MUSIC

MINISTRY WORKSHOP

The Heart, Spirit, and Skills of Gods Musicians to Enhance Worship

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 CFC MUSIC MINISTRY WORKSHOP

Schedule

8:30 Gathering / Worship

9:00 Introduction Talk

9:30 Talk 1: Worship in CFC

10:15 Talk 2: The Heart and Spirit of Gods Musicians

11:00 Activity 1 Group Sharing

12:00 Lunch

1:00 Worship

1:15 Activity 2 - Team Building

1:45 Talk 3: Organizing CFCs Music Ministry

2:30 Open Forum for questions

2:45 Talk 4: Harmony in the Music Ministry

3:15 Activity 3 - Skills Workshop

4:30 Mini Praisefest (3 fast songs)

5:00 End

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 Service Team Guidelines
I. General Objectives:

The Music Ministry Workshop is an activity to guide our members of the way Couples for
Christ and its family ministries approach worship and music ministry. It aims to achieve
the following:

a. to have the proper attitude and focus as a music minister

b. to establish the right culture and practices in the Music Ministry
c. to emphasize on the importance of worship in our life and mission.
d. to give insights and tips to newly formed music ministries on how to strive for
excellence as Gods musicians
e. to remind the seasoned music ministries of basic principles in leading Gods people
through music.

This activity is open to CFC and all its family ministries. There should be a connectivity and
commonality in the different music ministries across the various family ministries. This
workshop will unite these groups and will lead them to a common understanding about
Gods gift of music to our community.

II. Preparation:

1. The most experienced and the one with authority among the music ministries is
encouraged to take the lead in organizing this workshop.

2. Choose speakers who have the posture of humility and obedience rather than only those
with a high level of musical skills.

3. You may invite chapter or unit leaders to this workshop so they may have a better
appreciation for the ministry and its principles.

4. Choose a suitable venue with good acoustics and comfortable seating to maximize the
impact of the workshop.

5. Encourage the participants to bring their musical instruments for the skills workshop.

6. Choose a Team Leader, Registration team, discussion group leaders, logistics/set-up

team and designated music ministry.

7. In service meetings, always be centered on the Lord and ask Him to lead you to a Spirit-
filled workshop.

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III. Activity Guidelines

Activity 1: Group Sharing

The talk will highlight the proper posture or attitude of a Music Ministry member. The
group sharing will encourage the atmosphere of humility and openness.

You may group them into four (4). Limiting the number of members to four will help you
manage the time well.

Discussion Starters:

1. Why do I serve in the Music Ministry?

2. What are the things that I need to improve to become a better Music Ministry
member?

Reflection Song: Create in me a clean heart, or Only by Grace

Activity 2: (Option 1) The Voice of One Calling

This activity is a variation of the popular team building game, Animal Sounds. This
game is for the session Organizing the Music Ministry and is to be given before the
talk.

Materials needed: Cloth or Handkerchiefs for Blindfold

1. This Activity is given before the talk

2. The participants will be grouped (5-10 members in a group).
3. Each group will choose a praise song that they will be using later (make sure that songs
are not duplicated. Each group has their own unique song). If time permits let the group
sing their chosen song.
4. After forming the groups, the individual members will now be blindfolded using their
handkerchiefs or the service team can provide a black cloth. Give them a minute to sing the
song together as a group to practice
5. Disperse all of the members in the vicinity blindfolded.
6. When the participants are already dispersed, they will now try to form their groups by
singing their group song and listening to the voice of the other members.
7. The first one to form the group will win the game. Wait for the others to find their team
mates.
8. Process the experience by asking how they felt and what they have learned.

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 Key lessons to stress:
Recognize Talents and Organize Them We have to find those who can contribute to the
music ministry and organize them properly. Talent is necessary but attitude and
pastoral maturity are also important.
Listen As members of the music ministry its important that we not only hear but more
importantly we also listen. Listening involves the heart, hearing involves the brain. We
listen first to the Lord, to each other as Christians then as musicians.

