January 7, 2008  

Ministry Tools
Bob Burroughs

Quote

"Imagination and creativity are more important than knowledge." Albert Einstein

Scripture

"Create in me a clean heart, O God." (Psalm 51:10)

Prayer

John Baillie, in his wonderful book, Diary of Private Prayer, prays this prayer on January 1 for the new year:

• Keep me chaste in thought
• Keep me temperate and truthful in speech
• Keep me faithful and diligent in my work and my calling
• Keep me humble in estimation of myself
• Keep me honorable and generous in my dealings with others
• Keep me loyal to every hallowed memory of the past
• Keep me mindful of my eternal destiny as a follower of Jesus

Please allow me to add these words:

"Jesus--Redeemer--Savior--Master Musician--Lover lf all things beautiful, as we embark on this New Year, may our hearts vibrate with Your heart in everything we undertake for the cause of The Kingdom. Guide us to reconsider time spent with family--over against time spent in the office. Guide us to rethink time that is given to others--over against time given to our children and our spouse. May we, in this new year, rekindle our love for You in a way so that others will see the light of Your countenance in our eyes. I pray this prayer in the strong and powerful name of Jesus. Amen"

What Think Ye?

The Year 2008 is Upon Us...
Ready or not, the year 2008 is upon us--all of us--no exceptions. Every one on the earth has the 365 days and 24 hours per day in which to live, create, minister, and do what God has called us to do. This includes work, play, family, friends, recreation and just being alive. Remember the famous quote:  "No one on their death bed ever said: 'I wish I could have worked one more day!' " What do you plan to do with your 365 days and 8760 hours? Here are some suggestions:

• learn something new, different, challenging
• learn to enjoy more of life--and the beauty and kindness that is in your world   
• practice getting outside your church Fortress--out where the people live
• love your spouse even more than you did in 2007 
• enjoy and cherish your children to the fullest--you don't have them long
• Thank God you are alive, in ministry in His Vineyard--and--have a job
• strive to be a better church or school musician/minister/educator
• go to conferences that give you a chance to hone your musical/spiritual skills
• take your day off--regularly--every week
• mentor someone who could use your experience, wisdom and expertise
• involve yourself in something worthwhile

Whatever your choices are for the year of 2008, they will be life-changing and important choices. Make them wisely, carefully, prayerfully, and skillfully!

What think ye?

Leadership

 What is my character as a leader?

In the new year, it might be time to take a personal inventory and consider: how is my character as a leader?

David Goetz (Leadership Journal) shares eight often-overlooked characteristics that an effective leader:
 
1. Can I handle information correctly? Information is power; someone
fit for leadership will handle information as if he were driving a van of
explosives. Can you be trusted with inside information and--keep it quiet?
 
2. Can I defer judgment? People who make hair-trigger judgments do
not make effective leaders. Can you stifle your first reactions and make
decisions based on solid argument and evidence?
 
3. Am I willing to listen to and be directed by God? Leaders need to
listen to their people, but more important, they need to be able to hear
God’s voice. What is God saying through the discussion? Are you open to
new information?
 
4. Can I confront appropriately? No one likes conflict. Effective leaders
must be willing to confront--effectively.
 
5. Am I forward-looking? The comfort of traditionalism can be life
threatening and can strangle church progress. Do you believe your
church’s best days are behind it? Or are you bullish on the future?
 
6. Do I have a "can-do" temperament? Some people seem to be "blessed"
with a large portion of pessimism. The "can-do" attitude is different.
Instead of why should we? as their first response, theirs is why not?
How do you respond to new ideas?
 
7. Am I willing to own up? Godly leaders take responsibility for their
errors. They are human, and they know it and are not afraid to admit it.
 
8. Do I have the patience of Job? In religious organizations, getting
things done always takes longer. There’s always one more committee or
congregational meeting who must hear your proposal. Can you handle the
"hurry-up-and-wait" process?

Character is important. Believe it!

Marriage & Family

Americans do not seem to be too concerned about their spiritual condition.

