Welcome to
Praise Music Group!
Seek the Spirit in Song
Connect to HIM through Music.
Hi there! You have just found an interdenominational Christian community dedicated to sharing musical testimony of Jesus Christ! Our mission is to seek Jesus, share talents, delve into music that can have a lasting impact, and have fun along the way!
We'll let hymns, liturgical works, traditional gospel tunes and contemporary Christian music settle in our hearts as we work towards a culminating concert open to the community. This year, the Children's Choir and likely the Youth Choir will also have the opportunity to participate in the production of a music video. Gather with us! Check out the many ways you can participate, find where you belong and praise with song!
Community Symphony
HS Level players and above
We'll learn 2-4 songs.
For youth and adults, orchestra AND band instruments, includes some percussion.
Children's Choir
Ages 8-12
We'll learn 3-4 songs.
Youth Choir
Ages 13-18
We'll learn 3-5 songs.
Pianists
Accompany a choir, a small ensemble or play with the symphony.
Learn 1-4 songs each.
Small Ensembles & Soloists
Based on interest and availability,
for instrumentalists and vocalists.
Application and video audition required.
Production Committees
Got skills and a little time? Adults and youth can help in a variety of ways to make our concert a hit and our music videos run smoothly.
Rehearsal Schedule
*Summer Praise Music Group participants will be expected to be punctual, respectful and attentive during rehearsals and be ready to give it their all! Participants should be able to commit to at least 5 of the (8 for Symphony or 9 for Choirs) weekly rehearsals, plus DRESS REHEARSAL. Yes, we are prepping for excellence, but more than that, we need time with the music for the message to really settle in our hearts.
REHEARSALS AND CONCERT LOCATIONS:
First rehearsal for choirs (6/23) will be at The Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive, Richland.
All other rehearsals and concert will be at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 895 Gage Blvd. Richland.
EVERYONE DATES:
Dress Rehearsal: Saturday, August 23rd tentatively 1-4pm
Concert: Sunday, August 24th 7:00pm, various call times
Music Video: for Children's and Youth Choirs TBA, mostly likely late August
WEEKLY GROUP REHEARSALS:
Community Symphony
Sundays June 29th - August 17th
4:00pm - 6:00pm
Children’s Choir
Mondays, June 23rd - August 18th
1:00pm - 1:50pm
Youth Choir
Mondays, June 23rd - August 18th
2:00pm - 3:50pm
Solos
Mondays, July 14th- August 18th
4:00pm - 4:50pm AND/OR
5:00pm - 5:50pm
(There are two possible time slots each week for soloists to work with the directors. Once groups are organized and their availability coordinated, each will be given 2-4 rehearsals selected from the dates above.)
Let's Start Praising!
There is no fee for participation in the 2025 Summer Praise Music Group. However, registration is required and if you feel inclined to make an offering to help off-set the purchase of music (we believe in honoring copyrights!) and materials it is welcomed. A suggested amount is $40 per participant.
All groups have limited seats for our concert venue and the choirs are open enrollment, first come. Participation in the Symphony will be based mostly on instrumentation but we are hoping to take everyone. Ready to join the fun? Click below and please COMPLETELY fill out the registration form. Then think about your friends who would love to join us and send them this way!
Why this music?
Hi friends! I'm Kate Larsen, the director of Praise Music Group and I'm delighted to help you and your kids connect with Jesus through music. As a mother of 5, my heart aches to see how Satan seeks to influence our children, but I know God wants them more and I intend to stand as part of His army using the marvelous tools He gives us to reach them. My weapon of choice? Music of course!
I first learned the spiritual power of music when I snuck into our chapel during youth group and found myself playing and singing my heart out as I improvised hymns at the piano. The Spirit moved my heart as I expressed my musical prayer and it was the first time I truly surrendered to my Savior. I cried when I realized I could put my troubles down and He would carry them for me. I had heard about that sort of feeling at church, but this was the first time I experienced it for myself. And, the fact that music was the catalyst for that experience has never been lost to me.
That connection was everything to me when I began writing music and attended college on full scholarships. When I toured the US with the Ogden Institute's top audition choir, the chords were sweet to me, but nothing was sweeter than witnessing a man call out to Jesus for the first time in a decade in the middle of one of our songs.
I had the great pleasure of serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as a performer. I played lead trumpet in a re-enactment of a historic brass band in Nauvoo, Illinois. There, I marveled how God softened hearts and broke down centuries-old barriers within the community through the music of a simple band. It became undeniably clear to me that encounters with Jesus through music can happen to both the listener AND the performer. Even as I watched hearts in listeners turn, I realized that while playing day in and day out, I felt Him penetrate every fiber of MY being and testify to me of His love.
Even among all the writing, directing and teaching that's brought me joy in the 20yrs since receiving my BA in Music Education, my most favorite musical passion is helping others find Jesus again and more deeply through music. I can't wait to get started and show you and your kids how!