(Option 2) Water Jug Percussion team Building

This is a fun activity and a good icebreaker. It will be interesting for the participants. You
must be able to choose a good percussionist with a good plan to bring everyone to the
proper rhythm pattern.

1. Prepare enough percussion instruments for the participants. If there are many
participants, bring as many as 6 gallon mineral water jugs.
2. The percussion leader teaches some basic beats for each division.
3. Each division practices.
4. Percussion leader directs the flow of the beats.

You may refer to this link for guidance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4X-V5TLWAQ

Key lessons to stress: As a team, we should play the same beat. We have to follow Gods
rhythm or else we will be disunited. Serving in the music ministry is fun but it also entails
discipline and cooperation.

Activity 3: Skills Workshop Outline (Guide for the speaker)

A. Identifying Different Instruments:

1. Ask the participants to present all the instruments they brought for the
workshop.
2. Ask the participant to demonstrate how to use the instrument if it is not
common. (Note: If the speaker is knowledgeable of the said instrument,
observe if the participant was able to use it properly. Give some tips if
necessary.)
3. Then make a demonstration on how it can be used and how it should not be
used.

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 B. Playing as a team.
1. Get two (2) guitarists from among the participants and have them play a
song. Ex: Refiners Fire. (Note: Observe how they play. Are they doing
different things or are they just duplicating each other?)
2. Give some tips on what guitarist 1 and guitarist 2 can do that can
complement one another. (Eg. Guitarist 1 can play on the lower frets while
Guitarist 2 can play on the higher frets with a capo)

C. Playing less.
1. Get a volunteer keyboardist and ask him/her to play a song.
Ex: Grateful
(Give some tips on how to keep it simple but interesting.)

D. Playing as a Worship Band. (Musical Arrangement)
1. Get volunteers from among the participants. (Its better if from different
areas)

Composition:
1 Acoustic Guitarist
2 Electric Guitarists
1 Bassist
1 or 2 Keyboardists
1 Drummer
8 Singers (4 female & 4 male)
Percussionists if theres any

2. Have them play a song. Ex: Grateful
3. Observe how they gave the song their own musical treatment.
4. Give some tips on how to turn a very simple song into something that can
enhance the worship experience (in other words, to make it better
sounding).

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INTRODUCTION Talk: The CFC Music Ministry
Note: This talk is ideally given by a CFC top leader in the area.

Introduction:

We are here to understand the basic principles of serving in the music ministry. The music
ministry plays a vital role in having a vibrant community. Imagine the households and the
assemblies without the element of music. It would be dry and lacking in expression. Let us
now come to understand the significance of the service that God has given you through
your talents.

I. The Blessing of Music

a. Music is really a gift from God to allow man to fully express himself.

b. In our life as a community in CFC, music will always be a part of our basic
expression of our love for God.

c. Music is a special way that we reach out and communicate to God. Thus,
strengthening our personal relationship with Him.

d. St. Augustine said, When we sing, we pray twice! And rightly so. Because in
singing, we not only utter words but we express our prayer using a melody.
And as this music is pleasing to God, to whom the songs are sung, the
assembly of worshippers who participate in the singing in turn are drawn to
HIM.

e. Music also inspires people and may also evangelize other people outside the
community.

f. 1Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in

everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. .

If singing to the Lord is praying, then we can rephrase this passage:

Rejoice always, sing to the Lord without ceasing

II. Biblical Origin of Music Ministry

Music started with God through eternity. God loves music. He loves to hear us sing
to Him.

Job 38:4-7 "While the morning stars sang in chorus and all the sons of
God shouted for joy."

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 As early as Genesis 4:21 there was Jubal whose name means "sound". He
is eighth in line from Adam and is said to be "the ancestor of all who play
the lyre and the pipe."

