KenKenKenKen Medema Medema Medema Medema Promotion Packet INDEX About Ken MedemaAbout Ken MedemaAbout Ken MedemaAbout Ken Medema Brier Patch MusicBrier Patch MusicBrier Patch MusicBrier Patch Music Recent AppearancesRecent AppearancesRecent AppearancesRecent Appearances Promotion IdeasPromotion IdeasPromotion IdeasPromotion Ideas Ideas for SchoolsIdeas for SchoolsIdeas for SchoolsIdeas for Schools What Others Have SaidWhat Others Have SaidWhat Others Have SaidWhat Others Have Said QuotQuotQuotQuoteseseses ArticlesArticlesArticlesArticles Event Check ListEvent Check ListEvent Check ListEvent Check List Announcements Announcements Announcements Announcements Sound/Stage Needs Sound/Stage Needs Sound/Stage Needs Sound/Stage Needs

Ken MedemaKen MedemaKen MedemaKen Medema

From the time he was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1943, has been unable to see with his physical eyes. His sight is limited to distinguishing between light and darkness and seeing fuzzy outlines of major objects. “As a kid I was not widely accepted,” he says, “and I spent a lot of time by myself. Because I have lived with some degree of being different all my life, I have some sympathy for people who have been disenfranchised, whether they have been disabled or politically oppressed or whatever.” Music early became a major component of Medema’s life. “I started banging on the piano when I was five years old,” he says, “making up crazy little fantasies on my mom’s piano. When I was eight years old my parents got me a wonderful teacher who taught me the classics with Braille music and taught me to play by ear.” His teacher also taught him to improvise. “Every time I learned a piece my teacher would tell me, ‘Now you improvise in that style.’ So music became a second language.”

After graduating from high school Medema studied music therapy at Michigan State University in Lansing, where he concentrated heavily on performance skills in piano and voice. He worked as a music therapist in Fort Wayne, Indiana, returned to Michigan State for a master’s degree (1969), then worked for four years as a music therapist at Essex County Hospital in New Jersey. It was while employed there that he began writing and performing his own songs. “I had a bunch of teenagers who were really hurting,” he says, “and I started writing songs about their lives. Then I thought, ‘Why don’t you start writing songs about your Christian life?’ So I started doing that, and people really responded.”

In 1973, Medema left his work as a therapist and began a career as a performing and recording artist. He recorded albums for Word and Shawnee Press, then in 1985 founded Brier Patch Music. Brier Patch is an independent recording, publishing, and performance-booking company with headquarters in Grandville, Michigan. Brier Patch is named after Brer Rabbit’s home in the legendary Uncle Remus stories. “Brer Rabbit lived in a place not comfortable for anyone else,” Medema says, “and we decided to follow him there.” Brier Patch creates musical expressions that celebrate all aspects of the human experience, with an emphasis on spirituality and such universal concerns as peace, justice, and the environment.

Today, Medema performs in a widely variety of venues, from local congregations to charity fund-raisers, to high school and university campuses, to denominational youth gatherings, to universally televised religious programs, to corporate conventions, to annual assemblies of national organizations.

Ken Medema and his wife Jane have been married since 1965 and live in the San Francisco Bay area of California. They have two grown children, Rachel and Aaron and daughter-in-law Sonya, and granddaughter, Charlotte, and grandson, Henry.

BrierBrierBrierBrier Patch Patch Patch Patch MusicMusicMusicMusic is an independent recording and publishing company whose commitment is to produce and distribute music that represents the unity of concern for spirituality and justice on planet earth. Its inception and history to date has been in the Christian community. However, Brier Patch does not consider itself bound to producing only church music. It is committed to creating musical experiences that bring together an emphasis on the renewal of spiritual life and the spreading of consciousness about issues such as hunger, homelessness, oppression, and the environment.

Brier Patch’s name is derived from the Uncle Remes stories that picture Brer Rabbit as having been born and raised in the Brier Patch, a place that is not comfortable for anyone else.

