking to try a choral group for the first time, or for the person that wants to participate with less hours per week, the Seasonal Choir is an option.  Most individuals are willing to make a time commitment, whatever is required, but expect a rehearsal that is well-prepared, productive, and enjoyable.

A typical Cornerstone choir rehearsal starts out with everyone singing a familiar song.  Anyone arriving late can collect their folder and join the group.  Once we're all settled in, we begin rehearsing the music for the coming Sunday, if scheduled.  After that, new music is introduced and rehearsed.  Basic music theory is taught along with music interpretation, stage presence, and listening to each other.  We conclude each rehearsal with a brief fellowship time and prayer.

Classical Instrumentalists are invited to share their talents by performing solos, or performing in ensembles.  Even the student musician can contribute by playing along with a hymn.  Ensembles may be comprised of the professional as well as the intermediate musician.  It's always refreshing to see and hear musicians, "young and old" performing together.

The Between Times Band is our own praise band that accompanies the Praise Service almost every Sunday at 9:30am.  Currently it is comprised of five singers and five instrumentalists.  The Compass Band, another popular contemporary instrumental band plays for a variety of special events at Cornerstone and other places.  The Holy Moly Band is Cornerstone's band that performs outside of the church arena.  Its first CD was signed this year and is being distributed by Infinity Records.

Electric guitars and amplifiers, as well as the sounds they make, are welcomed at Cornerstone.  Most, if not all of us get a little thrilled by the sometimes ear-piercing crack of a snare drum or two, not to mention the somewhat loud, louder, and loudest guitars playing and voices singing lyrics of our own praise bands and other visiting Christian rock bands.  Rock 'n roll musicians can quickly feel at home with the diversity of styles, music events, and opportunities at Cornerstone.

Broom Closet Recording Studio is Cornerstone's own recording studio for musicians from the student level through the professional.  Recently Cornerstone has opened its doors to the local high school bands as well as Christian bands everywhere.  We have found that there are no "safe" places where teenagers can go to listen to music from local bands they enjoy.  Teenagers and parents feel secure that their sons and daughters can have fun in an environment that provides safety, cleanliness, and monitoring by trustworthy adults.  With every concert, staff as well as members of Cornerstone have been present and involved on a personal level.  Members from Cornerstone bands have been present to answer any questions, provide soft drinks and water and be available for questions, directions, phone calls, and/or whatever is needed for anyone attending.

Hymn singing, from the time of John and Charles Wesley, has been a major and vital element of our worship experience.  The United Methodist Hymnal, since the 1870's, has preserved our rich heritage, celebrated it in the present and safeguarded it for generations to come.  Comprised of evangelical as well as ecumenical content, the revised edition of 1988 retains the majority of traditional hymns most popular and useful with the denomination's mainstream while making room for the many newer hymns which reflect a wider representation of our rich ethnic diversity and flow.  The 1988 revision more comprehensively represents our concerns for world hunger and peace, justice, and the reconciling ministry of Christ's church to the entire world.  In addition, marriage and burial rites, prayers, litanies and creeds are included, providing a comprehensive worship resource.  Of especially considerable interest, the hymnal includes John Wesley's "Directions for Singing, 1761," which provides seven "rules" on how a hymn should be sung by a congregation member in a worship service.  Especially helpful to the more experienced musician or worship planner is the hymnal's Indexes of Scripture and Metrics, as well as the Index of Topics and Categories including eighteen for the Christian Year.

The United Methodist Music and Worship Planner is used as an all-in-one tool, providing suggestions and ideas for the hymns, vocal music, liturgical responses and media material for all services.  It is lectionary based and provides a calendar format for the entire year.  It has suggestions for hymns for every service that compliment the particular scripture readings.  The suggested scriptures are published in full for the Old Testament, Psalm, Epistle, and Gospel readings and are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989.  In addition to the regular worship Sundays, material is provided for Ash Wednesday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Thanksgiving.  It offers specific titles for vocal solos, anthems, visuals, handbell music and more.  This planner is written by David L. Bones, Administrator of the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts, and Mary J. Scifres, author of Searching for Seekers: Ministry with a New Generation of the Unchurched, and co-editor of The Abingdon Worship Annual 2007: Contemporary and Traditional Resources for Worship Leaders.  It is published by Abingdon Press, 2007.