In King David's time we see organized singers and musicians (Levites)

ministered day and night in the tabernacle and later in the temple. (1Chr
9:33, 15:16,27, 16:4-6, 23:2-5,30-31, 2Chr5:12-14, 20:20-30)

IV. What is a ministry?

"Ministry" is from the Greek word diakoneo, meaning "to serve" or

douleuo, meaning "to serve as a slave."

In the New Testament, ministry is seen as service to God and to other

people in His name. Jesus provided the model for Christian ministryHe
came, not to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28).

V. What is a music ministry?

Music Ministry is a team of talented and service-oriented individuals who

serve God through singing and playing of instruments.

The music ministry directly supports the worship leader in bringing the
community to worship God through songs of praise and worship.

It is formed to serve God first, then to serve in the CFC assemblies and
even in our own parishes as choir for the Eucharistic Celebration

In the following talks, we will present to you the heart, the spirit , and the skills of Gods
musicians to enhance worship.

The talks include:

1. Worship in CFC

2. The Heart and Spirit of Gods Musician

3. Organizing the CFC Music Ministry

4. Harmony in the Music Ministry

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 Worship in CFC
Talk 1 of the Music Ministry Workshop

Objectives:

1. To have a clear understanding of our worship life in CFC.

2. To appreciate the essence of worship and anchor the music ministry to its core
purpose.

Introduction

It is essential to embrace the importance of worship to fully understand the role of the
Music Ministry. Worship is the main reason why we form the music ministry. Let us build
the music ministry to its full potential by realizing the basics of worship.

I. What is Worship?

a. Worship is from the root word worthship or worthy of worship. It can be defined
as the highest honor, praise, respect and recognition given to anyone or anything.

b. As Christians, we do not worship anyone or anything except the One True God. You
shall have no other gods before Me Exodus 20:3

c. True worship cannot be forced upon a person. It should come from a submissive,
repentant and obedient heart.

d. It is God who initiates worship. Thus worship is being aware of Gods Presence and
giving our response to His Presence

II. Why do we Worship?

Two Very Important Aspects of Worship:

a. Relational - right worship is founded upon a right relationship with God and not on
techniques focused on producing a certain type of experience. Our worship to God
is based on who he is, his holiness, his greatness, his glory, his steadfast love and
compassion and what he has done for us. God is our father and we are his sons and
daughters. He loves us, saves us, forgives us, provides for us. God is our king and we
owe him honor and respect and our full loyalty and obedience.

b. Expressive - worship is something expressed, given, shown. Worship displays awe,

honor and devotion, respect and submission. Worship is meant to express our
relationship with God. It is to express a heart, the mind and will that is yielded to

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 God, seeking to serve, honor, and obey him. Romans 12:1 "offer your bodies as a
living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship." The outward must
flow from the inside, an inner conviction of a love of God. We desire for everyone to
give a full musical expression to the Lord according to what is in their heart.

Scripture tell us that as creatures of the Creator, we must worship God and God alone.

O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker
Psalm 95:6

We worship God because of who He is His nature and character, His qualities and works.

IV. How should we worship our God?

Jesus says in John 4:23-24, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when true worshippers
will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship
Him. God is Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."

a. In Spirit.

Since God is Spirit, we must worship Him in spirit.

Worship is to be done in a spirit of awe, reverence, and attentiveness.

During Worship, we express to God

our adoration through praise,

our gratitude through thanksgiving
our repentance through confession
our dependence through supplication
our submission through total surrender
our commitment through obedience

b. In Truth.

The Word of God is truth, therefore we must worship Him according to His Word
(The Scriptures). Our worship must always conform to the teachings in
Scriptures and the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Scripture tells us to bow down and worship the Lord. To bow is to be humble
in the Presence of God.

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 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a
living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of
worship. Romans 12:1

Being acceptable to God is obeying His commands and doing His will. We
cannot worship the Lord if we do things contrary to His commands.