According to Strategic Trends (WILLOW Magazine, Issue 4, 2007),
recent research done by the Barna Group and Good News Holdings,
4 of 10 Christian parents--of children between the ages of 3 and 18--say
they do not have any significant spiritual challenges in their lives.
Among those who identified the presence of any spiritual challenges,
the most common issues related to the spiritual development of their
children. Christian parents were asked to rate the significance of
other specific challenges related to their faith. Here are some of the
things they listed as major challenges:

• 34%--having enough time to devote to their faith
• 30%--helping their children to become more spiritual
• 23%--enabling their spouse to be more spiritual
• 21%--understanding what is in the Bible
• 20%--finding a church that’s right for them
• 19%--getting a sense of direction from God
• 18%--practicing the faith principles they had learned

Of the parents surveyed, their primary spiritual challenges were:

• 14%--raising moral children with a strong faith
• 10%--the need to personally invest more time in religious activities
• 8%--the desire to more consistently exhibit faith-driven behavior
• 7%--the need to be more involved in a church
• 8%--having a deeper or more substantive faith

 

What Should A Youth Choir Look Like in 2008?

Tim Mann, Guest Contributor

To answer this question, conventional wisdom might lead
one to focus on the numbers of singers in a youth choir--
or the particular style of music--or what kind of
instrumentation is used. I think that one might be in
error--if the emphasis is solely on these criteria. In my youth choir
experience, I have observed:

• Two teenagers from Boston--crocheting (yes, that’s correct, crocheting) sweaters and scarves--to give to friends
• In Chicago--a young woman in her late teens forgoes an academic college scholarship to dance with the Joffrey Ballet
• A student in Birmingham, AL--pens pages upon pages of original poetry as he seeks meaning in his life
• A young person from Atlanta, GA--begins taking viola lessons

Can you guess the common item among all of these? It is the gift of creativity and--the power of imagination--which these young people are discovering and expressing. It might be easy to conclude that this techno-savvy generation is fixated only on I-Pods, Facebook, Nintentdo, Wii’s, text-messaging, and the like, but it has been my experience that today’s teenagers desire to participate in the creative process. They desire to “create” that which is yet to be, or to tap into the deep places of their imagination.

So, how does youth choir ministry of 2008 address these needs and desires, and provide an environment for them to flourish in the creative process of music making?

• By providing a place of authentic spiritual community, which calls forth and challenges young people to depth, faith, and thinking
• By introducing singers to choral literature with texts that are thought- provoking, theologically sound, full of meaning and spiritual depth
• By striving for excellence in everything--which includes rehearsal, communication, performance, choral and personal discipline, faithful attendance, and--in the choral art
• By focusing on teaching the art of singing 
• By providing a consistent environment where our young people feel secure, loved, cared for, and have ample opportunity for meaningful relationships

This is what a Youth Choir should look like in 2008.

February topic: "Sustaining Youth Choir for the Long Term"     

                       
TIM MANN is Minister of Music, Shades Crest Baptist Church, Birmingham, AL. He is nationally recognized as one who has proven he knows how to build and maintain a healthy, active, involved, and exciting Youth Choir. During his Youth Choir writings, if you wish to contact him for a specific question, his email address is: tmann@shadescrest.org

 Inspirational Corner

Jane Marshall, Guest Contributor

I asked my long-time composer-friend, Jane Marshall, Composer, SMU Professor, and Church Musician, to write the January Inspirational Corner...and, in addition, tell how her great and glorious anthem, My Eternal King, came into being. First, the birth of the anthem:

In 1952, I thumbed through an old hymnal to find a text to set to music-- something I had not done before. I found this text and was immediately captured by it. It was set in that hymnal to a very ordinary two-line tune.

Carl Fischer Music accepted the anthem and published it in 1954. It has sold far more than anything else I've ever written, and while I don't mind at all telling you how many copies it has sold, during the early years, it was around 22,000 copies annually. The last statement I had was about 1,000. That's 55 years since it was published! And, there have also been many editions and instrumental arrangements published.

