In the Studio

I had the opportunity of a lifetime to be able to travel to Evansville, Indiana with our Joy Trio to record their first CD.  These ladies are no "fly by night" group, they've been singing together for over twenty-five years.  As their pianist, I know all of the hard work, rehearsal time, and sacrifice these ladies have made to serve the Lord with song.  Our pastor and each of our husbands made this trip possible and took care of the travel, making it an enjoyable trip, and keeping us on the road through snow and icy weather.
After we arrived at the studio we got right to work.  The ladies warmed up for a few minutes and then the recording began. Of course, they made it look easy, recording ten songs in one working day.  The wonderful musicians and sound engineers at the studio made the experience so enjoyable.  They were very encouraging and helpful.  Knowing that they were experts in their fields made us relax and focus on our music.
The fear I had about having to be a perfect musician melted away since mistakes can be corrected without starting over from the beginning.  It made me realize that it's a possibility that most of the recordings we hear are not perfect from the start, unless they're "live from Carnegie Hall".  Don't let your feelings of shortcomings as a musician keep you from playing for the Lord or from attempting to record a CD.  I would love to go back and record another CD!!!

I learned A LOT from this experience:
1. Practice time is not in vain.
2. Take care of the little problems for each song as you prepare it for church.
3. Organize your music, mark problem areas, and choose music that touches your heart.
4. Do not focus on learning songs for a CD, but for the service of the house of God.
5. God answers prayer and goes above and beyond.
6. Regardless of the CD sales, we now have a professionally recorded collection of songs for our church and families.

Church Music Master Schedule

Have you ever been playing the opening congregational song and realized that it was the same title as the offertory?  Have you ever had to change the solo title at the last minute because the choir special was the same title?  Amazingly, this has happened on more than one occasion to me.  There are thousands of songs and hundreds in the hymnal - how can we choose the exact same ones for the service?

Usually this happens when something has to be changed at the last minute due to sickness, lack of preparation, etc.  We came up with a way to plan the music in a more detailed way than just the special music schedule.  

Having a special music coordinator, choir director, junior choir director, and offertory coordinator means that we all have the responsibilities of selecting song titles for the schedules.  As music coordinator, I would schedule the special music and the congregational songs for each service.  For the choir special and offertory I would just put in "choir special" and the names of the musicians playing the offertory.  This would leave some parts of the service to chance, the songs could be going in "polar opposite" directions or be the exact same titles.  

Last year we decided to plan the year in quarters.  Each choir director and music group leader sends a list of suggested music titles for the quarter to me.  I then approve the songs for each group, usually just letting them know if another group or musician sings/plays that same title.  If a song is not usable, I don't place it on the quarterly schedule and return the list to the director with explanations of why a song is not usable.  

This master list is completed for the quarter and then is edited and sent as a monthly schedule to the song leader, choir director, orchestra director and music group leaders.  I can't tell you how much of a blessing and help this schedule has been as I type the order of service each week.  All of the decisions are made and all of the leaders had input.  The congregational songs are planned for the quarter, so you don't keep repeating or missing certain hymns and gospel songs.

The list is typed in a table style in a landscape format.  The columns follow the order of the service: choir opener/choir special/congregational songs/special music number/offertory.  Everyone can prepare in advance.

It took several meetings with our pastor and the music leaders for everyone to understand the process but it was well worth it.  Each group leader received forms to fill out for the quarter.  Information on the form helped me update all of my records and know what each group needed.  

Include: Names/cells/addresses of all group members.  List of songs sung in the past six months.  Suggested list of five songs for the next rehearsals, suggested songs for the next holiday.  Suggestions for the group, outfits, new recruits, etc.

It is a lot of work for one day a quarter but you'll reap the results the rest of the year.  I can't believe we didn't begin this sooner.

