What is going on? What is going on? We are back at it again. Welcome to the reimagined worship podcast. I'm your host Trevor Chen. And it's a privilege for me. I always do this wrong, but for me to be here with you and you be here with me is I'm just happy to hear. You could have been anywhere else, but you're here with us.
I watched the tick tock the other day and there was this young dude on the drums. He was like, I'm a church musician. Of course I'm gonna wear a beanie. Because of my man. I got my beanie on today, plus it's cold in the basement and my heater just broke. Bow! That's how life go, ain't it?
Yo, listen thanks for being here. Once again, we are at part five. If this is your first time here, I want to say welcome. Thanks for coming. Reimagine the worship is a space for for creatives to learn, to grow to be developed, to be cared for. All of that kind of good stuff. So you can get more information at TrevorChin.
com. If you're episode five at this point I'm just assuming that you know what's going on. But if that's a bad assumption, the mission of Reimagining Worship is to foster an environment that [00:01:00] inspires and empowers creatives within the church, celebrating their unique gifts and harnessing their talents to enhance worship experiences.
We are committed to nurturing a community that values creativity as an expression of faith. fostering connection and promoting a deeper relationship with Jesus. Now this season we have been talking through developing a worship leader and I'm, and I've continued to say over and over again um, I keep hearing when people have more questions about, I'm looking for a worship leader.
I'm looking for a career director. I'm looking for all these other pieces. I, my argument is that we just haven't done the time, spent the time to really do a lot of development for a host of reasons. So this is for that reason. I want to be able to give us or establish some kind of guideline for us to be able to develop the next generation of worship leaders.
We've been walking through this chapter by chapter. I am going to turn this into an ebook at the end of this whole thing. So stay tuned to that lock in, but. Chapter fives, the fifth part that we're [00:02:00] diving into today. And this is going to be a little bit shorter and I know I say that a lot, but this one authentically is going to be a little bit shorter.
Just because we're talking through advancing musical expertise. And I don't want to beat it at horse. How much more I think that the end of the episode is here advanced your musical. expertise, but in the spirit of trying to do this podcast the we've talked about spiritual growth and development.
We've talked about personal growth and development. We've talked about leadership. qualities, humility and leadership. We've talked about a lot of different aspects, understanding the basics of music, of communication, of leadership, all that kind of good stuff. But as we advance, as you get the grips of a lot of the stuff we've talked about in the first four chapters then it's time to really continue to start developing deeper.
Our understanding of music, understanding music theory, understanding music implications. We want to grow We want the music to be better. We want [00:03:00] for there to be excellence. We want to, in the future, be able to write songs for our for our church, custom songs that the team all has collaboration opportunities and all the kinds of stuff.
We want all of that. So we need to be consistently pushing ourselves for musical growth. I am in the middle of. Beginning to take lessons again. Now, I mean I've been playing for 30. Oh my goodness I remember my first music teacher. Mr. Ice. Mr. Ice was the man anyways, Columbus, Ohio anyways about 32 33 years or whatever the case may be and like i'm looking forward to Getting back in that student seat just to learn, increase my own self and and potentially get some some singing lessons myself.
So either way, we all, we always want to be pushing our own selves to better, to more to greater heights. And as soon as we feel like you you're comfortable at the space, just push yourself just a little bit more. So chapter five, we're talking about [00:04:00] advancing musical expertise. Part of the way.
That you are part of the way that people are going to trust your leadership, especially in worship is your musical ability or at least ability to be able to communicate music. I know I have a few friends that who are worship leaders who don't who don't necessarily play guitar or piano, but can communicate.
Articulately about music and what they want to see and how the song is going to flow and structure and all that kind of stuff. Hits and runs and all that. Like what I've seen, drummers being able to be able to do the same thing. Yeah, we're going to do this hit. So it's just it's a big thing in this seat, in this role.
I don't care what nobody says. A musical ability matters and it's going to matter across the board. I think we talked about this in chapter one, but either way, the first big point of this is the foundation of music theory, set aside weekly study sessions focusing on different aspects of music theory, whether that be chord charts, whether that be how you chart your chart your chords, whether that [00:05:00] be are you using sheet music?
Are you using it? What are you using? Are you diversifying yourself even within the keys? It's not using a capo or transpose. It's all right. It's all right. Some of us, we do it. It's all right. It's okay. But we will set aside weekly study sessions focusing on different aspects of music theory. Number two is apply music theory knowledge to song arrangements for the worship set list.
