Difficult People :: by Tom Lane

Dealing with difficult personalities and attitudes is not the most fun part of worship ministry. But at some point it’s part of the equation and we either figure out how to do it well, or allow it to possibly threaten the overall health of a team. There is dysfunction in every family. Some learn to accept it as normal, but dysfunction ultimately undermines us somehow, somewhere.

When I began to lead worship, it was an outflow of my heart—a deep desire to express honor and thanks to God for who He is and what He’s done for me. As pure as my heart may have been, I was still very human and flawed. I was actually very moody and my moods could swing fast. My close friends and bandmates never knew which Tom they would be dealing with and had started to tiptoe around me. They lovingly confronted me about it and that eventually led me to realize that I had my own issues and dysfunctions, and I began working on them. When a mirror is held up to us (which is what happens in close relationships) we can dismiss and ignore it, or deal with it honestly—even if it’s uncomfortable.

Every church has a leadership structure that sets the tone and context within which we operate. As team members and worship leaders we enter that context and often have no control of it. What we can control is our own actions, attitudes and choices. We can do our best, but even that may not change some of the difficulties and dysfunctions that exist in our church family. God is only interested in our individual response to Him in a difficult situation, not how our response compares with another’s. 

Recently a guy asked my advice on dealing with a team member’s horrible attitude. He described him as very talented and someone they needed on their team. But he had an attitude of entitlement and did what he wanted, despite how it affected the team. He went on to describe the leadership: the worship leader was related to the pastor, who had a total mercy heart and would not confront the bad behavior. The team became increasingly frustrated, the leader wouldn’t deal with the problem, and the guy didn’t know what to do. The situation may change, but whatever the problem, we can choose to respond rightly and in a healthy way, regardless of what others do.

Some of the dysfunction we experience stems from unhealthy or unspoken expectations. I’m a proponent of building teams and programs around what best suits the lives of those you intend to involve, as opposed to something that’s unrealistic or a burden on others. It’s one thing to have a vision and plan for doing great things, but we don’t need to run people into the ground while accomplishing that vision. What some programs require of volunteers is amazing, but it can lead to a wake of burned-out people. That said, it’s not bad to ask volunteers to commit to something that requires a lot of them—just be clear about those expectations up front. If everyone understands what’s required and opts in, we have a reference point to come back to as problems arise.

If you have an issue that keeps you up at night and makes it difficult for you to be in the right frame of mind and heart in worship, I do encourage facing it. Good communication saves a lot of messes. Over-communication is a good habit to practice. My natural instinct is to just expect people to get it by osmosis. I’d rather not remind or suggest things to people. I also have a mercy heart and confrontation is hard for me. I have come across as angry at times, and the effect was opposite of what I intended. So I’ve worked on taking my time to be in the right posture before confronting people. Timing and tact are everything! Simply avoiding difficult situations won’t make them go away, and passive-aggressive behavior only prolongs the inevitable. If we don’t deal with problems or problem people, then the situation can become even worse. 

The simplest steps can sometimes lead to unraveling core issues with people. Grace and humility disarm and can defuse volatile situations. If we’ve prayed about it and feel we need to speak with someone, let’s do it gracefully with love—not out of anger or bitterness. 

The hardest truth I’ve ever had to learn and practice is this: no matter how mistreated, misunderstood, or misjudged I’ve been, the only godly and right response is forgiveness. If I’m motivated by anything other than humility I’m out of line, because I’m entitled to nothing. We owe others grace, mercy and truth in love.

Originally published in Worship Musician Magazine (Nov/Dec 14)

Chit Chat [Vocals]

by Sheri Gould
originally published in Worship Musician Magazine


I am a vocal coach. My job is to teach people how to sing, or perhaps become better singers. At least that’s what I am supposed to do. However, very often, when I come upon someone in need of vocal assistance, it’s likely time for a complete vocal assessment due to some kind of vocal problem. I am not a doctor of course, but I spend a good deal of my time trying to help people assess whether or not they have vocal damage, what kind they may (or may not) have, and how they most likely got it. This has become a sad reality in my practice.