"But why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things which I
say?" Luke 6:46

V. Elements of a full charismatic worship in CFC.

a. The Elements of Charismatic Worship

Music and singing
Prayers
Scripture Readings
Offering of Gifts
Affirmation of Faith
Responses from the community (Amens)
Symbols Cross, Bible, candles
Silence - being still and listening to God
Prophecies, Visions
Healing
External actions like standing, clapping, raising hands, kneeling, dancing

b. In CFC we follow a Worship Pattern.

A basic worship pattern is important as this will put order in the sequence
and flow of the worship segments. Unless a basic pattern in worship is followed, it
will be difficult for the people to open and surrender themselves to the prodding
and leading of the Holy Spirit.
A typical worship at the start of a CFC gathering includes the following
Gathering song - This signals the assembly to settle down and allow the
Spirit to move and draw all to a posture of worship
Exhortation of Leader- Encouraging words from the worship leader to set
the atmosphere of worship. It should be short, not more than 5 minutes.
Praise and worship songs (3 songs: 2 fast and 1 slow) with spontaneous
praising;
Praising and singing in the Spirit (separate workshop on praising in
tongues; define briefly what praising and singing in tongues is as
distinguished from speaking in tongues)
Silence followed by inspired readings or prophecy and revelations

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 Prayers. If in a household, there are thanksgiving and lifting up of
concerns of the worshippers and ending in a structured prayer like Our
Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. If in a corporate worship or big
gathering, the worship leader prays a general prayer and ends with a
structured prayer.

c. Types of worship gatherings:

Household Meeting
Chapter Prayer Assembly (see Corporate Worship in Annex for full
guidelines)
Sector Assembly
Mission Core Gathering
Teaching Night
Praisefest

VI. Giving our all in worship

Let us be passionate in worshipping God. He deserves our all. Let us sing, dance, and
jump in praise for His glorious presence. We raise our hands in awe and reverence of
His greatness.

We lift up our hearts and souls to God who understands us more than we can ever
understand ourselves. We fully surrender in worshipping Him.

We practice the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so God may reveal His message in the intimacy
of worship.

Conclusion:

Worship is important in the life and mission of CFC and its family ministries. When we
worship we are reminded of Gods greatness. Being part of the Music Ministry we are given
this wonderful opportunity to be instruments of bringing Gods people closer to Him.

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 The Heart and Spirit of Gods Musician
Talk 2 of the Music Ministry Workshop

Objectives:

1. To establish the importance of having the right attitude and posture as

Gods musician
2. To emphasize the need for the Christian virtues like humility, charity,
obedience and patience in serving God through the Music Ministry

I. Gods Musician is first and foremost a Christian

a. More important than being musicians, the members of the CFC music
ministry are Christians.

b. We must continue to strive to live as authentic Christians because we now
serve God as His minister, through the Music Ministry.

c. Be aware that the music ministry is a powerful ministry, thats why it is the
target of the evil one. Satans objective is to make us proud and make us
ineffective. Do not give any opening to the devil.

II. How is Gods Musician different from ordinary musicians

Musicians abound within our midst. But what is it that distinctly identifies Gods
Musicians from other musicians?

a. Gods Musician is NOT a performer entertaining the assembly. We do

not seek approval of people. We are already beautiful in Gods eyes.

b. Gods musician acknowledges that all his/her talents are God-given.

Gods musician further develops his talents and skills to be more
effective in bringing people to experience God.

Psalm 33:3 says Sing to God a new song; skillfully play with joyful
chant.

c. Gods musician is generous with his talent, his time and even his
treasure.

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 Talent. He must be willing to teach and pass on his knowledge
and skills by training other brothers and sisters. One must not
hide his talents because he is shy or unwilling to commit to
serve God.

Time. Being a member of the Music Ministry requires a lot of

time for rehearsals and service. They are the first to arrive at
the venue for set-up and sound check and the last to leave to
pack up the sound system.

Treasure. On top of tithing, the music min members may

require contributions for food for practices, transportation for
service, and investment in musical equipment.

d. For Gods musician, personal holiness takes priority than improving

talents and skills.

e. Gods musician is NOT self-centered with a personal agenda (like

seeking fame and self-satisfaction).

