Teaching the Team a New Song

In my last post I mentioned how important it is for the worship leading team to know the song deeply the first time you share it with your congregation. Perhaps a few of these tips can help you accomplish that goal.

1. Determine who is leading. For most of us, this is the worship pastor or worship leader in a room. (Kids / Youth / Primary / Secondary) Whoever is leading should teach the song they way they’d like to do it.
2. Find/Share teaching resources. Identify for your team — and link them to Planning Center  (or another online tool) or email out — everything you have time to find. Some websites offer printed music for most individual instruments (www.lifewayworship.com and www.praisecharts.com are two of my favorites). They also provide chord sheets, and sometimes even rehearsal tracks for individual instruments. If you are open to multi-tracks, those can be great rehearsal resources. And YouTube is a treasure trove of tutorials. Some of the band members who are in the recording may offer “how to” videos for rhythm instruments. It is amazing how many ways there are for team members to thrive!
3. Communicate expectations. At our place that means (and I stole this, who stole it from someone else) “practice is personal; rehearsal is relational.” Practice before rehearsal. Our team comes to “Worship Prep” already knowing the song. This is essential.
4. Start with a clear vision. What do you hear / see as the finished product? Is it exactly like the recording? Do you have the resources to pull that off? If not, what will you adapt? Think about melody, harmony, rhythm instruments, color instruments, etc. The clearer your vision, the better the outcome.
5. Consider a “song map.” I learned this tool from Doug Gould. It’s a simple tool, but can be helpful for the singers, the band, and the tech team. It’s sort of like the sequence of a song, but with some added detail. At the conclusion of the post is a sample song map for Chris Tomlin’s “I Stand Amazed."
6. Finally, make music! The level of preparation we just walked through will make the learning / rehearsing process more enjoyable and effective.
7. Start with a run thru. Get through the whole song. Pay attention to weak spots, which are likely to be “out of the normal” progressions and transitions, and make a mental note of where they are.
8. Do it again. For most musicians, they will fix things on their own before you address them. If they make a mistake twice, there’s a chance they need some help. But let them try to get it right first. This will build their confidence and expedite the learning process.
9. Help the team succeed where they struggle. Are different chords are being played at the same time? Is there a lack of connection between the bass player and drummer? Are the vocals not getting the melody line right—or the harmonies? Only address 2-3 concerns at a time. Then make music again.
1. Think rhythmically — “the pocket.”
2. Think harmonically — the right chords at the right time and in tune.
3. Think dynamically — look for variety, based on lyrics.
4. Think melodically — does everything make the melody easier for the congregation to sing?
10. Repeat #9 until you are 80% pleased.
11. Then run the song again. See how it goes. Repetition is the best teacher, but repeating the wrong thing is a terrible way to learn. So balance the repeating and the fixing.
12. Celebrate! Along the way, celebrate every great moment. When it clicks, celebrate. Every person on your team wants to know they are doing well. They aren’t likely to ask for it, but they crave affirmation and encouragement. What gets rewarded gets repeated, so reward success and progress.

That's an overview, of course, and a generalization. Now... what would you add? What have I missed?