Bonnie Banks-Beers
Bonnie brings decades of diverse music experiences to her role as Assistant Minister of Music (2017), which consists of four basic responsibilities: playing piano for “1st Wednesday” Meditation services, playing for SV Manor services, rehearsing (and often arranging) for the chime choir; and scheduling/planning the summer music program (accompanying as needed). Although Bonnie thinks hymns are vital to church worship, she really enjoys the challenge of integrating suitable classical, Broadway, pop, folk, and jazz music into summer worship services, collaborating with church members and guest musicians. And she wishes everyone would give chime choir a try if they’re interested, since it can be a lot of fun and, after all, rhythm is the basis of music!
She graduated from the nation’s 6th oldest college, just 6 miles north of Christ Lutheran, Hellertown. In her mid-20s she was the cook / kitchen manager of a gourmet deli, before teaching mostly Algebra at a “restorative practices” school. Just like Christ Lutheran has been evolving into a progressive church, Bonnie has been progressing musically throughout the decades of her life: choir singing, piano playing and teaching, fluting, composing (you may have heard some of her original music at Moravian’s Arena Theatre, Touchstone Theatre, Moravian Vespers at Central Moravian, The Flute Choir of New York in NYC, Christ Lutheran or other churches), arranging, organ playing, and chiming. She is passionate about music and teaching, and is a strong proponent of life-long learning.
In addition to working here, Bonnie is a church supply musician who substitutes in various denominations, and has rehearsed the choir at St John the Baptist, Allentown over Lent/Easter and Advent/Christmas, playing for their holiday services since 2014. She has authored two rhythmically rhyming children’s alphabet books (What Do Animals Eat? and Where Do Animals Poop?), collaborations with two talented local illustrators.