Change: Not Always a Good Thing

I was at a loss of things to write about, so I began recalling some musically relevant things I’ve experienced. The only thing I can think of right now is the various age limits we place on involvement in our music departments. Some time ago, I was faced with the dilemma of not having enough “solid” singers on the praise team. I knew that I had some children that were 11 and 12 that were able to sing and even harmonize as well as any adult.

What do you think I did?

Well, with my pastor’s permission, I removed the age requirement (15 years old) for being on the praise team. This requirement was in place long before my arrival, but no one seemed to have a problem with the fresh new faces on the praise team. Of course I was totally fair about this and allowed anyone who was interested in singing to audition. Some did not make the cut and only a few did. The result was the same as with adults; there were hints of jealousy and resentment from several that did not make the cut, but we were able to talk through everything and move on.

About six months into everything, a visiting elder asked if there was no children’s choir. The pastor said there was. The elder asked why there were children singing on the praise team if they had a choir to sing in. The pastor explained the need for skilled singers and the elder responded by saying this decision may not send the right kind of message. The pastor and I took these thoughts into careful consideration. But we continued with the younger singers on the praise team. A few months later, an issue came up that brought attention to the fact that certain people were under the age of 15 and this led to the reinstatement of the 15 year old age requirement.

The worst part about the whole situation was telling the children they could not be on the praise team. But the children seemed to have no problem with that as they were beginning to feel the pressure of being depended upon like an adult. These children were on time for rehearsals, behaved in practice, and held their own while singing with their parents and other adults. It’s a shame, but I had less disciplinary problems from them than some of the twenty-somethings.

Some of the children’s parents were the ones who had the biggest bone to pick with me. And I could understand the anger; we gave their children something and took it away. But with the pastor’s support, we were able to put that fire out.

Looking back, I learned that maybe it isn’t the best thing to use children until they are a certain age. The level of responsibility placed on someone on a praise team can be taxing to young children. There are even times when practices become uncomfortable because you can’t teach young children the same as adults. You just have to work with what you have. We should be very careful that we try not to change things on impulse as we might find out later, the need probably wasn’t as urgent as it seemed. You have to consider ALL the people affected by your decisions. If we were not so fortunate in this situation, we could have lost people in that local assembly over someone singing 2 times a month. All I have left to say is be careful out there people. PLEASE be careful.
God Bless!

Sacred vs. Secular

This is Shyla Salmon posting for Ann Ahrens who apparently has "nothing to say" today. Of course I don't believe her claim, but I'm here nonetheless.
She instructed me to write something, anything about music. So, that's what i'll do.

Recently, I have been becoming increasingly aware of the subconscious tendency I have to categorize music under two categories: Christian and Non-Christian. I have also become aware of how faulty this is.
Has the song itself been converted to Christianity? When did any four piece minute of music decide to follow Christ and begin to manifest the fruits of the spirit?
I know there are times when i'm strolling down the grocery store aisle and hear a song that has words like "God", or "hallelujah" and immediately proclaim with joy: "This song MUST be Christian". As if, on an imaginary scoreboard I am tallying "1 for the Christians, 0 for Non-christians"
But isn't music God's? Isn't He the ultimate reference point for all things? Don't get me wrong.
Of course there is music that is filled with vulgarity and references to things that do not bring God glory. With every gift there are boundaries, everything can be perverted-But that is the true test: Does it glorify the God of the universe, or does it defame Him?
The questions we should be asking ourselves should be more like: Does what I am listening to draw me to Christ? Does it stir up a deep awe and reverence of Him in my soul?
Of course, what stirs my affections for Jesus, may actually rob yours.
For example, Beyonce's new hit single "Smash Into You" and Coldplay's "Fix You" are both songs that cause me to weep in remembrance of my experiences with the Lord, even though the writers of these songs may have not penned it about Jesus. And recently, at a Mutemath concert during their song "Obsession" I was moved to worship (I worshipped Jesus, not the strikingly talented, goodlooking lead singer). I understand that not every Christian worships the Lord to Beyonce, but you get my drift.
In any case, I believe it is important for us to rid ourselves of automatic stereotyping that may or may not be subconscious. I wonder if we were more concerned about encouraging the glorification of God through music, than condemning it to Hell, maybe through unexpected avenues we would see Jesus more clearly and love Him more dearly.


What I'm listening to: Brand New's newest album Daisy, and Switchfoot's Hello Hurricane
What I'm reading: Turning Points by Mark Noll

This is Shyla Salmon, signing off
Stop by my blog www.shylasal.wordpress.com if you get the chance :)

Make a joyful noise

“You did what? You didn’t. You didn’t seriously kick him out of the choir, did you?”

“No way. Get out! I can’t believe you did that. What did you say? What did he say?”

“No… You didn’t say that, really. Tell me you didn’t just say that there was no way that he was ever going to be able to carry a tune.”

. . .

