52 Tweaks to a Stronger Team: #18

#18. Create a true Sunday morning sound check.

I would venture to guess that the average Sunday morning “sound check” is just a re-rehearsal with the sound guys dialing in all the more-me requests in the monitor.

Here are a few suggestions to start steering in a new direction:

• Work with your team (techs and musicians) to have a true sound-check. That means your band needs to have a “ready to play” time and stick with it.
• Stagger the sound check. Bring your instrumentalists in at 7:45 and your singers in at 8:00. By 8:10, you’re ready to roll with less stopping for monitor adjustments.
• When you sound check the band, go without monitors for a song (see #36). This lets the tech get a great FOH mix. Then add into the monitors only what you need to keep the band on time and on pitch.

Is this easy?
No.

Will it frustrate your band?
Oh yeah.

But it will force them to listen to each other in a brand new way?
Yep.

And they just might realize they need less of themselves.

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52 Tweaks to a Stronger Team is a upcoming ebook releasing on the new WorshipTeamCoach site, which will be launching this Fall. And did I mention the ebook is free? It is. So be watching for the launch of the new site and release of this 52 Tweaks.

8th Grade Odor and Sucking Out Loud: 17 Ways to Build a Better Youth Band, 3

Read Part 1
Read Part 2

11. Make it fun. Recently, I became the subject of the youth band’s joking – actually, my mother did. Somehow ‘your mom’ jokes started flying and stuck to me. Soon a theme song emerged: “Jon’s mom is greater, Jon’s mom is stronger…”. I’m not sure if Chris Tomlin intended that song to be used in such a way, but it made for great bonding.

12. Create a community. Beyond 'your mom' jokes and having fun at rehearsal, create a sense of belonging (without malignant exclusivity). Start and maintain a Facebook page, Google+ circle/hangout, etc. Post pics and videos of rehearsals and worship times. Go hear local bands together. Watch a U2 concert DVD some night with lots of junk food on hand.

13. Multiply/subdivide as soon as possible. I know, I just said create a community. But your band can only get so big. And students (like their adult worship team counterparts) will get possessive of their spot. Your team won’t grow if you don’t open it up and shake it out a little. Here are a couple ideas:

• Create two or three teams. Combine your best players for a once-a-month, A-team band blow-off-the-doors worship time. Then create one or more teams with less experienced players, supplemented and led by your A team players. But don’t call them your A-team, B-team, etc. Create fun names for them – like “Jon’s Mom’s Band” or something.
• Create a middle school farm team. They might not be ready to actually take the stage, but invest time with them. Encourage your high school players to mentor them. Jr. high kids with loud amplifiers and drums? Yeah, it’ll suck at times and you won’t see immediate pay-off. But you’ll be happy you did all this in two or three years. 

14. Consider your space. 20 kids singing in the 200-seat sanctuary = crickets. 20 kids crammed in a classroom = awesome energy (and jr.high boy-odor, but you’re gonna have that anyway). And for what it’s worth, electronic drums stink. But when it comes to a youth band and smaller rooms, even a cheap electronic set will make life much more bearable.

Next up - leave them wanting more and demote your adults.

8th Grade Odor and Sucking Out Loud: 17 Ways to Build a Better Youth Band, 2

Read Part 1 (#1-5)
6. Create a standard form for each song. And don’t deviate from that form (at least until #16 starts to happen). By a standard song form, I mean the order of the verse, chorus, bridge and other parts of the song. Use the original recording arrangement when possible. (And check out www.Transposr.com for changing mp3s to more student-friendly keys.)

7. Practice to improve. This generation of students has epic amounts of confidence infused from helicopter parents and school-sponsored self-esteem programs. You may have to yank some chains occasionally to help them to realize they are NOT yet the legends they think they are. Create the expectation of personal practice and continual improvement. Encourage and love them, but don’t coddle them.

Photo: Flickr by Josh Delsman

8. Rehearse to relate. I have a mantra with my adult team: “Practice is personal. Rehearsal is relational.” Rehearsal is partly about getting better as band. But for a youth band, it’s the perfect chance to make deeper connections with your kids. It also gives your students a greater sense of belonging to and purpose in your ministry.

9. Let them make mistakes. Stress doing things well, but don’t be that perfectionist youth leader. And you’ll have to keep an eye on your mentors/teachers from the adult team. Remind them the goal isn’t to create Jesus Culture-Cleveland or Hillsong Toledo. Also…

10. Encourage the students to make mistakes. The aforementioned self-esteem and confidence also cuts the other way – some students are paralyzed at the thought of making mistakes. I like tell my musicians: “Suck out loud. It’s the only way you’ll get better." 

Cued up for Part 3: Jon's Mom's Band. Stay tuned for that...

Please Practice: 8 Tips to Give Your Team

Of all the players that I've had in worship teams, the ones that practiced the most came out of the bar band scene. If any of them came to rehearsals unprepared, they apologized before they even pulled out their guitar. The players with church backgrounds, yeah…not so much. Why is this? That’s fodder for a whole new article series. But let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that they’ve never received guidance on this subject. Here are some practice tips for your team:

Before rehearsal:

• Listen to each song while following the chart. Even if you know the song well, a repeated listening-through will reveal things you missed and further solidify the song in your head.
• Listen to the song again, playing along with it (here’s where the correct key & pitch-shifted recordings comes in handy).
• Do an initial play-through. Without the recording, play the song completely through one time. If any part causes you to stumble, mark it with a pencil and move on.
• Work on bumps. Once you’ve played through and marked the trouble stops, go back and run those spots till you have them down.
• Listen again (and again). Instead of just turning on your car or office radio, put the songs in a playlist on your iPod, mp3 player or computer and listen to it passively throughout the week. The songs will sink in more than you know. On the way to rehearsal, listen to the songs again, thinking about your part.

Between rehearsal and Sunday:

• Work the problem areas. Mark the spots that gave you trouble during rehearsal. Run those until the hiccups go away.
• Focus heavily on any parts that are yours to lead or carry, such as a solo or segues.
• Listen again (and again). Did I mention this one already.

Got anymore tips? Love to hear them. Throw them in the comments or tweet them to me @jonnicol.