III. The Music Ministry is God-centered

a. Not the music, but the Creator of Music

God is our audience.

Our God is a loving Father who is always interested in His

children. But He does not look at the technical aspect of the
music. He looks at our hearts.

'This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far
from me; Matthew 15:8

God intimately listens

He hears and penetrates the purity of our hearts intentions. He
attentively hears our praise, our thanksgiving, our deepest

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 prayer, what we are, what we mean and what we try to pour
out to Him.

God is the source of all graces
Never give in to the temptation to think that you have become
what you are because of your own efforts.

IV. The Heart of Gods musician

Matthew 22:37 love God with all your heart

1. Is your heart sincere?

We should examine ourselves and honestly ask ourselves why are we serving
in the Music Ministry

Since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with
sincere heart Hebrews 10:21-22.

2. Is your heart repentant?

We cannot lead people to repent and turn to God, if we ourselves do not

repent. Turn away from wrongdoing and anything that leads you to
wrongdoing. In the music ministry, one of the most dangerous sin is
pride. Remember that we cannot be lukewarm in our faith.

So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my
mouth Revelations 3:16

3. Is your heart pure?

Ask the Lord to remove the impurities in your heart like hurts, resentments,
envy, hatred, and fear.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God Matthew 5:8

4. Is your heart loving?

Serving in the music ministry flows from our love for God and neighbor
We must have unconditional love especially for other members in the
music ministry. Loving means accepting even those who are difficult to
love

Loving is our willingness to provide assistance, making ourselves

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 completely available to all who are in need (ex: not enough service team
in the CLP, we can help distribute food)

Loving neighbor may mean welcoming newcomers to our ministry.
Put relationships (love of God and neighbor) above our desires and above
our tasks. Handle conflicts in a Christian manner. Conflicts arise even in
the music ministry. From time to time, there will be disagreements.

V. The Right Spirit of Gods musician

Put a new and right spirit within me! Psalm 51.

What does it mean to be in the right spirit. The right spirit refers to the right
posture that the Lord commended in His sermon on the Mount: humble in
spirit; meek; thirsting for righteousness; merciful; peacemaking; and selfless.
(See Matthew 5:3-10)

1. For a Music minister, to be in the right spirit we must be meek and humble. That
means being teachable, open to correction and open to change.

a. We must not boast of our talents. Remember, the glory belongs to God. Do
not rob him of His glory.

b. If people thank you and honor you for your good service, always refocus.
Start and end each service with a prayer, bringing back all the glory to
God.

c. If things dont turn out well during worship, like missing a note or playing
a wrong chord, learn from the mistake and commit to do better next time.
Sometimes its also Gods way of telling us not to be proud and not to rely
on our own strength. Never fall into the devils trap of starting to blame
each other.

2. To be in the right spirit we must be obedient to Gods will!

It follows that to be obedient to God, means we are to obey the people whom
God has empowered to lead us. That includes the worship leader, the
music ministry head, the musical director.

3. To be in the right spirit, we must be trusting.

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a. We practice and prepare well, striving for excellence, but in the end we
surrender everything to Gods love and mercy.
b. We must allow the Spirit to move freely in our ministry. If it is the work of the
Spirit, nothing can stop it. (Acts 5:38-39)

4. To be in the right spirit we must be willing to sacrifice

a. We must detach ourselves from our personal ideas and preferences, including
musical style. Be willing to give up your role if someone better comes along or to
give others a chance to serve.

5. To be in the right spirit is to be joyful always

The Lord loves a cheerful giver. Serve with joy in your hearts. Watch your artistic
temper, it has no place in the music ministry.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD; cry out to the rock of our salvation. Let us greet
him with a song of praise, joyfully sing out our psalms. Psalm 95:1-2

Conclusion

1. The Holy Spirit is our guide in everything we do in the music ministry- our singing ,
playing, composing, and leading a worship. Everything must truly be Spirit-led.

