The Language of Music is a 4-week online course that will walk you through the building blocks of music. This course explores scales, key signatures, chords, and chord progressions. It provides 4 teachings with online study notes, as well as ear training exercises and two specialized sessions with skilled musicians.
This is an introductory course to music theory, for musicians to know how to write original music and speak to other instrumentalists with confidence.
Your Instructor
Bruce Norris is a cofounder of Access Worship International. Bruce has grown up loving God and living to worship. His natural ear for rhythm and harmony combined with his technical ability gave him tremendous opportunities to use his talents on the bass and drums in several different churches and countries around the world, including Bethel Church and Morningstar Ministries. He has worked with many prominent and anointed worship leaders, including Suzy Yaraei, Leonard Jones, Trent Cory, Amber Brooks, and Brandon Hampton, and is a full-time member of Kelanie Gloeckler's band. His heart is to see worship as a transformative force in the church and in the world, and to teach worship bands how to connect to God through their instruments and their hearts as one voice.
He grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where his mother led worship playing the piano and the organ every week at a small Baptist church. Although he started with piano lessons alongside his two sisters, it wasn't until he moved to Washington where he discovered his passion for playing bass and the drums in middle and high school. His talents were quickly noticed by his church, where he gained leadership experience through his youth band, and then as the music director of the youth choir. Once the church decided to start a young adult ensemble, they chose him as the ensemble director, where he arranged all the parts for the singers, as well as the band and orchestra. He pursued a degree in Music Education at Northwest University in Kirkland, WA. It was there he connected with Suzy Yaraei from Morningstar Ministries, where he was able to travel around the United States and the world leading worship and teaching various worship schools.
Bruce moved to Lake City, Florida in 2012 and married his wife Nicole. He served alongside her at New Life Christian Fellowship in Lake City as the Communications Director. Through his position there, he poured himself into presenting the church with excellence in their media, online presence and production through special events. He now serves at New Life Christian Fellowship in Jacksonville, Florida as the Media Director and as a member of the worship team.