Twenty years ago, I rarely saw vocal damage. Now I see it on almost a weekly basis. I believe that this upsurge in vocal damage is a direct result of our “new singing lifestyle”. By this I mean a number of things, not the least of which is the style in which so many people, influenced by pop culture, are now trying to sing. I have outlined many of these issues in previous articles and if you’re interested in more on the subject of vocal damage, please feel free to email me and I can send you information and answer any questions you may have. For this article though, I want to focus on a huge contributor to vocal damage that has nothing to do with actually singing (other than the fact that it affects the singer’s ability to sing): SPEECH.

Most people are surprised to find out that if they are evaluated and found to have vocal damage, the doctor in charge will typically prescribe speech therapy. Many people are put off by this and may even find it silly, inconsequential, or a waste of time. And because it’s often not covered by insurance, many people skip this very important step and instead rush off to find a singing teacher that can help them with their “real” problem; the fact that they are having trouble singing. This is a big mistake. The way we speak is often the biggest culprit with regard to vocal damage and without fixing it one may never find the solution they are looking for—even if they improve their singing technique!

It only takes a minute or two of thinking to realize the connection between speaking and singing. Another minute or so and you may see the connection from your speaking voice to the singing problems you’re having. No matter who you are, or how much you sing, there is no doubt that you talk more than you sing. This is why the first thought that an ENT (ear, nose, and throat doctor) has is, almost always, to help you re-learn how to speak in a more healthy fashion. Here are a few things to consider:

The Type and Amount of Speech

The first thing we need to take into account is how much we use our vocal cords for speaking. Depending on your lifestyle and job, you may have a tendency to speak more or perhaps less than average. If you are someone who is speaking all day long in a classroom or on the telephone, not only are you speaking more hours but you are likely speaking at elevated levels as well. I once read that for every 90 minutes of vocal use, you should rest the cords for 10 minutes. This is something to consider. Everyone who thinks of themselves, at least to some degree, as a singer should be aware of their voice and how they are using it--being careful not to overuse it.

There are other, perhaps more obvious, things that are harmful as well. Continued coughing, clearing the throat, yelling, shouting, etc are all form of vocal abuse. Even laughing out loud for extended periods of time can have a dire effect on the voice (sad but true!). So take stock of how you use your voice on a daily basis and take note of what things might be causing or adding to any singing troubles you may be experiencing.

How You Speak

The other important aspect with regard to speech is the way you speak. So many folks have a really unhealthy approach to their speaking voice. It’s often situated in the lowest part of their range and powered by muscles in the throat. Both of these things can add undue stress. Additionally having a very small speaking range can also be wearing on the cords because it puts stress on the same area of the cords over and over—often with force if you tend to employ a lot of glottal stops in your speech. (A glottal stop is when the vocal cords are held tightly together preventing vibration. A common example would be the typical voicing of “uh-oh”)

Speech Therapy-Really?

So what does speech therapy teach you? In a nutshell, it teaches you how to speak the way you sing! You learn to use proper breath support, tone placement, and how to change the registration of your voice. If you are singing correctly, you need to be speaking in a way that is very similar to the way you sing. In part for this reason, I recommend to everyone who sings: WARM UP EVERY DAY, even if you don’t plan to sing. Warming up reminds you to think like a singer. It will remind you to use your diaphragm for support, and to place your tone correctly. Here are a few tips to help keep your speaking voice healthy and strong.

• Support your speech from your breathing muscles-not your throat.
• Vary the pitch of your voice frequently.
• Place your tone in a healthy place—not always in a throat or chest register.
• When you need to project, raise the pitch of your voice. A higher pitch is more easily heard and will require less volume.
• Find time to completely rest your voice (total silence).
• Condition (warm-up) your voice daily.

God bless you as you strive to preserve your voice to be able to serve Him better!!

Discover Your Band

by Tom Lane

originally featured in Worship Musician Magazine

Being a visionary band/artist is harder than it seems. Any group of Musos can put a band together, and even sound good; but few can really lead and have lasting impact and testimonies worth noting. One reason great athletes command such deep respect, in my opinion, is because they normally spend a lifetime preparing, working, and training for their dream. There aren’t too many overnight sensations in the sports world. Though good marketing and $ can make you a star in music (possibly), it can't give you the stuff of legend because legends take a long time to make and are normally born through pain and preparation. Even more so for a Godly legacy!