Recent Recent Recent Recent

AppearancesAppearancesAppearancesAppearances Ken Medema has appeared at: Youth conventions for various denominations, 1996 to the present: Mennonite, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, United Church of Christ, Church of the Brethren. Kiwanis International, 2006 Mosaic Company, 2006 Great Harvest Bread Company, 2006 Social Security Administration, 2005, 2006 Guideposts Magazine, 2006, 2010 “Hour of Power” TV program, Crystal Cathedral (frequent guest) Salvation Army Regional Events, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011 Methodist Regional Annual Conferences 2005, 2006, 2011 Episcopal Regional Conference, MD 2006 Mission India, 2010, 2011 Lutheran Regional Synods, IN-Kentucky, TX, NB, 2003-2006, 2010, 2011 United Church of Christ, local and national 2001-2006, 2009, 2011 Keller Williams Convention, Las Vegas, 2004, 05, 07 “30 Good Minutes” TV program, Chicago –theme music composer Colleges: Mt. Vernon Nazarene, Waynesburg, Wheaton, Central, High Point University, Luther College SEED Project, Wellesley College, 20 years National Pastor's Conference, San Diego, 2003-06 Calvin Institute of Worship, 2006, 2011 Call to Renewal, Washington, DC 2006 Ecumenical Stewardship Conference, 2006 Partners in Ministry, 2011 Over 100 events per year, including colleges and universities, secondary and elementary schools, corporate conferences and conventions, churches, parachurch groups, and public service benefits.

Promotion IdeasPromotion IdeasPromotion IdeasPromotion Ideas In the process of composing a promotional strategy, it is vital that we ask several questions. First, what is the purpose for having this concert? Second, what kinds of people are most likely to attend? Third, how do we generate interest and communicate to the audience we want to reach? This will assist to clarify your own objectives as well as reveal the work that needs to be done. You will face two major problems in the process of promotion. First, all of us have too much to do and too little time, so we tend to screen out those activities that do not stimulate our interest. For any public event to succeed it must generate a high level of interest or it will be discarded in the same fashion as an ever-growing pile of junk mail. The second challenge is related to the first. With a growing smorgasbord of entertainment options, the need for direct and personal communication increases. Conventional means of advertising such as posters, fliers, and radio spots lose their influence in proportion to increased options. These methods should continue to be used, but their limitations need to be understood. It is for this reason that serious emphasis must be given to the personal approach. Social Networking, Facebook, Twitter, etc are forms that certainly help let people know that an event is happening. We recommend the formation of a team of people who will undertake full responsibility for the Medema concert. This requires a person who will function as the coordinator. This person accepts the reality that “the buck stops” at his or her door. The coordinator then seeks out another five who will also recruit five people. This gives a group of twenty-six, including the coordinator, with no person being responsible for more than five people. These people need to be self-starters with good initiative. Under ideal conditions it is good for the team to be ready to meet twelve weeks before the concert. We recommend that this group communicate at least once every two weeks or (preferably) once a week. This group will plan and implement the promotional strategy together. The following information is for the purpose of assisting you in the promotion of Ken’s concert in your community. We are only offering you suggestions! In no way do we want you to feel that we are coming in and “informing” you of what you must do. Rather, we want to work with you in formulating a promotional strategy that feels comfortable to all of us.

A. Ticket Distribution It is wise to print and distribute tickets or offer online, even if they are complimentary. Distributing tickets gives you a concrete means of assessing the interest and expected attendance as you progress. This will give you the regular feedback you need to modify your promotional strategy as you go along. Ticket distribution works in this way: Each person on the coordinating team takes responsibility for distributing a certain number of tickets. This involves personal contact with people and a capacity to relay all the information about the concert. It is good for each person to take along a tape of Ken’s music to familiarize those who do not know his work. This personal approach will close the information gap and generate interest in the concert. Let’s say that your goal for attendance is one thousand people. If each one of the group of say twenty-six distributes forty tickets, you will reach your goal. It is advisable to begin your ticket distribution eight to ten weeks prior to the concert date. This means that each person need only distribute five tickets per week.