I'm a believer of when you learn something immediately, apply it or practice it for the sake of embedding it into your regular rhythm of stuff. So if you learn something in music theory, apply it in that rehearsal technique or apply it in that song. If you learn a turnaround or, whatever, find a way how to incorporate that turnaround into Sunday's playlist.
There are a lot of things like that, that I think help, especially when we're learning. I'll say for me. Learning for information's sake, it doesn't excite me. It just doesn't excite me. The ability to be able to immediately practice something gives me a lot [00:06:00] of joy. But apply music theory knowledge to song arrangements for the worship setlist.
Again, just apply what you learned in that week. Create exercises or drill key signatures, time signatures, and chord progressions. Practice your skills. I know. I know. Don't check out on me. I know it was rudimentary stuff, but when the last time with your big age, as someone told you, don't forget to practice your scales.
We need these reminders. I need these reminders. Don't check out on me. Roll, roll with your boy. I said it's going to be a short episode. But practice scales, practice your time signatures, practice transitioning from three, four to four, four. Try playing a song in Do you ever try playing four four songs in three four just be creative go create go try something and have the capacity and space in your life To be able to do stuff like that, but so the foundation of music theory is super important.
I'm practical musicianship Implement daily consistent practice regimens that are tailored to your instrument or vocals and or vocals. [00:07:00] I really should say Just spend time. Just spend time. Spend time with your instrument. It doesn't always have to be structured. It doesn't always have to be a very intense intention.
Just make sure you spend time with your instrument. Spend time practicing. Record practice sessions and performances to review and identify areas for improvement. I see a lot of this on Instagram nowadays, but I would definitely recommend recording yourself practicing record the worship set and a good practice for you and the worship team can to be to review Sunday service to see where we can improve, to see what was good, to see what we don't want to see happen again, little things like that.
Recording helps that greatly. And then in terms of the musicianship piece, engage with other musicians to, we used to call them sheds back in the day, I don't know, y'all do sheds? Y'all know what a shed is? Jam sessions? Whatever the case may be, but to refine playing skills and musicality. What that improv, we're gonna talk about [00:08:00] improv next, but what that improvisation does is that it pushes your ability to be able to think on the go, to think quicker, and to adjust musically wherever, music needs to go, and it helps you find grooves, how to sit in the pocket, all of that kind of stuff can happen in a jam session, so keep that in mind, but even as we talk about improvation improvisation rather, Um, we, and we've all been there just in a high mode of worship.
And it's just we're not leaving this moment, we're going to be here, but where are we going to go? The leader needs to be able to think on their feet quick enough, and it needs to be like second nature and ebb and flow music musicality and all that kind of stuff. But use those moments to to change keys or to adjust or, drop, musically drop out.
But all of that improv, improvisation helps all of that stuff. So practice improvising over chord progressions and familiar hymns to enhance your fluidity. What that looks like [00:09:00] is play familiar songs over and over again and try to play them differently Substitute the minor for the major relative minors substitute Change the key signature like one one year during a pandemic so I'm a bunch of time, but I Worked on playing the same song.
It was a Graves the Gardens and I played Graves the Gardens in a different feel But I learned, I wrote a different arrangement every day for a week, like four or five days. But what that does, it just, it helps push you creatively. Um, encourage moments of improvisation during worship to foster spontaneity.
Even as it pertains to this practice improv, even in rehearsal. And so you can encourage members to flow more spontaneously. But you still want to practice these things. You still you still want to practice the flow of improvisation. I can't say that enough, but practice that flow. And.[00:10:00]
And lastly on that one, attend improvisational workshops or classes to learn new techniques. You can do YouTube these days, go on YouTube. There's a old school Jamal Hartwell. He's gospel musicians. If you're more advanced musician there is pretty simple music. He's super dope. He has everything from beginner all the way to.
Over there and that's for piano rather but like you can find these online programs to help improvisation to help musicality Like what chord you could put here instead of all of this is practiced stuff So practice in improving over chord progressions and familiar hymns to enhance fluidity encourage moments of improvisation during worship to foster spontaneity and attend Improvise, improvisational workshops or classes to learn new techniques.
Next, incorporating new genres. This is a big one because as we talk about, and I'm [00:11:00] not, I don't like beating the diversity drum At this stage of life. But the truth is we are all in diverse churches. And it's also great to push ourselves creatively and musically by incorporating other genres.
