Being in a praise and worship team also entails preparation and discipline. Even the Father himself disciplines us. As I’ve scoured the internet looking for good resources on praise and worship team, I have found this article on a website called Dominica2Day. I wish to share this tips to you on effective praise and worship team rehearsals, as it has helped me too in singing the best praises to the Lord. And after reading this article, don’t forget to flip the pages of your Bible to John 4:23 – 24. Join me also as we pray in preparing our hearts to praise and worship our living God.
Have you ever had a situation on your praise team where the person leading the song didn’t know where to come in after the band’s introduction? How about half of the praise band changing key after the 2nd Chorus and the rest of the players did not? Another very common scenario is that your praise singers are not nailing down that harmony part. In fact, they’re seriously off key or maybe the tenors are sadly flat. And yes, what of that important crescendo on that final worship song in last Sunday morning worship set that was totally forgotten by the entire praise team? Hmmmmmm !!!
I am sure that we (musicians, singers, and praise team folk) can readily identify with the above and many other scenarios as we endeavor to offer up our gifts and skills in praise and worship to the Most High God. How can we improve on and correct these mishaps? I mean after all, the Most High God should get the best offering. He deserves not only an anointed praise and worship session but an excellent one. I strongly believe that the desire is often there for us to “put our best foot forward” for the Lord, but often we don’t know how to get there. The road to success in any endeavor, including worship, can be summed up in one sentence...” Proper Prayerful Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.” Are you ready to take it to the next level? REHEARSALS, REHEARSALS, REHEARSALS. And not only REHEARSALS but effective ones. That’s where the vibe is.
I surely recognize that we cannot say all there is to say about rehearsals in this write-up but I want to offer a few tips and suggestions that I have found to be very effective in having fruitful, productive, and results-oriented rehearsals.
(1) The Rehearsal room (the rehearsal site). Ensure that the area is not too hot neither too cold. The area should be properly aired out and comfortable. Then make sure you have prepared in advance all music and equipment (Tapes, CD players, CD’s, Overheads, Microphones, PA system, sound person. etc.) Your preparation speaks volumes about your commitment to excellence not to mention makes your rehearsal so much more efficient.
(2) The Worship Team Members: Keeping in touch with each member of the worship team via telephone or email is very important. I usually set aside a few minutes (once a week) to call or email each member of my praise team every Monday evening at about 8:00pm just to touch base. My praise team rehearses every Tuesday evening. I have found that making that once a week call a day before rehearsal can be a good idea. If certain members are not home when you call, leave a message. Staying in touch in this way stimulates a sense of interest and responsibility among team members and there may be times when you may actually be able to minister to a need a particular member might have. Showing interest outside of the rehearsal room is crucial. Usually, what this results in is a greater sense of accountability on the part of each member. Always emphasize the importance of being at rehearsals and church services on time and in fact, 30 minutes before scheduled time. Make it a point of duty to pray for each member of the team on a daily basis.
(3) The Rehearsal Strategy on rehearsal day: First and foremost, you have to ensure that all music, lead sheets with chords, vocal parts, all lyrics of songs to be rehearsed, copies of songs etc have been handed out long before the rehearsal day so that the singers and musicians can do their homework and come to the rehearsal prepared. Of course, there will always be elements to be tweaked and fine-tuned. Use a method called “The Cumulative Approach.” This entails working on sections of music and then putting them all together once each section is perfected. Let this sink in...Repetition is the key to learning. Break the song down into sections. Learn each section independently. Go over the rough spots repeatedly. This is work. This is tedious. This can be tiring. This produces excellence. Here are 8 Key elements to work on at your praise team rehearsals. Timing and General Tempo, good–strong-definitive intros, Key changes, Tempo changes, Transitions, Dynamics, Endings, Hand Signals.
In conclusion, let me hasten to add that without a heart full of Christ, all the rehearsal in the world will not produce God-pleasing worship. Preparation in the Word and prayer must be the foundation for any successful worship leader. The Spirit gives life while the flesh counts for nothing (John 6:63). David is a good example in worship. It was David who played skillfully to the Lord whom God used to chase the evil spirit from King Saul (I Samuel 16:13-23). David had a heart for God-AND he was skilled. We too must have a heart for God and be diligent to prepare (rehearse) to worship him. We can never be satisfied with giving the Lord anything less. “Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy” (Psalm 33:3).
More next time!! God bless
Herbie J
Article sourced from http://www.dominica2day.com/Religion/effective-praise-and-worship-team-rehearsals.html
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