Schedule

Darlene Abbott

Darlene Abbott serves as Director of the Kid’s Worship Choir at The Church at West End, a regional campus of Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville, TN. She is a writer of preschool and children’s music and curriculum currently with Semsen Family Music. She created Preschool Praisentations with Kathie Hill and has contributed to many products by LifeWay. Darlene is the creator of the Music Mom Products which include music teaching games and activities. She travels as an instructor and clinician for church workers, choir leaders, music educators, and day school teachers as well as women’s events. A graduate of the University of North Alabama, Darlene currently resides in Columbia, TN with her husband and children.

James Barnard

James Barnard is the Music Editor for Celebrating Grace and Growing in Grace Children’s Music Resources. Prior to Celebrating Grace, James was the Church Choral Editor for Shawnee Press & Hal Leonard. James has served as minister of music for churches in Georgia, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. He is passionate about training the next generation of worshippers to love and glorify God through music. 

James currently lives in northeast GA with his wife Andrea and their two children. He leads the sanctuary choir at their church and is developing a children’s choir in the area. When he’s not making music, he enjoys spending time with his family, gardening, and trout fishing.

Kathy Gilliland

Kathy is passionate about using her gifts as an experienced music educator and her love for worship to instill in children a desire to know God and hide His Word in their hearts through song. After graduating from Hardin-Simmons University, Kathy spent 19 years in the music classroom. She enjoyed many summers at SMU with master’s level classes in Music Education (Orff Schulwerk, Dalcroze, World Drumming, etc.) She has been the Kids Worship Minister at First Baptist Dallas for 5 years and combines her experience as a music educator and worship leader together in her current role. Kathy and her husband, Chris, have one daughter, Madilynn who is 13 years old.

Whitney Head

Whitney Head teaches K-5 music at Elizabeth Elementary School in Shelby, North Carolina.  She is passionate about shining God’s light in the public-school setting and enjoys working to provide a loving, joy-filled space for her students.  Whitney is certified in Orff-Schulwerk I and II and strives to create engaging curriculum that promotes student creativity.  She has written for Growing in Grace and Chorister’s Guild and has presented at conferences in Alabama, North Carolina, and Texas.  She particularly enjoys creating original activities and resources that help foster a joyful and engaging environment, whether in a school or church setting.

Whitney earned her Bachelor’s degree in Church Music from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama and earned her Master’s degree in Music Education from Samford as well.

Whitney is a member of Parkwood Baptist Church in Gastonia, NC, where she plays bass on the worship team and teaches an ESL class.  Prior to teaching, Whitney served in full-time music ministry in Alabama and on the mission field in El Salvador.  In her free time, Whitney enjoys finding coffee shops, playing tennis, biking, and spending time with family and friends.

Kimberly Ingram

Kimberly Ingram (Open Heart Musicals) is a composer, writer, and co-creator of children’s musicals such as GMA Dove-nominated “What’s Up, Zak?” A Musical Encounter with Jesus, and their newest release: More Power to You! Finding Our Strength in God.  She is co-author of the Praise Takes Flight! books published by Choristers Guild.

Kimberly has taught church children’s choirs since 1998, and loves helping children grow in their relationship with God through singing, music, and theatre.  

Angela Irby

Angela has served on the worship staff at The Heights Church in Richardson for over 27 years.  She directs the Worship, Children’s, and the Senior Adult choir programs, along with leading the traditional service each week.  Previously, Angela served at Fielder Church in Arlington, TX,  Westwood Baptist in Cleveland, TN, and First Christian Church in Cleveland, TN. 

She has a B.A. in both Music and Communications from Lee University (Cleveland, TN), and a Masters of Church Music from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Fort Worth, TX).  She serves on the planning team for Worship Arts Leadership for Kids (W.A.L.K.) and Children’s Worship University with the Texas Baptists.  She has been a clinician for children’s music, and has also written children’s choir resources for LifeWay, Kathie Hill Music, and Master’s Music Company (Chris Machen). 

Sam Nester

Sam Nester (“Mr. Sam” to his students) is a percussion specialist and working musician who graduated from Booker T. Washington and is currently pursuing a degree in general music and music therapy. Sam is also a person with autism, able to offer his personal experiences and perspectives about public school, private school, and the music classroom. Sam is ready to share activities and teaching strategies that make music fun and accessible, and help all students create respectful, meaningful connections with one another. Join us for a transformational conversation!

