MercyMe's Bart Millard joined students in producing "Canyon Worship"
Contact: Bob Romantic, Grand Canyon University, 602-639-7611
PHOENIX, May 27, 2015 /Christian Newswire/ -- Grand Canyon University's Center for Worship Arts, a collaboration with Christian music icon Bart Millard to prepare students for careers in ministry and music, has released its first extended play album – and it's already meeting with rave reviews.
"Canyon Worship" is performed by students in the center's performance band and has climbed to No. 37 on the iTunes Christian singles chart. The EP, available on iTunes, features three songs, including an original track, "Follow You," written and performed by GCU student Desiree Aguilar with backup vocals by Bart Millard, founder and lead singer of MercyMe and director of the university's Center for Worship Arts. The EP also includes remakes of "All Sons & Daughters" "Christ in Me," performed by Maddison Harris, and Tim Timmons' "Christ Be All Around Me," sung by Tanner Krenz.
Millard and other faculty began working with students to create the EP when the center first opened last August. He recruited top musical talent such as Jeff Pardo, a producer who has worked with Grammy Award-winning and other prominent musicians, to produce the songs. It was a process that included a recording session at Pardo's Nashville, Tenn., studio and two trips to GCU's campus in Phoenix for Pardo to capture the backup vocals.
"We are elated by the hard work and unbelievable passion of our Worship Arts students, and we are humbled by the positive response to the album," said John Frederick, GCU's worship coordinator and assistant professor. "Our students have been blessed with the opportunity to learn from some of the biggest names in Christian music. The result can be heard in every note on 'Canyon Worship.'"
Frederick said the EP is the first of regular releases from the Center for Worship Arts, especially as the university is building a state-of-the-art recording studio slated to open this fall.
While the performance band is the centerpiece of GCU's Center for Worship Arts, the bachelor's degree program trains students in all aspects of the music and worship industry, and offers emphases in digital media, worship production, worship management and worship ministry. The curriculum includes coursework from GCU's College of Theology, the Colangelo College of Business and the College of Fine Arts and Production to help students develop the skills necessary for contemporary worship and ministry.
For more information about "Canyon Worship" and GCU's Center for Worship Arts, visit gcu.edu/worshiparts.
About Grand Canyon University Grand Canyon University was founded in 1949 and is Arizona's premier private Christian university. GCU is regionally accredited and offers more than 160 academic programs for both traditional undergraduate students and working professionals. The university's curriculum emphasizes interaction with classmates, both in-person and online, and individual attention from instructors while fusing academic rigor with Christian values to help students find their purpose and become skilled, caring professionals. For more information, visit gcu.edu.
