Song: 'Oh God Today' by Craig Mitchell

The supremely talented (and very handsome) Craig Mitchell has provided access to his song, Oh God Today, just in time for Advent. Check out the words, and the manuscript, then listen to the funky band backing provided.

Oh God Today by Craig Mitchell (lyrics and manuscript)

Oh God Today (band backing)

Song for Advent/Holy Week: Shine A Candle

Shine a candle was originally written to accompany the lighting of Advent candles, but may also be of use during Holy Week. It is a song of gentle longing. This song may be sung any number of times, as required. The final refrain may be underlined by singing the line, "till the day when Christ arrives", three times..

How to Play it

The manuscript indicates guitar chords, and also bass notes. The bass brings gravity to the accompaniment, providing equal doses of tension and resolution - such is the suspense of Advent.  Without the bass, the song can be insipid. If you have no bass instrument, the piano can provide this element in octaves.

Tempo

Pace is important. Please note the metronome speed marked.

Shine a Candle is freely offered here for use in worship and for Christian education purposes, with due acknowledgement. Please let me know if you make use of it.

View/Print a copy of the song

More resources for Advent and Christmas 

Song: And it was very good

And it was very good is a retelling of the creation story in Genesis.

It was originally written for a group of primary aged children on a weekend campout at Euroa in 2001, but has wide appeal. It is bright and lively and easy to learn.

The song is freely available for use in worship and for Christian education, with due acknowledgement.
Please let me know if you make use of it.

Print the lyrics
Print the music

6 Sound Innovations for Worship

Music in worship is too often limited to community song. Sound can be utilised in most aspects of the liturgy, although it would be a brave worship leader who detemined to use all of these innovations in a single week! Let's take a look at some common liturgical elements and consider how music might enrich each of them.

Entering - sound effects
Consider how people are greeted as they enter your particular worship space.Are they confronted with the last minute rehearsal of the instrumentalists. If there is music playing, is it merely there for entertainment value, or to fill an uncomfortable silence? Surely not! Sound can help to centre thoughts, and focus our purpose.

Consider how you might help to focus the thoughts of people as they arrive. Instead of music, you may choose to amplify a soundtrack of wind blowing or crackling fire (Pentecost). A journeying theme might be enhanced with the sounds of shoes on gravel, or the sound of crashing waves (calming the storm, crossing the Red Sea), bird calls (celebrating creation), kitchen sounds (Mary and Martha) or crowd noise (Palm Sunday, Christmas Eve, Feeding the 5000). Entering the worship space should be far from ordinary. Engage people with the unnexpected.

Processional
If your community processes bible, water, candle or communion elements, it could be time the shake it up a little. Rather than carrying the elements at waist height, they can be presented more dramatically held above the carriers head. Perhaps a dancer can 'dance' the bible in, or a trumpeter walk the aisle with a solo fanfare. Perhaps the musicians can join the procession with portable instruments, or as a singing ensemle. Each of these possibilities will elicit a different response from the gathered people, and will set the tone of anticipation for worship to follow.

Praying with eyes wide open
Sung prayer responses are very common: following a spoken prayer, the gathered people join in a sung response. Consider too that some songs can stand alone as prayers, and are in fact written in the language of prayer. Perhaps a sung response can be interspersed with images, gestures, dance, or silent reflection rather than spoken words, leaving space for the personal prayers to be offered.

Prayerscape
A prayerscape can be made by providing candles, windchimes, gongs, triangles, large cymbals (with soft mallets) at several points around the worship space. People are invited to make their unspoken prayer by lighting a candle, striking a gong or stroking chimes. Musicians may play some unobtrusive music as people move around the space. Prayerscapes are most effective where varied sound sources are provided at multiple places.

Teach a Song - Proclamation
No I am not about to suggest that the sermon should be sung - never fear ye clergy folk! But have you consider engaging the community in a conversation about song text, its meaning and implications? We can sing songs for years without fully considering what is being espoused. Perhaps we will find, as we converse with others, that the meaning they derive from a song is quite different to ours. These encounters offer opportunity to discuss faith with those we are sitting close to, perhaps being tounched by a line or two we had never considered before. When you've talked about the text, sing the song together.