I really have a hard time with this one. On the one hand I do not feel that there is EVER an excuse to disallow someone from singing unto the LORD. I don’t think God is pleased when we hold our music to such a standard where it is not something where anyone can participate. I don’t just mean congregational singing. I mean in the spotlight. On the stage. In front of God and every one.

“But Everett, you can’t mean to tell me that you’re going to let someone who is extremely tonally challenged sing a special!”

Um… well… I think I would. It would be painful to me. It would probably be painful to a number of other people. But I would test the spirit. I wouldn’t let the lack of musicality diminish the person’s heartfelt song unto the LORD.

Perhaps God is more pleased with the sincere special sung by the tonally challenged than some of my efforts, which, although perhaps containing more talent, contains less sincerity. I will admit with a high degree of shame that I have gotten up to sing a special with little or no preparation, and with little or no anointing. And that I have witnessed some with much less musicality offer much more sincere worship unto the LORD.

I do think we should be prepared. And we absolutely need the LORD’s anointing. And we need to practice. We need to make a sound that is not only joyful, but also pleasing to the ear, ours, the congregations’ and the LORD’s. But face it. You will always have the tonally challenged among you. Let them sing in the masse choir. You don’t have to let them sing in your “audition-only ensemble.” You don’t have to let them sing a special. At least, not more than once. However, if their worship outshines that of any of the more practiced among you, let it be a lesson in humility for those with the trained ear. Let it be a lesson in God’s grace that any one of us can lift up our voice in song. After all. It is His hand that created each one of us. Let us glory in the off key singing. Let us revel in the simple fact that we are His creation.

Give Me Some Breathing Room

“My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.” Psalm 108:1

College story. It was a long ensemble trip. A crowded van. A lot of bodies in a little space. One guy got tired of being crammed against so many other people and needed an escape. His way of dealing was to pull out his headphones and visit what he called his “bigger, free environment.”

I use that trick on a daily basis. In our floundering economy, I consider myself blessed to have a steady government job with lots of benefits and paid holidays. But that doesn’t make the eight hours pass any quicker.

In my small, windowless office, I sometimes feel like my soul is suffocating. It needs to sing. So I grab my iPod, a stack of papers, and head to the filing room. While I sort away the alphabetized records, I sing along, shuffle my feet, and let my soul breathe for awhile.

Music has that magical ability to transport us out of our claustrophobic lives into a bigger, free environment.

If we let it.

Sometimes it takes a conscious choice to hear the melody over the ringing cell phones, or crying babies. You don’t even need an iPod. Just flip that switch in your heart.

Why not join me today? Whether you work from home or the office, you can still take the time to make some music. On the outside, we may be sitting sedately in our desk chairs, typing away at our keyboards. But, on the inside, our souls are singing. Together we’ll form a silent choir of praise, spreading across state lines.

Well, it’s time for me to go to work. Chances are I’ll head for the file room with my iPod at some point today. I may even dance around a little. Oh man, I hope my boss isn’t reading this.

Playing skillfully... and other loud noises

I am so thankful for TJ's post because it gives me something to rant, I mean talk about. Regarding the unskilled person involved in music ministry...

First of all, I want to say that consecration should be a prerequisite for ministry of any kind. The anointing is not something we should spend a lot of time hammering into leadership, if we do then we have some serious issues that obviously take precedent over any talent and ability problems. My opinion on this matter assumes that those involved are leadership material, and do not need to be instructed on how to live a consecrated life that is Spirit-led.

Music is a skill building art, it requires time, discipline, and much practice. I wonder if the popularity of three chord worship songs is connected in any way to the rampant laziness and lack of discipline we deal with among musicians and singers? If you state that you desire to minister before the Lord in music and what you offer is out of tune, sloppy, or distracting to the congregation trying to pursue the presence of God, do you think He is just pleased that your desire is sincere? I am tired of apologizing to someone because the assume they can bring a half-hearted offering into the sanctuary and we should accept it because they are sincere. There are too many ministries who need help for you to be wasting all this time pursuing what is most likely an ego driven dream rather than a call from God.

In 1 Chronicles we read about the "skillful" Levites who were set apart for the ministry of music i tabernacle. Chenaniah was instructor in charge of music "because he was skillful." (1 Chron. 15:22) 1 Corinthians 14: 6 compares instruction with no truth or focus to musical instruments played out of tune. We certainly expect the ministers preaching the Word to walk to the platform prepared and Spirit-led. We should expect no less from the musicians and singers who are expected to lead us in praise and worship. Simply put, if you want to be involved in music ministry, you must be musical.

This sounds great in theory, but how do you deal with it in your local church? To be honest, I have only ever told one person that they were not cut out for music ministry, and it was someone who I believe was truly tone deaf. Otherwise, if you can carry a tune, stay on pitch for most of the song, and engage in demonstrative worship I will stick you on the platform even if I turn your microphone down. Isn't that hypocritical? Maybe, but I expect you to show up and know the words, stay on your part, and sing like you are standing right before the throne of God. I have found that there are plenty who disagree with my philosophy on music ministry, but we don't have anyone singing off key on our platform either. I still have musicians and singers who show up ill prepared for service, but I'd like to think the shame-facedness is for the Lord and not the tyrant behind the keyboard.