It is a privilege and honor to serve the God of the universe. As His chosen beacons in a dark and fallen world, we are entrusted with a message that affects and changes reality everywhere it lands, and we want to represent Him well in everything we do. It's important to remember daily that we don't fight against flesh and blood but against rulers and principalities of darkness at work against us in this world. We're always shocked when others fall from grace and make mistakes, but the truth is that it could just as easily happen to any of us. Our opponent is well acquainted with our issues and weaknesses and is patient to undermine God's work in us. What that has to do with being a visionary is this; we have a choice when it comes to pursuing dreams and passions: To follow God or the way of the world. Sadly, as Christians in music, we sometimes look to heroes and stars for inspiration and direction more than our God. Yet the only hope we have against our adversary is being filled with God's spirit and seeking His Kingdom first.

We work very hard to become good bands musically, but maybe not as hard to be healthy and alive spiritually. My challenge, wherever you are in your journey, is to build your musical dreams and visions on a good foundation; one that can be blessed, sustained, and promoted should God desire it. It's backwards from the way the world’s music business works, and maybe even some churches. The point is: We are living and breathing for such a time as this and want to be effective and fruitful. The creativity is not a problem for God and if we focus our plans around Him the music can reach its full potential.


Some steps to laying a good foundation:

a. Identifying who we are as followers and worshippers of Jesus.

b. Knowing our spiritual gifts. (1 Cor. 12)

c. Surrendering and stewarding our talents.

Once we understand and can articulate who we are and what we do (individually and as a band) then we can make plans and take necessary steps. Whether a worship band, pop band, country band, etc., our first commitment is to God's plan and glory being revealed in and through our lives. The music is secondary! Since God will not share His glory we can't expect to be useful from a Kingdom perspective if we choose to do it our own way. It always costs dearly to compromise Godliness for earthly pursuits.

Instead of waiting to be discovered, do now what you say you want to do!

Even as a band you can serve and make a difference. If you're waiting for someone to "give you a chance or a break," stop waiting and go do! Opportunity usually comes when we are busy with the work already, or serving where we can today. Having a vision is an imperative first step. It doesn't have to be completely figured out, it just needs to be present to avoid wandering aimlessly-expecting others to do for us what God has given us to do ourselves. That vision should come from hearing God regarding what is important to Him and specific for us. Hard as it may be to listen and hear, He is always speaking and will guide if we follow.

A mistake made over and over, often with tragic outcomes, is giving "our" vision over to be controlled by another. Usually because we think it's going to further our goals/careers, but sometimes also out of trust. Not that it's wrong to trust, but no other human being should have ultimate control over or dictate your vision. By that I simply mean; if God has given us something specific to do, we shouldn't sign it over nor give it away since it’s ours to steward. We alone are responsible and accountable to God for what He gives us and so should guard and protect a vision. You cannot expect a company, a church, a leader, your mom, your dad, or your sibling to do it for you! God will honor your diligence and faithfulness.

Can you say with confidence that you know what you're called to do? Remember music is not a calling, it's a talent and we steward and invest talents. There's a lot of freedom to create and express what God has put in us through our talents and they are for His pleasure above all. We also get to enjoy them, which is great! But what we’re called to, is the mandate of Christ in Matt. 28:18-20.

If you want to be released onto a world stage, into a harvest field wide and deep; first discover God’s vision for you, then for your music!

You Can Be the Band - Part 1

TIPS FOR TIGHT TEAMS By Sandy Hoffman

YOU CAN BE THE BAND - Part I
(Flail, Choke, and Drone!)

(originally published in Worship Musician Magazine)

Flail, choke, and drone? Isn’t that dangerous?

Over the years, the “Tips for Tight Teams” articles have mostly focused on ways to lead praise from a worship team perspective. I’ve always endeavored to consider how we might make our teams sound musically tight, all the while honoring God. Along the way, we’ve explored issues from hearts to charts to vocal parts. We’ve gotten “out of the garage” and “into the flow,” and sometimes even found ourselves slightly contorted as we stood with voices (and hands) raised loud and high, or we fell down on our faces in deep worship and adoration to the Lord.

