Why We Don’t Rehearse Every Week
Feb 21, 2009 Uncategorized
How It Was
We used to reserve every Wednesday night for an hour and a half rehearsal. We showed up at 6:30 and rehearsed until 8:00. Then we would show up again at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings for an hour to rehearse and soundcheck before Sunday School and our service at 10:30 am. That all changed last summer.
When it Changed
Last summer I had a few weeks where I was leading worship for some church camps and I was going to be out two weeks in a row on our regular Wednesday rehearsal. So I decided that for one month we would take a break from our Wednesday rehearsals and just show up a little early on Sunday morning. We made sure that our songlists did not include any new music, just songs that we needed to review. The band loved it. We have decided to continue the process.
How it Works Now
We meet on one Wednesday per month to work on new music that is coming up. That means I have to be prepared atleast 4 weeks ahead of time with the probable songlists. We use that rehearsal to go over new music. We listen to the songs, double check the songsheet and then try to run it atleast once through so we understand it. I also record these rehearsals and email them the recording we made, or make it available on planning center.
Then Sunday mornings we meet from 8:00 till 9:30 to rehearse for that Sunday morning. We go over each song atleast twice, and then take the rest of the time to work on the new song for the next week, just to refresh. Then we are ready to go for Sunday morning services.
The Challenges
Doing our rehearsals and lists this way has had its own set of challenges. The first would be that I have to have our songlists done in advance. (How we do that). The second challenge is having enough time to go over songs. This has meant we have had to be more disciplined with our time and not waste time during rehearsals.
The Benefits
The first benefit I have noticed is that we have been forced to limit our amount of new songs. This means we have, as a band, learned the ones we use better. It has also meant our congregation has had time to learn the songs. It seemed like before we would learn a song, use it, and then not use it again for a while.
Secondly I have noticed we are not going over things twice. It seemed like no matter what we worked on for Wednesday we were repeating it on Sunday morning anyway.
Thirdly I work with volunteers who have families. We all do. I think it has been great to give my already busy dedicated volunteers an extra night most weeks that they can spend at home.
The fourth reason was more of a factor this summer when gas prices were topping $3.50. The less times that we were driving back and forth to tthe church, the less gas was spent.
Our band has agreed to keep Wednesdays free and I agreed to give one weeks notice of an extra rehearsal. We did this as we prepared for Christmas and probably will for Easter.
What is your rehearsal schedule?
Tags: band, busy, camp, Christmas, Church, Free, Recording, rehearsal, songlists, Songs, summer, Sunday, Team, work, Worship
“Embracing Technology in Working with Youth Bands”
Jul 21, 2008 Media and Technology, Youth Worship
One of the most difficult challenges in working with youth bands is dealing with students who are in the beginning phases of learning an instrument, particularly guitar or bass players. This can be frustrating for a youth worker/band leader who is an experienced player because you don’t want to spend a large portion of band rehearsal giving guitar lessons. Also, with a busy ministry schedule and family time, it’s difficult to start giving music lessons on a regular basis as part of your ministry program. So, I am entertaining the idea of using modern technology for teaching purposes.
I don’t know if this will work, but it sounds like it would. These days you can buy a webcam for about $30 or so. Would it be possible to buy a webcam and record one’s self playing various songs? With a webcam a person can see on his computer screen what he is recording. In theory could I record a fair resolution recording particularly with close-ups of chord fingerings of several guitar songs and burn them to a DVD using Windows Movie Maker? I know there are thousands of guitar instruction videos posted on youtube, so I know it can be done. I’m just not sure how.
Do you have any suggestions if I want to proceed with this? Also, will I need to buy a microphone in addition to the webcam, or does a USB webcam have audio capability? Also, would I be violating any copyright laws by recording a few chord progressions on a webcam?
If this works, in an hour or two, you could give an instructional guitar lesson on several worship songs that your students could rewind and play over again. What do you guys think? What advice can you give? Will it be more trouble than its worth?
Jason Huffman is the Director of Youth Ministries at First United Methodist Church in Palestine, TX. For more information visit the youth website www.reachyouthministries.org Or the church website www.fumcpalestine.com
Tags: band, busy, Church, guitar, jason huffman, lessons, Recording, rehearsal, Songs, technology, Theory, video, work, Worship, youth, Youth Band
Margin
Apr 16, 2008 Uncategorized
Last night was our first Church League Men’s Softball game. I was pitching for our team. Now I think they let me pitch because first of all I can get the ball over the plate 70% of the time and two because I don’t have an arm to play outfield or the quickness to play infield. I think it’s where I can do the least harm. Anyway the game started off and after the first 2 innings the score was close, like 5-3. During that time I was trying so hard to make a strike, to not walk anyone, well I was trying too hard. I ended up walking two batters.. in church slow pitch softball.
Fortunately we got out of the inning and our team came on and had a big rally and put up about 10 runs on the board. You know what happened next time I pitched? I threw 5 pitches the whole inning. I did not walk anyone, and I threw pitches right over the plate.