Now to her inspirational thought:

   In our culture we stress more and more the values of diversity--in people, in things in ideas. At the same time, we treasure the same list for their constancy and traditions. Now we are emphasizing diversity more than ever before, so it's not surprising that we treasure constancy more also.

The important truth is not that we have both values, but that we are able to discriminate between them and between which of them are worthy and which are simply frivolous.

We need openness to change. Change has always been with us, but the rate of change these days is faster and we are forever in a hurry.

We certainly grapple with this problem in music. The culture easily takes control, making entertainment paramount and offering little time to be still and think as a balance.

All styles of music are valid--but sometimes not appropriate for the use to which we put them. It takes a tolerance for the opinions of others, study of styles, and concentration on what is appropriate and good at the same time. And St. Paul reminds us what things to think on and how to remain constant in love as we live them out is a guideline for such an important enterprise.

This Idea Will Work

I Dare You To Take This Quiz !!

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name any five people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
4. Name the last five Academy Award winners for best actor/actress.
6. Name the last five of World Series winners.

How did you do? You failed, didn't you? The point is this: most of us do not remember the headliners of yesterday. These people were the best in their fields, but applause dies quickly. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List the teacher who most influenced your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through difficult times.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Name two who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Name five people you whom you enjoy spending time.
6. Name six heroes in your personal journey.

This was a much easier quiz! The lesson? The people who make
a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials,
the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who simply
care. What a great lesson for those of us who are in ministry. Only
time will tell the results as we pour our lives into mentoring others
for the good of God's Kingdom!

This Idea Will Work!

Worship Quote

Henry Sloan Coffin, Guest Contributor

If there is one characteristic more than others that contemporary
public worship needs to recapture, it is the awe before the surpassingly
great and awesome God.

Numbers

Three Attitude Adjustments That Redefine the Essence of Leadership by Polly LaBarre, FAST COMPANY Senior Editor, Guest Contributor

1. Measure what really matters. The numbers you’re using now don’t matter.  Averages hide the fact that within any organization are some of the most engaged and least engaged work groups. You can divide any working population into three categories:

(1) 26% engaged--people who are engaged (loyal and productive)
(2) 55% not engaged--those who are not engaged (just putting in their time)
(3) 19% actively disengaged--those who are actively disengaged (unhappy and spreading discontent.)

As leaders, our job is to improve the ratio of engaged to actively
disengaged workers

2. Stop trying to change people. Instead, start trying to help them
become more of who they already are. People don’t really change
much--so why waste time trying to rewire them or trying to put in
what was left out? Spend your leadership time drawing out what
good is left in them. When it comes to getting the best performance
out of people, the most efficient route is to revel in their strengths,
and not focus on their weaknesses. The best strategy for building a
solid organization is to help individuals become more of who they are.

3. No one person is the most important person in the church.

Who is, then? It is--those people with whom you work. The best leaders
begin with the basics and build from there. Oh, that we would have
learned this early in our ministries.

Humor 

Rich Doebler, Guest Contributor

Ten statements you might not want to use in this New Year:

1. "I want your honest feedback."
2. "I could be happy in this church for the rest of my ministry."
3. "Feel free to call me at home--anytime."
4. "I hear only good things about your church." (to another church musician)
5. "Great! Everything has been going just great."
6. "This won't take much of your time."
7. "We have an very exciting service planned."
8. "My spouse would love to be involved with this."
9. "The calendar will lighten up in a week or so." (to your spouse)
10. "I promise not to be so involved in so many things in 2008!"

Anthem

AND GIVE YOU PEACE, words/music by Matt Limbaugh, SATB, Keyboard, GlorySound (Shawnee Press) #A 8004, $1.60

                                                  

Matt Limbaugh, currently lives in Mauldin, SC, and is a very fine church musician, pianist, and composer. He has given us a very useful choral benediction that can be used in a variety of ways, or as the main anthem for the worship experience. The text is taken from Numbers 6:24-26, and Psalm 23. Matt has mixed the text quite nicely to provide the singers and listeners with a thoughtful benediction. Since Matt is a fine pianist, the keyboard writing is extremely nice, particularly in measures 11-19. The keyboard follows the melody much of the time. The final "Amen" is quite nice. This anthem is medium-easy difficulty, certainly within the capabilities of most choirs, including the smallest. The parts sing well and the singings will not have any trouble making this one ready in a short amount of rehearsal time. It is well worth your attention.  Good job, Matt!

