I interned at a thriving church plant in Southern California for a year and a half, and there I learned one of the most beneficial aspects to a worship team. I was having coffee with my boss, the worship Pastor one day, and he said a very prominent name came to the church one Sunday and had a talk with him. My boss asked him “what is one thing we can improve on”, and the answer was the use of a MD (Musical Director).
As my internship took off, I decided to step into that role. As a keyboardist, this was a great role for me to fulfill, but It should not be limited to the keyboards whatsoever. We started using click tracks as well as the MD Mic, or Talk Back Mic. Our tightness, and communication as a band soared beyond what we could have imagined, and our musicianship rose to a new level. I firmly believe that an MD, who can stay in sync with the Worship Leader and judge where he or she may go, as well as communicate with the band in such a way that the Worship Leader should not have to worry about what is going on behind them, can bring new levels of excellence to any team. To those looking to implement the use of a musical director, or for those that have them, here are some tips to help stimulate growth of excellence in your ministry.
1. Repetition is useful
So, you have five services on Sunday, and you have a few songs with big breaks in them to provide some dynamic epicness. There is no problem each time you sing that song to get on the talk back microphone, and countdown to that break. Execution reflects excellence. Some may get annoyed with the repetition of such things as “break” or “Chorus” or “last time”, but when you are leading a congregation in excellent worship, there is no problem reminding the band where to go.
2. Communication
Not only on stage, but off stage as well. This comes back to relationships and how they build trust. You essentially are the band leader for your services and a great amount of trust is put into that position by the band. Make sure communication is constant, so when they come to play, they are not in the dark and made uncomfortable because they do not know the protocol of things.
3. Preparation
This is pretty self-explanatory. As the MD, you should know your roadmaps in and out. You need to know what possibilities there are of things happening during a service. Also, be prepared with your musicians as well, know what they can handle. Should the spirit lead a different song, could they play it? Could they do breaks on the fly if you called for one? How comfortable are they with clicks? How are they with tracks? You confidence and standards will rub off on your musicians and bring your ministry to a new level.
Thanks for writing this. Because I lead at a pretty small church that, really, that’s the only type of church I’ve ever attended, I’m unfamiliar with the role of MD. Is it similar to conductor, except with a stick you speak to the worship band through their monitors? Thanks for the clarification and I apologize if I sound like a rube.
Yea Ian, that’s largely what the MD does. Do you use in-ears at your church? I’m editing up a podcast that comes out tomorrow that will be a big help if you’re looking for more info on the Musical Director.