Stacy Porter

As Children’s Worship Arts Coordinator, Stacy Porter serves a program of over 100 children and 45 adults.  Stacy is in her 14th year as Children’s Worship Arts Coordinator and Fine Arts Academy Director for First Baptist Church of Keller located in Keller, Texas.   She completed her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Sam Houston State University in 1990.  Stacy has over 33 years teaching experience in the church, public schools and in private instruction. Married to Matt Porter for more than 31 years, she is the mother of 3 sons and 1 daughter-in-love. The Porter family resides in Trophy Club, Texas.

Andrew Pressley

Andrew Pressley is the creator and director of KidsCore Worship, a music and worship curriculum for children that emphasizes rich content and congregational involvement. He serves as an Associate Pastor at First Baptist Church in Lindale, TX. He also teaches music and worship at East Texas Baptist University. He is a Graduate of the Fine Arts Center of Greenville County (Jazz Guitar) and has a music degree (Classical Guitar) from Anderson University as well as a Master of Divinity in Church Music (Composition) from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Andrew married Meghan in 2016. They have one daughter, Eliza, and one son, Isaac.

Amanda Singer

Amanda Singer’s call in life is to mentor worshippers from preschool into adulthood. She accomplishes this in varied vocations such as worship leader, children’s choir program director, voice and piano teacher, public school choral and piano teacher and children’s choir composer, curriculum writer and clinician. Amanda has lived in Bulverde, Texas (just north of San Antonio) for over 20 years and currently serves as the worship leader for Heights Community Church. Heights is a former multi-site location of Community Bible Church Main Campus where she invested 23 years as praise team/adult choir director and a staff arranger/composer while building a highly successful children’s choir program that served as a feeder choirs for a vibrant middle school and high school choir directed by one of her proteges. At CBC, Amanda recorded dozens of children’s choir projects that formed the curriculum for multiple publications with Lifeway and Prism Music. Amanda recently ‘retired’ from Smithson Valley High School where she developed a successful piano program and will continue to serve as the FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) liaison there. Amanda has multiple undergrad degrees from Jacksonville State University in northeast Alabama and two master’s degrees from SMU/Perkins School of Theology in Dallas. Amanda’s greatest roles are wife to Gary (Whataburger Corporate), mom to Tyler and Cory (successful entrepreneurs), mother-in-law to Karlee (ER charge nurse/middle management) and Thea (children’s pastor) and grandmother to 2 year old Sawyer James.

David Talaguit

David Talaguit often writes music for Mesquite ISD of which the most recent was a commissioned piece, “Light Shines Brightest”, performed by MISD teachers to uplift students during the 2020 lockdown. His works have been featured in many of MISD’s Elementary Fine Arts Festivals. One of his passions is conducting Orff-based Music Seminars which he has been privileged to do in Dallas, Amarillo, Alabama, Honduras and most recently, back to his roots, the Philippines. His latest work includes being the guest conductor of Wylie ISD’s 4th Grade All City Choir virtual concert, which featured his composition “Por La Vida”. He has been the general music teacher at Motley Elementary School and Music Director for Biblical Community Church since 1998.

David studied Music Education with Voice concentration at SMU Meadows School of the Arts. He also finished his Orff Levels certification from the same institution.

Lynette Vincent

Dr. Lynette Vincent is Assistant Professor of Music Education and Coordinator of Music Education at East Texas Baptist University. She has experience teaching preschool and elementary music, children’s choirs, secondary choirs, private piano and voice, and undergraduate and graduate music education courses. She has taught in Texas public and private schools, in the National Music Conservatory in Amman, Jordan, and at the university level. 

Lynette has presented professional development sessions for East Texas teachers as well as conference sessions at the Minnesota Music Educators Convention, the Texas Music Educators Association Convention, and the Texas Choral Directors Association Conference. She oversees and is on the faculty of the Kodály training at ETBU.

A committed Christian and pedagogue, Lynette is a member of First Baptist Church Lindale and has contributed to the KidsCore children’s choir curriculum and taught in KidsCore at FBC Lindale.  She is excited to share her love of growing children as worshipers through music at Children’s Worship University.