2. If we are to draw people to Gods presence, we must have a clean heart and a right
spirit.

REFLECTION QUESTION:


1. Why do I serve in the Music Ministry?

2. What are the things that I have to improve to become a better Music Ministry member?


Reflection Song: Create in me a clean heart, or Only by Grace

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 Organizing CFCs music ministry
Talk 3 of the Music Ministry Workshop

Objectives:

1. To orient the participants of the role of each Music Ministry member.

2. To have guidelines in setting up the music ministry

I. WHY (The Objectives)

a. Technical: To provide good quality music that will help create an environment of
worship.

b. Spiritual: The music ministry is there to support the worship leader and submits to the
leadings of the Holy Spirit on the worship leader. The Music Ministry also opens
peoples hearts to receive the Holy Spirit.

c. Pastoral: The CFC music ministry is also a venue for spiritual growth of its members

II. WHO (The People in the Music Ministry and their Roles)

a. The music ministry head: Not necessarily the most musically talented. He acts as
overall coordinator, leads by example, service-oriented, and obedient to elders.

b. The musical director With good technical knowledge of music. prepares scores,
arrangements, and technical training for the musicians.

c. The singers talent in singing, (with a section leader or choirmaster in a big group)

d. The instrumentalists talent in playing instruments (guitars, drums, keyboard)

e. The audio and video technical support in charge of the sound system, mixing,
safekeeping and maintenance of the music min equipment

f. support group: secretariat (e.g., photocopying), information dissemination (e.g., text

brigade), food, etc.

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III. HOW (Organizing the music ministry)

a. Membership to the music ministry can be by invitation or can be open to all who have
musical talents and skills necessary to take on roles mentioned above. Auditions may
be conducted and is optional.

b. It is important to discern if a brother or sister is being called by God to the music

ministry.

1. Discernment of the individual

i. One must examine his/her intentions and pray for guidance and
direction from the Holy Spirit

2. Discernment of the music ministry head

i. The music ministry head prays for the individual wishing to join the
music ministry.

ii. He should consult the pastoral head of the individual to determine if

the brother/sister is ready to take the role.

3. Discernment of pastoral head of the area is also needed.

c. Once organized, make sure each person is aware of his/her role. Organize your singers
according to voices (soprano, alto, tenor and bass). Assign instrumentalists and back
ups.

d. For big groups, subdivide group into: choir, section leaders, instrumentalists, and
technical team.

e. Set regular practice dates, and set house rules. (Example: During rehearsals, everyone
must be attentive to the musical director. All cellphones must be turned off.

The 4 Ps for a successful music ministry:

1. Prayer

a. Always pray together (before and after rehearsals, before and after an
event)

b. Attend your household meetings and assemblies regularly

c. The music ministry should as a team have regular retreats, teachings,

bible studies and rehearsal camps. This builds unity and spirituality of
the members.

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2. Practice

a. Regular practices are important- at least twice a month for about 4

hours each rehearsal. The general rule should be, no practice-no
service except if the absence is for a valid reason.

b. Enhance your skills. Practice regularly on your own. This also saves
time of learning songs during group rehearsals.

c. Practices should be productive and must start and end on time. Avoid
idle time.

d. Always review old songs and learn new songs each practice day. Make
sure that the songs are sung according to the original music score.
Remember, since you are the music ministry, the people will always
assume that you are singing it correctly.

e. Regular practice allows you to be cohesive as a team. It is ideal during

worship that you focus less on the technical and focus more on God.

f. Practice with the worship leaders, especially for praisefests.

g. Make your practices an opportunity to worship the Lord.

3. Playing for God alone

a. Always remind yourself that the music ministry is there for God and
God alone. Take God away and the music ministry becomes simply a
band performing for themselves and for the audience.

b. Be attentive and focused to the promptings of the Spirit (through the

worship leader during worship)

c. You must be able to draw the community to praise and worship God.

d. Do not create distractions that will put peoples focus on yourself. A

good music ministry must be effective but not attracting attention to
themselves. In a way he must be invisible to the audience, instead of
seeing you, they are seeing God in you.

