help sought in setting up webpage for chanting congregation. Long Beach, CA
  • LongBeachChantLongBeachChant
    Posts: 30
    I have heard that setting up a small website is easy, but I have never done it.
    I would prefer help to save time and do it right.
    Here is what I am trying to accomplish. I am a cantor at a Long Beach catholic church trying to have more chant in our masses.
    In the congregations at the different masses in our church, I hope we have people willing to participate more into chanting along, but not used to singing unaccompanied, and yet unwilling to join a schola with weekly rehearsals.
    I would like to direct these worshippers towards a website where
    - the Chants I plan to lead in the next few weeks are listed...
    - ...with a (short) .mp3 file to listen to the melody and sing along (maybe download?),
    - when a better recording than what I can do is available, I would direct them to such link,
    I would then just have this website announced in church...

    Of course, this needs to be well presented and easily updated by myself.

    What do I need (domain name? server host? web designer?)
    Where do I start? Can you recommend adapted "suppliers"?

    Thanks!

    Herve' B.
    Thanked by 1Gavin
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    Just start a blog on Blogger or WP. I've used WP extensively, but I hear blogger is easier.
    Thanked by 1LongBeachChant
  • Carl DCarl D
    Posts: 992
    Agree. You can make it pretty attractive and friendly as a blog post.
    Thanked by 1LongBeachChant
  • LongBeachChantLongBeachChant
    Posts: 30
    Thank you gentlemen.
    Now, rather than just .mp3, I have seen files that play the music but also show the music sheet as a background. What file type do they use to do that?
    I know Powerpoint could do that, but there has to be a simpler way... Is there one you can recommend?
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,157
    I wouldn't call it simple. You'll need some tool for turning a series of still images into a video, where each still image is part of the sheet music, with transitions between the "pages" timed correctly. (If it were simpler, a lot of us would be doing it!)
    Thanked by 1LongBeachChant
  • bkenney27bkenney27
    Posts: 444
    I am an amateur web designer. Feel free to ask if you have questions via message or email.
    Thanked by 1LongBeachChant
  • Carl DCarl D
    Posts: 992
    I suppose an alternative would be to capture it like a webinar which can then be put on YouTube. I've done this with GoToMeeting but that costs money. Maybe using Google Hangouts?
    Thanked by 1LongBeachChant
  • LongBeachChantLongBeachChant
    Posts: 30
    I just tried to attach/upload what my meager Powerpoint knowledge can do in 15 minutes, with two animations and a 30 seconds "narration" (me singing), but I was not able to attach a .ppsx file to this post... I'll be busy for the next few days, but I'll try to put a first draft up soon and welcome constructive criticism. Your help gave me some direction to start, now I need some time (I'll be traveling for dayjob next 2 weeks). I'll keep you posted... Thanks again!!
  • Steve QSteve Q
    Posts: 119
    Quick idea on Powerpoints: I often convert my Powerpoints to video, then upload them to Youtube. This makes them easier to share or to embed into web pages. Recent versions of Powerpoint allow you to export directly to a video format. For older versions of Powerpoint, I have used a free software called PowerDVDPoint Lite (http://www.digitalofficepro.com/Powerpoint/ppt-to-dvd-lite.html) to convert my Powerpoints to video format. Works pretty well.
    Thanked by 1LongBeachChant
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,451
    If you go with blogger instead of WordPress, you'll regret it later. WP is not hard to learn.
    Thanked by 1LongBeachChant
  • LongBeachChantLongBeachChant
    Posts: 30
    OK, I have a WordPress account with 10G of storing space. I am reading the "help", but nothing tells me so far how to "load" a few .mp3 files and show them on my blog.
    Can anyone give me the short cut explanation?
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,451
    On the post edit screen, above the text-entry field, there is a button for media-uploading.

    Click that. Drag and drop. Insert into post.
    Thanked by 1LongBeachChant
  • LongBeachChantLongBeachChant
    Posts: 30
    Alleluia!!! the first post on www.longbeachchant.com is available for review... Now this is nowhere near what I'd like this to be, but at least I have something to explain my project tonight in rehearsal....
    Thanked by 1chonak
  • a1437053a1437053
    Posts: 198
    Where in LBC? What times on Sunday? So exciting!
  • LongBeachChantLongBeachChant
    Posts: 30
    St Matthew on Temple & 7th. I'll try to keep the LB community informed on www.longbeachchant.com but i am still learning the blog thing (not sure how to receive Emails & comments yet... I can only dedicate an hour a day...). I'll be checking this thread if you cannot find us.
  • LongBeachChantLongBeachChant
    Posts: 30
    a1437043, i'll be out of town next week so the 4th Sunday will be skipped this month.
  • theloniouslopez
    Posts: 35
    Much admiration for what you are establishing. I will def. want to go to hear this exciting choir in Long Beach soon. (Torrance area here).
    Thanked by 1LongBeachChant
  • LongBeachChantLongBeachChant
    Posts: 30
    @theloniouslopez, let me know when you do (on www.longbeachchant.com which I visit more often than here)... It seems that not everyone in my parish agrees with what I am doing (not a surprise, really), and the music director/pianist is yielding to a handful of anonymous "alienated" parishioners.
    JP II made clear that unity trumps music choice and I agree with him, so I am not fighting back...
    But we are definitely on at 10:30AM on the 1st and 3rd Sundays. Please make sure you let the music director or pastor that you visited for the chant. Making clear to our pastor that that chant brings visitors will go a long way in helping me offer it in more services...
    Thanked by 1theloniouslopez
  • amindthatsuits
    Posts: 857
    I can't see quickly whether Long Beach is in the Archdiocese of LA or the Diocese of Orange, but, either way, whatEVER you are able to accomplish will be a great improvement and a blessing to all. This is great news, in my book. I have some experience of both dioceses, though not a lot. I tried to find a licit Latin Mass during one visit some years ago, and was directed to a monastery in Riverside. To Californians, such a drive is nothing. (I lived in the Bay Area for 7 years.) But during a short visit with a schedule, that was too much.

    Kenneth
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