“So,” you ask, “what could flailing, choking, and droning a guitar possibly have to do with whole-team tightness?” Nothing, perhaps, and yet everything, if you happen to find yourself being a solitary leader! The relevant question is, “What if I’m the only-lonely one on stage?” In this issue of Worship Musician! Magazine, how about we step outside that “team box” for a while, and consider what skills we might need if we had to go it alone? Today, let’s talk about what it means to be a guitar-centric, team antithetical worship leader.

WHERE TO?
First of all, we’ll have a look at simple solo accompaniment techniques that are specifically aimed at guitarists (though applicable, in one way or another, to all chorded instruments). Secondly, when your guitar has to be the team and your voice has to be the choir, we’ll consider what it means for you to cover it all—alone. As you can see, you may very well need to flail, choke, and drone after all!

FLAIL
Flailing is probably one of the first techniques you ever learned on your instrument, but because it implied adding in a good deal more rhythmic movement than most beginners attempt, you might only have thought of it as strumming with passion. After years of effort, you may now be skilled enough to express that passion in your solo worship leading times—every time.

I recall, as a young man, working with a wiry, Barney Fife sort of fellow named Curtis. We were surveyors for the city where I lived, and cutting a line with our machetes through some thick undergrowth in woods out in the county. Curtis, being many years my senior, was leading the way, rhythmically whacking left-right-left-right. I was bringing up the rear, taking out any leftover weeds, bushes, or brambles.

Suddenly, I was given the perfect opportunity to richly relish that old saying: “Age before beauty.” As Curtis passed by an ancient tree trunk, hacking away as he walked, a large swarm of irate yellow jackets came tearing out of the roots, fury in their wings! What a sensory overload!

Close your eyes, try not to laugh, and imagine a wiry little Gollum-of-a-man with a machete in his hand, running, screaming, and yes, flailing overhead through the woods with a frenzied host of furious yellow jackets all around and over him... Now that’s what strumming with a passion should be like! I doubt such perfect flailing has ever been seen again!

As a lone worship leader, you may at times desire to express that same kind of passionate flailing-while-under-attack technique. To begin to flail, play your guitar, strumming down-up, down-up, down-up, down-up, counting: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + (spoken as: one and two and three and four and):

E                                 E
/            /     /        /       /       /       /         /
1          +    2       +      3      +     4        +
Down-up, down-up, down-up, down-up

(For free Flail, Choke, and Drone pdf downloads please visit:
http://www.worshipworks.com/freedownloadsmain.html)

CHOKE
Next, we’re ready to add the choke. No worries, you won’t turn blue. A choke strum involves striking the strings with the outside of the right hand and the pick at precisely the same moment. This is done in such a manner that it deadens all the strings at once, and causes them to make a percussive sound as the pick passes over them. Whenever the team is playing together, the snare drum fulfills this function. But when you are all alone, the choke can add that familiar snare drum back beat on beats two and four. We hear it in so many of today’s pop-style worship songs, you’ll recognize it right away.

In the following example, “ch” stands for choke. Play, strumming down-up, down-up, down-up, down-up. Choke on the second and fourth beat as you count: 1 + ch + 3 + ch + (spoken as: one and choke and three and choke and):

E                                E
/           /      /        /      /       /        /         /
1         +     ch      +     3      +     ch      +
Down-up, down-up, down-up, down-up

Choking adds a wonderful effect to your already steady strumming. It’s as though you’ve included the snare drum back into your mix. When you really get into flailing those strings, the choke brings extra life and intensity to your one-man-worship band.

(For a demonstration of flail, choke, and drone on the guitar, please visit:
http://www.youtube.com/user/sandyhoffmanmusic)

DRONE
And finally, we drone! Droning chords usually share the same key, and also share one or more common tones within the chord spellings. In the following example, we’ll be playing the E chord, A2 chord, and B4 chord consecutively. These are all in the key of E Major, and share at least two common tones (notes) with one another. The common tones are the “open B string” and the “open high-E string.” Listen closely to how the common tones tie these chords together into a versatile worship-chord progression: E - A2 - B4 - E.