Pick me, pick me!

Does anybody remember being a kid and playing basketball or football with your friends and relatives? Do you remember the one kid, or several kids, that nobody wanted on their team - the one that was always saying, “Pick me, pick me!”? Well, it seems to me that scenario never goes away; it only manifests itself in new areas.

There is no doubt that many kids’ feelings have been hurt over always being the last one chosen for the team. And on top of that, their team is not very excited about them being on the team. It causes one to wonder why these people perform so poorly when they play. It’s almost as if they fail because that’s what everyone expects of them. You would think that someone would try his/her best to prove that he/she should have been the first person chosen. Some people do this, and despite all their efforts, despite the fact that they did their absolute best, they were still no good at the game. There’s nothing wrong with that, it just may be that they were not meant to excel in or sometimes even be a part of that game. That doesn’t mean they’re not good at anything.

Now, instead of they football field or the basketball court, I see this scenario in the music departments of churches. There are sometimes people that have a greater desire than anyone else in the music department to be used. In some cases, these people are not the most talented or musically inclined people in the church. They will always be at practice on time and always volunteer to sing or play anything you start teaching. Sometimes we give them a chance and sometimes they change our minds about their ability. Sometimes, our original opinion is only reinforced.

How does a music minister/director handle something like this? Do you let someone that you know is tone deaf sing in the choir? Sure, that may be alright if you have a large choir and the tone deafness can be covered up. But what if your choir consists of 10 to 12 people? No matter what size a church is, there is pressure to use people or lose them. This presents an issue, because you may have a pastor telling a music director to use this person. And the music director is thinking if I use this person, it make us all look bad. I don’t know, maybe I’m the only music director that has had these kinds of issues. It is very time consuming to learn and teach parts to singers and even more when you’re trying educate your music department on how music works. To some it may be discouraging to have to use someone that appears to have no talent or skill whatsoever. It may even cause you to feel like all the work you’ve done is for naught.

And now we are at the part where I’m supposed to offer some sort of remedy to this ultimately uncomfortable situation. Well I hate to say, but I have no remedy. I wrote this because I would like to know what others’ opinions are in this matter. So, please let me know what you think, or what you’ve done in this kind of situation.
God Bless!

Living in a Golden Age

I’m carpet bagging here—a writing guy commenting on music to music people—but give me a couple paragraphs before you start snickering at my ignorance.

The Golden Age

We seem to be enjoying a Golden Age of Songwriting. From Chris Tomlin and Israel Houghton to MercyMe’s Bart Millard and Casting Crown’s Mark Hall to the Hillsong movement to your personal favorite (Derek Webb? Kirk Franklin? Matt Redman?), it seems like quality lyrics are clogging Christian radio today. It’s a great time—is it the greatest time ever?—to be listening to quality, searching, even challenging lyrics in most major genres. Most reflect a true communion with God. It’s a great time in Christian songwriting. We should recognize it as such.

The Tin Age

We seem to be enjoying a Tin Age of Christian music. From Chris Tomlin and Israel Houghton to MercyMe’s Bart Millard and Casting Crown’s Mark Hall to the Hillsong movement, it seems like mediocre music is clogging Christian radio today. It’s an awful time—certainly not the worst ever, but . . .—to be challenged and surprised by anything produced by our major artists.

In music it’s a “sound,” in writing it’s a “style.” Maybe I’m too much of a book guy, but I don’t hear that in Christian music today.

Case in point: Israel’s latest (and first studio) CD features pop, gospel, rock, and reggae in it. In fact, it’s got everything but a signature style.

Cases in point: MercyMe and Casting Crowns play almost nothing memorable. You recognize them by their lead vocalist, not their uninspired music.

Stellar artists/performers—and I’d put Israel & Chris Tomlin in or near that range—must couple their spectacular lyrics while exhibiting a stellar style that is uniquely them to be considered one of the Hall of Famers. It’s not about popularity, it’s about electrifying history.

Need a couple examples? Think: The Beatles. Think the Edge’s soaring guitar in U2. Every song is different. Every song is theirs alone.

Legitimate Reasons?

Are there different standards for Christian music? Does a “sound” matter in the eyes of history? Do the genres of church music (P&W, Gospel, Southern Gospel) nullify true signatures that the general listener would instantly recognize? Or do Christian listeners only expect genre satisfaction, punishing the truly talented who exemplify both?

I don’t have any answers, just many questions.

Still, it’s ironic that there’s such a yawning dichotomy between the lyrics and music of most Christian music right now.

I’m done. Feel free to argue with me. Put the book guy in his place.