10 Key Selection Criteria for Church Musicians

In employment circles these days, applicants for jobs are required to address what is known as Key Selection Criteria (KSC).

Consider the role of church musician. It may not be one that enjoys any financial reward, and yet there are a group of skills that can ensure the musical life in faith communities is neither elitist, exclusive or stagnant.

Here's my KSC for church musicians. What would yours be?

1. Team player with a big picture perspective.
2. Willing to sit out and let others play.
3. Prepared to practice individually.
4.Committed to rehearsing with others.
5. Willing to learn new material.
6. Prepared to attend workshops and share newfound knowledge.
7. Commitmed to developing positive relationships with people other than musicians.
8. Able and willing to accommodate wide variety of music styles.
9. Able to discern musical skills in others which contrast with their own, and encourage them to get involved.
10. Observant, with big ears and thick skin!

What have I forgotten?
Please add your own KSC to this list.

You may also be interested in
How to Teach a Song in 4 Steps.
Why We 'Like' Those Who Share Our Musical Taste
Poll : How does the Church accompany song in 2011?

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The King of Glory Comes

'Christ The King' Sunday
When planning for 'Christ the King' Sunday, consider using The King of Glory - a great choice for young bands. Its tune originates from a traditional Israeli melody, and has just enough rhythmic invention to make it interesting, and not so much to perplex those singing it. The key of the song is user-friendly. E minor is a simple key, with only an F sharp in the key signature. While a single G sharp appears for the final chord, those playing the bass notes, much of the accompaniment, and the entire melody will be untroubled by troublesome "black notes" (if you'll excuse the pianist's terminology!).

Instrument-Friendly
In the verses recorder players will find the range accessible, as will flautists. The notes to be played are among those first learnt on these instruments.

The Bass
Bass instruments could play a simplified bassline: E-B-E-B in the refrain, and G-D-G-D etc.. in the verses, but that can sound a bit oompah! Instead try sustaining a single bass note (E (for two bars) then C-D-E in the refrain (twice). For the verse, bass players can underpin the accompaniment simply by sustaining a G until the refrain comes around again. Thats a total of 4 different notes. Simple!

Percussive Ostinato
Chose a motif (eg: "na-tion re-joi-ces") and allocate the rhythm to claves, tambourines or hand drum, to play whenever that rhythm occurs in the song. In this case, the identical rhythm comes with "lift up your voices", and both phrases occur during the refrain.

Mixing it Up
As the rhythm is quite repetitive I'd suggest alternative instrumental treatment from refrain to verse. For example you may engage drum, guitars, bass instruments and hand percussion in the refrain, and make a contrast by utilising recorders, keyboard and triangle for the verses. The advantage of this 2-edged approach for a young band is the playing is not so relentless, there is less for each player to learn, and the result is varied for the singers/listeners.

I suspect variety is the intention behind the suggested note that a cantor sing the verses and the gathered people render the refrain. While some songs by Joseph Gelineau, for example, have verses which are rhythmically and melodically varied from one to the next, it is not so here. I see no reason for this instruction, other than the provision of contrast. An alternative suggestion for those without instruments is to alternate the verse singing between left and right side, women and men, or children and adults.

Final Refrain
As the origins of the music are from Israel, it is quite legitimate to repeat the refrain several times over, gradually increasing the speed. What an exhilarating way the prepare for Advent.

Now if you could just get the congregation to dance...WOW!

For more on accompanying hymns creatively with integrity, visit Revisiting Old Treasures

More Resources for Advent and Christmas

10 Ways to Improve the Church Band by Next Sunday

How's the band sounding? Enliven your musical output by adopting one or more of these ideas.

1. Rehearse before Sunday!
2. At rehearsal get all band members to sing the song before playing - this is a great for getting the right speed.
3. Ask everyone to practise at home before the joint rehearsal.
4. Tune up properly - spend time on this step, until you get it right.
5. Position the band at the back of the worship space, because change is as good as a holiday, and listen to the singing lift.
6. Those who can play while standing, should be standing.
7. Rehearse introductions and endings several times over for each song. Make sure they improve each time you rehearse them.
8. Record the band playing at rehearsal then play it back - ask them how they (personally and corporately) can improve the result. Make sure they act on their own advice.
9. Use stable music stands
10.Don't play the melody - that's the singer's part.

You may also be interested in the short course for song leaders - Songmakers

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Musicians now "Ministers" in Canada

Musicians in the United Church of Canada are rejoicing after being given the opportunity to be recognised as ministers, alongside Congregational Designated Ministers and Lay Ministers. 