Create a soundscape
Soundscapes are an effective way of enhancing bible readings. By using sounds to accompany spoken words, they may become more engaging and memorable. More on soundscapes....

You are welcome to share your own innovative ideas with others by reply to this post. Let me know if you use any of these ideas, and what you learnt/gained/experienced by using them.

song: psalm 107 with drum

Although Psalm 107 with drum  is associated with the season of Lent, it's a song of gratitude for any time of year. 

How to use this song
This song was originally written for those congregations with very limited musical resources. The key to success is that the songleader leads with confidence in the learning stages. All you really need is voices and a hand drum of some sort (the deeper the better), to beat a consistent pattern throughout. 

A simple drum ostinato adds gravity to the song. A guitar is great, but a drum is essential.  It is vital the songleader is very familiar with this song, making continual eye-contact with the community without peering into music. Guitar chords are provided for those with a band set up.
 
What rhythm does the drum play? 
Some suggestions for rhythms are to emulate a simple rhythmic ostinato from the rhythm of the text (eg: "Sat-is-fied").

A skilled percussionist ""all the marvellous" repeated over and over as a rhthmic ostinato is very effective. 

The simplest drum ostinato is often the most effective. Try striking the drum on the first and third beats of each bar, with a flourish to mark the end of the song. An extension of this ostinato would be to insert quavers between the first and third beats. Using the opening sung text as a guide, the drum would play LET - THANK THE LORD - HIS ENDUR -  etc...

What kind of drum?

Any type of hand drum is fine. The deeper the better. It is likely the drummer will need to concentrate on the ostinato, and refrain from singing to retain the integrity of the drum part.

The song may be used freely for worship/christian education with acknowledgement.

Please let me know if you use it in your faith community.

Print the music

How to read rhythm

How to teach a song in 4 steps

World Music Day: singing the global church

Concerts and performances in 350 cities worldwide next Monday, will mark World Music Day (Fete de la Musique). Held June 21st each year, the festival aims to enhance the scope and diversity of all musical genres with an invitation to free and spontaneous music making. It encourages performance in non-traditional performance spaces such as museums, corporate foyers and public transport facilities, and is a non-profit enterprise.

The Global Church
Many congregations work intentionally to acknowledge their commitment to the global community through music and song. It is a powerful reminder that while our faith communities exist in a local area, they are part of an extensive network. Indeed, the irony of World Music Day is that the principles of participation, non-profit, musical diversity and spontaneity  and inclusivity are, or a least should, be the aspiration of all faith communties. Where these values are espoused, people of varying skill and expereince gather together in an spirit of generosity and goodwill, to make provision for and engage in participatory music in their faith community.


Music of the Global Church
If you'd like to recognise your community's connection to the global church, there are many music resources available. Here is just a sample:
Songs from World Council of Churches 9th Assembly (Brazil)
Global Worship Music
Freedom is Coming
For Everyone Born
Global Praise Music
Wild Goose Publications

Using Current Resources
Alternatively a leaf through any hymnbook will turn up songs of diverse origin. The key is to present these songs not as though they have western roots, but to recognise the song's origins principally by instrument choice. In other words, if you are sing a chant from Ghana, strong vocal leadership with rhythmic accompaniment on drum is preferable to a pipe organ!

In Your Community
Which songs of other lands do you sing?
How do you accompany them?
Are the songs you sing reflected by all the nationalities in your community?
Let me know how you enagage with the global church in your place.

You may also be interested in Exploring a Theology of Gratitude in the Land of Entitlement

How to teach a song in 4 steps

I used this method recently at the Opening Worship of Synod (Vic/Tas) in Melbourne to teach a new song. The teaching method was introduced to me and many others by John L Bell many years ago during a visit to Melbourne. It is simple, direct, and effective.

At the recent Synod meeting Were I the Perfect Child of God was to be taught prior to worship. After I had sung the melody once, I asked who knew the tune, but it was new to everybody, despite its folksong origins. I must admit I was not confident people would be sufficiently prepared when came time to sing the song after the preaching. I was pleasantly surprised. People sang robustly and confidently.

Here are the steps.

