PERCUSSION
WORSHIP PERCUSSIONIST PROGRESS IDEAS FOR 2025 | Mark Shelton
The new year is up and running . Do your plans for 2025 include anything to further your growth as a worship percussionist ? Here is a half dozen ideas to consider as you organize your course for progress in the months ahead .
PRACTICE ROUTINE Unless you are learning incorrect material or reinforcing bad habits , some practice is better than no practice . However , progress will be achieved more quickly with a systematic approach rather than a haphazard manner . Just a bit of planning can make a difference . Invest time in warm-up exercises that reinforce playing fundamentals . Review material periodically to avoid wasting time relearning . Analyze challenging areas and give practice priority to those spots . Develop a system to maximize your time and reach your goals .
PRACTICE JOURNAL You ’ re ready to increase the tempo of the conga tumbao variation , but you can ’ t remember the BPM you stopped on in your previous practice session . That ’ s an example of the time-saving information that should have been recorded in your practice journal .
Keeping track of your practice and progress doesn ’ t require a special journal or writing a lengthy analysis . A spiral notebook is adequate for recording basic information to keep you on track . Check out the photo of a page from my journal . Notice there ’ s only a few short notes .
With a practice journal , you can flip back and view your progress . There ’ s also a boost of satisfaction that comes from documenting your work .
READING DEVELOPMENT Can you read the dots ? Learning the conventional music notation system that includes clefs , time signatures , rhythmic values , and staff-based note placement will expand your musical horizons . Learning to read music also provides a method for writing music along with communicating with other musicians using a common musical language . Try teaching yourself using books or online video tutorials .
For those who already read music : How ’ s your sight reading ? Consider regularly reading through a page of unfamiliar music during your practice time . After decades of reading music , I still practice sight reading . ( Maybe I ’ m improving .)
LEARN A NEW INSTRUMENT OR A NEW TECHNIQUE Do you desire to master enough chords on the guitar to accompany your family on simple songs ? How about learning basic frame drumming techniques ? Why not take the plunge and learn to play another instrument ? With the wealth of free tutorials online , it ’ s easy to get started . If you decide to study another percussion instrument , you will find significant transfer from your acquired skill set .
COMPOSE / CREATE The Creator of the universe gave us the gift of creativity . Are you exercising your creative musical skills ?
Experiment with different time signatures , construct melodies built on exotic scales , create a polyrhythmic rhythm pattern , play outside of metric restrictions , or improvise within your comfort zone . Just get your autoschediasm going !
Pay attention to your noodling and when one of your spontaneous snippets of sound strikes you favorably , STOP ! Try to recreate it immediately . When the musical tidbit can be played to your liking , save it . Capture the fragment by notation or on an audio recording .
TECHNOLOGY Is this the year you invest in Digital Audio Workstation ( DAW ) software and make your recording dreams a reality ? Have you been putting off learning a music notation program ? Maybe it ’ s time to treat yourself to an electronic percussion unit . We live in an ever-expanding universe of music-related technology . Keep up and stay relevant .
MORE OF THE WORD Are you getting into the Bible regularly ? Perhaps this is the moment you follow through on a reading plan .
The New Testament contains 260 chapters . You only need to read one chapter a day to go through all 27 books in less than a year . Do you have five minutes per day ?
I will meditate on your precepts and consider your ways . I will delight myself in your statutes . I will not forget your word . Psalm 119:15-16 WEB
PLAN TO ACHIEVE As you make your growth plans , consider setting goals that correspond with your plans . Goals should require effort yet be attainable . Your desire to reach a goal might nudge you from passive toward productive .
Make plans , get better , learn stuff , have fun .
© 2025 Mark Shelton Productions / Percussion For Worship
Mark Shelton Mark Shelton is a freelance musician , educational consultant , and content creator based in Dallas / Fort Worth . Performance credits include North Carolina Symphony , Tin Roof Tango , Daystar Television , Gateway Worship , Stonebriar Church , Wichita Falls Orchestra , Strata Big Band , TALEA , and Dallas Wind Symphony . www . marksheltonmusic . com www . percussionforworship . blogspot . com www . instagram . com / marksheltonperc
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