Church Music 2014 simplified

Hello fellow church musician(s),
I'm not sure if I'm writing for anyone else to read or just for my benefit.  Either way, I've had a year off from the blog in exchange for using my pen and notebook.  The Lord has done a work in me as I'm sure He has in you this past year.  I am praising Him for all of His wonderful goodness and faithfulness!  I've posted an old photo from 1983 from an old-fashioned service.  Things were simpler then but I didn't think so! ha! (Jennifer Petticoffer/S. Petticoffer/J. Smith)
My theme or guiding word for this year is "Simplify".  I have just started the process and want this to trickle into all of the group rehearsals and scheduling.  When I say "simplify" I'm not meaning going backwards in any way, but moving forward in an efficient and streamlined manner.
The Lord gave me this thought the other day, almost ridiculously simple.  There are fifty-two Sundays and fifty-three Wednesdays in 2014.  That means 104 Sunday specials and 53 Wednesday specials for a total of 157 special numbers.  If we have thirty-two active soloists, groups, jr. choirs, and teen groups that means each of them would be able to sing about 5 times per year.  Some large groups, like jr. choirs, would still sing monthly.
If every soloist, duet, trio, quartet, and ensemble knows that they will only be singing a certain amount of times per year, that gives them a definite idea of the work and preparation time they have for each special number.  Of course, if you only have a total of ten soloists and groups they would need to each prepare for sixteen special numbers, but they would have a definite number of specials.
Knowing that number took a huge load off of my mental "shoulders".  I'm planning on walking into the next ensemble rehearsal with a folder or book for each musician.  On the cover will be the year "2014" and inside will be five songs plus a few old standbys for back-ups and a Christmas and Patriotic song.  Knowing that these are our nine rehearsal songs will greatly minimize stress, decision-making, and being unprepared for the services.  The best songs of the year will be used for the revival and conferences.
Just think, by the end of the year the songs should all be memorized, wow!  By June, I plan to add a section marked "2015", replacing the songs we have already sung and also to keep rehearsals exciting.
This may be "old hat" for some of you but I'm very excited about doing this.  I'll be busy the next few weeks but the year will be charted and hopefully we'll be able to sing and "play skillfully with a loud noise" for our Lord.  By the way, we came up with a new idea last year and I'll let tell you about it next Saturday.

Psalm 100

A Psalm of praise.

¹      Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

²      Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

³      Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

⁴      Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

⁵      For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

"Is It Worth It All?"

Have you ever sung or played a special and felt a little down after it was over?  I have to tell you that I have.  Sometimes you may have thoughts like: "What was that all about?", "That song lasted 2 1/2 minutes, it took me five hours to write out the parts, six weeks of rehearsal, and several hours of other types of preparation.", "Did anyone even hear the song?", "Why did we even work that hard for that result?"
These are natural and human thoughts but, as Christian musicians, we have to learn to ignore those types of feelings.  It is easy to feel that way if you're tired or have had a demanding schedule.  Holidays, revivals, programs can often make you feel like a Baptist jukebox, just push a button and expect ten or twelve specials to pop out perfectly.
But that is not what we're about.  Music is a service ministry to serve the people of your church and to serve the Lord. Each note and word you sing is for the glory of the Lord, not for the glory of man.  It is not about us.   We should be willing to be anonymous as musicians.  We should not be concerned about getting our names out there in the recording industries, publishing, etc. If that's the will of the Lord, great, if not, we have a place of service and should be content with the opportunity to use our work for the Lord.
Your ability, opportunity, and ministry are gifts and must be treasured. They could be affected so quickly, changed, or removed completely.  Enjoy your usability and forget about instant results, gratification, or recognition.

I Corinthians 15:58 - Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

"Group Personalities"

Have you noticed that every group rehearsal is different?  Every group member is individual and so every group personality will be its own.  It's been over ten years since we've started a mixed adult ensemble.  We've had Voice of Triumph ensemble for thirty plus years and Strength and Beauty Ensemble for almost fifteen years.  I had the privilege of starting a brand new adult ensemble just a few months ago and I can tell that this group will have its own sound and learning style.  As a matter of fact, I'm having to be very flexible with the song selections.  I had five songs chosen for the first month of rehearsals and only two seemed to fit their likes and learning style.
I think it also goes the other way.  They are learning my directing style.  I hope they will be patient with me as I "get the feel" of this groups' personality.
The group has sixteen members (eight couples) and is very talented.  They are also very faithful and prompt to rehearsals.  We practice in the fellowship hall because of the size of group and also because there are nineteen children who attend with their parents!  All together there are thirty-six of us in the room! So, I've learned that we need to get right to the point in rehearsal, not wasting time, because the longer we practice the louder the room tends to get!  No problem, just the stage of the families in the group.  I'm sure in the next few years this number will grow!
I'm looking forward to a great first year with this group.  This group has reminded me of what makes groups work, regardless of personalities.
1. Plan rehearsals at a convenient time for all who attend
2. Have a clean and comfortable room to practice
3. Have music prepared and organized in individual folders.  Group members may leave them with you or take them home to practice.
4. Add a new song every few weeks.
5. Be willing to make practice recordings for group members to practice at home.
6. Arrive before the group members and get the room ready and music laid out for distribution.
7. Start on time, even if all of the group members have not arrived.
8. Finish on time.
9. Announce to the group when they will be singing next, several weeks beforehand.
10. If the group is struggling with a song, hold off on it and find one that "clicks" for the group.
11. Try to make eye contact and greet each member of the group at each rehearsal.  Thank them for their faithfulness.:)

"When You Lose Your Piano"

What has Jesus commanded us to do?  