1. Make sure YOU know the song so well you can sing it in the shower.
2. Position yourself in a highly visible position and make eye contact.
3. Ask people to listen while you sing the tune (without words or instruments). Don't be tempted to double the melody with an instrument. This confuses things and is unneccesary if you know the song well.
4. Ask people to hum while you sing the tune again. Make sure they hum as this means they can still hear the correct melody from you, and enables self correction without embarrasment.

Thats it!
I am sometimes tempted to introduce the words for a once through at this stage, particularly for longer songs. But on the occasion I have refered to, we didn't use the words until the moment in worship when people were to sing, with no ill effects.

Were I the Perfect Child of God can be found in I Will Not Sing Alone: Songs for the season of love.

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8 Top Tips for Getting Blokes to Sing
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8 Top Tips for Getting Blokes to Sing

Getting men in your faith community singing can be challenging. Unless a strong singing culture already exists, and a decent number of blokes are present, men often feel their voice is too exposed, and resist singing with anything like great gusto.

Some years back, in my own congregation, the collective voice of men became so reticent, despite their significant number, that I set about trying to identify the problems. After listening to what they had to say, the 8 Top Tips for Getting Blokes to Sing emerged quite effortlessly.

Getting the voice of men going is an ongoing adventure. However, one delightful observation has been that on the week "Blokes Vocals" lead the singing in my congregation, the eyes of the boys shine as they too attempt to lift the roof.

1. Use male song leaders

Chances are your male musicians are not leading the singing, but contribute on piano, guitar, bass or drums, with a female offering the vocal lead. What this can often mean is that men in the congregation perceive the song is "too high" because the songleader is singing an octave above.

2. Check the pitch of your songs

It has to be said, many of our community songs are too high. It seems to be an area often neglected by music publishers. I suspect the key of most songs is chosen because of its accessibility for instruments, or that it sits comfortably for the individual who wrote it. As a rule of thumb, I consider any song exceeding a high D, or E flat at the most, to be prohibitive. Many will even find that D too difficult to handle, especially first thing in the morning.

3. Include songs with male imagery

Consider the text of some of the songs we sing, and you'll understand why they confront the masculine. To use an oldie as an example, "If I were a butterfly" is a phrase no self-respecting 16 year-old man will add his voice to. Just as we have become conscious about using feminine images in worship, so too should we ensure there is music that resonates with men and boys.

4. Use bass instruments in your band

 If your instrumental combination is top-heavy with treble instruments, men may feel unsupported. Try doubling the bass on piano or keyboard, or using other bass instruments.

5. Encourage blokes to sit together

For reasons similar to tip 4, men fell particularly exposed when surrounded by treble singers - this may include their partner and children. If you can devise ways of bunching blokes together, it will bolster confidence and participation.

6. Flush out their favourites

Find out which songs the men in your congregation like. The revelations can help ensure there is at least one winner each time. It may also help to inform new song choices.

7. Get the guys together

In my faith community, a few years back. we decided to get a bunch of guys together to lead the singing one Mother's Day. I enlisted one of our male keyboard players to run the rehearsal, beacause I wanted it to be a men's thing. His main fear was that the outcome would be akin to a footy team singing the club song at the end of the game. Sure, the results are unlikley to be top-notch, but the positives are many.

Whenever our "Blokes Vocals" lead the singing the corporate voice is as uplifting as I have ever experienced. Everyone sings their heart out, with a grin on their face. People regularly report how uplifting iot was, and report shivers down the back of their neck. Yes, it IS that good. "Blokes Vocals" is often enlisted to introduce new songs, as it ensures on the occasions they sing within the community, they will offer a strong lead.

8. Use songs with men/boy's parts

This is one way of getting men and boys linked in to each other's voices. Sing songs with a women/girls part and a men/boys part. Any two-part thing will do. Have a leader for each part up front, and observe the results. If you get a boy to lead the part, most men will make a second effort.  In a standard community song, it is also great to have females sing a verse, and males to sing another.

I'd love to hear what you have tried and tested in your faith community.


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Why don't the children sing?

Too often children who sing in bed after the lights go out, who hum while drawing, sing the national anthem, or a footy team song, fall silent in the worship context.

What is it about the worship experience that inhibits the song of children?
At what moment in our lives do we move from listening, to contributing to community singing?

