LOOP COMMUNITY
HOW TO GROW AS A WORSHIP MUSICIAN | Matt McCoy
Whether you ’ re a new worship leader or have been leading every Sunday for 20 years , it can be challenging to know how to improve as a worship musician . Jason Houtsma from
Worship Artistry joined Matt McCoy to talk about why we should want to continue to grow and his tips for how we can .
WHY SHOULD WE GROW AS WORSHIP MUSICIANS ? [ WM ] Worship leaders can sometimes have the mindset that they know how to lead worship and so they ’ re all set . We push the buttons the same way , play the same four chords , and we can get in a rut of doing what we ’ ve always done . So why should we continue to grow as musicians ?
[ Jason ] Being in a rut is not fun . It ’ s not fulfilling or inspiring . For a long time in worship myself , I spent a lot of time going through the cycle of getting involved , getting over-involved , crashing for a while , then getting back in . A lot of that was me not realizing my limits , but also if you ’ re not progressing it ’ s not very fulfilling . We all love to worship . But no one got on a worship team to struggle through a chord chart and play the same songs each week . There is a world in which we keep getting better and learning from the songs we ’ re playing . Keep improving because it ’ s more fulfilling and it ’ s more fun !
[ WM ] There are different seasons for a worship leader , but when you continue to grow it can encourage you to keep going .
[ Jason ] When you ’ re actually enjoying something , you want to keep going .
IMPROVING AS A NEW WORSHIP LEADER [ WM ] If you ’ re a new worship leader , you want to get the basics down first .
[ Jason ] There ’ s two steps to being a musician . There ’ s being able to copy and being able to create from that . Being able to copy well is an important part of the process . A lot of musicians haven ’ t played with a band before . So being able to copy what someone is doing in a band gets you comfortable and fluent in the “ language ” that is happening . When you understand music and are confident in it , you can get more creative .
[ WM ] Getting a lot of experience and exposure to playing is also very important as a worship musician .
[ Jason ] Try and play anywhere . Listen to other stuff . Sometimes the ruts we get into are because we ’ re only listening to one sound . This can help you be excited about continuing on .
IMPROVING AS AN EXPERIENCED WORSHIP LEADER [ WM ] If you ’ ve been leading worship for years , you may feel like you have it all down and you ’ re just on cruise control each Sunday .
[ Jason ] I ’ m in that spot right now . I have been leading worship for 20 years and if I wanted to , I could phone it in . But once you are proficient in music , you don ’ t have to think about the basics as much anymore which allows you to be more creative . You can keep pushing yourself musically . Another way to improve is to start focusing on how you can grow spiritually . Start building your
spiritual muscle memory . I played guitar long before I taught guitar , but now I can teach it . Worship leaders should strive to get to a point where they can start imparting their wisdom to others . That ’ s what we ’ re called to do .
[ WM ] Making sure that you aren ’ t just focused on the tasks you need to do as a worship leader but are also focusing on your spiritual life is crucial .
[ Jason ] I had an awakening three years ago and what it came down to was I wasn ’ t nurturing my spiritual life . I was working for God , and I was thinking about God , but I wasn ’ t taking time to speak and listen to God . I changed up my routine and spent time listening , praying , reading , etc . Then I had so much more to give as a worship leader .
--- We encourage you to continue seeking out mentors and resources that will help you grow as a worship musician and worship leader . For the full interview , check out the video above .
Matt McCoy Matt is a worship leader , songwriter and Ableton Certified Trainer from Chicago , IL . He has been using Ableton and tracks in worship since 2002 . He ’ s passionate about creating new products and teaching worship leaders and artists how to use technology in live performance . www . LoopCommunity . com