I like to do hymns because it taps into a older generation. And I like to do CCM because it taps into a certain demographic. I like to do some old school. Throw a Todd tribute or a Fred Hammond type verse or chorus in there to tap into us. Like all of these are intentional to To pull, imagine like you're like on a, on one of those trolleys going down San Francisco and you just, and you on the trolley and on your way, you just grabbing people along.
The trolley did not stop it, but it just come on and come on. That's what I see when you include different genres and different styles and different medleys you're in worship through during your worship. You're just pulling people along Oh yeah, I can get down with this. Like I grew up on it.
Oh yeah. I got that CD. Oh, y'all. I heard that on the you're grabbing people on your way to, to help [00:12:00] them participate in worship with you. So working on new genres is huge. Regularly explore and study music from different genres to draw inspiration sometimes. And I've done this a few times, like sometimes it's I like this verse from this song over here, but this.
Genre did it differently and added a bridge. So we're going to do this verse style with this bridge mix up, like find new things like that. To arrange a familiar worship song in a genre style to present it to the team in a new genre style to present to the team. Elevation Collective did this well.
It took four or five of Elevation staple songs and a bunch of gospel artists redid it. Just give that to the team like let them listen let them hear and get it in Be edified by it and grow with it and practice to it and share it to it and all that kind of stuff and then one of the things that you can do even [00:13:00] in your regular flow of rehearsals is be intentional about throwing a different genre in once a month Add it to a song, add it to a tag, do a verse in Spanish, whatever, based on your context and congregation.
But but yeah, incorporate new genres, push yourself musically, encourage encourage your team to explore other musical genres, all that good stuff. Just a few more, two more. Technology and musicianship. Integrate music software into your rehearsal process for composing and arranging. Just to talk through the technology aspect, there's so much now from Abletons to Loop Community to Multitracks to Logic to Ivory, like there's so many software based things that you can do now to help you.
Enhance the worship experience, learn those things, practice those things. I'll I'm [00:14:00] developing a list online of like supportive things. Like, all right, if you want to record yourself on Sundays, these are going to be the things that you're going to need. If you want to record, use multitracks, like these are going to be the list of things that you need.
So all that will be on my website, Trevor chin. com or re imagining worship. org. And stay up stay updated on new tech tools and resources that can enhance your musicianship.
I don't know why the lights just went out. I'm gonna just roll with it. That's
okay. That's probably my wife upstairs. Y'all don't worry about that. I didn't tell her I was recording but stay up to date on technology and all that kind of stuff as it grows that is as it develops And the last thing, the last big thing is teaching to multiply. Leadership isn't, leadership in worship isn't just about leading from the front.
It's about multiplying your influence to teach others. This is in your team. This is for people that are want to learn. This is even for the person. Who maybe you are listening to this podcast to help some train someone else. Make sure you [00:15:00] train someone else, even in the infancy space of how to train someone else.
Everyone should be reaching out for someone. So teaching the multiply organized regular teaching sessions with team members to pass on musical knowledge. Do not just keep all this information for yourself like passes information on when you're learning something, when you learn a host of things. Do it have a collaboration event and you teach everyone on your team, all this stuff.
Pair up less experienced with musicians with more seasoned ones for mentorship. Maybe you have people at your church that grew up playing in the 70s and 80s and don't have any desire to play the kind of music we have now, but are open and willing to like train and coach somebody else.
Perfect example, trains, you can connect with them, work with them, pair them up with people at your church and develop a resource library of instructional materials from worship for team members to utilize. You can do this through Facebook groups. You can do this through group me.
But when you're, when you learn something. Or you learn a host of [00:16:00] things and you have a bunch of resources that after you're digging and sorting and learning and you can narrow down these are 20 things that helped me. There's five articles, three softwares, two YouTube videos. Like these are just, it's just a library of things.
And then put it on a living document somewhere, a Google, even simple as a Google doc, put it on a Google doc. So people can continually access it over and over again. That's what. Re imagining worship for me started as, it was just a a place to be able to catalog everything that I'm learning, thinking through, processing through.
That's where I started at years ago. And now. There is just collections upon collections of stuff from articles to whatever. So yeah, I told y'all it'd be a shorter episode. I got a little bit of running around to do wanted to be, get, be in and out with this one. But for more information, like I said, you can always go to trevorjen.
com or reimaginingworship. org. Share this. Tell a friend to tell a friend. We also have a shop. I don't have my shirt on today, but we also have a shop. That's on the website. If you want to grab one of our worship [00:17:00] teas for as you lead worship next Sunday, so listen, I pray all the well, thank you so much.
Don't forget to follow me on Instagram at teaching creates until next time.