Tag: Church

Serving the Moment

the heart of God.

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If you’ve been serving in worship ministry for any length of time, you’ve experienced what God can do when we trust him to move in our services. Watching how the holy spirit moves during a time of worship can be the most fulfilling thing. We all strive for this atmosphere in our churches every week.

Sometimes these moments are more powerful than others. When we do our part to be ready for them, the potential for greatness increases dramatically. But how do we prepare for them? How to we know when they’re happening? And how do we respond to what God is doing in the room? Continue reading “Serving the Moment” →

IEM Mixing Tips

steps to achieve a great monitor mix.

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If you serve on a worship team in the local church, chances are that you’ve either already switched your team over to In Ear Monitor’s (IEM’s) or you’re considering doing it in the future. IEM’s give your team the advantage of a more controllable house mix with lower stage volume. Of course the most desirable perk to the worship team is that each musician and singer gets their own personal monitor mix.

There is a learning curve to using IEM’s that most users never get proper training on. Without any training, learning to use them becomes a frustrating experience.  They can be an incredible tool for your team when they’re used properly. A good in ear mix can also aid to perform better while playing live with a band. However when they’re used improperly, they can cause confusion and even hearing damage.

How do I know my ear mix is a good mix? What should it include?

Continue reading “IEM Mixing Tips” →

Productive Practicing

creating a practice schedule that works.

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I know I’m not the only musician to have an extremely busy schedule. I need to make time wherever I can. Sometimes it feels like trying to move a mountain just to get 10 minutes a day to play guitar. If I’m not careful, I can go all week without touching a guitar. At first it may not seem like that big of a deal, but this can be detrimental to improving your skills. Louis Armstrong says it best:

“If I don’t practice for a day, I know it. If I don’t practice for two days, the critics know it. And if I don’t practice for three days, the public knows it.” ~ Louis Armstrong

It doesn’t take long for a lack of practice to affect your ability to play your instrument. Rehearsing not only makes us better at our craft, but it makes playing more comfortable and enjoyable. If you want to be the best you can be, it’s necessary to follow some guidelines to keep you on track with improving your skill set. Continue reading “Productive Practicing” →

Why Your Church Needs a Music Director

don’t miss “the moment”

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You’re playing through the final chorus of your church’s favorite song. Usually you’d bring it down at the end but the congregation is worshiping powerfully and you know God isn’t done with this moment yet. You take a step back in between lyric lines and signal to your drummer to go back in to the bridge.

You sing out the last few words of the chorus very strong and prepare to keep things going. You take it up to 11 and really power into your churches favorite bridge. Anddd….. the band ends the song… But you’re still going and man are you ever committed. You’re already 4 words into the bridge and strumming your acoustic guitar like you’re trying to kill it. Sometimes these “failed” moments can be powerful but the way this one unfolded it was far from powerful. Powerfully awkward is more like it.

What happened?

There was a breakdown in communication.

Your team is great. Its not their fault. You’re great. Its not your fault. It just so happens the drummer wasn’t paying attention when you made a call. And its not his fault either. Its probably the 50th time he’s played this song and you have never gone back into that bridge.

I know… you know where I’m going with this… “Every church needs a Music Director.”

That’s not what I’m saying.

But what I will say is that I believe that moment was supposed to happen. You were sure of it. God was taking your church somewhere.

Continue reading “Why Your Church Needs a Music Director” →

A Music Directors Purpose

Leading with purpose… not power.

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To be a successful music director you need to understand the purpose of what you’re doing. First and foremost, you are not a MD so that you can make all the decisions and tell the team what to do. This tends to be a common misconception. You, along with the rest of your team, are there to serve. That is the ultimate goal. You have been placed as your teams MD because you show the skills needed to lead a team. So lets talk about how to move forward in this position.
Serve your Worship Leader’s Vision
As the MD, your first goal is always so serve your Worship Leader’s vision. When you put this at the top of your priority list, it creates a cohesive and positive experience for the rest of your team. A trust is developed when you work with your WL at all times and never against them.

 

Continue reading “A Music Directors Purpose” →