One further note: If the concert is strictly a closed event for a specific group, it may not be advisable to distribute tickets. There can, however, be benefits to issuing tickets even in this situation, as we can discuss at a later time.

B. Promotional Budget To put on the concert, you will need a promotional budget. It eases the pressure if your group can raise this budget from sources outside the concert itself. This way you know your expenses are covered before the event takes place. Here are a few suggestions for raising a promotional budget: 1. Patrons. Some people and/or businesses in a community like to be involved in a public event by assisting with the up-front expenses. The names of those who have contributed toward expenses are then printed on a flier to be distributed to the audience the night of the concert. The committee can assist in this process. 2. Fund-Raising Events. Several in-house fund-raising events can be organized, such as car washes, potluck dinners, and sub sales. This kind of project can work with almost any group.

C. General Promotion It is good to contact as many community groups (service groups, professional groups, churches, synagogues, etc.) as possible. Have various members of the concert group contact each group by phone. After you have phoned, send a follow-up note with all pertinent information. Ask the group to display posters, distribute fliers, contact Facebook friends and make announcements. It is important to communicate the benefits that can come from a cooperative community event like this. As previously mentioned, you should not overlook the value of conventional advertising. Have various members of your group do the following: 1. Call your local newspaper (s) and investigate as to the cost and requirements of placing an ad for the

concert. It is always good to talk to the community events editor, as he or she may be interested in doing a story on Ken. We can always arrange an interview time with the reporter.

2. Call your radio and TV stations and ask them if they have any free public service time available. In addition, it is advisable to consider purchasing advertising spots, particularly on radio.

3. Place posters in public places that provide exposure to people who would want to go to Ken’s concert. 4. Advertise the concert, together with all relevant information, on your website.

These thoughts reflect some but certainly not all of the promotional possibilities. We hope they stimulate your creativity. Remember, the key to successful promotion is a team working together to touch people on a personal basis. One final note in all of these deliberations: Our goal in this concert is achieving personal wholeness and building community. We look forward to working together with you!

Ideas for SchoolsIdeas for SchoolsIdeas for SchoolsIdeas for Schools “Storytelling in 100 Ways” Ken’s Proposal for a Week-Long Project It is my proposal to arrange a week in which classes and student groups throughout the school are involved in the arrangement and presentation of a multimedia interdisciplinary happening around a specific theme. Let me briefly illustrate. Let’s choose for our imaginary week the theme, “How Can We Take the Discarded and Make It New?” In preparation for the week: Science classes look at processes that make things new and ask, “How can we recycle old junk and

turn it into useful items?” English classes write or find stories, poems, and essays that illustrate transformation. Religion classes put together a display of sentences, quotes, and religious concepts that relate to

this theme. Art classes make murals before and during the week. Drama classes illustrate transformational stories and vignettes. The music department finds appropriate music literature around the theme so that when the week

begins, the catalyst (in this case, myself) can work in conjunction with groups and classes to orchestrate the final event.

I have listed only a few ideas. In truth, every area of the school should participate. I would compose new music for the occasion. I would see the event as an entertaining, inspiring, multimedia event and the end point of an educational process that has brought the entire school together. We can be in communication in the next few months as to the matter of theme. I would love to run with it!

QuotesQuotesQuotesQuotes “I was first introduced to and blessed by your music in July of 1975. I went on a youth trip to Glorieta Baptist Assembly in Glorieta, New Mexico. I became a Christian in the prayer garden while there at Glorieta....Even though it has been more years than either of us wants to admit, I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you after all these years for the effect your music had on my life that week at Glorieta.”

Melanie Hall, Cleveland, Mississippi, 2001

“Thank you for letting God use your blindness in such a manner as to humble those of us who have sight. You taught us much last Sunday about what it means to be a true servant of God.”

Pam and Robin Knoll, Elmbrook Church, Brookfield, Wisconsin, 2001

“Your words and your music have awakened in Hannah a curiosity and yearning for God I could never have imagined in a six-year-old girl.”

Dave Tribble, Clay United Methodist Church, South Bend, Indiana, 2001

“This is the first chapel I’ve attended that I actually enjoyed.”

