• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Alex Chediak

Helping young adults thrive at college and beyond

Header Right

  • About
  • Books
    • Beating the College Debt Trap
      • Why Write Beating the College Debt Trap?
      • Table of Contents
      • Endorsements
      • Preface and Introduction
      • Pre-order Freebie: A Parent-Child Discussion Guide
      • Fox News Article
      • Desiring God Article
      • Promo Video
      • Press Kit/Media Info
      • Reviews & Sample Audio
      • Low Res – Front & Back Cover Art
      • High Res – Front & Back Cover Art
    • Thriving at College
      • Table of Contents
      • Endorsements
      • Read the Foreword
      • Read the Preface
      • Read an Excerpt
      • Reviews/Interviews
      • Leader’s Guide (Tyndale)
      • July 2011 CBA Best-Seller (Young Adult)
      • YouthWorker Journal “Best of Best in 2011”
      • NEW!! – Parent-Child Discussion Guide
      • Testimonials From Schools
      • Educational and Church Discounts
      • Buy on Amazon
      • Buy on WTS
      • Purchase Thriving at College in Chinese!
    • Preparing Your Teens for College
      • Why Write Preparing Your Teens for College?
      • Table of Contents
      • Endorsements
      • Foreword
      • Read an Excerpt (PDF)
      • Video
      • Educational and Church Discounts
      • Front and Back Cover Art
      • Interviews/Reviews/Notable Tweets
      • Order on Amazon
    • With One Voice
      • Endorsements
      • Reviews
      • Buy on Amazon
      • Read a Chapter
    • 5 Paths to the Love of Your Life
      • Endorsements
      • Reviews
      • Buy on Amazon
  • Resources
    • Articles
    • Audio/Video
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Contact

Interview with Dan Goeller (Part 3)

September 22, 2009 by Alex Chediak

sing_praise_ad.JPGI’ve been interviewing Dan Goeller over the last couple of weeks (Part 1, Part 2), whose recent album Sing Praise To The Lord I previously reviewed. Here’s installment #3.
CHEDIAK: It seems that academia (i.e., the music department at a University) approaches music differently than the general evangelical public. You seem to compose for a general (non-academic) Christian audience (i.e., churches), yet it seems to have a classical quality to it. We often think of “classical” as less accessible to the common person. Where does your music fit in?
GOELLER: As I mentioned previously, I often think of my music as an “equal opportunity offender.” I try to defy standard conventions of style. Since common labels like “contemporary” and “traditional” just don’t seem to apply, some people have difficulty classifying my music. Evangelicals think that I am composing traditional, academic music while academics think I am composing warm-fuzzy evangelical music.
So much music, in both popular and academic circles, goes wrong when an agenda is attached to it. By this, I mean that the artistic and communicative quality of the music becomes a secondary consideration behind an ideological goal. In my opinion, evangelicals and academics both often fail in this regard. They are like two sides of the same coin: Academics sometimes produce music that is inaccessible to performers and listeners because their agenda is to impress others with their intellectual prowess. Evangelicals sometimes produce music that seems watered down and heavy handed because their agenda is to ineffectively overstate their message while attempting to imitate the popular music of secular entertainment culture.
My goal is to create beautiful and honest music. I spoke previously about how music should contain three important elements: truth, goodness and beauty. I hope that my music will encourage and convict others because it is artistic and innovative while remaining accessible. This is a delicate balance of competing elements, but when achieved, ensures that one’s music will be an effective way to profoundly communicate and connect with both listeners and performers.
CHEDIAK: With regard to composing, are there any historical examples that you seek to emulate?
GOELLER: With each piece I compose, I am looking for a musical context that will most effectively communicate the message of the text. In purely instrumental music, my goal is still to effectively communicate, but in a more abstract way. Perhaps Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said it best: “Music is the universal language of the mind.”
The list of musical influences on my musical output is extensive. I find that I must continually challenge myself to discover more about the craft of composing if I am to continue writing music that will encourage others. I am inspired, in this endeavor, by studying the music of great composers. This never-ending process of learning invigorates the desire to create new and, perhaps most importantly, meaningful music.
I think finding good musical influences is one of the important components in making meaningful music. People often comment that my music is “visual.” I think part of that sensory stimulation, beyond the scope of the auditory, is based on the fact that effective composers understand how to use sound to communicate ideas. What I believe makes music unique, as a form of communication, is that it communicates on three planes simultaneously: cognitive, affective and spiritual.