New Product #1 - Worship Musical

3:16, The Numbers of Hope, a Worship Musical Based on the Book by Max Lucado, Lifeway/Worship 978-1-4158-5973-5, Arranged for SATB voices and Praise Team by Travis Cottrell, Orchestrated by Phillip Keveren, Narrations by Max Lucado and adapted by Mike Harlan, numerous companion products available

When LifeWay Worship (formerly GENEVOX) takes the wonderful writing skills of a Max Lucado, and adds to the mix the creative and musical gifts of a Travis Cottrell, the results are win-win--for you, the congregation, your choir and instrumental people. Lucado's best-selling book on the powerful and very familiar John 3:16 scripture lifts this generation to today's world, gives them hope beyond measure, and shows us how to convey this theme of hope to our world.

Cottrell has taken works from such contemporary writers as Paul Baloche, Brenton Brown, Joel Houston, Jeremy Johnson, Michael W. Smith, Chris Tomlin and others to create very singable choral writings. In addition, in the section WHAT A FRIEND, he uses three very familiar hymns in the mix: Jesus! What A Friend for Sinners, I Stand Amazed In the Presence, and Man of Sorrows,  What a Name. Cottrell and David Moffitt have written a very lovely and haunting setting of Jesus Saves, using bits of the old familiar tune with very nice new music. Glorious is the closing number and is a most fitting and exciting conclusion to a very fine new work. 

This work has just been nominated in the Worship Compilation category for the Worship Leader Praise Awards. Congratulations to LifeWay Worship!

MME SPECIAL! Sign up for the LifeWay Choral Club and a FREE copy of the
3:16 The Numbers of Hope choral book and the CD will be included in your first shipment. All new subscribers will be sent a coupon worth up to $80 off their next LifeWay Worship music purchase. And--as a special bonus, new members who sign up by January 31st will receive a free copy of the Max Lucado book, 3:16 The Numbers of Hope. You must call 1-800-436-3869 and mention "3:16 Choral Club Special."

New Product #2 - Easter

The Power of the Cross, A Musical Praising Christ, the Risen Lamb, Arr. Marty Parks, moderately easy-2-part and optional 4-part harmonies, crafted with the small church choir, yet will be enjoyed by the larger choirs with limited rehearsal time, Lillenas Music #0834175932, $6.99

The Power of the Cross is a compelling praise & worship experience for Easter by the well-known composer, Marty Parks. His skill at scoring for the smaller choir is outstanding! He has wound the intrigue of the passion story with a high energy celebration of relevance for today’s believers. This work is a follow-up to Marty's best-seller, Thank You for the Cross.

Designed for choirs with 10-20 members, larger choirs with limited rehearsal time will find it well within their abilities. Any choir can present these moderately--easy arrangements. Parks has included innovative arrangements of praise & worship songs by such composers as Chris Tomlin, The Parachute Band, Dennis Jernigan, and others. Updated classic hymns are also included. Parks has provided multiple opportunities for soloists, dramatic roles for two readers, and a worship leader, who weaves the story together to make The Power of the Cross an excellent choice for a worship experience celebrating God's redemptive plan for all the earth.

The piano accompaniment in the choral book is not for the timid keyboard player. The rhythm of some of the pieces is not easy, but with advance work, playable by most. The tracks are very good, and could be used in the presentation.

You can find out more about this work and to hear samples as well as a podcast, by clicking here.