Chapel convocation at a university that will remain anonymous, 1999 “I was pleasantly surprised when I first heard you playing. It was fun music! This is how church music is supposed to be.”

Stephanie Krenz, ELCA Youth Gathering, 2000

“Calling Ken Medema a blind pianist is like calling Michelangelo an interior decorator. “People who attended the seminars called the musician ‘amazing.’ The only thing more amazing than Ken’s music is the fact that so few people have heard of him or experienced one of these concerts. “Ken leads his listeners into the uncomfortable places. He has led them into the streets of San Francisco to address the needs of the hungry and homeless. Citing examples of the oppression of California farm workers, or Tennessee strip mining, or corruption in the church, Ken says, ‘If the time comes to write a song about (those things) I don’t want to not write that song just because I’ll lose concert gigs.’ The most pressing need today is to tell the truth.

“He encourages his audience to shake hands, to rub shoulders, to hug. He sings about unity in a world of fighting. He sings of justice and freedom where oppression rests on the shoulders of the listener. He leads into places of discomfort.”

“Medema Concert Well Received,” Omnibus, February 20, 1992

“I play soccer and...I had my doubts about whether to keep playing because of all the guys who are better than me. But then I saw you playing, knowing that you are blind, and that’s when I decided I couldn’t stop.”

Brian Bendorf, Graceland College, Lamoni, Iowa, 1996

“He made us cry. He made us think and laugh and just feel good.”

Mary Erickson, Urban Ministry of Bel Air Presbyterian Church, Los Angeles, California

ArticlesArticlesArticlesArticles Medema Concert Well Received

This blind American pianist has an uncanny ability to respond almost instantly to a situation with an off-the-cuff song that mixes melody, comedy and a bit of edge to hammer home the previously spoken words. Over the years this talent has become so fine-tuned that these days some conference organizers hire him to do no more than spill out a short musical response to their main speakers. While his “reflex reflections” have earned him the rather overused label of a prophet, the middle-aged former music therapist prefers to view them as a marriage between heavenly inspiration and earthly perspiration. “It’s a combination, I think, of gift, ability, and training. I am convinced that most people can actually do this, but they are frightened to.” That Medema is able to tap into his ability is “largely attributable to the fact that early on I had teachers who told me I could. They made me do it; every time I learned a piece my teacher would tell me, ‘Now you improvise in that style.’ So music became like a second language. People have said, ‘Oh, Medema, you are a prophet’ because they find these little hidden messages and they find them very helpful and very useful. I don’t know that it is so prophetic as it is simply an attempt to be aware of what is happening and going on and to respond to that—just as someone who uses a spoken word would give us a caution for the week.” In nearly every concert Medema tests his musical “reflexes” by calling for three notes from the audience, and then weaving them together into an instant new song. Somehow they resulted in a humorous story-song that even sneaked in a little food-for-thought sermonette. But he is clear to underline that he doesn’t do this as a party piece. “Not at all. There are fun aspects about it, but in every one of these there is always an attempt in that to say something meaningful, what I am thinking about or hearing from people. My sense of my role in worship comes from the view that if something is said, whatever happens next can either trivialize or make special the words that have been said . . . I try to take the concepts and the information and the stories and surround them with music so that people feel that they are important.” Many of Ken’s songs deal with issues of injustice and oppression. His disability has influenced the issues which concern him and about which he sings. “I certainly have sympathy for people who have been disenfranchised, whether they have been disabled or politically oppressed or whatever, for the simple reason that I have lived with some degree of being different all my life.” Perhaps surprising for someone who can just barely distinguish light from shade is the amount of visual imagery in his writing. Rich word pictures dominate his lyrics. “Not seeing is definitely a help,” he explains. “One of the reasons is that I tend to use a lot of what everybody else refers to as visual imagery. . . the brilliant blue sky, and so on. People ask how can you do that. I say to them, it is precisely that I have not seen that my sense of visual imagery is so keen—because I have had to get all my visual imagery through listening, or by other senses.” “There are certain ways in which everybody is disenfranchised. Somebody who doesn’t speak English; somebody who has very good eyes but a lousy sense of smell. I consider the fact that I don’t see and have a wonderful sense of smell a tremendous gift because to be able to catch the fragrance of all the people who walk into a room and notice the different colognes, the different body odors, the different smells of clothing. To me that is a world of color that I would hate to miss.”

