YOUTH WORSHIP TEAM
DISTRACTIONS , AWKWARD SILENCE & DEAD TIME | Vance & Michelle Shepherd
I think most of us have been in a worship service that had some very awkward moments – I know we ’ ve been in too many to count ! It happens to the best of worship teams .
I remember when two of our main keyboard players weren ’ t available to lead worship at a partnering church one Sunday , since they had transitioned from high school to jobs and college . So , some of our younger students worked hard to rise up to the musical capability of those more experienced students to fill their roles . Our musical rehearsal and run thru was held on Saturday night , and one of the worship songs had a solo piano and lead vocal for two minutes before the band came in . The newer keyboard player was really struggling with the piano part , making quite a few mistakes on the chord changes . Luckily , we had a student that has been with us for years and now plays both guitar and piano , and she knew the song well enough to cover it . A lot of time was then spent re-arranging the musical parts between musicians , as we had to now cover her guitar part ), and this put us behind on our regular scheduled routine , so we only had time to run songs , but not the transitions between songs .
Then on Sunday morning we had just enough time to run through all the songs and make some final tweaks to the music . We ’ ve always mentored our students to think of musical transitions , have a greeting prepared , a scripture ready , and also be ready to pad between songs for a smooth flow . Due to lack of time to run these transitions in rehearsal , we hoped they would be prepared . Service kicked off , and they started their opening worship song with no greeting , and all the songs to follow proceeded with seconds of dead time between them ( which seemed like an eternity !), along with general fumbling , and long awkward silences from one song to the next . And then to top it off , we get to the piano led song , where the guitar player had to take off her guitar and go to the other side of the stage to the keyboard to cover . While this was going on , there was dead silence as the lead vocalist for the song stood with her back to the congregation watching the girl fumble in transitioning from guitar to keyboard as everyone looked on .
I think we actually died a little that day ! It was so uncomfortable ; it was actually painful . We had been mentoring our students for so long on how to create smooth worshipful sets , and this was most definitely not one of them . We got through that Sunday a little deflated , but knowing we had a teachable moment there .
The following week we had our video lesson with each student , to be able to look back at their worship set with a fresh set of eyes . It was very obvious to them how awkward the dead time and distractions were . They didn ’ t even want to watch the video back ! Then we asked each student who their favorite artist was , and how they would feel if they attended one of their concerts and they just walked out on stage without saying a word and started singing . And then between every song they stood there in silence waiting for the band to start . They all agreed they wouldn ’ t like it at all , and that it would be really weird and awkward . As worship leaders and musicians , we don ’ t want to be just singers and players of songs , we want to lead people in the worship of our King . Transitions are one of the most important things we can do in preparing powerful , distraction free worshipful sets that people will be able to engage in .
Here are some things that we ’ ve found helpful in smoothing out worship sets and having your team better prepared by Sunday :
1 . At rehearsal , after the band has practiced through the songs , have them run the set again exactly as if the service was happening and the room is full of people . If players or singers are transitioning to different locations or instruments , make sure and practice it ! Even a few seconds to transition feels like an eternity when people are watching and waiting , and the band can then prepare to cover these awkward moments musically .
2 . Train all your musicians and singers to be ready at all times to come in and eliminate any awkward silence with either patches on guitar or keys that are smooth and ambient , or a vocalist that can speak and give meaning and context to the next song .
3 . Always video the worship set if possible and have a group video class with your team to review it . Ask for their input on how they could be even smoother next time , creating a worship culture not of perfection , but of excellence .
May you be blessed as you pour into or become the next generation of worship leaders !
Vance & Michelle Shepherd Founders of The Shepherd School of Music in Las Vegas , NV , where they work with youth to raise up the next generation of worship leaders and musicians . facebook . com / shepherdschoolofmusiclasvegas www . ShepherdStudiosLV . com
48 March 2024 Subscribe for Free ...