Be Prepared

For a Worship/Band Leader this may seem like a “No Brainer”. However, I am continually amazed at the stories that hear from worship musicians regarding the lack of preparation from their worship leader/ director and the sometimes-humorous chaos that follows. So here’s a WORSHIP TIP… Come to rehearsal prepared! What does it look like to be prepared? Here are a few suggestions.

Have the song set worked out ahead of time and if possible send out the charts and/or maybe even a CD of those songs to the band and singers a few days before rehearsal. Also, if you already know the basic arrangement or flow of each song in your set, jot down some simple notes regarding the arrangement or what you’re looking for in regard to instrumentation and vocals and send these notes out with the charts. This way the musicians have an opportunity to hear the songs, review the charts and read your quick notes regarding the initial arrangements. With this type of head start, the musicians will be familiar with the songs before rehearsal even begins.

If sending out the charts ahead of time is not possible then make sure to have the charts for each song available on rehearsal night. Speaking of the song charts, make sure that each chart for each of the song you’ve selected is complete with the correct chords and in the right musical key.

These simple suggestions will go a long way helping your rehearsals and, more importantly, the worship set flow more smoothly. One important final comment … don’t always trust the Internet or even Song Select from CCLI to have the correct lyrics or chords on their charts. Be sure to find time, before you send out the charts to your players, to play through each song and make any corrections that are needed.