Cross Rhythms, February/March 1992

A Man and His Imagination In his twenty two years of musical experience, this blind musician has used his creative insight to entertain and touch millions of people all over the world. Born blind, Medema did not let the darkness of his blindness darken his mind. He used what little sight he had to dream dreams and imagine things that have not entered the minds of many sighted people. Medema brings these dreams into his music, singing songs that challenge his listeners to nurture their imagination. He challenges Christians to be authentic and truthful in everything they do, and truly to be a light to the world. He also challenges people to get out of their comfort zones and minister to those who are the outcasts.

Q: How can you fantasize so vividly without being able to see?

A: Because I have a little bit of light vision and I can see some things, like if I’m in the woods I can see the

trees around me. I can’t tell much detail or color, but I can see that they’re there. Similarly, if I’m standing by a lake I can see it shimmering. If I’m standing on the sidewalk by a building I can see where the door is and I can see the cars parked along the street. So, in my fantasies, I see just exactly as much as I can in real life.

Q: Who or what caused you to have such an imagination? A: It may have been that I spent a lot of time alone as a little kid. I didn’t play a lot with the other kids; they

were always doing sighted things. There is a part of me that is an introvert, believe it or not. Also, my mother loved to read me stories and play me records of stories. I had records of children’s stories when I was a kid, and I’d play them by the hour. I felt really comfortable being alone, and didn’t really need to be with the other kids. I would listen to stories and think about them for hours; that was probably the major contribution.

Q: Why did you start writing songs? A: The first songs I ever wrote, I wrote in high school—when I was trying to “win friends and influence

people” and gain popularity. I wrote them to play during lunch hour to impress the girls. Then I wrote a few things in college. I didn’t do anything else until several years later when I was working as a music therapist in a psychiatric hospital. I had a bunch of teenagers who were really hurting—they were messed up kids. I started writing songs about their lives. Then I thought, “Oh Medema, you can write songs, why don’t you start writing songs about your Christian life?” So I started doing that, and people really responded!

Q: What started you playing the piano? A: I started banging on the piano when I was five years old, making up crazy little fantasies on my mom’s

piano. My parents got me a wonderful teacher when I was eight years old who taught me the classics, but she also taught me to improvise. She taught me classics by Braille music and taught me to play by ear.

Q: You have a heart for people, especially those who are outcasts or different. What do you attribute this to?

A: Part of it could be the fact that I am blind. I was a kid who was not widely accepted, and I have

some sense of what its like for other kids to leave you and not play with you. Because I worked in a hospital, with really messed up kids, that started me having a sense of wanting to sing for the cause of people who got left out.

Q: What did you do as a music therapist? A: I used music and music activities with disabled people as part of their rehabilitation. For example, I used musical activities such as singing, dancing, and games as a way of putting them in touch with each other, as a way of bringing some reality contact. With impaired people, musical activities are a way of developing motor coordination.

Q: What is the one thing you feel called to do? A: My calling is to try and be something like an authentic person, and try to figure out who I am, why I

exist, what in the world God wants of me. In front of an auditorium or a classroom, the calling is to simply be that authentic person, to express that person as best as I know how. If who I am and who I am trying to be reaches or touches someone, and causes them to want to get closer to people or to God, that’s well and good. Our calling is to be authentic persons—to be honest, truthful, communicative, loving, kind, considerate, gentle, brave, daring, just, and bold. People watch us, and if they are led to God by watching us, that is great! I do believe my calling is to talk with people, to find out who they are and what they are so that they can help me find out who I am and why I am.