Matthew 22:36-40
³⁶Master, which is the great commandment in the law? ³⁷Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.³⁸This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. ⁴⁰On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Musicians, there may come when your ministry as a musician changes or even disappears.  I know a wonderful Christian lady who has served faithfully as the pianist of her church for many years.  She no longer is physically able to fulfill that position.  Has her role at the church changed? Yes.  Has her value as a servant of God changed? Absolutely not!  As a matter of fact, she may be able to be a blessing in a more crucial and life-changing part of the ministry.  She might have more time for: prayer, spending time with the Lord on behalf of others, encouraging missionaries, loving her family, writing books, writing music, etc. 

My role as a musician has changed drastically since I first began playing in church thirty-three years ago.  Being the only pianist left at the church (for a few months) meant that I had my "finger in every pie".  I played for the congregational songs, choir, jr. choir, music groups and soloists, and for the offertory every single service.  Did I feel needed? Yes.  Was I good at every position? Not really.  Would I last long doing that? Probably not.

I praise the Lord for the day that Mrs. Joyce Kiefer walked in the church.  I praise the Lord for the day that Mrs. Jo Hovind walked into the church.  After they arrived, I no longer played for the congregational singing, I no longer played for the choir, I no longer played for the offertories, specials or solos.  I only played for the jr. choirs and one singing group.  Wow, talk about a role change.  During those years I began the "C" Sunday School Teen ladies class, worked on the first bus routes to Tyler, Texas, and Shreveport, Louisiana, started college, practiced until my arms dropped off, and began a real walk with God.  God used that time in my life to give me a heart for every ministry around the church.  I believe if I lost my "piano" today, I could find more ministries to keep me occupied! 

Eventually, I did again become the church pianist.  I did regain the position of playing for most all of the groups, but this was because of necessity, not design.  Church splits and staff changes can cause this responsibility shift.  Today, we have many great pianists who can stand alone as a primary church pianist, but that is not necessary in our ministry at this point.  We have a team and no one person is carrying the load. We are able to function in all of the ministries in the church and also have time to be wives and mothers, sisters, and friends.

What if you lost your "piano"?  Would you still love your church and love your God with all of your heart?  I sure hope so.  God might be giving you some space to know that there are so many ways to love and to serve Him.  Prepare yourself for any task and always be ready to be used wherever God wants to use you.

Christmas Music List for 2012

I sure hope you're right in the middle of practicing your Christmas music!  We had a goal of starting Christmas practices by the end of September, it actually worked this year.  I wanted to post a list of songs we will be using this Christmas, just in case you're still searching.

Teen Music
"From a Cradle to the Shadow of the Cross", Lillenas, Easy-to-Excel Collection
"Happy Birthday, Jesus" - Mike Speck, "The Heart of Christmas: God's Greatest Gift, Our Greatest Choice"
"All is Well", Majesty Music
"Wise Men Still Seek Him Today" - Word Music

Young Adult Ensemble
"A Manger Filled With Love', Sally DeFord, FREE pdf downloads for personal use (defordmusic.com).  She has several great Christmas songs that are arranged for SSA, SAB, and SATB, some include instrumental obligato
"Wonderful Name", Word Music, SATB, arr. Camp Kirkland
"Son of Man, Son of God" - arr. by Sonja Poorman, Triad Music/Bruce Cokecroft and Bill Galliford
"We Beheld His Glory" - Robert Sterling/Word music

Adult Ensemble or Choir
"Christmas Joy" - takes parts of "Joy to the World", "How Great Our Joy", and "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" and puts them into an easy to learn arrangement.  Good for older choirs or groups who might take longer to learn words - they should know these!  Majesty Music, Christmas cantata, "Ten Thousand Hallelujahs."
"And His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful" - defordmusic.com
"O Little Town of Bethlehem/Silent Night" - Triad Music
"Start at the Manger" - Robert Sterling/Word music - one of our favorites!

Ladies' Ensemble or Trio
"What Can I Give to the King?" - Word Music, Ladies' Christmas Collection
"How Deep the Father's Love for Us" - Stuart Townsend
"Lion of Judah" - Word Music, Ladies' trio collection
"Cherish That Name" - Word Music, Lanny Wolfe

Christmas Offertory Ideas
"A Quiet Christmas with Christ" published by Bible Truth Music
"Hymnworks Christmas" - Linda McKechnie, piano/organ duets
Alfred Publishing - Christmas Piano Solo/Piano Duet books by Melody Bober, Kevin Costly, etc.  Written for piano students but the late intermediate books have wonderful arrangements.

Men's Ensemble/Quartet
"O Come, O Come Emmanuel" - hymnal
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" - Christmas carol book
"O Holy Night" - "Till the Storm Passes By" Book,  Two-part arrangements for men, Lillenas Publishing

I recommend purchasing the little Singspiration/Benson Christmas Favorites book.  There are many songs included in that book for all types of groups to help you have beautiful holiday music.  The Majesty and Rejoice Hymnals also have many Christmas specials.