An Interview with Jason Liles, Artist and Composer of Music for the Soul, LLC.

Brenna: We are thrilled that you are joining our community of Member Publishers! It was a pleasure meeting you and hearing your music at NPM 2017. What excites you about having your song collection reach our License Holders?

Jason: Music for the Soul is also very excited to be a part of One License and all the services it provides. We have come a long way in just the past few years, and we know this is just the next step in our overall mission to serve the church with meaningful liturgical music. We hope this collaboration will make it easier for people to access our music and know that they are giving proper credit to the composers who wrote the music.

B: Can you tell our users more about yourselves?

J: Absolutely. Music for the Soul is a fairly new music publishing company that began in September of 2013. Our mission has been to provide prayerful text along with inspiring music that encourages assemblies to sing. Over the past few years we have grown substantially, and we have continued to listen to music directors and others to see what we can do to increase the participation of the assembly in the church. With this knowledge we have produced some of our more popular songs like “Call Us, Good Shepherd” and “Here With Us,” which have both been performed several times on The Sunday Mass which broadcasts each week on Freeform, formerly the ABC Family Channel.

B: What denominations or groups look to you for music? Are there ecumenical options for interfaith communities?

J: While we are mainly a Catholic music publisher, most of our music unites all Christians in song and Scripture. We are proud of the fact that we have been able to serve many different denominations with prayerful music, including many Methodist churches.

B: Looking forward to the liturgical year, are there any must-have titles to have on our work list?

J: We have a few new octavos that are becoming very popular with churches, like  “Our Savior is Born.” It is a great new Christmas hymn that is easy to learn and has a wonderful melody that inspires the assembly to sing along.

 

“Revealed Through Bread and Wine” is also a new title that has recently become very popular with a lot of churches mainly because it works so well for Communion. It has a beautiful melody that echoes between the men and women and creates a prayerful atmosphere for the assembly.

Another must-have octavo is “For God So Loved the World.” This piece has become our best seller to date! It is primarily a piece for the choir and has already been performed by many choirs across the US.


B: What can our users look forward to from you in the coming months?
J: Users can expect many more new and exciting octavos like the ones we have produced that will inspire and encourage assemblies to sing in church. As many of you probably know, getting assemblies to participate in singing the hymns can be tough at times. It’s always difficult to balance appropriate music with the liturgy and music that still sounds appealing to the assembly.  Music for the Soul hopes to continue to make this a top priority in the coming months, and we will continue to strive for great new music for the liturgy.

B: How can ONE LICENSE users contact you directly?
J: You can view our website by visiting: http://www.jasonlilesmusic.com/.
Email: jasonlilesmusic@gmail.com | Phone: 337-842-0068


Originally from Texas, Jason Liles started playing the piano and organ for the church when he was only 12 years old. He has continued to play for several churches throughout the years, including Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Good Council, St. Joseph, and St. Raphael. He also performed for many weddings, funerals, and civic events throughout Texas and Louisiana.
Jason attended Lamar University in Beaumont, TX for three years and studied piano and percussion.  He moved to Lake Charles, LA in 1997 and continued his studies at McNeese State University and graduated with a bachelors and masters in music education. Jason has performed with the Lake Charles Choral Foundation, Symphony, and Community Band. He is currently the principle pianist at Saint Martin de Porres in Lake Charles and lives in Iowa. He is married to Rebecca Liles and has two children, Abby and Hunter Liles.

Photo Credit: Mabel Amber. This image is available for purchase through istockphoto.com.