Q: What would you say to someone who asks, don’t have an imagination— How do I get it?” A: I would say, take long walks, read books and short stories, try to write yourself a story about a place you’ve never been, try to think about simple things like how you would change the furniture in a room around. If you start simply like that, you’ll discover that you do too have an imagination. Everyone has an imagination, no matter how long it’s been dormant.

Q: Do you believe that certain people have more imagination than others? A: No. Just that the ones who seem to have more imagination are the ones who have had the chance to

develop it more. They’ve been in circumstances where they have been free to develop it. The imagination is like a plant; the more you cultivate it, the more it grows.

Q: Who would you say is the true Ken Medema? A: I’m a guy who has spent his life trying to prove himself because he felt ugly about being the only blind

kid in the neighborhood. He’s tried to prove himself to women; he’s tried to prove himself to peers; he’s tried to prove himself through his work; he’s tried to prove himself though becoming famous; and he’s finally learning, at the age of 50,* how nice it is not to have to prove yourself and just be who you are.

“Ken Medema, A Man and His Imagination,”

Omnibus *Ken was 67 as of December 7, 2010

Event Check ListEvent Check ListEvent Check ListEvent Check List

Not all blanks apply to all groups.

The list is in random order.

___ Organize committee.

___ Receive final approval to host the event and determine the location.

___ Fil l out the Booking Summary Sheet as completely as possible and mail it with $750 deposit

(U.S. funds) to:

Brier Patch Music

4324 Canal SW

Grandville, MI 49418

___ Contact local newspapers.

___ Contact local radio stations.

___ Contact local cable TV station for possible free public access advertising.

___ Send announcements to civic organizations, churches, schools, and other local related

groups. (See Sample below)

___ Arrange for sound and stage set-up according to spec sheet.

___ Place hotel reservations and arrange direct bi l l ing to your organization.

___ Arrange for a sound check time (see above). Note: If it is impossible to acquire a baby

grand or grand piano, please consult Dave at the Brier Patch office in order to

resolve the question.

___ Confirm with Brier Patch Music two weeks prior to the event: arrival t ime, f l ight cost, car

rental, airport connections, and sound check time.

___ Arrange for the check to be written to Brier Patch Music (Federal ID #94-304-1948) and

have it available the day of the event.

___ Arrange for a van or stat ion wagon and a volunteer to meet Ken, Beverly, and the equipment

at the airport. (They wil l have two keyboard cases, two suitcases, and two carry-on

bags.)

___ Arrange for a CD table and people to staff i t, and have change available for sales.

AnnouncementsAnnouncementsAnnouncementsAnnouncements Ken Medema will be in concert:

On

At

Ken Medema is a blind musician, composer, and songwriter who will share songs, stories, and

improvisational skills with us. This event is a must-see and must-hear.

Ken Medema, a blind singer and keyboardist, will be in concert:

On

At

A Medema event is a must-see life-changing experience.

Ken Medema in Concert

When:

Where:

Time:

A MUST-SEE!

Sound/Stage Needs Sound/Stage Needs Sound/Stage Needs Sound/Stage Needs Sound • 10-channel mixer board • Power amplifier with at least 1000 watts per side • Graphic equalizer • 2 speaker cabinets and stands. The preferred brands are Meyer EAW Community or

JBL. (Note: Full frequency range is important here.) Each speaker should be powered by at least 1000 watts. We prefer separate power amps as opposed to a powered board.

• 2 piano microphones (SM 81s would be great!) with 2 boom stands • 2 Audience microphones and stands • 1 monitor These specifications will be adequate for a hall seating no more than 1,500

people. For larger halls, additional speakers and amps will be required.

Stage Needs Total number of direct lines: 4 Total number of vocal mikes: 0, just one long cord for Ken’s headset mike Total number of instrument mikes: 2 (piano). Total number of electrical outlets: 2 Note: 1. If speakers are placed to the rear of the stage, Ken can use them as his monitors. 2. Mixing board should be in front of the stage in the center, 15-75 feet from center. 3. Beverly Vander Molen, Ken's assistant, will mix the event. Note: If it is impossible to acquire a baby grand or grand piano, please consult Dave at

the Brier Patch office in order to resolve the question.

Key