4. Pastoral Care for Music Ministry members

a. The music ministry head must be able to discern and suggest the
pastoral needs of his members and relay them to his/her pastoral
head.

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 b. Conduct regular music min talks, inviting good speakers to sustain the
spiritual growth of members.

c. Make sure that all members of the music ministry have households
and attend all teachings required.

d. After the opening worship, the music ministry must remain in the
venue to listen to all the talks and teachings. Discourage members
from leaving the venue and coming back only for the closing song.

Watch out for following pitfalls:

a. There is always the temptation to perform rather than to worship. Always keep
your focus.

b. There is a tendency to be engrossed in the music and forget about God.

c. The objective of the ministry is to help people participate in the worship and not
to make them just stop and listen to good music. You are there to please God and
not man

d. Do not recruit members simply on the basis of talents.

Conclusion

Organizing the Music Ministry is not a simple task. We must not rely on our own strength
but allow the Holy Spirit to move freely.

Reflection Questions:

1. Discern whether you are being called to the music ministry.

2. In what area can you best use your skills and talent to enhance your music ministry?

3. Is there anybody you want to invite to the music ministry?

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 Harmony in the Music Ministry
Talk 4 of the Music Ministry Workshop

Objectives:

1. To share tips or knowledge in the musical and technical aspects of leading

Christian music.
2. To let the participants understand the importance of being in harmony to help
enhance the worship experience.

I. Our God is a god of order and excellence

When playing for God, we give our best. We want to be able to lead the worshippers
closer to God. A music ministry in good harmony will help achieve this goal. We want to
avoid distractions that may draw their attention from God towards the music ministry.

II. Tips for Harmony in the Music Ministry

Here are some tips and guidelines that may help us become excellent musicians for
the Lord.

"and the harmony between trumpeters and singers was such that only one melody could be
heard as they praised and gave thanks to Yahweh -- and the singing began, to the
accompaniment of trumpets, cymbals and musical instruments, and they praised Yahweh 'for
his faithful love is everlasting'- then the Temple was filled with the cloud of the glory of
Yahweh" 2 Chronicles 5:13

a. Harmony in our Praise - there must be harmony in everything we do as

Christians, and that includes harmony in praising God

Harmony of voices - Each person may be singing a different voice, it is important

that each voice sings the precise note in the arrangement. The second voice should
not be too loud. The melody line should stand out because that is what the
congregation will sing.

Harmony of sound -- there may be several instruments playing together, each
instrument should be doing something different but complementing each other. The
sound should result to harmonious music setting an environment for worship.

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 Unity of Voices - all the singers must sing in tune, with the right phrasing, and the
right tempo. No one singing out of tune, or out of beat.

Unity of Sound - all in tune, right beat, right accents and expression. This is
achieved by practicing regularly.

Sound mix - a good music ministry must be complemented with a good sound
system and a good sound technician.

b. Harmony of Voices - composed of the following

Lead Singer(s)
Back up Singers
Choir
Choir Master/ Arranger/ Vocal coach

c. Harmony of Sounds

Acoustic Guitarist
Bassist
Keyboardist
Drummer
Electric Guitars (Lead & Rhythm)
Musical Director

III. Improving the Musicality

The Hand Rule - each hand has five fingers, each finger has a different size and shape, each
finger has a specific role. Ex: Without a thumb, it will be hard to grip an object. Without
your forefinger it's not easy to write. If all your fingers had the same length, hand dexterity
will be limited.

The same principle applies to improving your sound as a music ministry.

Try playing less ; simple is beautiful - Decide whether a song is guitar

driven or keyboard driven. ex. God is enough is commonly a guitar-driven
song. Exodus 15 is normally keyboard driven. This will guide the musicians
in determining which instrument will be dominant for a particular song. Like
in the hand rule, each instrumentalist has his own role, each giving space to
the other and not trying to out-dominate one another.

