WORSHIPTEAMCOACH
13 TIPS TO A KILLER REHEARSAL THIS WEEK
Ever had a worship team rehearsal that was so bad that you couldn ’ t wait to get home and eat a quart of salted caramel ice cream while binge-watching anything made by AMC ? OK , that might ’ ve been a little too specific , but you probably know what I mean .
There are a myriad of reasons why a rehearsal might tank . But the two BIGGEST factors when it comes to a successful rehearsal are : 1 . The leader . 2 . The team members .
I want to help you and your worship team have a fantastic rehearsal this week . So whether you ’ re a leader or a team member , use these tips that apply to you , and then share them with others on your team .
WHAT TEAM MEMBERS CAN DO
1 . SCHEDULE YOUR PRACTICE ( AND THEN PRACTICE ) If the worship team is a high priority for you , then schedule your preparation like any other commitment . How much should you practice before rehearsal ? Make it your goal to get your music to the place where you could “ go live ” if you had to .
2 . LISTEN TO YOUR SONGS ( REPEATEDLY ) Listen actively with your charts and instrument in hand . But also listen passively ( a lot ). Your brain is a sponge — even if you ’ re not paying attention to the lyrics or the chords or the structure , your mind is taking it all in .
3 . ARRIVE BEFORE THE POSTED START TIME . Be set up , tuned up , and charts ready before rehearsal begins . If everyone does that , it could shave 15-20 minutes off rehearsal . Plus , there ’ s more time to do the next one :
4 . BE RELATIONAL Spend time interacting with your team members and leaders before and after rehearsal . Teams always function better when people care about each other .
5 . MARK YOUR CHARTS Write down changes and dynamics and the circle the parts that trip you up . It ’ s too easy to forget this stuff . You don ’ t want to “ rediscover ” the issue on Sunday morning .
6 . QUIT NOODLING . “ Noodling ” is that mindless playing that we all do whenever we ’ re bored . Here ’ s the thing : if the song ’ s stopped and the leader ’ s talking , there ’ s a good chance she wants you or someone else to hear what she ’ s saying . So please . Stop . Noodling . For all of us .
So if each of those six things is taking place with every player , you ’ ll have a killer rehearsal . That is if your leader has his or her stuff together . So let ’ s look at what the leader can do .
WHAT LEADERS CAN DO
1 . PLAN REHEARSAL Spend a little time mapping out rehearsal ahead of time . What are the tougher songs ? Where are the problem spots in each song ? What transitions might be tricky ? And so on . Rehearsal may not always go as you planned , but it ’ ll still go better than if you hadn ’ t planned at all .
2 . HAVE A PRE-GAME RITUAL Some of my worst rehearsals were ones I rushed in from some other activity . I was in the right physical space but wasn ’ t in the right mental space ( or spiritual / emotional space ). So make time to get your head in the game . For example , part of my pre-rehearsal ritual is double-checking every instrument input and mic to make sure everything is patched right . It gives me the peace of mind to know we ’ ll be able to start rehearsal without some tech issue .
3 . BE THE MOST PREPARED PERSON IN THE ROOM . If you don ’ t know your stuff , you can ’ t pay attention to your team ’ s stuff . If you truly know your own part in each song , it lets you pay attention to the team as you rehearse .
4 . PRACTICE TRANSITIONS Don ’ t assume that your band will be ready to end one song and start another without a hitch or awkward pause . The starts , the stops , and in-between songs are when things typically go wrong .
5 . LEAVE TIME FOR A FULL RUN-THROUGH Too many bands wait to do a full run-through until the warm-up on Sunday morning . But if you do a full run-through of the set at your rehearsal , you ’ ll be so much farther ahead on Sunday .
6 . BE THE LEADER It ’ s great to get input and take suggestions from your team members during rehearsal . But don ’ t let that devolve into a court of consensus . You ’ re the leader . Lead . Make the final decisions . Keep the pace moving . Call out mistakes ( with grace ). Your team members will appreciate you not wasting their time .
So if team members are rocking the first half of this list , and the leaders are rocking the second half , it ’ s a gonna be a good rehearsal . And by the way , if you did the math , you realize we need one more tip to equal 13 . So here it is , and the final tip for both team members and leaders :
PRAY Pray for your leader and / or team members , as well as for the people you ’ ll be leading this weekend . Not only will it help bind your team together , but it helps prepare the way for hearts to be changed by God as your church worships Him .
JON NICOL The founder of WorshipTeamCoach . com , a resource that helps worship leaders build strong teams and lead engaging worship . He lives in Lexington , Ohio with his wife Shannon and their four kids .
Jan � Feb 2017 WorshipMusician . com
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