Relax and be confident

✏ BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL MUSIC DIRECTOR/CHORISTER 🎵🖍 📖 Season 1. Episode 8. RELAX AND BE CONFIDENT 🎶 You don’t have to have all the answers, but you do need to back yourself. Even if you’re unsure what to call, just make a call and make it confidently. That way at least the whole team will go with you together, while possibly avoiding a train wreck! Trust your team and their ability. Stay calm and have fun! For live lessons and interactive class https://t.me/joinchat/HX75GgrDht71Bi9HvZhz6w

Support leadership

✏ BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL MUSIC DIRECTOR/CHORISTER 🎵🖍 📖 Season 1. Episode 7. SUPPORT LEADERSHIP 🎶 We are here to serve, and we are ultimately in submission to our worship leader and Senior Pastor. It’s not our gig where we attempt to pull off the latest lick we learnt in our bedroom. We are here to help facilitate what’s best for the service and help our congregation enter into the presence of God. For live lessons and interactive class https://t.me/joinchat/HX75GgrDht71Bi9HvZhz6w

Know the language

✏ BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL MUSIC DIRECTOR/CHORISTER 🎵🖍 📖 Season 1. Episode 6. KNOW THE LANGUAGE 🎶 Learn how other instruments work and interact, and learn the language with each different role. You don’t need to play every instrument, but you need to be able to effectively communicate to your team in a language they understand. I remember a worship leader once saying to the monitor engineer, “I sound like I’m in a fishbowl… can you make it more crunchy?” You can imagine the blank look they received back!. Yes, understand every language within and outside your jurisdiction. For live lessons and interactive class https://t.me/joinchat/HX75GgrDht71Bi9HvZhz6w

Up-skill yourself

✏ BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL MUSIC DIRECTOR/CHORISTER 🎵🖍 📖 Season 1. Episode 5. UP-SKILL YOURSELF 🎶 Have a holistic approach to your musicianship. Psalm 33:3 says, “…play skillfully and shout for joy.” There is great joy in playing skillfully! Always challenge yourself to be practicing and sharpening your skills in different facets of music. As a guitarist/pianist, knowing how to play is one thing, but knowing how to adapt stylistically, create different palettes of sounds and get the best from my gear is another. Much of my job is now spent within Pro Tools. This, amongst many things, has given me a greater understanding of how instruments, parts, frequencies, etc. works individually and together to create great music. For live lessons and interactive class https://t.me/joinchat/HX75GgrDht71Bi9HvZhz6w

Be several steps ahead

✏ BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL MUSIC DIRECTOR/CHORISTER 🎵🖍 📖 Season 1. Episode 4. BE SEVERAL STEPS🎶 Be several steps ahead of what’s happening on and off the stage. It’s like the above example I gave: while driving, you don’t wait to cross an intersection before checking whether the traffic light is red or green. As an MD, The Truth is, you need to be worshipping with one eye open and anticipating the different sections of a song or service. You may be halfway through a bridge, but you’re already thinking about what is coming next (repeat bridge, instrumental, down or up chorus etc.). Always have a plan and give your choristers as much of a heads up as possible. It’s the little things that make those spontaneous moments in church, Awesome. For live lessons and interactive class https://t.me/joinchat/HX75GgrDht71Bi9HvZhz6w

Come prepared

✏ BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL MUSIC DIRECTOR/CHORISTER 🎵🖍 📖 Season 1. Episode 3. COME PREPARED 🎶 Work with the worship leaders beforehand so you can come prepared with ideas for songlists/keys of songs/transitions/arrangements/tempos etc. It’s equally important as the MD for me to know my own piano parts, and also the other parts the rest of the instrumentalists/singers to play and sing. For live lessons and interactive class https://t.me/joinchat/HX75GgrDht71Bi9HvZhz6w

See the big picture

✏ BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL MUSIC DIRECTOR/CHORISTER 🎵🖍 📖 Season 1. Episode 2. SEE THE BIG PICTURE🎶 Have in mind all of the different musical elements that are needed in a service, and plan your soundcheck and rehearsal accordingly. Consider what each singer and musician needs to hear on stage, and also what your production/TV teams or technical director need to achieve before or during the service. For live lessons and interactive class https://t.me/joinchat/HX75GgrDht71Bi9HvZhz6w

Relationship Relationship

✏ BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL MUSIC DIRECTOR/CHORISTER 🎵🖍 📖 Season 1. Episode 1. RELATIONSHIP RELATIONSHIP RELATIONSHIP 🎶 If they trust you, they will follow you. This may take time, but time worth investing. You need to know your team, understand your singers’ skill levels, capabilities and limitations. Build trust with your worship leader. You’ll be able to read better where they are wanting to go, and what they’re trying to achieve in the service. For live lessons and interactive class https://t.me/joinchat/HX75GgrDht71Bi9HvZhz6w

Becoming a successful music director

✏ BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL MUSIC DIRECTOR/CHORISTER 🎵🖍 INTRODUCTION An effective music director, or MD, takes initiative and plans ahead, not leaving many things to chance or reacting at the last second. They are aware of what is musically going on around them, and have the ability to anticipate and help guide the group through the vulnerable areas of a set with minimal chaos and confusion! The role of the music director basically came about with the need for better communication between the singers/players on stage. However, as our services became more creatively involved on and off the platform, the importance of the MD grew over time. Wonderful Episodes begins tomorrow by the special grace of God. Stay connected.

