Music Ministry and Worship

Random e-mail fwd - but worth it

2008-08-12T17:48:00.004-04:00

I got this email the other day with this video attached. What's really cool is that the pentatonic scale he speaks of was invented (or used extensively) way before anyone ever thought of a piano and its black keys. It just so happens that when equal temperament was decided upon, what became the black keys just happened to be the pentatonic scale. You can look up the history of equal temperament and read more about how that came about...that's neat stuff too. It helped make Bach famous.

Anyways...get your tissue and watch this video.

We'll see how long I can keep this up...

2008-08-11T11:40:00.002-04:00

As you can see by may post dates...my blogs are few and far between...makes you wonder why I even do them right? Well, this is a blogging world...and if I am to be be forever contemporary as God is, I need to be in the world (though not of it). I can't for the life of me figure why anyone would read this...but you never know.

Soon, I will post a pic of an ultrasound we had last week. This will be our first baby and we cannot wait. He/she is due Dec. 28...which means our Messiah performance on Dec. 7th could be very interesting. Thanks for your prayers in that.

Blogging is difficult

2006-03-27T10:58:00.000-05:00

It is. For me, it's more difficult because it seems pointless. I guess in the long run... who really needs to (or wants to) hear about the life of a music minister? But until someone convinces me otherwise...blogging is a part of life for too many people for it to be called "pointless". I'm sure at some point, blogging will be a way of life that cannot be ignored. So, here I am again, with the question, "What can be said today?"

After a few weeks of no posts, I guess there's plenty to be said. It has been very busy, too busy, but yet I still struggle with what to write.

One of the best things recently has been the overwhelming positive response to a solo handbell piece I rang a few weeks ago. It was an arrangement of "Amazing Grace" for one ringer and piano. I rang 2 octaves (the melody) in 3 or 4 keys accompanied by a jazz-swing piano part, to which I added organ and drums for the fun of it. It is sort of difficult to do, but once learned it really is easy. The fun part is that it looks terribly difficult to the average person's eyes. The way the bells are picked up and rung and put down, though very simple, looks very difficult. I had an overwhelming number of positive comments on it. Even some of the handbell choir (13 people to ring 5 octaves) were amazed. (I'm not sure I'll tell them how easy it really is :) )

We've had good choirs on Sundays too. One Sunday, the loft was full... totally unexpected to me. It's so nice when everyone shows up. I wish it were that way every time we were together, not just to sing on Sundays, but every time - I so enjoy being with this group of people. What a privilege to be in front of them on a weekly basis.

Prep for our Musical on April 9 is coming down to the wire. I should be working on that, but, no, I felt it important to blog. What's up with that? There's still a lot to be done. I can't even begin a list here. I guess I had better close this and get to work.

So much for being caught up!

2006-03-13T12:27:00.000-05:00

Sunday was just simply a crazy day. God was good and not much went wrong... and what did go wrong, most probably wouldn't have noticed if it slapped them in the face. But that's a whole other sermon...

Back in the saddle today with too much on my plate... yet I find time to blog, what's up with that? With our Easter musical coming so very quickly, all the elements (band, praise team, orchestra, choir) are starting to come together a little more. We've still got quite a few technical things to work out - like a click track video we've got to figure out how to pump to the drummer and no one else. There are some video projection things to figure out... but it's coming.

We've also got a lot of big project ideas - too big. We need a complete overhaul of sound/video projection/ and lighting. That's not cheap, and we're not ready for it. We've also got a concert opportunity that would bring in a pretty big name... but there's a huge chance we'll lose a lot of money on it. Is it worth it? I'm not so sure any more.

Then there's the weekly stuff, like planning for worship on Sundays and planning all my rehearsals. Some people think, "How hard is it to pick a few songs each week?" It takes a few hours at least, not to mention many other "passing thought" moments, in order to get a service together that runs smoothly, both textually and musically. You can't just blindly point to a song on a list and say, "Okay, I guess that'll do." What kind of offering is that? David said once, "I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing (1 Chronicles 21:24)." Not only does it take time to select songs that fit musically and textually, but then you've got to figure out the best "flow" for them to work together, then you've got to figure out how to rehearse the musicians in such a way to convey your vision of how they fit, then you've got the energy of concentration to lead it during the Sunday services. I wish it were easier, but to be stretched like this so often... it truly is a blessing in disguise.

God bless you as you seek to serve him.