New Product #3 - Easter / General

THE RISEN CHRIST, featuring the songs of Keith & Kristyn Getty, and Stuart Townend, Created by Don Cason and Karla Worley, SATB/Keyboard, Arranged & Orchestrated by Dave Williamson, ClearCallMusic #891329002017

For 28 years, of which 17 were as senior executive, Don Cason worked for Word Music. He has finally realized his dream of ministry through his own company: ClearCallMusic. You can find out more about this new company by going to www.clearcallmusic.com

THE RISEN CHRIST is the first release, and it is very exciting, well-written, beautifully orchestrated, and much of the music can be used in worship other than Easter--always a good thing! A huge highlight of this project is that fact that Cason has added almost 28 minutes of movie footage from the MATTHEW film, which serves as visual background to the choral performance.

This work can be enjoyed by both large and small choirs.  About 50% of the choral work is unison or two-part, with solos. If you are one who chooses not to use tracks and do not have access to an orchestra, make sure you have a very good pianist! The rhythms are not easy, but can be mastered.

Coupling the music with the video is a genius-stroke, and will delight and move your congregation as the work unfolds before them. Make sure the choir gets to see the video before the presentation!

This work also includes a new Communion hymn, and there are several other songs that can taught to the congregation in advance and used in the presentation.

The accompaniment DVD features the standard Split Trax--mix of the orchestra on one side and vocals on the other, but they added a Click Track mix with the click on one side and a string mix on the other. This can be used in programs with orchestra or without, and the movie visuals are completely synchronized with music.

Especially MME readers, ClearCallMusic is making a promotional DVD available for FREE on their website: www.clearcallmusic.com. Simply go online, enter the promotional code: MME--fill out the mailing information and this free gift will be sent to you--compliments of the publisher. On this DVD, you will see/hear the entire run of the musical--plus all of its features! ClearCallMusic has partnered with LifeWay Worship, and is available through them, also.

For the first project from ClearCallMusic, this is a winner! Check it out.

Conferences/Workshops

Jim Faull wishes to offer music ministers the new Music Made Easy software-- at no charge AND be able to teach music-reading skills to your choir members in an upcoming Webinar. Choir members learn to learn the language of music in the comfort of their own home, and your music ministry receives a free copy of Music Made Easy! Each choir members can get their own copy of the software and four 1-hour Webinars for $39.95.

To get your free director's copy of Music Made Easy:

• Download and copy seat sheets for each member from this website: www.jimfaull.com/webinarpromo
• Place the seat sheets on rehearsal chairs January 9 or 16, 2008

Music Made Easy offers:

       • Four 1-hour classes--especially for choir members--in a Live-Online 
          Class--using the new Music Made Easy software
     • Taught by Jim Faull
     • Attend the February Webinar--using computer (with high speed internet)
        and telephone.
     • Cost: $39.95, which includes Music Made Easy softward which is normally $99.95!

Sign up for a February Webinar 

• Choir members log-on to http://www.jimfaull.com/mmewebinars 
• Select the February Webinar of their choice

The February Webinars--8 pm-9 pm EST--7 pm--8 pm CST

• Mondays - February 4, 11, 18, 25
  
• Tuesdays- February 5, 12, 19, 26
  
• Thursdays - February 7, 14, 20, 27 

Remember: you--the director--will receive a complimentary copy of Music Made Easy when you promote the February Webinar!

 

 Church Music In Today's World

North Greenville University
Tigerville, SC
March 14, 2008

• One day only: Friday, March 14, 2008
• North Greenville University, Tigerville, SC  (near Greenville)
• 8:30 AM to 3:15 PM--and includes the following:

• Lunch
• Concert by the NGU Vocal Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Barry Combs
• Four lectures with question/answer session to follow each one:

    1. Where Do We Go From Here? (The future of Church Music)
    2. Creativity in Church Music--An Oxymoron?
    3. Youth & Children's Choirs - The Future is Here - Now!
    4. Consecrate Yourselves--for Tomorrow....                                                                                                                                            
• Presenter for this Conference will be Bob Burroughs, well-known in church music circles as a church musician, composer, clinician and educator. He will celebrating 52 years in music ministry in 2008. Burroughs  lives in Greer, SC.

• Pre-Registration for this one-day Conference is $35. Registration at the door will be $45. This Conference will be limited to 50 persons, so the Conference can be intimate and time can be given for fellowship.

