May 7, 2010

Prayer is an essential part of ministry. As a mechanism of communication with God and a means of staying tuned into the frequency of God’s will in our lives, prayer is fundamental in our role as servants. As musicians, directors, seminarians, ministers and pastors leading the congregation in worship, we pray prior to communal worship. We initiate and participate in liturgical prayers during the congregational worship experience, but do we “pray the music into existence?” I was struck when I first read this question in Victoria Sirota’s Preaching to the Choir: Claiming the Role of Sacred Musician (Church Publishing Incorporated, 2006). In our desire to lead the choir, chorale, ensemble or team with the right key, the right pulse, the right feel and the right style, do we forget to “let go” and get out of the way of the Holy Spirit? Are we so fixated on the rehearsed plan of action for the worship music that we forget to “pray the music into existence?”

Let’s hear from you.

Emmett G. Price III, Ph.D. is president and founder of the Black Church Music Ministry Project. BCMMP aims to “serve, nurture and develop spiritual leaders within music ministry.” For additional information please visit http://www.BCMMP.org or contact us via email at info@BCMMP.org.

© Black Church Music Ministry Project, Inc. all rights reserved

As part of our commitment to “Preserve the rich heritage and legacy of music ministry within the Black Church,” BCMMP is launching a campaign to honor the “Living Legends” who have served as our mentors in Music Ministry.  Over the next year we will present and celebrate individuals who have served as leaders and innovators within Music Ministry. 
 
Do you know anyone who has served in Music Ministry for over 50 years and should be recognized as a “Living Legend?”  Please post your nomination on our Facebook Discussion Board or send an email to info@BCMMP.org.  Please include the name of the nominee, their church affiliation (including city) and a brief 2-3 sentence blurb on why they should be recognized as a “Living Legend.”
 
In order to provide you with an incentive, we mail a FREE copy of our widely celebrated DVD “The PROPHETIC VOICE in CHURCH MUSIC: Are We Still Connected to Our Rich Legacy?” [BCMMP Presents… Music Ministry Leadership Forum - Volume 1] to the 30th person to post a nomination (either on Facebook or via email). 
 
Looking forward to hearing from you!!!
The BCMMP Team

When positions in music ministry become available in our local churches we often seek to hire candidates with experience and a proven record of success in ministry.  These candidates are usually at other churches already and are either looking to leave or looking for a better opportunity.  In many ways, we often nurture, train and develop musicians who will most likely benefit another congregation; but what about all of the future musicians, of all ages sitting in our own congregations Sunday after Sunday?  Many of us music ministry leaders have little patience for grooming all of the fledgling talent, novice and intermediate musicians, eager and thirsty to learn.  Clearly, most music ministry leaders are overwhelmed and often consumed with the challenges of ministry.  To the average parishioner, we simply sing, play or direct the music, but most will never know the hours of prayer, preparation, administrative duties and intra-ministry communication that go unnoticed and underappreciated week after week.  Yet, this is what we are called to do and this is what we must do, regardless of whether we feel appreciated or not.  For many of us, we are so overwhelmed that the additional challenge of grooming the next generation of musicians seems impossible for some and undesirable for others.

In this writing, we hope to inspire some well-proven recommendations as to how to move in the direction of grooming the next generation of church musicians from within your own congregation.  In a previous post, Oh Where, Oh Where Have the Church Musicians Gone?, we initiated this discussion and in response to your requests we will take the conversation even further, with attention focused on working with our children.

1)      The children’s choir should be the most important choir of any church relative to the developmental process.  Children learn to speak not only by mimicking but through the practice of singing.  We sing our ABC’s into memory.  We sing our 123’s in order to learn them as well.  We even sing our expanding vocabulary into existence through cleverly constructed songs.  The children’s choir is not only one of the first points of interaction for theology (Children sing about who God is; God’s love; and God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ), but it is often, for many, the first introduction to musicality in an organized manner.  In the children’s choir, children experiment with melody, rhythm, and even pitch.  It is important at this early developmental stage to keep things fun and energetic as these children are all potentially future musicians.

2)      Children who have been taking private lessons on any instrument should be encouraged to either accompany the children’s choir (or other choirs/ensembles based on level of proficiency) or to offer a solo performance during or perhaps prior to the church service.  Not only does this build confidence, it allows them to see themselves in the role of expressing their love for God through the talent/ giftedness that He has given them for all to appreciate and be blessed by.  You’ll be amazed at what this simple yet intentional commitment will do for even the youngest child who has a gift to share.

3)      Children should be taught how to use hand percussion and other small music-making objects as a part of their ministry. It would be a great representation of Psalm 150.  It will also solidify the connection between what they often do during music time in their preschool, kindergarten or grade school classes.  The more connections made between church, home and school, the more reinforced these lessons become.

4)      Children should be allowed to explore the instruments of the church (under supervision, of course).  Children are fascinated with sound and science.  Explaining how the Hammond or the Pipe organ makes sound is of interest to just about everyone.  Looking inside the piano to see the hammers strike the strings as the keys are pressed is equally exciting and will quickly show the children why we ask them not to bang!  Demonstrations on the set drum, percussion, electric bass, lead guitar, trumpet, saxophone and other instruments will also fascinate and encourage interest in these future musicians.

5)      Children should be encouraged at an early age to lead the congregation in worship.  This is one of the major functions of the children’s choir.  The importance of knowing that even they [the children] at their ages have the power to take a lead in the worship experience of a congregation through their ministry of music is extremely important.  This intentional commitment will help them develop a healthy respect for the responsibility and discipline needed in order to lead worship.

6)      It is imperative to teach the congregation how to respect and encourage the children.  They should never be seen as the “place holders” for the “big choir.”  The children’s choir should serve as a mechanism for children to express their love of God and passion for Christ in children’s language and in a manner and method that means something to them.

It is our responsibility to provide a firm foundation for our children to explore music ministry in a safe, non-competitive and affirming environment.  The benefits greatly outweigh the costs.  We are blessed to have children in our congregations.  Some of these children are future musicians with extraordinary God-given talent.  It is our responsibility to groom and nurture them.  However, regardless of whether they pursue music or develop into church musicians (vocalists and instrumentalists), it is our most sincere prayer that they always remain worshippers! 

Emmett G. Price III, Ph.D. is president and founder of the Black Church Music Ministry Project.  BCMMP aims to “serve, nurture and develop spiritual leaders within music ministry.”  For additional information please visit http://www.BCMMP.org or contact us via email at info@BCMMP.org.  

© Black Church Music Ministry Project, Inc. all rights reserved