WELCOME
JUST A WORD OR TWO TO BEGIN...
More than anything, I would love to dispel the many myths of music, and of course provide a bit of detail into what I am doing.
Whether it be music typesetting, Music Directing, singing, producing, training, lecturing, I always aim to maintain a passion that requires excellence in strengthening the musical conversations that we engage in from day to day...
And of course, I am providing a page where many of my world renowned recipes (did I say that?!?) will feature, along with the amazing looking picture that was painstakingly prepared for your visual pleasure.
ABOUT
I HAVE ALWAYS AIMED TOWARDS BEING NO. 1 AT BEING NO. 2! THAT SAID, I FIND GREAT IMPORTANCE IN LETTING THE LOUDEST THING I SAY BE THE QUIETEST THING I DO.
I have ‘lived’ in the music industry for over 28 years, specialising in many of the studio related joys of making music for the world to hear, whether it be a jingle for car stereos, a television show, live broadcast, or a record that sings the language of Heaven across the earth. I have been based at Hillsong Church, in Sydney Australia, for the last 21 years, and just this year have relocated to the Central Coast (just 1 hour north of Sydney).
I have been Music Director to Barry Crocker AM for over 17 years, as well at working as a Technical Director for productions at the Sydney Opera House, and other theatres across Australia.
I am currently touring and supporting Darlene Zschech as a Music Director and member of a greatly blessed team, mandated to present worship and justice to the world....
Additionally, I am the Music Director for the television show ‘Wesley Impact’, which airs nationally in Australia on free-to-air networks and the Australian Christian Channel. I’ve been involved in this show for 6 years, and is geared to providing a platform for Australian Christian Singer/Songwriters, and bringing their unique and diverse styles of presenting the Gospel in song...
I have learned many things (a lot of them though my own mistakes), and I trust that you hear my heart in my sharing of thoughts and experiences with you. I have always said that a mistake is a good thing; it just shows you one more way not to do something!
WHO
Craig Steven Gower
WHAT
Musician
Music Director
Singer
Producer
Arranger
Typesetter
Lecturer
Worshipper
Servant
WHERE
Central Coast NSW, Australia
LIFE
The Word!
Making Music
Cooking
Church
Family
Friends
THOUGHTS
7 letters
hobby / trade / art
theory is fun
that’s music??
heart filter
U R a diamond
HOLIDAY (?!?)
Never!
PERSONAL MOTTO:
Be passionate, not precious:
passionate is about bringing excellence in all you do, precious is like ‘Gollum’ from “Lord Of The Rings”
Ugh!
SERVICES
TYPESETTING
I thought, “how hard could this be?” – to listen to the song, scribble it down, then present it in a clean tidy format for the musician to play, and it actually represent the song.
It was this determination that drives me today. To date, I have typeset over 40 album projects and 1000 songs for Hillsong Music, as well as for Darlene Zschech, and smaller album projects for other artists from all over the world.
Take some time, have a look at some of my work, drop me a line if you need anything done, whether it be a band orchestration, vocal lead sheet, lyric chord chart, string arrangements – look forward to hearing from you.
STUDIO WORK
I have been doing this for a variety of organisations, companies, and churches over the course of the last 30 years. I have been honoured to work with some of the best people and producers in the world, and lend my craft, both in a keyboard and vocal capacity.
I have worked on projects alongside Darlene Zschech, Hillsong Music, Israel Houghton, Michael W Smith, David Evans & Ted Evans, just to name a few.
PRODUCING
This area of the industry has always had a little bit of mystique about it – primarily it is about hearing all the elements, both in their single state, and the culmination of them into a body of work, and refining and polishing.
As a listener, I have developed the keen sense of finely adjusting the musical moments in a piece to allow them the full intention of what they are there to do. I have produced a number of small pieces of music for various live performances, as well as doing an album or two for people who have a care and a value to see their work presented in the best way possible. I count it a great honour to be offered opportunities of this sort.
VOCAL COACHING
This is quite different to Vocal Teaching, as coaching focuses in on the performance of the artist, rather than the technical development of the voice. Although I do teach in the fundamentals of vocal health and maintenance, this area is for the performer to refine the delivery of their work, sometimes breaking down the very elements of the musical work, and their phrasing, thereby identifying and removing any ‘lazy markers’ that may take away from the performance.
I have been fortunate to work alongside a number of people in musical theatre, and live television work in this area, including contestants for The Voice, and Australian Idol.
WORKSHOPS
Workshops are fun. These are a blend of teaching and training on the fundamentals of working in groups, building the musical relationships at the base level, and formulating how a song can be built, re-built, re-arranged and delivered. The areas I focus on include:
rhythm section
sound and definition
health of the delivery of the song
different patches and sounds for instruments
vocal parts
production & lighting
recording the work
LECTURES
I have been lecturing in high schools, universities, and colleges for over 20 years, including the Hillsong International Leadership College, where I lectured in the following areas:
musical analysis (the music industry, development)
elements of music
typesetting, using both Finale and Sibelius software programs
studio vocals – how to get a great sound in the booth
band workshops
vocal workshops
theory of music
keyboard workshops
relationship between the music director & worship leader
worship & the tabernacle
TELEVISION
Currently, I feature on a television show ‘Wesley Impact’, shown weekly on networks all across Australia. I am the Musical Director for the show, and have a segment that showcases Australian and International talent. I have been on the show for 7 years, and have performed over 300 times on the show alone.
