In many churches today the music ministry is a very visible part of the liturgical celebration. Usually stationed up front, on one side of the sanctuary or the other, most everyone in the assembly can see as well as hear us. The way we look when we sing or play, how we act, or even what we wear–all of these things contribute to the tone we set as we perform our ministry.
Here are a few things to consider:
1. Where is your attention at any given time? Obviously, when you are playing or singing, your attention is on the music, your instrument, making eye-contact with the assembly, directing other band members, etc. But what happens when the song is over? Are we fumbling through our music? Are we chatting about what went wrong during the song? Looking for a pencil to write something down? Or...are we focused on the reading that is being proclaimed, listening attentively to the homily, joining in a spoken response with the assembly, etc? Simply asking everyone in the band/group to turn their attention–mentally and physically– to the presider or lector can make a huge difference both for yourselves and for the assembly who may be watching you.
2. Our main goal is to lead the assembly in song, not perform for them. Sure, there are moments when we can and should use our gifts to enhance a song and even inspire others to sing along or simply be moved by the music...but let’s not make it about us...ever. Let’s leave the mics on the stands. (I can never think of a reason to hold the mic in your hand.) Be inviting, not distracting. It’s not a time to show what kind of a vocal range we have, or how many notes we can fit in a run, or how complex a solo we can play. By simply doing our music well we can encourage the assembly to join with us and lift their voices, too.
3. It’s pretty much a given that we should try and look presentable, not necessarily in a shirt and tie or a dress, but certainly not in sweats and probably not t-shirts, unless they were specifically made for the parish, a parish event, or something similar. All parishes are different and have their own expectations on what we should wear. Let’s just make sure we are respectful in what we choose.
4. Water bottles everywhere...what is the deal with water bottles!? I’ll be honest, I am usually singing and playing 3 masses in a row, and I never need to have a water bottle unless I’m fighting a cold or something. Why does the whole band need water bottles? Even if you’re not singing! Are you working up a thirst just by playing a guitar or a keyboard? I can see how it makes sense for someone who plays a wind instrument. Okay...enough about the water bottles. If you need it, use it. If not, just get it out of the way. It starts to look too much like a stage at a gig!
I think it’s important that, when playing music at Mass, we are aware that we are visible to many. Let’s set a good example for those who may be watching. We are, after all, at Mass. We are a part of the assembly.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Happy New Year!
(Sorry this is a little late today...sick kid takes priority!)
It’s Advent, probably my favorite time of year. I love the season, the traditions, the anticipation...and I love the music! Liturgically, it’s a new year and it might be nice if even our music could show some sort of marked change, especially over these next four weeks.
There are some built-in changes: the Gloria will not be sung, and music we save for Advent makes an appearance, but there are some other things we can do as well to really set the tone for this season:
1. Instrumentation. This might be a good time to mix things up a bit. Lots of brass in your band? Save them for the last song, if even that! Hold off until Christmas, then really let the horns “do their thing.” If that’s not the best option, maybe mellow out the parts a bit...lower registers, less busy, etc.
Bring in a flute or an oboe, or even a cello. Try focusing on a new sound or texture for the next few weeks. If you’re singing a new mass part for Advent, feature one of these instruments in the introduction, or with a nice descant.
2. Sing the Penitential Rite. There are lots of great settings, but you could even customize your own. Change up the invocations for a Kyrie or Lord, Have Mercy that your assembly already knows. Ask your liturgist to help you write new ones. Perhaps the priest or deacon can chant the new verses while you and the assembly respond with a familiar setting.
3. Let’s focus on the voices. I’ve mentioned before how much I love to sing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” with the assembly. (I’ll be using it all four weeks of Advent.) One of my favorite ways is as a gathering song, then reprising it after communion. NO BAND!!! Let the people sing; just start them off. Trust me, they will do it. You just have to give them a chance, and, perhaps, a little encouragement.
If your church is really reverberant, take this opportunity (if you don’t already do this) to invite your assembly to experience and love the sound of all of our voices singing together in such a beautiful building. Invite them during this season especially to really stretch out of their comfort zone and lift their voices. Just make sure to use a really singable song when you do that! O Come, O Come Emmanuel? :-)
Finally, I’d just like to mention a few of my favorite Advent songs that we use this time of year. Please feel free to share your ideas as well. We can always use more Advent song ideas and creative ways to use them.