0
0
0
0
0

Filed Under: Culture, Practical Ministry, Theology

Primary Sidebar

DISCOUNT PRICING!

Thriving at College book cover368 pages. Please allow 7-10 days for delivery.
Sales tax will be added for California purchases, as required by law. For orders to Canada, please contact us. (See also CASE DISCOUNTS below.) No PayPal account required to place order. (Debit or Credit card will work.)

$10.99


DISCOUNT PRICING!

Beating the College Debt Trap book cover224 pages. Please allow 7-10 days for delivery.
Sales tax will be added for California purchases, as required by law. For orders to Canada, please contact us. (See also CASE DISCOUNTS below.) No PayPal account required to place order. (Debit or Credit card will work.)

$4.99


DISCOUNT PRICING!

Preparing Your Teens for College book cover 448 pages. Please allow 7-10 days for delivery. Sales tax will be added for California purchases, as required by law. For orders to Canada, please contact us. (See also CASE DISCOUNTS below.) No PayPal account required to place order. (Debit or Credit card will work.)

$9.99


CASE DISCOUNT PRICING!

Thriving at College book cover1 CASE = 28 COPIES
Please allow 7-10 days for delivery.
Sales tax will be added for California purchases, as required by law. No PayPal account required to place order. (Debit or Credit card will work.) For orders to Canada, please contact us.

$269.99


CASE DISCOUNT PRICING!

Beating the College Debt Trap book cover1 CASE = 44 COPIES
Please allow 7-10 days for delivery.
Sales tax will be added for California purchases, as required by law. No PayPal account required to place order. (Debit or Credit card will work.) For orders to Canada, please contact us.

$189.99


Order Thriving at College!

Amazon Book Bomb for Thriving at College"There is no better guide to college."
--Alex and Brett Harris

"Insightful and useful."
--Randy Alcorn

"Written by an ‘insider’—an excellent gift for high school seniors."--Jerry Bridges

 

COMPARE STORES!

Westminster Bookstore
Christian Book Distributors booksamillion.com : books, music, movies & more
Westminster Bookstore booksamillion.com : books, music, movies & more
Westminster Bookstore

Order Preparing Your Teens for College!

Amazon Book Bomb for Thriving at College

"A sharp tool." Tedd Tripp

"Outstanding book on preparing teens for adulthood." Jerry Bridges

"Highly recommended.” Josh McDowell

 

RESOURCES

 

Also by Alex

With One Voice book cover

With One Voice

Read More Endorsements
Reviews
Read a Chapter
Buy on Amazon

 

Praise for With One Voice

This relatively short book packs a powerful bang for the buck, providing much biblical and practical advice for young men and women seeking to glorify God in relationships.

Alex and Brett Harris
Best-selling authors of Do Hard Things

Alex and Marni Chediak offer sound biblical advice and a clear Christian framework for working through the maze of confusions surrounding modern marriage.

R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Publishers have been cranking out books with all sorts of directions to help Christians navigate the treacherous waters between the buoys of singleness and marriage, and I know of none that is more clear, concise and helpful than With One Voice.

J. Ligon Duncan, III Ph.D.
Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church

With One Voice is clearly written and God-centered. Our eighteen year-old daughter just read it and restrained herself from underlining nearly the whole thing!

Dr. Bruce A. Ware
Professor of Christian Theology
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Categories

  • Thriving at College
  • With One Voice
  • Culture
  • Personal
  • Theology
  • Practical Ministry

Copyright © 2025 · Genesis Sample on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in