UU Musicians Network (UUMN)

UUMN, UUA Office of Worship Resources, 25 Beacon Street, Boston Massachusetts 02104, USA. Phone: 800-927-2933 (your call will be returned as soon as possible.)

Our Purposes

The Unitarian Universalist Musicians Network is dedicated to furthering the cause of music and musicians in churches and fellowships of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Our purposes are:

To provide the community of UU musicians with a network of mutual support, education, information, and opportunities for professional and spiritual growth.
To encourage a unity of purpose among musicians and religious leaders within our churches and fellowships.
To lead the denomination in establishing a spiritual and aesthetic climate which encourages excellence and diversity among those who serve in its ministry of music.
To provide assistance and advice, as well as worship and music resources, to the Unitarian Universalist Association, particularly in its provisions of new material for common worship, services of celebration, and religious education.
To reveal and celebrate that breadth and wealth of the world's music which expresses and embodies the values of Unitarian Universalism.

Our Members

UUMN members are music directors, conductors, singers, instrumentalists, composers, ministers, music committee members, and members of congregations. We are amateurs and professionals, ranging from highly experienced to novice. Our membership also includes congregations who support the UUMN's work and purposes. The UU Musicians Network has over 300 members, representing music leaders, musicians, and churches across North America.

Membership Benefits

--The UUMN Newsletter, published at least three times a year.

--Copies of UUMN publications, including Guidelines for Church Musicians, and Making Music in Our Churches.

--Eligibility to attend the annual UUMN summer conference.

--Music resources, such as choral music, music for children and youth, and hymns and songs for services and other gatherings.

--Regional services, including liaisons and a talent bank listing members' skills. Regional liaisons stimulate regional activities and listen to members' concerns; see the enclosed list for the names and phone numbers of the current liaisons.

--Member congregations receive the same benefits as individuals.

The Summer Conference

UUMN members convene each summer to improve skills and exchange ideas on music for UU churches and fellowships. This opportunity for learning and fellowship includes workshops, reading sessions for choral music, presentations of new music, and worship. The conference is held in a different part of the continent each year.

Projects and Activities

UUMN membership supports activities such as commissioning music, grants for music projects to districts and local congregations, and publishing.

The Signature Series: Music tailored to UU choirs and congregations is published jointly with the UUA. Publications in three series are available: Signature Choral Series for adult choirs. Signature Songbook collections for congregational services, children's services, and informal gatherings. Christopher Moore Choral Series for children and youth choirs.
Commissions and Competitions: The UUMN commissions anthems by UU composers, and administers the biennial Silliman Anthem competition.
"Good Offices": Under the aegis of the UUMN Professional Concerns Committee, "good offices" persons counsel and assist UU music staff members with questions and problems related to their work; for example, in relations between the musician and the local clergy or congregation. See the enclosed list for the names and phone numbers of the current good offices persons.
Music for General Assembly: The UUMN is responsible for providing music and musicians to the annual General Assembly of the UUA.

A Short History

The UUMN was formed at a meeting during the 1982 General Assembly. A continental mailing invited broader membership. In 1983, the UUMN Newsletter began publication and the first summer conference was held in Boston. An elected board and executive committee governs the UUMN. Board members are drawn from across the continent and serve staggered terms. Every two years the executive committee is elected from a different region of the continent.

The UUMN took an active role in the development of the new UUA hymnbook, Singing the Living Tradition. UUMN members served on the Hymn-book Commission. The Network provided support in raising development funds, collecting and evaluating material, and helping to introduce the new book to congregations and their leaders.

Last uploaded on January 9, 1996.
(c) 1996 Alan Hamilton <alan@spdcc.com>
You can also contact the Unitarian Universalist Association at
25 Beacon Street, Boston Massachsetts 02108, USA.
http://www.uua.org/   Phone:617-742-2100