Come, Emmanuel (Paul Tate—World Library Publications)
Find Us Ready (Tom Booth—OCP/Spirit and Song)
Awake to the Day (Ed Bolduc/John Barker—World Library Publications)
Prepare the Way (Charlie Hall/Louie Giglio—EMI)
My Deliverer (Rich Mullins/Mitch McVicker—Word Music Group)
Prepare the Way (Tom Booth—OCP/Spirit and Song)
It’s Advent, probably my favorite time of year. I love the season, the traditions, the anticipation...and I love the music! Liturgically, it’s a new year and it might be nice if even our music could show some sort of marked change, especially over these next four weeks.
There are some built-in changes: the Gloria will not be sung, and music we save for Advent makes an appearance, but there are some other things we can do as well to really set the tone for this season:
1. Instrumentation. This might be a good time to mix things up a bit. Lots of brass in your band? Save them for the last song, if even that! Hold off until Christmas, then really let the horns “do their thing.” If that’s not the best option, maybe mellow out the parts a bit...lower registers, less busy, etc.
Bring in a flute or an oboe, or even a cello. Try focusing on a new sound or texture for the next few weeks. If you’re singing a new mass part for Advent, feature one of these instruments in the introduction, or with a nice descant.
2. Sing the Penitential Rite. There are lots of great settings, but you could even customize your own. Change up the invocations for a Kyrie or Lord, Have Mercy that your assembly already knows. Ask your liturgist to help you write new ones. Perhaps the priest or deacon can chant the new verses while you and the assembly respond with a familiar setting.
3. Let’s focus on the voices. I’ve mentioned before how much I love to sing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” with the assembly. (I’ll be using it all four weeks of Advent.) One of my favorite ways is as a gathering song, then reprising it after communion. NO BAND!!! Let the people sing; just start them off. Trust me, they will do it. You just have to give them a chance, and, perhaps, a little encouragement.
If your church is really reverberant, take this opportunity (if you don’t already do this) to invite your assembly to experience and love the sound of all of our voices singing together in such a beautiful building. Invite them during this season especially to really stretch out of their comfort zone and lift their voices. Just make sure to use a really singable song when you do that! O Come, O Come Emmanuel? :-)
Finally, I’d just like to mention a few of my favorite Advent songs that we use this time of year. Please feel free to share your ideas as well. We can always use more Advent song ideas and creative ways to use them.
Come, Emmanuel (Paul Tate—World Library Publications)
Find Us Ready (Tom Booth—OCP/Spirit and Song)
Awake to the Day (Ed Bolduc/John Barker—World Library Publications)
Prepare the Way (Charlie Hall/Louie Giglio—EMI)
My Deliverer (Rich Mullins/Mitch McVicker—Word Music Group)
Prepare the Way (Tom Booth—OCP/Spirit and Song)
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The practice of ‘not practicing’
My piano teacher in college gave me some great advice at one of my lessons. I had just been asked to accompany a singer for an event, and some of the music was really challenging. The original accompanist had to cancel at the last minute, so I only had a day to prepare. My teacher told me, “Don’t bother practicing the stuff you think you can just sight-read off the page. Instead, go right to the difficult sections and find a way through it!” What great advice! I spent my time practicing what I needed to practice, and trusted myself to be able to read the other sections well enough for the performance. I focused on what needed my attention the most.
I find that this advice applies very well to Sunday mornings at our parish. I currently lead two groups that do not rehearse during the week. All are volunteers, and all arrive about 30 minutes prior to the start of Mass. Sometime during the previous week I will email them the list of songs we are doing, in case they want to look at them ahead of time. On Sunday, we don't have time to practice anything we ‘know,’ so we only focus on those songs that are new, particularly challenging, or somehow different than we’ve done them before. Sure, playing through a song we all know and like would sound great, but we need that time to settle in and focus on what might lead to a potential train wreck.
Think of it this way: do you practice the Mass parts every week? Probably not. Instead, you rely on the fact that you are really familiar with them; you know them; there is no real need to rehearse them. When they come up in the liturgy, everyone will be able to play them well.