So what was the difference? The margin for error I had. With only one run difference.. I was trying to be so perfect I was making mistakes. With a 10 run lead I relaxed, didn’t worry so much and just played the game. It was because I allowed myself room to make mistakes that I actually did better. I did not worry about someone getting on base because I knew I had some room to work with.
How often when I am in ministry do I not allow myself room to work? When I wait until the last minute to put together a song list or to create lead sheets, then I make mistakes. When I do not communicate with people before a service, and therefore do not know who will be there, I try to make it up and be perfect and I do not worship, I worry.
What I am learning is to create margin for error, margin for interruption, space for things to happen. If I work on songlists a few weeks out then I have room to change a song when it feels right. When I create lead sheets early, I can play through them and make sure everything is fine before rehearsal. When I communicate and organize and know what is going on in a worship service, even the elements I am not directly in charge of, things flow smoother, I do not worry and I am more open to God moving into the lives of those who are gathered together.
So my question is how can we create margin?
1. Prayer- Someone wise once said, “I have so much to do today I need to spend another hour on my knees in prayer.” It is amazing what happens to your time when you pray. I find I get more done, and that distractions seem to disappear.
2. Prioritize- “Seek first the Kingdom of God” When you put God first He will help you to see what those important things are to do each day.
3. Make a list- Use a post it note, your pda, or a piece of paper and write down what you need to do for the day or even the week. I get a sense of accomplishment as I cross off things, and I can see what I have done, and what I have left to do.
4. Use your time wisely- Don’t just refrain from doing things that waste time, for example playing scrabulous or checking your facebook, (personal examples) but when you have 10 minutes here or 5 minutes there find something on your list for later in the day or week and go ahead and do it.
5. Take your time off- If you are in full time, or even part time ministry you need a day off. Just a hint… Sunday is not a day off. Find a day in the week that you can stay away from church and church conversations, emails, etc. Don’t just sit at home though, find something to do that rejuvenates you. Spend time with a friend, read a book, work on a non ministry related project or perhaps take a nap.
Tags: busy, Church, facebook, How To, organize, Prayer, rehearsal, songlists, Sunday, Team, wasted, work, Worship, youth
The TO-DO list!!!!!
Apr 5, 2008 Uncategorized
Hours race by like minutes and at the close of the day, I wonder “just where did the time go”?
Things that were on my to-do list from yesterday are still left uncrossed and my plate begins to grow to an overwhelming 5 course dinner!!!
WOW…. how did I end up like this?
I’m reminded of a scripture you all probably know: seek ye first the Kingdom of God. Do we really seek Him first everyday? Is He more important to us than the tasks at hand?
I’ve been really convicted of this lately because I feel my wheels are just spinning and I’m getting no where Why I failing so miserably is because I’m not seeking my Savior first and then tending to my to-do’s. Note the order. Him first, tasks later.
This problem isn’t anything new, so don’t feel bad if you are in the same boat with me. 
In the Old Testament God became very angry that His people were more worried about their own homes while His temple lay in ruins. (Haggai 1:9) How can we walk the path God has for us if we don’t talk to Him first everyday? If we don’t pray and read His Word? Make THOSE THINGS our #1 priority?? After all, we are the temple! Christ dwells in us. Well, the good news is this… the Lord can help us get our priorities straight. Just ask Him for help and He’ll show you what needs to be done.
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. And all these things shall be added unto you… Praise God!!
Tags: busy, Kerri Crocker, Prayer, preparing
so I haven’t written for a while…
Mar 16, 2008 Uncategorized
A wise person once told me never to start your blog, after you have not written for a while, with the words… “so I haven’t written for a while” or something similar. The truth is that many things have kept me busy and I haven’t had time. Well that’s not exactly true. If I really sit and think back on my day was I really all that busy? Wake up in the morning and get ready. Make lunch for my wife (how sweet am I) and get her off to work. Make sure the dogs have water and are safely confined in the kitchen. Go to work. Work all day long. Come home. Eat dinner Go to bed!
I could be fooled in to thinking that all of that takes up all of my time but if I really sit and think about it there are pockets of 15 minutes here and 30 minutes there scattered all through the day. Like when I finish working on something and it’s 10 minutes before lunch so I really can’t get into another project. Or when I come home and my wife is still at school for another 30 minutes. Maybe it is not that my time is not all occupied, but that it is occupied with the wrong things. Television? Purposeless internet surfing? Wasting Time?
I guess there is time to write, to share my thoughts, to rejoice in the highs and lows of the day. And really it’s not just about blogging. It’s also about prayer.
It is so easy to do the same thing in my prayer life. I can get into thinking that I don’t have time, that there are soooo many other important things that have to go on that I don’t have time. Maybe I could find some time that exists already.. maybe I should cut out some things that aren’t all that important. Maybe my next conversation with God shouldn’t start off with the words “So I haven’t talked to you in a while…?”
What about you. Do you find it hard to set aside time to pray during your busy schedule? Or if not.. How is it that you find time to spend with God during the day? Please comment and share your ideas.