In the UCC, musicians have previously had four levels of involvement: volunteer, fee for service, contract, and part time/fulltime employment. Now an further three options have been developed with increasing pastoral, liturgical and educative responsibilities attached.

This reform is as a result of a decade of work by support body Music United, and its predecessor, in the United Church of Canada.

Printed on the brochure outlining the reforms, is this wonderful statement of affirmation: 

The Music of Worship 

Music is not inserted into worship; 

rather worship is inherently musical. 

We are a singing people. 

How we sing together 

and what we sing together 

reflects our faith, 

our church, 

our union with fragile creation, 

our thoughts and our feelings about one another, 

and our attitudes toward all humanity.

Adapted from 'A Theological Statement of Music in the United Church of Canada' (July 2008)

Find out more about the new ministry structure here Making Music Together Brochure

What do you think?
Make your views on our poll, or by adding your comment here.

virtual music barriers

All congregations have virtual barriers when it comes to music. I'm not talking here about musical taste so much as a set of assumptions. For example, some communities limit themselves, closing off multiple possibilities by appealing for an organist, choiur master, pianist or guitarist, rather than being open to the gifts present within the community. 

Take a moment to consider your community. How many people here do you think learned a musical instrument in years past? Probably more than you realise. In my own congregation, I once jotted down 42 people I knew played instruments, let alone those I was to discover later.

Here are some ideas you might like to consider as a starting point to realising greater potential:

1. Find out who learned an instrument as a child or young person.
2. Find out who sings in the shower, or whistles in the shed.
3. Who knows how to play a recorder - the recorder has been widely taught in classrooms for decades now.
4. Who has taught themselves an instrument?
5. Welcome players of tuba, bagpipes, banjo, autoharp, harmonica, african drums, electric guitar and piano accordian into your instrumental mix.
6. Find out who has connections to musicians/artists beyond the faith community.
7. Focus on the missing demographic within your musical leadership
8. Who has an instrument in the attic or under their bed that can be utilised by someone?
9. Who would be willing to contribute musically once a month, or twice a term?
10. Who are the people preparing for music exams? Are there VCE music students in your local community who need an audience? Can they be invited to play for offering, or communion distribution this week?
11. Run a confidence building session for interested parties, and enlist the help of a local music teacher at the congregation's expense.

12. Consider if your musicians are leaving themselves open to a level of criticism no flower arranger would ever be expected to endure.

You may also be interested in Why We 'Like' Those who Share our Musical Tastes

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Starting a Band (and avoiding instrumental cacophony)

Some years ago I was invited to kick start a new church band in a tiny rural congregation in Victoria. It was a faith community that had previously been dependent on a small organ. When I arrived the prospective band members were waiting. It was possibly the most unusual instrumental combination I'd ever encountered: acoustic guitar, piano accordian, euphonium, pipe organ and clarinet.

Acknowledging the Challenges
The encounter raised some significant musical and theological challenges for me. The musicians were nervous. They had never played together before, and their previous public 'performance' experience could be recorded on one hand. The age-range of the particpants was vast, with the youngest in primary school and the oldest over 70.

Questions pinballed about in my brain as I listened to them talk:
Is it even possible to combine these instruments in a satisfactory way?
Is it possible to include people in musical leadership with such limited experience?
Is the musical result more or less important than engaging these musicians in the church's life, particularly as some had virtually no connection with the congregation in the past?
What is the minimum skill level advisable for participation in musical leadership?
When and how and should we say 'wait awhile' to those learning their instrument?


Getting Started

Learning to sit and wait for answers does not always come easily, but it often turns out to be quite fruitful. I decided to find out what each of them imagined their contribution would be. It is not unusual for the 'musical director' to have quite a different vision to that of the players. Rather than the process being director-driven,  the opportunity was offered for input from others.

We talked about the willingness and availablity of the musicians to rehearse together and to practise at home. They were all willing to work on improving their musical skills.

We explored the notion of being prepared NOT to play. For some songs, the piano accordian and clarinet would team up, for another the guitar would lead, and in the next the organist and euphonium. These various combinations not only enabled variety on accompaniment for the congregation, but meant the musicians only need to practise up one or two songs each week.

I encouraged them to make further connections with their local primary school and to invite participation from those in the school community.

What about you? 
How do you go about deciding who can and can't (yet) offer musical leadership in your faith community? How do you balance the theological imperative to encourage the developments of gifts, with the responsibilities that come with any form of leadership?
How does the musical life in your faith community reflect 'Kingdom' values?
How does your community blend unusual instruments?
Are there any instruments you regard as unacceptable for use in worship?

What to Play
For tips on how to use The King of Glory with a young band click here.

You may also be interested in
Virtual Music Barriers
How to Improve the Church Band by next Sunday

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