Reflecting on your own situation, consider these questions:
1. Do you encourage children to sing?
2. Is the "children's song" understood as code that they are not to sing at other times?
3. Which songs do the children most enjoy? Do you know what they are?
4. Can they read the words?
5. Can they see the words?
6. Is there more than one instance each week where a song is accessible to non-readers?
7. Have they other opportunities to learn/sing the songs away from worship?
8. Is there a person in your faith community who encourages children to sing?
9. Has a culture of not singing developed?

Encouraging the voice of children
From what I have observed the principle barrier to the participation of children is the inaccessability of the songs themselves. We are big on words in the church, and lots of long and complicated ones which require definition. Using simple repetitive songs and chants can make a big difference.

A story to illustrate perhaps. One Sunday in my congregation we learnt Kyrie Eleison (Bridget) by John Bell. This particular Kyrie has a cantor/song leader singing a phrase, which is repeated by the gathered people. We sang it perhaps 5 or 6 times in the context of a spoken prayer. After worship had finished several families met at McDonalds for a birthday party. It was possibly 2 hours after the Kyrie had been sung, and silence had descended as the kids sat about eating their 'happy meals'. All at once one of the 5 year old put down his burger, looked around at his friends, and launched into the cantor's part - "Kyrie eleison" to which the other children responded, "kyrie eleison!" It was quite a moment. The children had all absorbed the song, despite its unfamiliar text, becasue it was repetitive, attractive to them and musically accessible. They had taken the song beyond the worship context and into their lives.

If all else fails....
- Regularly include short prayer responses, amens, alleluias and doxologies that children can sing well. 
- Teach the children a new song, and have them teach the congregation one Sunday morning. Not only will you have captive learners, but the rehearsal during the week will ensure the families are all on board too.
- If you must hand out percussion instruments (no I'm not a fan), do so only when the songs are inaccessible.
- Introduce actions, claps or stomps.
- Have children teach the adults the actions
- If you have a goodly number of children allocate them their own part in a round
- Expect them to sing - they are part of the worshipping body like everyone else.
- Enlist the 'help' of older children

What other tips do you have for engaging children in the sing?

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How is the Church Accompanying Singing in 2011?


  

Getting gatherings to sing - a checklist for success

Having trouble getting your faith community to sing well?
Low confidence can lurk about for years on end unless the reasons are dealt with effectively. Try this list on for size. Hopefully over time you will see increasing engagement in the singing.

Seating - if people are spread across the space they feel exposed. Get with the strength and have people sit together to encourage greater confidence. Experiment with seating arrangements by making fewer chairs available. Circular seating can be more successful than a 747 set-up.

Teach songs well - simply playing a new song through and claiming to have taught it, is like telling some how to drive and handing the keys over. In order to learn, we have to have a go ourselves. Too often songs are introduced without space for the gathering to sing.

Is this a community song - not all songs are designed for community singing. Many are performance numbers for choirs, or bands, or soloists.

Simplify the accompaniment - if there is too much musical embellishment while a song is being learnt, people will be baffled and unsure of which notes to sing. An old lecturer of mine said the key was "KISS" (aka. keep it simple stupid).

Acoustics - this can make or break community singing. If a space is too reverberant, clarity is lost to mush, and rhythmic integrity is lost. If acoutics are too flat (often due to carpet, soft furnishings, low ceilings) the effort being by singers will be unrewarding.

Teach without instruments - the most effectve way to teach is to have a single voice sing without any instrumental accompaniment, no not even doubling the melody. Ask the gathering to sing back to you, also without instruments. Don't forget to listen. Only when you listen to what comes from the gathering will you know they have learnt the song.

Verbal and non-verbal cues - "I know you hate learning new songs but we have to do this one. You're not very good at new ones, but I want you to try your best...." (bleh!) There is nothing like negative introductions to dampen enthusiasm. "We have this great new song ...." or "here's a new song by the same person who wrote...." or "this song was written when....." Personalising the song can heighten its significance for people.

You may also be interested in
How to Teach a Song in 4 Steps.
Songmakers: short course for songleaders

Do you have a tip for others, or a story to share?
Please include your contributions here.