Tape yourself

📝 ACTING AS A SOLO PERFORMER 🎤 🎶🖋SEASON 1. EPISODE 7. Tape yourself 🎤🎺 Tape yourself playing and watch it later to get ideas on improvement. Watching and listening to your old performances is the best way to get the audience's perspective, and to see where certain sections could use improvement. When watching yourself, try not to be too critical, as it is easy to beat yourself up for small mistakes. Instead, pay attention to the audience. What gets the biggest claps, where do people seem a little bored, and how long does it take them to get into the mood of each song? For live lessons and interactive class https://t.me/joinchat/HX75GgrDht71Bi9HvZhz6w

get carried away

📝 ACTING AS A SOLO PERFORMER 🎤 🎶🖋SEASON 1. EPISODE 6. Get carried away 🎤🎺 Let your music carry you away. The best way to act naturally on stage is to just keep doing it. The more you get in front of people and start playing, the more second-nature the entire thing becomes, allowing you to express more and more of your personality while you play/sing. Instead of putting on airs or playing a character you're not comfortable as, just focus on playing/singing the very best song that you can. More times than not your expression and body language will naturally follow suit. For live lessons and interactive class https://t.me/joinchat/HX75GgrDht71Bi9HvZhz6w

Connect with every corner

📝 ACTING AS A SOLO PERFORMER 🎤 🎶🖋SEASON 1. EPISODE 5. Connect with every corner 🎤🎺 Connect with every corner of the room. Make a point to face, sing to, and look at every section of the room. A good way to do this is to just create a simple pattern, such as turning back and forth, but as you get better you'll find more natural ways to pull it off. Use your eyes to bring as many audience members into your world as possible, and don't be afraid to look right at people. ♡The easiest way to scan the audience is to look right over the top of the heads of people in the middle seats, turning right and left from there. For live lessons and interactive class https://t.me/joinchat/HX75GgrDht71Bi9HvZhz6w

Engage your audience

📝 ACTING AS A SOLO PERFORMER 🎤 🎶🖋SEASON 1. EPISODE 4. Engage your audience 🎤🎺 Engage your audience in between songs with stories or talks. What you say is up to you, but a good rule of thumb is to keep it short and sweet. Don't be afraid to cycle the same stories and comments in, especially if they go well with one audience. Some ideas of things to say include: •Stories about the song's inspiration or writing process •Comments on the location, venue, or event. •A personal anecdote from your day or week. •Questions or comments on people in the audience. •Thanks and gratitude for coming and enjoying your music. For example : Donnie mmclaurklin- as long as you are there. For live lessons and interactive class https://t.me/joinchat/HX75GgrDht71Bi9HvZhz6w

tailor your performance

📝 ACTING AS A SOLO PERFORMER 🎤 🎶🖋SEASON 1. EPISODE 3. Tailor your performance 🎤🎺 Tailor your performance to your current mood or emotions. When you're playing/singing alone you have much more room for improvisation and personality. The most obvious example is the tempo, which you get to set by yourself without worrying if a band will follow. If you're feeling high energy, push the speed a bit. If the song requires something more thoughtful and contemplative, slow things down a bit. Similarly, your singing and playing volume can be adjusted to add nuance to your singing performance -- louder for expressive, big emotions and quieter for contemplative sections. ■This is just as important within songs, as you can modulate tempo and volume to create tension and suspense while you play. Doing so is called "dynamics." For live lessons and interactive class https://t.me/joinchat/HX75GgrDht71Bi9HvZhz6w

use your arms and posture

📝 ACTING AS A SOLO PERFORMER 🎤 🎶🖋SEASON 1. EPISODE 2. Use your arms and posture🎤🎺 Use your arms and posture to lend gravitas to your performance. Sonnie badu has one of the most expressive and well-acted performances around, using big gestures and emotional facial expressions to truly embody his songs. This is especially important for his songs, which are in a variety of languages that the audience may need cues to understand, but any singer can learn from his facial expressions and powerful yet personalized posture. Even if you're playing an instrument, you can use your arms to spur on the audience or add drama, using bigger movements than necessary and putting a little theatricality into your play. For more lessons : https://chat.whatsapp.com/JWqVkdz3U3tFkLzS5Ksz9X