Worship Musician March 2020 | Page 54

BOOK REVIEW WRITING WORSHIP BY KRISSY NORDHOFF | Melissa Doppler Throughout Writing Worship, Krissy’s heart become a better songwriter including Psalming, to mentor and equip worship songwriters is song mapping, lyrical tools and musical tools, clear. She shares from personal experience and resources for helping you store lyrics, and calls on insights gained over 20 years as a song ideas and songs. Peppered throughout professional songwriter to help you understand the book you will find additional online tools your personal contribution to the songwriting available at KrissyNordhoff.com to help you get process, and how to strengthen songwriting started writing or unstuck. collaborations. There is an entire chapter dedicated to co- Starting from the “heart”, Krissy explores the writing – how to find co-writers, ways to bring relationship between worship songs and pure out the best in each contributor, and co-writing worship. She helps answer the question “Why etiquette including how to share ideas in a way do we need new songs?”, and the place they which fosters creativity. This chapter contains have in God’s heart, our personal worship, and pure gold and could be the key to helping you ministering to the Church as a whole. Krissy go to a new level of creativity and harmonious Krissy Nordhoff has been a professional unpacks the characteristics of a worship song co-writing – and have a lot more fun in the songwriter for over 20 years. She is the founder and provides suggestions and tools to keep process. of the Brave Worship writing community, the your heart in a place of true worship so you recipient of three Dove Award nominations, can write authentic and Holy Spirit inspired “We grow by experiencing new perspectives, and winner of a Dove Award for Worship Song worships songs. and co-writing allows us to lean into the of the Year for “Your Great Name”. Her songs strengths of others and work as a team.” have been recorded by artists including Natalie “Most authentic worship songs originate in Grant, Tauren Wells, Darlene Zschech, Jenn the intersection of honesty, love, discipline No book on songwriting would be complete Johnson (Bethel Music), Mandisa, and more. and sacrifice.” without some guidance about critiquing. She lives with her husband and three children Krissy provides simple steps to critique your near Nashville, TN. For more information A unique feature of this book is the section own songs, and receive critique, and how to about Krissy and on-line resources for Writing on understanding your songwriter personality. approach the re-writing process. Worship please visit KrissyNordhoff.com or Krissy has developed a free online Songwriter BraveWorship.com, Personality Test to help you discover your “Write from your most real self. Write from songwriter strengths your heart. Write from the songs in your and potential challenges of each songwriter blood. We pray, we write, and we trust God I loved this book. It is extremely well-written personality. She also unpacks how different alone for what comes next. We write to give. and beautifully blends the spiritual and a heart songwriter personalities contribute to the To serve. We write because we have to.” of worship with method and practical tools and songwriting process and how to recognize resources. “Writing Worship” will both inspire and foster them in a co-writing context so as If you have ever felt that there is a song in your and equip any aspiring worship songwriter. to bring out the best of each contributor. This heart, I hope that you read this book, apply the section alone makes this book worth reading! tools and write that song as a love offering to an online songwriting community for women. personality and the If you have ever tried your hand at writing a our Lord. Don’t wait, just start – you won’t have worship song and experienced frustration or “If we know our identity as songwriters and perhaps even defeat, this book is a gift for you what our greatest strengths are, we gain – it will rekindle your dreams to write beautiful great confidence in our writing. We learn songs of worship. Even if you are a seasoned where we can soar and where we need to worship songwriter, this carefully considered grow.” book will help you to continue to hone your craft. Krissy also offers other tools to help you 54 March 2020 any excuses now! Melissa Doppler Graduate of Hillsong College, worshiper, avid reader, leadership junkie, and writer with a passion to help others discover their God-given purpose. Check out her blog. Subscribe for Free... MelissaDoppler.com