• To register: simply end the Pre-Registration fee of $35 (checks only) to:

Dr. Barry L. Combs

North Greenville University

PO Box 1892

Tigerville, SC  29688

For more information contact Dr. Combs: 864-977-7082 or email Dr. Combs at bcombs@ngu.edu

 

The new MUSICalifornia--March 24-27, 2009--will be entirely different from previous conferences and much more relevant to today's church music leaders. The conference will now features a new multi-track schedule--giving more choices that ever before! For instance; 

• Sessions for ALL worship styles
• NEW contemporary worship leader track
• Reading sessions with publishers, including Word, Lillenas, Shawnee,
Lifeway, Beckenhorst, PraiseGathering, Hope, Lorenz, Clydesdale,
Alfred, Integrity, Hal Leonard, and others
• NEW mixed-publisher thematic sessions
• Round-table discussions and idea sharing
• Creative worship evenings that promote various worship arts
• More developed tracks for drama, video in worship, and sound/lighting elements for ministry teams
• NEW track for professional and personal development...sessions on
conducting, staff relations, and personal health in ministry
• Several reading sessions, career development sessions, and panel
discussions led by Creator Magazine's publisher, Vern Sanders 
• "With One Voice" sessions that begin each day with devotional thoughts and creative worship ideas

Opening night features Max Lucado, Travis Cottrell, and the premiere of the new musical from LifeWay worship: "3:16, The Numbers of Hope."  

Thursday evening is a "Celebration of Hymns"--with a symphony orchestra and choir--under the direction of David Hamilton, Steve Amerson and other special guest artists. MUSICalifornia will honor Billy Ray Hearn with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Christian music. The other two evening programs focus on the arts and feature Christian drama, comedy, film and video.

 

Session leaders and special guests include Max Lucado, Travis Cottrell, Regi Stone, David Clydesdale, Dennis Allen, Joseph Martin, Joel Raney, Craig Courtney, Tom Fettke, Stan Endicott, Rick Muchow, Randy Vader, Jay Rouse, Vern Sanders, John Jennings, Brian Brown, Marty Parks, George Baldwin, Kim Messer, Jean Anne Shafferman, David Hamilton, and many more!!

MME SPECIAL! Use Discount Code "MME10" by January 21st to save 10% off the Early Registration. Please go to www.musicalifornia.com for more information about the NEW conference format and the NEW location.

 

THE WILLOW CREEK LEADERSHIP SUMMIT -- 2008
August 7-8 Will Feature A New Two-Day Format!

Willow Creek Association has just announced The Leadership Summit 2008 will be shifting to two days (Thursday & Friday) August 7-8. This change comes in response to feedback from church leaders who have been attending this training event. Three primary reasons have been voiced for the preference:

• Time—2½ days, or three days when travel is considered, can be a long commitment to make in August. Leaders asked for a more focused event with the same impact, quality, and substance without the additional half day.

• Fatigue Factor—Shortening the time “in the classroom” while increasing follow-up resources and team processing tools available can provide more long-term impact to leadership development.

• Church and Family Conflicts—Concluding the event on Friday, rather than at Saturday noon, will help free up church leaders’ schedules for ministry as well as for other family and weekend commitments.

The WCA is committed to making future Summits increasingly powerful, valuable, and as memorable as possible for Christian leaders. In addition to the format change, they’ll also be incorporating:

• Additional Voices—Planned two-day schedule for the Summit 2008 features more leaders on the faculty than in 2007 with a concentrated look at leadership basics.

• Extending the Experience—Committed to broadening the impact beyond the event itself, the WCA is working to develop follow-up materials, videos, and free resources that deepen the Summit value for all attendees.

MME will list the complete speaker lineup in the March issue. In the meantime, visit www.willowcreek.com/summit to find up-to-date speaker information, the closest Summit location, or registration details! Super Early Bird pricing is good until May 20, but it’s never too early to reserve seats for your leadership team. If you have any questions, contact the Willow Creek team at 800-570-9812.

