Often when one of his services is being sung, the congregation brings Bowen in as a guest conductor. It's one of the most fun things I do. When he serves as guest conductor, Bowen usually works with the musicians and then has a single rehearsal with the choir. Bowen tells the cantors and choir directors not to worry too much about style. He moves singers around, gets them used to singing with the musicians.
Music happens in real time.
You have to concentrate on the moment. If you have the notes in front of you, you tend to concentrate on the dots and not the music. That, Bowen feels, is profoundly good training for prayer. It inspires kavanah , the spontaneity that comes with being in the moment. He hopes that people carry the feelings of the music away with them so that the next time they hear a prayer, whether to his music or not, they will remember the emotions evoked and connect to the liturgy.