The same can apply to the songs we know well. Instead, use your limited time (if, in fact, that is all you have) to ‘hit’ the spots that are troublesome or difficult. Don’t spend the precious time you have reviewing what is already familiar, or simple.
I find that I carry my teacher’s advice with me quite often. We all can. The more you play, the more you get used to seeing what’s on the page. Your sight-reading improves and you find that you have, perhaps, less areas to practice or “find a way through.”
Thanks, Carey. You were a great teacher.
I find that this advice applies very well to Sunday mornings at our parish. I currently lead two groups that do not rehearse during the week. All are volunteers, and all arrive about 30 minutes prior to the start of Mass. Sometime during the previous week I will email them the list of songs we are doing, in case they want to look at them ahead of time. On Sunday, we don't have time to practice anything we ‘know,’ so we only focus on those songs that are new, particularly challenging, or somehow different than we’ve done them before. Sure, playing through a song we all know and like would sound great, but we need that time to settle in and focus on what might lead to a potential train wreck.
Think of it this way: do you practice the Mass parts every week? Probably not. Instead, you rely on the fact that you are really familiar with them; you know them; there is no real need to rehearse them. When they come up in the liturgy, everyone will be able to play them well.
The same can apply to the songs we know well. Instead, use your limited time (if, in fact, that is all you have) to ‘hit’ the spots that are troublesome or difficult. Don’t spend the precious time you have reviewing what is already familiar, or simple.
I find that I carry my teacher’s advice with me quite often. We all can. The more you play, the more you get used to seeing what’s on the page. Your sight-reading improves and you find that you have, perhaps, less areas to practice or “find a way through.”
Thanks, Carey. You were a great teacher.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Something old, something new, something borrowed...something cool!
Changes in Liturgical Seasons provide great opportunities to change things up a bit. They are also wonderful times to get creative. I just received an email from someone who is creating music for an Advent Penitential Rite based on the Kyrie I composed/arranged in the Mass of Celebration. (WLP 008213) She composed her own verses based on the theme/harmonic structure of this Kyrie, which they’ve been using, and is planning on interspersing them among the 3 ‘refrains.’ This way the assembly can have something old (or familiar) combined with something new. It’s still fresh for the new season, but familiar enough that they will be able to sing it easily.
That’s often the trickiest part about changing acclamations for Advent. There are only 4 weeks. Learning something completely new that goes away in a month is not always the best choice. But, if it can be combined with something familiar, then the chance of success goes way up.
I spoke last year of creating a Gospel Acclamation out of The First Noel, where, instead of singing “Noel, noel, noel, noel! Born is the King of Israel,” you would sing “Alleluia, alleluia! Come, Holy King of Israel!” Then, at Midnight Mass and the following Christmas Season you would sing “Alleluia, alleluia! Born is the King of Israel.” It works beautifully. Most everyone already knows the melody and you could even get a little more creative with the chords to change it up even further.
I’ve also used the melody of “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” as the basis for a “Holy, Holy.” OCP publishes a wonderful “Lamb of God” by Kevin Keil based on “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” (Glory & Praise II, # 150)
As always, our goal is to enable and encourage the assembly to sing these acclamations, not listen to the choir. Giving them a familiar melody with a new text can really help engage everyone.
Please share with me your thoughts and ideas on what has worked, and maybe what hasn't worked so well. Perhaps we can share some fresh, new ways to help each other out!
That’s often the trickiest part about changing acclamations for Advent. There are only 4 weeks. Learning something completely new that goes away in a month is not always the best choice. But, if it can be combined with something familiar, then the chance of success goes way up.
I spoke last year of creating a Gospel Acclamation out of The First Noel, where, instead of singing “Noel, noel, noel, noel! Born is the King of Israel,” you would sing “Alleluia, alleluia! Come, Holy King of Israel!” Then, at Midnight Mass and the following Christmas Season you would sing “Alleluia, alleluia! Born is the King of Israel.” It works beautifully. Most everyone already knows the melody and you could even get a little more creative with the chords to change it up even further.
I’ve also used the melody of “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” as the basis for a “Holy, Holy.” OCP publishes a wonderful “Lamb of God” by Kevin Keil based on “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” (Glory & Praise II, # 150)
As always, our goal is to enable and encourage the assembly to sing these acclamations, not listen to the choir. Giving them a familiar melody with a new text can really help engage everyone.
