Practice - Effective Time Management

Every successful worship team has to practice.  We have to find what works within our own dynamics of the teams we have.  We have to strive for excellence so that we take everything seriously.  Practicing helps us learn the music, the words, and the dynamic attributes of the songs we do.  But...Practice can either be really great, or it can be a jam session.

When we practice, we take the song by parts.  We start with the intro, then move on to verse 1, the chorus, and so forth.  We work out each section and make sure everyone has it, or is close to having it.  We will review each section several times before we move on.  This does annoy some people though.  I had a lady on my team tell me that she learns better by playing through the entire song, even if she was playing it wrong, then making changes once the song had been played through in its entirety.  Once those changes were made, she said to play the whole song again, then make changes, and continue until we were happy with the song.  This is a waste of valuable time.  When you take it in sections, you can tweak it more and have a higher chance of everyone remembering what to do than having them play the song wrongly ten times and correctly three times once everything is worked out.  Once you each section like you want it, play through it several times to solidify it in your teams mind.  Then work on the transition and the next section.  You'll find that this method works better for those teams that want to sound really good, and really want to please God with their worship.

You don't want to waste your teams time.  They volunteered to be here, but they have their own lives that they need to give attention to.  Make sure to keep them between an hour and an hour and fifteen minutes.  Shoot to accomplish everything in that time frame.  Plan your practice so that you have certain goals, and make them realistic.

Also, there are other ministries that your team may be apart of.  In my church, the two other vocalists are ladies and are heavily involved with the ladies ministries, Sunday School, and Children's Church.  I always try to accommodate these other ministries and work with them.  On Sunday's where the Ladies are having a meeting, or when the Children are having a big event that weekend, I don't have practice.  Yes this "holds us back" in terms of the number of songs we can learn.  But in the big picture, the entire church has a healthier membership due to the "breaks" they get from one ministry and the change of scenery by helping with other ministries as well.  We do good though.  We just make our time count.  We don't jam during practice, we practice.  My team provides me with valuable feedback, and they are glad to be there.

Respect the time of your team members, and make your time with them count!

Don't waste your time

We've all seen Hillsong, Bethel, and Covenant Worship on television.  We've seen the uniqueness of their styles, their musicians, and their vocals.  They are some very talented, and anointed worship teams.  They have an infinite amount  of resources and talent to draw from.  Your team (unless you're David Binion, Kari Jobe, or Rueben Morgan) is not one of these.

Most churches have a core group of musicians and singers.  Usually, you'll have a pianist, a bassist, a single guitarist, and a drummer.  You may have from two, up to four vocalists.  That is your group.  Those are the ones that you work with week in and week out. 

So how do we continue to develop new music and new sounds?  How do we make the songs we use by the larger churches sound like the larger churches?

Don't waste your time.  Your team will not sound like Hillsong, Bethel, or Covenant.  

There are several things to keep in mind when walking the path of a worship leader.  

First, your team is not made up of experts or professionals.  You will have members that may be beginners, or very talented and experienced.  Be willing to help them grow.  You not only need to focus on the abilities of your team, but also on the spiritual growth as well.  

Second, your team is as unique as an individual.  Your team has strengths and weaknesses.   Learn ways to improvise and change things up.  Get your team members out of their comfort zones.  Give a bass solo to your bassist.  You could change the order of the songs.  For example, play through the chorus as your intro, then start on verse 1.  Or, if there is only one verse, have one of your soloists sing it the first time through, and another vocalist of the opposite sex sing it the second time through.  Start by singing the bridge then go into the verse.  There are all kinds of possibilities that can be explored by you and your team.

Third, the songs you select don't have sound like the original artists.  Make them your own.  Change the tempo, the lead in, add your own "flavor" to the music.  Change the primary instrument or lead instrument to something else.  For example, the song "I Look To The King," by Meredith Andrews and Matt Maher uses the piano as the primary instrument.  You could start out with a single acoustic guitar and a keyboard with some subtle synth sounds.  If you don't have a keyboard, maybe a soft organ in the background.  Think outside of the box in your sounds and arrangements.

Music is fluid, worship is sincere, and the only thing that matters is that what and how your team plays so that the presence of the Most High God falls into the sanctuary or wherever you may be.  Think ahead and plan for what will help usher in the spirit of worship.

The point is this though...
Don't waste your time trying to be a worship team that you're not.  You have your own signature sound.  Cultivate it and focus your time there.  God has given your team an ID.   Be the team that He wants you to be.