JayVah Sebring, Director of Music at Cornerstone, has spent over eleven years serving at Cornerstone as an accompanist and director of music.  She grew up and resided in Ohio and California until 1989 when she moved to Naples, Florida.  While growing up, she was very active in her home church, The Plains United Methodist Church, where she played preludes as a child, accompanied for and later directed Vacation Bible Schools, played piano and organ duets with her sister, and sang in and accompanied the Senior Choir, under the direction of her mother, Mary Lee Michael, the Director of Music for twenty-five years.  In high school, she was awarded a summer gifted-student scholarship at West Liberty College in West Virginia.  When she was fifteen, she interviewed, auditioned, and was accepted as a private theory, composition, and conducting student under Dr. Karl Ahrendt, Director of The School of Music at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.  She started piano lessons when she was six from Mrs. Alma Randall for eleven years and then with Dr. George Katz at OU her senior year before entering the university in the fall.  She took organ lessons with Dr. Eugene Wickstrom at OU for one year.  She played the trombone for seven years.  During the summer of her senior year, she was awarded the Talent Award for an original composition for two pianos and First Runner Up in the Southern Ohio Beauty Scholarship Pageant, forerunner to the Miss America Pageant.  She was also granted an applied music scholarship in piano.

JayVah received her Bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, in Music Theory and Composition and her Master of Music degree, cum laude, in Composition, with a minor in Music Education from Ohio University and worked at a local music store for several years.  During the time she was working towards her degrees, she was an organist for Nelsonville and The Plains United Methodist Churches.  While she was completing her Masters degree, she was commissioned by the Ohio Arts Council to write an original composition, “Earth's Nature” for children, using children's poems.  She was the Director of Music for River Country, a summer musical honoring America's folk writers, in New Harmony, Indiana.  She toured briefly with Transit, a top-forty band, touring Ramada/Holiday Inn Circuit before moving to Columbus, Ohio in 1983.  She did some course work at Ohio State University and had the privilege and honor of taking a few classes with Milton Babbit, a renowned 20th century composer as instructor, at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.  She took private voice lessons from Caroline Wolfe in San Diego, California, who taught the European bel canto style of singing and had studied with Marchesi in Europe.

After moving to Columbus, she received her certification in computer sales from IBM in Atlanta, Georgia and was hired for outside sales employment at The Future Now, a Fortune 500 Corporation.  In addition, she received her certification from Hewlett Packard, Apple, and Epson in computers and peripheral devices.  During the time she was employed in computer sales, she was a Director of Music for The Burgess Avenue United Methodist Church for two years and an organist and Assistant Director of Music at the Good Shepherd Baptist Church, an American Baptist church founded by Rev. Harold E. Pinkston for four years.  She was commissioned by the American Baptist Convention to write the national theme song, which was entitled, “Servants of Christ, Arise!” It was performed annually for eight years and published both in a choral anthem format and a hymn arrangement.  She was awarded several outstanding sales awards during her employment with The Future Now and ended her career at 168% of quota before moving to Florida.

She relocated to Naples in 1989 and worked in outside sales at ComputerLand of Naples, then as a Value Added Reseller (VAR) for SSS Computer Solutions.  She was a soloist and assistant organist for The First Baptist Church of Naples, under the direction of David Williams; was a Director of Music for The Golden Gate Presbyterian Church and East Naples United Methodist Church before coming to Cornerstone.  She enjoyed being musical director for The Naples Players Theater, directing some popular musicals including, Hello Dolly and South Pacific.  She sang with The Naples Philharmonic and taught music and computers at Naples Christian Academy.

Currently, she still enjoys building computers in her spare time and uses Cakewalk ProAudio 9 to compose and arrange music for Cornerstone's Sanctuary Choir, children's choir, and Holy Moly.  In December 2007, she arranged an instrumental quintet for trumpet, three trombones and saxophone, that was performed for the “Downhome Christmas Concert” on December 19, 2007.  The ensemble was comprised of a retired professional, a college junior, and three high school students.

JayVah looks forward to continuing to share her time, talents, and abilities at Cornerstone and getting to know everyone better.  She believes it is only through the consideration, unending patience, and agape love, expressed through Rev. Roy and others at Cornerstone, that she was able to break through the barriers and bondage of a medical prognosis from 1996.  Rev. Roy Terry's consistent “shepherding” throughout the years, along with his devotion to Christ, passion for Cornerstone, and personal growth, gave her the courage to live with unquestionable faith that she would receive healing in His time.  She considers Cornerstone her home and the members of Cornerstone her family.  She encourages everyone to spread the victory of Jesus Christ, live each experience daily with the famous “WWJD?” attitude, and invite others to fellowship and worship at Cornerstone UMC.