Came across this great article about worship team expectations and wanted to go beyond just reposting it on our Facebook group page. I want to re-post this in a place that we can refer back to it from time to time because it is a good reminder for us all!
I think it would be good for us to sit down and draw up our own set of expectations, but in the meantime, I think this will get the discussion started.
Feel free to visit the original posting at
http://worshipleader.com/new-team-member-expectations/
By Greg Jones
Whenever
I begin leading worship for a new team or acquire new musicians, I lay
out expectations in a packet that I give them. The following is a layout
of those expectations. I hope this will be a helpful guide for other
worship leaders.
PracticePractice with the
MP3, using it as a guide to supplement the chord chart in order to
determine dynamics, accents, groove, song structure and most time
signature lines.
Rehearsals are not practices. Please give your
fellow team mates the courtesy of practicing on your own time so that
rehearsals will run as smooth as possible. Please come prepared! Take
notes on the charts if necessary.
As another courtesy, if you need to set up your instrument, please do so BEFORE the start of rehearsal.
General Worship Team Expectations:
Punctuality,
preparation and a humble attitude, coupled with a passion for
excellence. Humility is having the boldness to stare our weaknesses in
the eye without flinching. If we couple that with passion for God,
people and music, then such humility will fuel us to want to grow so
that we do this tomorrow better than we did it yesterday. We ARE
performers but GOD is the audience so give Him nothing less than your
best as your act of worship! This act also teaches the congregation to
do likewise with our very lives, not simply with tunes.
Attitude
produces altitude so humility and passion trump even your
singing/playing skills as long as you have the basic fundamentals down.
You will have to be able to learn the music on a week to week basis.
It
is at the worship leader’s discretion to give allowances for
chronically late attendance and missed rehearsals if a reasonable excuse
is given. Examples might be because you are serving/attending
traditional service, a small group, helping out another church, or
child-care issues.
Know when you’re the ‘elephant’ and when
another instrument is. Stay out of the way of the way of the ‘elephant’
when it’s not you. When in doubt, less is more.
Our vision is
served by our mission. Our mission is partially served by the music, its
style(s) chosen based upon the vision and mission. We are to serve the
style of the song. Classical singing contemporary music or throwing hair
band 80’s guitar riffs and tones into Amazing Grace is not going to
serve the song even if it is done with great skill and talent.
Vocalists Expectations:
• Sing in tune
• Sing in a contemporary style
o Moderate vibrato
o Contemporary vowel enunciations
o Watch those diphthongs and trip thongs. Example: “Praise” should not be sung as “Pray – eese!”
• Blend with the other vocalists
•
Facial and physical expressions communicate more than our words so
communicate the passion you have outwardly. YOU are all worship leaders!
Drummers Expectations:
• Tight tempos
• A sense of dynamics
•
Know where the song is going. The rest of the team cues off of you when
moving through the song structure from verses to choruses, etc. so it
is important that you know the song structures. Whether that means you
use the charts, keep notes or memorize, that is up to you.
•
Tastefulness. Don’t hold back on those flashy chops (if you have them
in your arsenal), but try not to overplay either. Don’t worry, I won’t
micromanage here ☺.
Guitarists Expectations:
• Play for the style. Throwing blues licks into God of Wonders is probably not going to work ☺.
• Acoustic guitarists
o It is generally a fact that you will only be heard during softer parts of songs. Don’t take it personally.
o Learn to use a capo when appropriate.
• Electric guitarists
o Tailor your tones for the style.
o
Listen to recordings of contemporary music for tonal cues (Lincoln
Brewster, Hillsong, Jesus Culture, Redman, etc…). From the secular side,
Eric Johnson, John Mayer, U2’s the Edge and even Slash have produced
tones that can work very well within the genre. Things to stay away
from? Excessive use of chorus and other modulation effects, pointy pink
guitars, and probably little use (if any) of wah wahs.
•
If you are a skilled soloist, I encourage you to give those skills to
God as your act of worship. Just try to be tasteful and make sure it
fits the song or style. Always demonstrate such skills with humility,
performing for God and not for people. Let your attitude of humility
inspire people to ask, “Who are they playing for?” and your excellence
inspire them to ask “Why is their audience (God) so important that they
give Him their all with such passion?” Just as light appears brighter
when in the presence of darkness, humility shines brighter when in the
presence of skill.
Bassists Expectations:
•
Hit the right notes. While every musician has this challenge, it is
probably most important to the band for you to be on top of this since
your instrument so strongly defines the harmonic structure.
•
Sense of rhythm/groove. The bass is a sort of bridge between the pitch
instruments and rhythm instruments. Learn to play the grooves for each
song and ‘in the pocket’.
• Know when to NOT play.
o Usually dynamics are the driving force. Play more when the song is big and less when it is small.
Keyboardists Expectations:
•
I’m sorry that in contemporary, the guitarist’s get to hog so many of
the fun songs. Just remember that the last will be first! ☺
• Use patches/sounds that are appropriate for the song and styles. In contemporary, these are common patches/sounds:
o Pianos
o Organs
o Strings
o Pads
•
Try thinking like an orchestra. You don’t always have to play chords.
Sometimes playing single note melodies, fills and counterpoint is just
the ticket to put a song over the top!
Greg has over ten years
of experience serving as a contemporary worship leader at various
churches in the Dayton, Ohio area. He is currently a worship leader
seeking new worship leader opportunities. Greg is also an adjunct
professor of guitar at Cedarville University. He has recorded three
albums, The Science of Music (with his former band The Collaboration
Element), String Theory, an instrumental guitar oriented rock album and
Manifest Destiny, an instrumental piano album.