E                                  E
/          /         /       /       /      /       /        /
1         +       ch    +      3     +     ch      +
Down-up, down-up, down-up, down-up

A2                              A2
/          /         /      /       /      /        /        /
1         +      ch     +      3     +     ch      +
Down-up, down-up, down-up, down-up

B4                              B4
/           /       /       /       /       /      /        /
1          +     ch     +      3     +     ch      +
Down-up, down-up, down-up, down-up

E                                 E
/          /         /      /       /       /       /         /
1         +       ch    +     3       +     ch      +
Down-up, down-up, down-up, down-up

(For free pdf downloads of “Color Chords” [droning] in the keys of E and G, please visit:
http://www.worshipworks.com/freedownloadsmain.html)

The droning effect created by common tones can be heard in a myriad of worship songs. There are droning chord possibilities in every song, in every key, and on every chorded instrument. Experiment with these to your heart’s desire, then add flailing and choking to your drone to give the listener the sense that you really are the whole band!

Sometimes solitary,
Sandy

Sandy Hoffman serves the worship community at
Christ Church Santa Fe, NM and beyond. Find
out more about his “Tips for Tight Teams”
online at: www.WorshipWorks.com

Younger Voices…

Younger Voices

by Tom Lane

(originally published in Worship Musician Magazine)

We are blessed to live in a time when so many resources are available to us in the Church. Not only in the way of technology, but also leadership and talent. I’m amazed at the level of gifting, especially among young people. I know there have always been gifted people in every generation, but it seems to be present now at a much younger age than I remember in my youth.

When I step back for a birds-eye view of the last 30 years, I see a story that has repeated itself in the history of the Church. God is always preparing ahead, as one movement is sweeping the world and shaping the Church for a current generation, the groundwork for the next is being laid concurrently. Times are always changing, but He is never void of a plan. The hope is that God’s people will recognize the Joshua’s and Caleb’s among us and help them fulfill the purposes of God for them.

It’s one thing to plan things that we think are relevant and appealing to the generation we’re trying to reach, but in most cases we are far more effective when we make room for those who speak the language of their own generation. Historically that can be awkward, because in essence it means moving over and letting others do what we’d like to be doing ourselves.

For my wife and I, in the ministry we’re involved with, younger voices are something we not only value, but we have come to need them our lives as they keep us young, reinvigorate, and inspire us. Instead of posing a threat to anything we do, they give us purpose to keep doing it! They also hold pieces of the puzzle we don’t that are critical for reaching our generation with the Gospel— the bigger picture.

One such voice is Jillian Harding, a gifted artist, writer, worship leader and our friend. I thought you would enjoy her thoughts on leading worship.

When The Set List Runs Away With You

by Jillian Harding

There have been times when I have led worship and it felt like I was on a runaway horse. That horse was going where it was going and it was taking me with it. In hindsight, the problem was due to a lack of flexibility. Our band hit the first chord and we were off and running from verse to chorus, instrumental build to bridge, final chorus and on to the next song we rode. The fault was not in the song selection or arrangements. Our problem was that we were galloping on from one song through the next without being fully present in the moment.

Being present is a matter of focusing our hearts toward God in worship instead of being consumed with the job of leading songs. A great set list is not worth anything if it has run away with us and become only fleeting words on our lips. It is important to take the time to have our hearts and minds present in each moment instead of always having our minds set on where we are going and if we are going to get there in time to meet the thirty-minute deadline. When we have lyrics and chords and arrangements to remember, it can be easy to forget that our responsibility is not primarily to lead a song, but to lead worship. Leading worship requires us to be attentive to the position of our hearts and the Spirit, not just the technicalities of making it through a set list.

There is more to leading worship than following a script. Songs benefit from us allowing them to breathe. Scripted worship-leading makes it easy for us to play as individuals instead of as a community. When our only responsibility is to know our lines and cues forwards and backwards, our worship can become a little like a karaoke playalong. This makes us inflexible because we have our noses in our charts and are not prepared to do anything except gallop through the script.

The band I most often play with at my church has found that we can take the reins and be more fully present by being attentive to each other as we play. We are taking the time to recognize that we are a community in worship, not just individuals. By interacting with each other while we play, it allows each song to breathe. The songs come alive when we learn to read each other’s mannerisms and respond to each other’s worship. There is a give and take that happens as we move through the songs together, and we become more acutely aware of how we are together composing our worship. Instead of being driven by a script, we are driven by our corporate worship expression.