FAQ

Q. What (or who) is Church Music on Demand?

A. Church Music on Demand is an online church music publisher that brings you the music of Dr. Walter W. Schurr. Church Music on Demand was born of frustration. Dr. Schurr is an established composer who has had music published by various traditional music publishers since 1978. But as most composers know, publishers often don't publish your best compositions. They only publish whatever "fits their needs" for that year. And it's nearly impossible to determine what those needs are.

For years, Dr. Schurr wanted to publish his own music, but doing so required large amounts of capital. Now technology has caught up with his dream. The Internet, through "e-printing" or "on demand" publishing, provides a way to make his music available to a much wider audience far more cheaply than does traditional publishing.

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Q. Why is your music not printed in the traditional octavo format?

A. The simple answer to this is "because the customer cannot print in octavo format." On-demand publishing is not just the wave of the future--it's here and now. More and more frequently, publishers are offering their materials electronically--e-books, e-zines, e-print, e-choice, i-music. Even though it may not happen in our lifetime, we are convinced that the traditional "octavo" size of published choral music is about to become a thing of the past, in the way that 33-1/3 rpm records did, but with less nostalgic value. The "octavo" format was the result of a commercial size of paper that is no longer needed. Music sold over the Internet can be made available to you and your choir for less money than if you order traditional octavo music from a traditional publisher. Basically, you can double your music budget.

A couple of Dr. Schurr's anthems are still available in octavo format, but when they go out of print, the copyright will revert back to him, and he will publish them online. Titles still available in traditional octavo format include "Fix These Words" published by Kjos; "In My Father's House," "Lamb of God," and "Can It Be a Joyful Song" published by Theodore Presser; and "When Will He Come" and "He Just Had to Come Down" published by Shawnee Press.

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Q. What's the easiest way for my choir to use this new format?

A. For his choir, Dr. Schurr uses three-ring binders bought from an office supply store. He puts a set of 10 tabbed dividers in each binder to separate the anthems. He prints duplexed (2-sided) on 8 1/2 x 11 paper, and punches the paper himself. (Strictly speaking, his music librarian takes care of that!)

We recommend that you buy either pre-punched paper or a heavy duty paper punch that has large (9/32") hole punchers. The pages will turn much easier with the large hole. If you store the music in hanging files in file cabinets, it is less expensive than to buy those little black choral boxes for storage. Music of this size stores better when it hangs in folders.

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Q. What about our existing octavo music? Do we juggle two books or do we combine them? Won't my choir complain?

A. Many churches are now using the new combination letter-size ring folios offered by Gamble Music. Dr. Schurr uses two separate books--his choirs are accustomed to juggling two books (not simultaneously, of course) during rehearsals. He's done this for more than 30 years. It's not really as big a challenge as you think it might be.

When you first introduce the concept of music in 3-ring binders, if you speak positively of the options you have gained, they will accept it. They may even look upon it as novel! It's all about attitude. And attitude comes from the top. If you make it an issue, they will too. And yes, there are always complainers, but change is inevitable.

As for combining the books, it is possible to punch holes in the octavo music to make it fit in the loose-leaf binder, but quite often, you will find that you've punched out a note or two as well. And putting both types of music in one book makes the the book almost too heavy to hold. It's probably better to start with two books and when they need to be replaced, you can gradually update them with a combination folio. But if your choir sings a lot of music, two separate books may better serve your needs.

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Q. I have a small music budget. How can I afford to make this transition?

A. Here are a couple of ideas. First of all, purchasing music from Church Music On Demand is going to be less expensive. That will free up some of your budget to either add 3-ring binders or begin to replace your old folders, a few at a time, with combination folios such as those sold by Gamble Music Company. As we said earlier on this page, when you order our music online, you've basically doubled your music budget. For example, if you purchased 30 copies of a traditionally published anthem for $2 each, you would spend at least $60. When you order music from Church Music on Demand, copies are just $1 each. Yes, you still have to print it. But most churches have a decent copier, and most directors have a decent printer. You can make those copies yourself for only the cost of the paper and a small bit of toner.

A second idea, and one that we've seen in action: Ask members of the congregation to "sponsor" the purchase of the new folios or binders. They can do this out of the goodness of their hearts or for a special purpose such as honoring a loved one or commemorating an anniversary. For a small, tax-deductible contribution, congregation members could quickly provide what you need, over and above your budget (or lack thereof). And most of them will "sponsor" more than one folio. This process has been used to procure music, as well. At one church in Tucson, 12 new anthems were sponsored on one Sunday morning! Dedicatory information was printed in the bulletin on the Sunday that the choir sang that particular anthem. You just need two or three weeks of good, "catchy" publicity in the church bulletin, and the agreement of the pastor or worship committee.

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Q. Does Church Music on Demand publish music by other composers?

A. We're sorry, no, we don't. Church Music on Demand publishes only compositions and arrangements by Walter W. Schurr. We regret that we are not able to review music from any other composers. We have enough work to do just preparing Dr. Schurr's 500-some titles for publication.

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Q. So who is Dr. Schurr?

A. He is currently the Director of Music (Choir Director and Organist) at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Tucson, Arizona, and he has been active in church music for many years.

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Q. Is Dr. Schurr available for choral workshops?

A. Yes, both as a vendor for Church Music on Demand and as a church music clinician. His specific areas of expertise include developing good choral sound, working with small choirs, accompanying congregational singing, and his specialty--writing and arranging for choir and instrumental combinations. He has also led workshops on crossing over styles (learning to play praise songs in addition to playing the organ), that he calls "Crossing the Bar."

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