The Canyon Worship process begins with a call for students to write original songs, particularly Christian praise and worship music. The Center for Worship Arts hosts a Songwriters Showcase every semester. Worship Arts majors and minors can submit one or two original songs in consideration for the Songwriters Showcase. A panel of judges listens through and scores the song submissions, and then the top-rated songs are invited to perform at the event. The Songwriters Showcases occur on campus at the end of each semester, and the Worship Arts community supports the various student artists.
The Center for Worship Arts partners with industry producers to develop and produce the Canyon Worship albums. Geoff Hunker and Dave Willey, of the Christian band Satellites & Sirens, produced “Canyon Worship 2024,” and Joel Vaughn is producing next year’s project. The producers work with the Center for Worship Arts leadership to identify 10 songs from the spring (previous year) and fall Songwriters Showcase submissions. After the songs are selected and approved, the student artists are invited to participate in the upcoming Canyon Worship album.
The production phase begins after students agree to record their songs on the Canyon Worship project. The producer(s) record all 10 songs at the GCU Recording Studio between January and April. Students instrumentally and vocally perform their songs, and often additional worship arts students participate in the recording process. After the tracking phase of recording is completed, the producer is responsible for mixing each song. After reviewing the mixes and completing revisions, the songs are delivered for mastering. The Canyon Worship albums sound excellent because of the students’ recording performances, and the attention to detail within the mixing and mastering process.
Along with the excellent recording quality, the Center for Worship Arts is proud of the artwork for each Canyon Worship album. The artwork helps reinforce the messaging behind the Christian worship songs. Every year, after hearing the students’ stories behind the songs, GCU’s marketing department creates and presents various Canyon Worship artwork designs to the Center for Worship Arts leadership. The leadership team considers each design, hearing the rationale behind the artwork, and then selects the artwork for the upcoming Canyon Worship album. The collaborative process helps ensure a high-quality level in the Canyon Worship artwork designs.