Please share with me your thoughts and ideas on what has worked, and maybe what hasn't worked so well. Perhaps we can share some fresh, new ways to help each other out!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Wear your concert clothes
We’re at that time of year when we start seriously looking at what we’re going to do in terms of a Christmas program or concert at our parish. For many of us, rehearsals may already be well under way! Traditionally, most churches will present a concert by the parish choir. Here’s another idea that takes much, much less preparation and can be really effective: a sing-along.
Last year we were unable to present a music ministry concert in our parish. We still wanted to offer something, so we went this route. We rolled the piano out front, had a trumpet player on one side, a flute on the other, and my wife, Karen, and I led the assembly in traditional and contemporary carols and songs that our assembly knew well. We dimmed the lights, lit a few candles, and really tried to set the tone for an evening celebrating Advent and Christmas. To mix it up I would throw in a piano solo, Karen and I would sing (perform) a song, we'd have instrumental interludes, etc. The feedback we received was incredible! The church was full.
People kept telling me that this was one thing that really got them into the spirit of the season. We’re always going around from party to party, from store to store, etc. Sure, it helps to hear Christmas music on the radio, but this was very different. We all paused in our place of worship, our church, and took some time to appreciate the beautiful melodies and lyrics that mark this most glorious of events in our world. I’ve heard our church sing before...but even this was different. It truly was inspiring, moving, and beautiful...especially when all of the adults went silent as the children sang “Away in a Manger” by themselves! (Not a dry eye in the house.)
Karen and I kept sharing with everyone how this truly was the most enjoyable ‘concert’ we had ever been a part of. We would start a song, then step back from our mics and let the assembly carry it. That was the goal of the night. It wasn’t about us performing; it was about the assembly...all of us...singing these songs together. They will. They want to. Just give them a chance.
I mentioned that we had both a trumpet and flute player as well. If you are in need of any parts or descants for the Christmas/Advent seasons, (or any other time) you should check out the C Instrument Companion from World Library Publications. This is why this was created. Most songs in this collection have melody and two descants for instruments. All of the work is done for you. (You would need to transpose to B-flat for those instruments.) There are more than 500 titles in this 2-book collection from various publishers (including OCP and GIA). (www.wlpmusic.com, 002475, $95.00)
Last year we were unable to present a music ministry concert in our parish. We still wanted to offer something, so we went this route. We rolled the piano out front, had a trumpet player on one side, a flute on the other, and my wife, Karen, and I led the assembly in traditional and contemporary carols and songs that our assembly knew well. We dimmed the lights, lit a few candles, and really tried to set the tone for an evening celebrating Advent and Christmas. To mix it up I would throw in a piano solo, Karen and I would sing (perform) a song, we'd have instrumental interludes, etc. The feedback we received was incredible! The church was full.
People kept telling me that this was one thing that really got them into the spirit of the season. We’re always going around from party to party, from store to store, etc. Sure, it helps to hear Christmas music on the radio, but this was very different. We all paused in our place of worship, our church, and took some time to appreciate the beautiful melodies and lyrics that mark this most glorious of events in our world. I’ve heard our church sing before...but even this was different. It truly was inspiring, moving, and beautiful...especially when all of the adults went silent as the children sang “Away in a Manger” by themselves! (Not a dry eye in the house.)
Karen and I kept sharing with everyone how this truly was the most enjoyable ‘concert’ we had ever been a part of. We would start a song, then step back from our mics and let the assembly carry it. That was the goal of the night. It wasn’t about us performing; it was about the assembly...all of us...singing these songs together. They will. They want to. Just give them a chance.
I mentioned that we had both a trumpet and flute player as well. If you are in need of any parts or descants for the Christmas/Advent seasons, (or any other time) you should check out the C Instrument Companion from World Library Publications. This is why this was created. Most songs in this collection have melody and two descants for instruments. All of the work is done for you. (You would need to transpose to B-flat for those instruments.) There are more than 500 titles in this 2-book collection from various publishers (including OCP and GIA). (www.wlpmusic.com, 002475, $95.00)
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