Heart Room

What follows now is not a definitive version of rehearsal values but is a series of observations, statements and questions on rehearsals and team life.

NB:
It would be impossible to include all of these in one rehearsal or team life catch up!
In our team we’ve only just moved away from the half hour ‘gasp’ manic rehearsal before our service on Sunday [!!] but we were doing that for four years and knew God’s grace and team commitment in that time…
This, then, is an encouragement to be creative whatever your context, and to be looking out for ways to include some of the following ideas across say a year or a term – maybe having curry evenings [or salad days!]

Make time just to hang out or to chat, pray and discuss some of the ‘heart’ issues.

*See also ‘Building Skill’ on these rehearsal tips pages.

• The rehearsal is a space to grow together as worshippers. How much time is given in our rehearsals to practice worshipping together using music, word, silence, improvisation, praying, the prophetic and other gifts of the Spirit and much more…

NB as an aside – in my experience – to whatever extent we want to encourage the wider gathering to participate [in say, open prayer, or silence, corporate use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, or ‘singing out’ or creative writing] will be reflected in what takes place in our rehearsals – another good reason to use rehearsal time well.

• Looking at Bible together. Maybe asking others in the team to talk about what they are reading in Bible at the moment, or you could invite other Bible teachers in your community to teach with room for conversation.
• Maybe you could read together a book on worship types, theology, cultural shifts or historical doctrines and controversies!

Where is the place in our team life to crunch through theology issues together?

• Praying for each other – space to carry each other into the presence of God.

I find it’s all too easy to just concentrate on the muso and forget the experiences, the everyday stuff that they may be carrying. They may play the trombone or the guitar – but are they also businesswomen or househusbands that need to hear from this God who ‘loves it when everything fits’ [Psalm 33: 4]

• Encouragement is a vital key to good team life and playing well together. It is closely linked to knowing each player/singer [so that our encouragement is not empty flattery] and gives a springboard to offer more encouragement and also constructive criticism.

• A note too on watching where our encouragement is given – it is easy [I know, I’ve done it often] to give lots of encouragement to the muso who is reticent/shy in the corner and ignore the ones who are diligently working away, or even fail to encourage the band/team leader who has set up the rehearsal for us.

As I said previously it is about knowing our team members so that our words are not flattery [and we can all spot that!], neither are they pandering to others insecurities – but they are words that build up and feed into team life.

I’m still learning – and, on a lighter note, I find chocolate helps [!!] or offering to baby-sit, or buying their favourite magazine for them or taking them out for a coffee/meal or a match/concert – I’m sure there are lots of other ideas out there!

Please don’t feel guilty about having to do this around the whole team – but we can start with one person?

• Serving each other. A bit of an old-fashioned word but a vital kingdom principle.

Let’s make our rehearsals a place to develop serving hearts, here, on common ground because of our place in Jesus and in our decision to serve team and the wider gathering.

How does our musical skill and talent seek to serve the whole? [The whole being either the song/hymn or the service or indeed the wider context of Psalm 33 mentioned on the first of these rehearsal tips pages].

A NOTE ON AUDITIONS

At the moment – the policy for joining the music team at Cairns is by audition. All are welcome to join as long as [among other things] they pass an introductory musical test and show commitment to church at Cairns.

On the other hand I have friends who head up music teams in other churches where potential team members need to have grade 8 or it’s equivalent.

I think the serving principle remains the same whatever our starting point.

NEARLY FINALLY…

• A place to review and look back. Where is the space for us to ask ‘how it went last time’ is there anything we need to add in, take out, watch out for, affirm?

Team place is also a valuable space to evaluate and reflect – time to check out how we are doing in team – a place of accountability…

…and to check out how we are doing in serving the gathering.
This keeps us from the dangerous place of serving the gathering based on routine or assumptions.

Is there space to assess which songs really ‘take off’ when the congregation sing them? Why?

Is there a place to review and see which songs don’t work? Again we can ask why?

It is a great place to check if there are any gaps in our song vocabulary and work to serve our gatherings by providing songs that enable us to express what we see of God and God’s world.

*For more information on vocabulary please check out the links/pages on ‘Pulling the Songlist together’ or ‘Songs and Hymns’ – categories.

REALLY FINALLY…

FOOD!

I know that we’re talking about working towards better rehearsals – but do make time to eat together, hang out together, have fun together, at some other point in your team life together.

Geraldine Latty
28 November 2006