Bits 'n Pieces

MME wishes to express deep appreciation to the Music Department of Union University, Jackson, TN., for sponsoring the January issue. This is a fine University, with well-known music faculty and an all-around excellent degree program. MME is grateful for this support.

Union University is partnering with the Worship & Music Ministry of the Tennessee Baptist Convention to provide a symposium on worship, titled How Should We Worship?--February 15-16, 2008 on the Union campus. This is a conference for Pastors, Ministers of Music, Worship Ministers, and Worship Teams. Presenters will include Marva Dawn, Donald Hustad, David Dockery, and Robert Smith. You can read more about this outstanding event by double clicking on the sponsorship ad at the top left of this MME--which will take you to the place for more information. A special feature will be a Hymn Festival on Thursday evening--planned and led by Hustad and Union's faculty member, Ronald Boud. MME highly recommends this event. It will be well worth your time and attention.

We hope you have noticed the new MME format--and we think it will be an easier read for you. We are always interested in your comments, suggestions for improvement, and items you would like to see presented. Let me know what you think: bbur65@aol.com

 

Final Thought

How many out there in MME land viewed The Clash of The Choirs--on NBC--in December? I must confess--I watched it. I recorded it and fast-forwarded through the commercials--and heard just enough of each choir to "judge."

I thought aloud to my Esther that perhaps, we should have called Youth Choir Festivals by the NBC name before they went south! Perhaps then, they would still be around in more places than they are now!

As I listened to the singers, featuring mostly major solos with lots of choir aahs and Ooos plus some easy two or three part harmony as background, and as I watched the choreography, I thought to myself:

• The groups accomplished a lot in a very short time--both music and movement
• The director's didn't conduct very much
• The singers were excited, antimated, and had great "alive" faces
• The mics were very good--with little problems
• The band was very professional, of course, but great
  

OK--the prize of $250,000 for a hometown charity was a great incentive, in addition to city pride.

The outstanding performance of this event--for me--was The Flight of the Bumblebee, performed a cappella, by the choir from Cincinnati, OH. This was an almost impossible chart to pull off and sing well in so short a time--and they did it with perfection. One could not help but be appreciative of their work.

The winning group was also the Cincinnati group, and they deserved it!

Several observations, as it revolves around youth and adult choirs:

• The directors promoted this event for several weeks--through the power of the media--every way they could get exposure, using signs, radio, TV, mall appearances and simply asking people: "Would you like to sing in this choir?"
• The directors obviously realized they could not simply announce the event one or two times and expect people to respond and turn out. Media experts tell us that a person must hear, read or see something an average of 11 times before it sinks in!
• The five directors went out into the marketplaces and "highways and hedges" to recruit their singers. They went one-on-one to recruit.
• All the choir members were auditioned, if for no other reason than to hear their voices and have some time of personal interaction.
• The groups had little time to prepare, but their goal was laid out before them and they accepted the challenge--and produced quality performances--in so short a time.
• The singers were taught to move, to enjoy the music, to experiment with simple choreography and to be radiant during performances.

Perhaps, some of these thoughts could be of interest and use to those who are involved in youth, student and adult choirs--and interested in something other than the usual--whatever "usual" might be!

Tim Mann's Youth Choir articles for the next several weeks are so timely. His comments will challenge those who work with youth/student choirs to realize a good, solid, musical youth/student choir IS possible--but not without the best in recruitment, musical discipline, energy (especially on the part of the director) and creativity.

Is Anyone willing to undertake the challenge of a National Clash of The Choirs for church and/or school groups? Perhaps, it could begin with states--then go to regions---then to East vs West--then to the "Best of the Best!"

Wow! What a thought. It could be done! If only I were younger....

One last word: the movie, AUGUST RUSH, is a must-see film for musicians everywhere. It is a wonderful, intriguing story--full of delightful, inspirational and moving music and it tells a most wonderful story. Your whole family should see it, but make sure YOU see it. You will thank me later!

May the peace of Christ and the bond of love bound by the Holy Spirit be with you in this new year.

Blessings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bob Burroughs

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