All Caught Up --- whatever

2006-03-07T13:40:00.000-05:00

I know, I said I'd do a better job of posting new material. Well, obviously, I'm not very good at it. But, maybe I'll get there.

I guess I need to set some goals... what do I hope to accomplish with this blog? Is there a purpose? or is it just to say "Yeah, I've got a blog." I want people to learn something from me, that's a definate. I would hope to help people understand who I am, why I have chosen this particular profession, what it is about music and worship that so captivates me, why Jesus is so important to me, and maybe even the ups and downs of music ministry in a church setting.

Most people don't have a clue about any of these things. Like my mom for example, after 7 years of school and Bachelor and Master degrees in music, she finally asks, "What does a minister of music do all day - to make it a full-time job?" At that point in my life, I was still trying to figure that out as well...

But now, after being in full-time ministry for about 5 years... 40 hours a week is not ENOUGH time to get everything done that should be done. Here's an example of all the things under my particular umbrella:
Adult Choir
Handbells
Orchestra
Praise team singers
Praise band
Sunday morning worship time
Sunday night worship time

Those are just regular basis things. RIght now I've also got a church directory responsibility and several committee responsibilities. Of those things listed above, I've got to find music (I go through about 5 songs to get 1 to use on average), I've got to plan how the music fits together, got to plan how to rehearse it in not enough time, actually do the directing of the music we've rehearsed in services, and also figure out how to bring all the elements together since they rehearse separately.

I know, it sounds simple. But I'd love to see my life on Discovery or TLC just to show the world how difficult it is.

Over and above what you see there, I also am the most technologically minded of anyone at the church. So I get to take care of all that too (projectors, computers, sound systems, tv's, website, graphics, etc.) DOn't get me wrong, I love that... but as you know, as soon as you loearn something in that world, it's out of date and antiquated. Then you spend time learning the new way, and it becomes obsolete.

But... this is how God has chosen to gift me and call me. I will serve him faithfully until he calls me home. God is God and I am not.

Day off at work (sort of)

2006-02-23T13:47:00.000-05:00

Technically, Thursdays are my day off. However, today there is a funeral that required my attention. Ah the life of a minister... never a dull moment. Luckily, today I only have to run the sound board. Last weekend there were two, one I ran sound and the other I was the song leader during the memorial service. I also was asked to create a video tribute for the deceased in that one. It went over really well. The families suggestion for background music was perfect - Appalachian Spring by Copland. Its about 22 minutes long, but I was able to find a few clips that were easy to blend together. Then I had pictures of the deceased at various stages of life moving across the screen. The funeral home, who does this as a service when at their chapel, asked who did the video tribute and how they did it. So that was pretty neat... not to mention the thanks from the family of the deceased.

I'm actually typing today's entry from the balcony of the sanctuary. We just recently got the sanctuary computer connected to our church's network. It really takes a load off knowing we can access it from our offices... It just so happens that in that process we can also access the internet from the sanctuary computer. It's about 7 minutes until the funeral starts, so I guess I had better get focused on that need.

God bless.

Back to business

2006-02-22T16:32:00.000-05:00

I recently (as of Nov. 05) moved to a new and wonderful ministry position. And with that, our church website has been added to my list of things to do. In researching how to make our church site interactive and returnable, I found a plethora of info on blogging, and therfore, am challenging myself to continue my short-lived blogging adventure.

I have no idea what it may become, but just like the guy from Fellowship Church, don't force it and let what happens happen naturally... so we're off to see where God takes this.

Hopefully, blogging can and will become a way for people to connect with one another and share what God is doing in so many ways through so many people. It can be a way to share hurts and concerns, a way to vent frustrations, a way to compliment without embarrassing, and a way to encourage beyond "thanks". We'll see.

Contemporary Worship Music

2005-09-02T16:00:00.000-04:00

Contemporary really means current, for us, current musical trends. Some people call some music contemporary that's been around for 30 years. I'm not saying they're wrong - but to me, what's contemporary is not the music as it is written, but the music as it is performed. For example, since we've previously talked about hymns, I firmly believe some traditional hymns can be transformed into contemporary works of art. Just look at "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" that was transformed into a powerful contemporary worship song called "The Wonderful Cross". The words were written in the early 1700s by Isaac Watts and the music written in the early 1800s by Lowell Mason. But here comes Chris Tomlin, J.D. Walt, and Jesse Reeves in 2000 and they, leaving Watts' words and Mason's melody intact, write a short chorus, change a few chords, and have one of the most popular hymn-transformations to date. So the old music and words can be made new (or contemporary).