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 Try playing on different register than the others - Ex. A bass player takes
care of the low register tones, the lead guitar normally the high register
tones. If you're a keyboard or acoustic guitar player, it will sound better if
you play in the middle register.

Keyboardist should not play the bass part if theres a bassist in the
group - There is a tendency for keyboard players (especially those with
classical music background or those used to playing alone) to play all the
parts of the music, that is the bass, the lead and the rhythm part. When
playing with a band, the keyboardist will have to give some of these roles.
Leave the bass to the bassist and don't play any lead part when the lead
guitarist is doing his part.

Bassist and drummer are partners in praise - Very often, the

bass guitar player and the drummer set the groove especially when playing
fast songs. It is advisable that the two musicians stay close together or at
least have visual and audio contact.

Learn to use the capo - Playing the guitar becomes easy if you
can learn to use the capo. Normally, you can play any song using easy to play
chords like G, E, A, D and C and changing the key by moving the capo up or
down the guitar fret board. It is also useful if there are 2 or more guitarists. It
allows them to play at different registers thus enriching the sound of the
band and preventing redundant sound, meaning 2 or more guitarist playing
and doing the same thing.

Learn to use effects - this allows the musician to create different sounds
that are appropriate to the song being played.

Different treatment of song - sometimes the worship leader will ask the
band to play a particular song in a different way. Ex. God is the strength of my
heart can be played fast, but can also be played slow.

Develop clear signals - normally a closed fist would mean go to the ending
of the song. Forming a letter C with your hand can mean going back to the
chorus part. Develop easy hand signals so that the instrumentalists and
singers are always on the same page

Give space based on the musical arrangement of a song, know where your
part is. It is even advisable to discuss this during rehearsals. Again you are a
team. Don't compete with each other.

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 Intro and extro - This gives you a certain level of confidence in
starting and ending a song.

Always do a sound check - this minimizes problems during
actual worship which can sometimes be distracting to the congregation

For big events have a tech rider.

Planning is always essential. Plan as if everything depends on

you but at the same time, pray to God because everything depends on Him.

IV. Tips for Singers

Singers should know type of microphone - There are different types: uni-
directional, wireless, condenser microphones. Learn to use and adjust to each
type.

Cover all zones - as a music ministry you are ministering to the congregation. For
big groups it is advisable that you discuss among yourselves which area of the
congregation you will minister too.

Adjust the degree of vibrato - Singers who sing with too much vibrato will stand
out. Try to minimize this. Again unity of sound means sounding as one.

Listen to each other. The rule is if you cannot hear the other singers, then you are
probably singing too loud or too close to the microphone. Exception is when
you're singing a solo part, which is rare in praise and worship.

Always support the worship leader, dont override him. The worship leader is
anointed. Allow the Spirit to work through him. Support him all the way

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 As a singer dont abuse your freedom of expression - . It is good to occasionally
sing spontaneous fill ins in between verses and melody lines with the purpose of
enhancing the worship experience. However, this must not be overdone as it
may blur the message of the song and may be confusing to the congregation. Do
not sing on top of each other.

Know your limits as a singer - What is your vocal range and what areas still have
to be improved? Learn to listen to yourself.

Be sure of first line - It is always ideal to memorize lyrics. But the minimum is, at
least know the first few lines so you can effectively lead the people.

Be conscious of promptings from worship leader

Dynamics (loud , soft, accents) - You should not sing loud all the time. It is nice
to express your feelings by putting emotion to the song

Conclusion:

Harmony is important to be able to encourage more people to worship God intimately. No

matter how simple, advanced or high tech the set-up is, what is crucial is the harmony
within the relationship of the team and the harmony of our relationship with the Lord.

Prayer of the Lords Musician

May we play for God

Not simply with instruments
Made by human hands,
But with the melodious instrument
Of our human existence

Proceed to Skills Workshop

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