Welcome to Vickie’s Biography page

JUST A FEW WORDS ABOUT “YOURS TRULY”

WELCOME to Music and Praise! My name is Vickie Garrison and here you will find original music for your choir and worship service that honors God and glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. The pieces are mainly arranged for choir with piano accompaniment, but many are also orchestrated to perform live with your own church orchestra. Some can even be used by smaller groups or even soloists.

I have been composing and arranging music for the last 15 years for our local church. Following a severe back injury that limited my ability to minister as a pianist/singer, I discovered that I could still create and arrange music to be used by various groups and the choir. I have a musical background with a few years of orchestral training in violin and flute and received part of my classical piano training at both Bob Jones University and the University of California at Hayward, in addition to private lessons.

My wonderful husband, Larry, served as Minister of Music with me at Harvest Baptist Temple for many years and has led the choir and ensemble groups there. His love and support are one of the biggest blessings in my life. And let me give Mom her due: she’s the one who said, “You can’t go out and play until you’ve finished your piano practicing!” In the meantime, Dad had to watch the TV on mute. The sacrifices parents make!

As a composer/arranger, I love to incorporate orchestral sounds into my accompaniments using strings, woodwinds, classical guitar, brass, and timpani. My approach to the Lord’s music is one of reverence and respect for the standards for music He has outlined in His Word. “Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.” In Ephesians 5:10, God has given us an unmistakable format for the melody, harmonies, and rhythms that we use.

You will not find the prevailing contemporary sounds here nor any driving “beats.” Instead, you will find music that focuses on melodies that are upheld by warm harmonies and guided by the natural rhythms inherent in the music’s style and orchestration. I like to say that my music “skips a beat”.

Because of my own personal challenges and experiences, you will find many pieces both challenging and encouraging for our daily walk as Christians. Others are uplifting and thankful. A few are fun and lighthearted. But in every piece, I have attempted to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and bring honor to His name. I echo J.S. Bach’s sentiment when he said, “The aim and final reason for all music should be to glorify God and the refreshment of the spirit”.

THE WORDS OF MARTIN LUTHER:

“I truly desire that all Christians would love and regard as worthy the lovely gift of music, which is a precious, worthy, and costly treasure given mankind by God. The riches of music are so excellent and so precious that words fail me whenever I attempt to discuss and describe them. Next to the Word of God the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in this world. Our dear fathers and prophets did not desire without reason that music be always used in the churches. Hence we have so many songs and psalms. This precious gift has been given to man alone that he might thereby remind himself of the fact that God has created man for the express purpose of praising and extolling God.”

In His Service,
Vickie J. Garrison