WORSHIP LEADERS
ARE YOU MAKING MUSIC? OR JUST READING MUSIC? | Grant Norsworthy
Photo by Harrison Hargrave on Unsplash
It’ s a Tuesday evening. I’ m watching and listening to a well-intentioned, sweet-hearted team of amateur, volunteer singers and instrumentalists from XYZ Church. They’ re singing and playing their rendition of Phil Wickham’ s“ Great Things” in the congregation-friendly key of E.
In many ways they are typical of a lot of the teams I get to coach. They’ re doing their absolute best but, to be honest, it’ s sounding pretty rough to me. I hope I can help!
This is near the start of their Rehearsal / Workshop with me in my role as More Than Music Mentor. We’ ve already shared a meal together. I’ ve got to know each team member a little and we’ ve had, what I call, a short“ heart” talk about why we’ re doing this and how this evening’ s Rehearsal / Workshop will flow.
We’ re all in agreement that we want the team’ s sound to offer a warm invitation to the congregation to sing worshipfully to God. They recognize that they have room for improvement, but they have very little idea of what changes could and should be made. For this Rehearsal / Workshop, even if they find themselves being stretched beyond their comfort zone, they’ re willing to do their best to follow my musical directives.
Now with the team on the platform- mics and instruments in hand- before I offer any coaching, I must hear( and listen to) their precoaching sound. Four singers, a drummer, a bassist, a keyboardist, electric and acoustic guitarists and a clarinet( yep, a clarinet!) are plowing unsteadily through their arrangement.
As I listen, I can tell that their congregation will struggle to connect. Find it difficult to sing with the team as an expression of worship. The band’ s sound is like a thick slab of sonic soup. Messy. Overly“ full”. A constant nearcacophony with very little( if any) dynamic rise and fall nor capacity for emotional connection. Not the warm invitation to participate that they’ re hoping for!
Each individual instrument’ s sound, when combined, is producing this sonic soup. I could jump straight into suggesting changes to each individual band member’ s parts, but I don’ t … yet. It’ s the source of the problem that needs to be addressed first.
The source of the problem, I believe, is that noone is actually listening! They’ re not listening to
36 June 2025 Subscribe for Free...