Learn how to support choral and congregational singing, create your own harmonizations, improvise and create musical underscores, and lead well from the keyboard.
Some skills simply aren't taught in music schools or private studios:
Playing and singing or playing and conducting at the same time
Accompanying choral and congregational singing
Harmonizing melodies (with and without chord symbols)
Finding cadence points and vamping in the moment
Creating modulations and transposing at sight
Improvising transitions and creating musical underscores
Playing 5-finger patterns in all 24 keys (12 major, 12 minor)
And the list goes on.
Here's the truth:
Because playing in a church isn’t just about technical accuracy, sight-reading, or choosing good repertoire.
It’s about flexibility. Leading without conducting. Modulating on the spot. Harmonizing by ear, with no sheet music. Playing music that spans a variety of genres and styles.
You’re expected to know how to accompany congregational singing, simplify accompaniments, improvise, give breath cues, and make split-second musical decisions—and you may not have formal training in any of it.
Most musicians haven’t been trained to accompany choirs, support congregational singing, or improvise transitions. The skills may seem specific, but they’re highly transferable–and completely learnable. This course will show you how to build them, step by step.
Introducing
A step-by-step online keyboard skills course for pianists and organists to help you develop your musicianship, accompany confidently, and lead creatively from the bench.
By the end of this course, you'll know how to:
✔️ Sight-read more confidently and accurately
✔️ Play by ear, improvise, and create your own hymn introductions, harmonizations, and modulations
✔️ Simplify accompaniments and know what to leave out (without sacrificing musicality)
✔️ Coordinate playing while singing, conducting, cueing, or standing
✔️ Build flexibility and fluency in your playing
Master the basics of choral accompanying—from playing warm-ups and reading open score to knowing when to offer support (and when to get out of the way). You’ll also learn to cadence confidently, play for communion, and create functional “traveling music” in real time.
Explore creative approaches to hymn playing: introductions, alternate harmonizations, modulations, and transitions. Learn how to cue with breath, support congregational singing, and think more flexibly as a musical leader.
Develop your skills in chord-based playing. Learn to read lead sheets and chord charts, accompany a praise band, harmonize by ear, create flow in contemporary services, underscore readings, and introduce music to your congregation.
Learn how to plan music for worship services—from preludes and responses to anthems and offertories. We’ll also cover rehearsal prep, personal practice routines, and even what details to include in the bulletin each week.
This course offers practical training, real-world strategies, and tools you can come back to week after week. You’ll walk away with a clearer understanding of what to play, how to lead, and how to support choral and congregational singing in a way that feels musical and confident.
22 training videos across four modules
72-page PDF workbook with charts, musical examples, templates + practicing notes
Keyboard skills projects to put your new skills into practice
Downloadable resources to help you practice, plan, and get organized
Comments section so you can ask questions, get feedback, and interact with peers
Email support: answers to your questions and feedback on your ideas are only an email away!
Lifetime 24/7 access on any device
Access Anywhere
Self-Paced
Lifetime Access
Develop the practical keyboard skills you need to play and accompany with creativity and confidence in a variety of settings. Invest in yourself and your musical development.
The reviews are in
Musician & Educated based in Rochester, NY
I share creative and pedagogically sound teaching ideas and resources for church musicians and music educators to help you discover (and rediscover) the creative side of music teaching and learning.
I have a Ph.D. in Music Education from the Eastman School of Music and bring over 20 years of teaching experience across church, community, studio, and college settings. I’ve helped musicians at every stage of their careers develop the skills and strategies they need to lead, teach, and be successful—especially when stepping into new roles, launching something innovative, or balancing multiple part-time positions.
I created this course to help you learn and develop the keyboard skills you need to lead and support choral and congregational singing with creativity and confidence.
Excited to meet you inside the course!
→ You're a pianist or organist serving in a church setting—whether full-time, part-time, or volunteer
→ You want to feel more confident leading and supporting congregational singing
→ You’re ready to learn new techniques, improve your musicianship, and think more creatively at the keyboard
FAQs
No problem. This course is designed for musicians with a solid foundation in piano or organ, regardless of whether you studied church music specifically. You’ll learn the applied, real-world skills that most music schools don’t teach directly.
Yes, you’ll get the most out of this content if you can read music. However, this course covers both notation-based and improvisational approaches, so you can build flexibility and continue developing your musicianship skills.
Both! The skills covered—score reading, harmonization, cueing, accompaniment techniques, modulations and transitions—apply to both piano and organ accompanying.
Yes! Whether you’re preparing prelude/postlude music, playing choral anthems or service music, or accompanying hymns, I think you’ll find the planning and accompanying strategies covered will apply directly to your work.
There’s a full module on contemporary and pop-style music skills, including reading lead sheets and chord charts, playing with a band, and creating your own accompaniments.
This course is meant for musicians with some playing and/or accompanying experience and a basic knowledge of music theory. In terms of the technique and theory knowledge required, it’s close to a college-level course. I intend to build on the skills you developed in private lessons and/or through practical experience and theory learned in high school-level music theory courses.
All you need is an Internet connection. All course content and materials will be available to you in digital format: video lessons, PDF downloads, and web links. Nothing physical will be shipped to you.
Each module is about 30 minutes of video plus a corresponding keyboard skills project for you to practice on your own. I recommend setting aside 30-60 minutes/day for practicing. The course is completely self-paced: You can complete the whole thing in 3-4 hours, or space it out across a few weeks. You’ll also have lifetime access, so there’s no rush.
There’s a lot that goes into doing it well: Coordinating, listening, adapting, reading different formats, leading from the bench, and sometimes, improvising on the spot.
Play with freedom and flexibility. Support with intention. Lead with skill and solid musicianship—every week.
22 training videos across four modules
72-page PDF workbook with charts, musical examples, templates + practicing notes
Keyboard skills projects to put your new skills into practice
Downloadable resources to help you practice, plan, and get organized
Comments section so you can ask questions, get feedback, and interact with peers
Email support: answers to your questions and feedback on your ideas are only an email away!
Lifetime 24/7 access on any device
By the end of this course, you’ll know how to:
Create your own hymn introductions, variations, and modulations
Read open-score with greater fluency
Improvise and harmonize with confidence
Play creative accompaniments using lead sheets & chord charts