The Praise and Worship Institute

08/27/2020

Easy Like Sunday Morning

One thing for sure is that when we return to our regular worship activities, they should be done easily. With no prompting, it's going to be easier to sing, shout, pray and praise the Lord. I'm looking forward to it! I'm excited about going back to church full time, and inside.
I remain consolated during this pandemic remembering that I am one of the sheep Jesus mentions in John 10:27-30. I know His voice. He knows me and I will not be snatched out of His Father's hand. "I and My Father are one," said Jesus. Those are my sentiments exactly, I and My Father are one. I am one with God's strength. I am one with God's grace, love, spirit, healing nature, anointing and more.
My praise goes up easy, as if it were Sunday morning. It matters not to me, what day of the week it is, or where I am. Praising Him just comes easy. Lifting my hands and giving Him glory comes easy. My song is my power. To it, He adds the breath of life. Easily, we're one in faith, hope and charity.
Like my heavenly Father, I am victory. I am authority. I am success. I am power. I am prosperity. Why? Because we're one. At no point in time am I separate from God. In Him I live, move and have my being. This makes us one. I am not anxious. I panic not. I trust God. I believe the Word of God. I bless Him. And because I know He loves me, I can do it easy, like I would do it on a Sunday morning. Sandra McKinney

02/11/2020

Today is Sunday's Monday; a day to reflect on the praise, preaching and renewed strength that we all look forward to in weekly worship. Wake up to worship every single day.

08/06/2019

Be Grateful

When you woke up this morning, did you realize that you had been given a brand new day that you've never seen before and will never see again? Spend a minute in the Grateful Room and look at life out of a grateful window from a grateful place. Feel grateful. Pray with gratefulness in your heart. Let your grateful spirit shine. Don't take any limb on your body for granted because before the day is over, you might see a person challenged by the very part of you that you seldom appreciate. Open your eyes. This is life and life is funny. Be grateful.

12/14/2018

12/14/2018

"You don't have to wait until you have trouble to pray.".....Sandra McKinney

02/11/2018

Good Sunday morning. I pray that you will take time out of your busy schedule and just bless God today. If you're breathing, you're blessed. If you can walk, talk, hear and see, you're blessed today. You've got so many reasons to rejoice!Put your hands together and shout Hallelujah!

07/13/2017

What I love about Worship?

What I love about worship is #1 The fact that it's so easy to do.

Lift my hands. Easy. Sing. Easy. Bow my head knowing that there is someone above me. Easy. Be grateful for I know that God is with me. Easy. Think on all the many blessings that God has given to me. Easy. Think about his good grace. Easy. Bring the sacrifice of praise which is the fruit of my lips. Easy. The power that I find as I keep reading and studying His word. Easy. Call Him Father. Easy. Give Him thanks. Easy. Realizing that if it had not been for God on my side. Easy. Reflect on Calvary. EASY!

04/30/2017

11th Music Ministry Workshop
Saturday May 20, 2017
Holy Light Missionary Baptist Church

04/27/2017

Gratefulness is the foundation of praise and worship.

04/19/2017

Keyboard Playing Ideas
by Dr. Sandra McKinney

After a recent concert, I was asked to share some of my keyboard playing tips. As Director of Training at The Praise and Worship Institute in Los Angeles, I list them here in hopes that another player might get some ideas or perhaps be prompted to study with me. Be blessed.

1. Use as many musical identifiers as you can in a musical passage. i.e. triplets, grace notes, upper octaves using 1st and 5th fingers simultaneously. Rememebr the 16th note fill ins.
2. Use neighboring tones.
3. Make the song yours. Interpret it as if you'd written it or the writer was in the audience.
4. Put your heart into it. Feel the song. Body play.
5. Strike each key deliberately. You'll need some energy. Don't just play passively.
6. Get your fingers up and over the keys. When the chord strikes, make sure that no note is left behind. Master this in your own practice.
7. Use your foot pedal wisely. Be careful not to mesh chords at the improper times on the keyboard. On the organ, master the pedals without having to look down. It all becaomes natural after you learn the distance from one note or interval to the next. Don't be afraid of the second octave of pedals. Heel-toe tech.
8. Use as much of the keyboard as you can. Try to play in more than one place. Move left and play low. Move right and play high. Move back to the center with dynamics.
9. Keep your nails as short as possible to keep from hearing the clicking as you play.
10. Play chromatics in triplets.
11. Play chromatics in double notes.
12. Play chromatic chords. This is so much fun.
13. Remember to play the glissando whenever you're in Db.
14. When you're reading music, read a measure ahead instead of waiting until you get right to the measure.
15. When you're practicing and hit a difficult group of measures, don't start all over. Practice the passage over and over until it becomes easy. Then practice it again and you'll notice that you can go straight through it.
16. Pre-finger and write your pre-fingering in. Use a pencil.
17. Use multiple chord inversions. If you can't name the chord on sight, get it back to root position. Then name it.
18. Make the chord as big as you can using 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths.
19. As you improvise, be sure to keep your melody in tact. People shouldn't have to ask what you're playing. If the melody is solid, they'll know.
20. Play in such a way that the listener can tell that a different section is coming up.
21. Try an ending in two or three keys. That's nice on the ear.
22. Get the scales down pact.
23. There'll be some rough playing days. When I feel like I defaulted, I ask God to give me another chance to make it up to Him. I apologize, practice and look forward to the next time I can place my fingers over the board and play. I also anoint them before I get started.

Bonus: Keep your listener's excited. These are just a few of the things I do while I'm at the board. And, from beginning to end, I stay with the song. If you have any questions about these tips or you'd like to take keyboard or organ lessons, contact me at 323-667-8919. Reasonable rates apply.

03/28/2017

Happy Birthday to singer-songwriter and talent extraordinaire; Jackie Gouche.

01/01/2017

Happy New Year to all the Praise and Worship Leaders!!!!