Then there are the brand new songs - in contemporary musical stylings. Some say they repeat themselves too much. Like the story of the old farmer that went to church in the big city with his son who had moved there for work. The church was new and did contemporary music. When the old farmer got home, his wife asked him about the services. He said this, "Suppose we had a cow that needed milked. In our (traditional) church, we'd say, 'The cow in the barn needs milked.' But here, they said, 'The cow, the cow, the big brown cow, the one in the barn, our barn, down in our pasture, the cow in the barn, yes, our barn, she needs, oh how she needs, Lord, you know she needs milked, Oh Lord, help us to milk, to milk, our cow in our barn.' Well, that's about all we did at this church."

Now, yes, this is an obvious exaggeration... but there is a point to some of the repetitions. First and foremost is that contemporary writers emphasize some theological points with repetition. For example, Chris Tomlin's "Forever" has a bridge that repeats "His love endures forever" about 16 times, plus twice per verse. But just take a look at the hymns of the bible - the Psalms. Where Tomlin takes this from is Psalm 136 - of which the phrase, "His love endures forever" is repeated over 20 times... if it okay for the Word of God, its okay for God's people to sing. Plus, there are many other repetitions - think about how many times we see "Sing for joy to the Lord" or "Shout to God" or "Clap your hands" in the Scriptures. Repetition is a literary tool for making a point (or emphasis).

Repetition can also be a musical need. So that songs can resemble their radio, CD, or I-pod counterparts, sometimes repetition is needed. If you listen to most songs on the radio (Christian, rock, pop, or country) most have the same form (or structure) musically - verse 1-chorus-verse 2-chorus-bridge-chorus. The contemporary music of worship does the same as needed.

That's enough about what I understand about the subject. I'll tell you more in the next post about how I think a combination of the two (traditional and contemporary) is what's best for the majority of the churches seeking to not only take care of those they have in their midst but also reach out to those that they haven't reached yet.

I hope God blesses you in your search for him. Jeremiah 29:13 tells us that when we seek him (God) with all our heart, we will find him.

Traditional Worship Music

2005-09-02T15:56:00.000-04:00

Traditional - in most cases, the extreme is music that is quite old, more that 30, 40, or 50 years old. The term traditional is used because it's what churches have traditionally done in their music and worship for decades. It is their "tradition" and each church has it's own. I helped in a revival a few weeks ago and the music they "normally" sang was southern gospel hymns I had never even heard before (and I was raised in a traditional church).

The positives of traditional music in worship are
1) it helps the worshiper who has a connection with the song - spiritually and/or emotionally. Many claim "Amazing Grace" as their favorite hymn due to some past spiritual or emotional experience with the song. Every time it is sung, they immediately connect with God through it's text and music because they remember this great and awesome past experience and it encourages them in their faith.
2) traditional hymns have a depth of doctrine that is not found very often in the contemporary music. Many hymns speak of the greatness of God in a way that expounds upon a believer's knowledge of the Scriptures. These hymns speak in language that is not spoken regularly and therefore lift "new" expressions of worship to God.

The negatives of traditional music in worship are
1) a new believer with no past connection to the hymn, might easily get "bored" with the archaic language and strophic nature (same tune with many stanzas).
2) Younger believers connect with God through music styles that they hear on a regular basis. They seem more drawn to worship when they hear musical stylings that imitate or recreate what they hear on their radios,CDs, and I-pods - and nothing in mainstream music resembles the hymn (except some classical music).

Next Blog - Contemporary Worship

I hope God blesses you in your search for him. Jeremiah 29:13 tells us that when we seek him (God) with all our heart, we will find him.

First Blog

2005-09-01T11:29:00.000-04:00

Why Music and Worship? Because that's who I am. I am a minister of music and worship. That's not only my job, but my passion. I've spent 7 years in school and about 12 years professionally pursuing the subject of music and worship and how it not only affects people, but its place in the local church. And it's not been easy.

If you have any knowledge of this field, you know that it is filled with two major sides - that emphatically oppose the other side. The two sides: Traditional versus Contemporary. Now, yes, it is true that a great number in this field have a broader understanding that both sides have their merits and that some form of combination seems to be the most logical way for local church use - myself included.

Next Blog - Traditional Worship

I hope God blesses you in your search for him. Jeremiah 29:13 tells us that when we seek him (God) with all our heart, we will find him.