Creating Great Moments In Worship, Part 5: 10 Rehearsal Tips

Preparation for weekly worship is the key to success. We spent a considerable amount of time in the last installment on the pre-rehearsal phase of creating great moments in worship. Now, we will dive into the actual rehearsal.

I like to put a time limit on rehearsal at 90 minutes. In special situations when rehearsing for a special event, it may need to go longer. If we as leaders have our act together, we can accomplish much in that amount of time. Many churches don't introduce new songs each week in the worship set--that helps tremendously! If there is a new song, it is usually during the offertory with "special music." Since we are attempting to have our worship plan prepared two weeks away from performance, our teams should be expected to to go over the material on their own and make notes on their specific part in advance. I find it best to make as many decisions with arrangements, content, stage moves, etc., beforehand. Thinking through these things in advance will help streamline rehearsal. Always make sure that there are plenty of extra charts and words for the band and singers just in case they left theirs at home--or the dog ate it!

Ideally, the band charts will have prearranged transitions between the songs clearly written out. I am a BIG proponent of the notation software, Finale. I find that the "chords over words" style of charting is inadequate. With this format the band is many times left to interpret the rhythm and timing of the song; making assumptions about the way a song should be played causes difficulties and unnecessary delays in rehearsal. I think it's best to have each song's chord structure written above the melody in proper rhythmic notation to eliminate any questions. I will talk about Finale and other helps in a future installment. It's important that the rehearsal leader keep an eye on time and move things along as items can tend to get bogged-down without direction.

When conducting a rehearsal, I use these following guidelines to get started:

1. Start on time! Create a precedent. It's amazing how people soon comply when they straggle into a rehearsal that started without them.
2. Make sure each player and singer can hear themselves properly in the monitors before starting run-throughs.
3. Confirm the written tempo of each song. The drummer is served well if he/she brings a metronome to rehearsal. Sometimes it is helpful to wire the metronome feed into headphone monitor, along with the rest of the mix, so at least the drummer can hear the click when tempos are set (tempos can be deceiving; they may seem fine in rehearsal but feel slow in the "heat" of the performance. It's best to trust what is decided in rehearsal.)
4. Talk about transitions between songs as well as any important dynamic issues in a set. Also, it serves rehearsal best when the singers have a lyric sheet with predetermined directions as to where to sing unison, parts, answers, etc. Discuss who in the band will pick up a song in transition: the piano, keys, acoustic, electric, vocal, etc., or if the band just keeps rolling. Make sure the drummer keeps the tempo on the hi-hat during soft sections so the singers and the band can stay together. Run the set, then talk about any adjustments. Encourage the band to write changes on their charts and singers on the lyric sheet for later reference. It's easy to forget between mid-week rehearsal and the service.
5.The special song for the week is the most vulnerable because, chances are, you have never done it as a group before. Again, preparation is the key. Each team member should be ready to "rough-in" the song at rehearsal...not learn it. Sometimes it's good to take a few minutes out of this weeks set to run through a song slated for future performance.
6. If a choir is involved in the weekly rehearsal, each member must also be privy to preparation materials in advance. It may be important to meet with the choir and singers before the full rehearsal. If everything can be accomplished within the scheduled 90 minutes, that will be sufficient.
7. Record the rehearsal and supply a CD afterward for each member.
8. Talk through stage moves, entrees and exits, where to pray, when to speak, hand-offs, etc.
9. Make sure everyone has the materials and information they need to take home for review. Discuss any special items such as what to wear and the next meeting time.
10. Pray that God will work in our hearts through the week in preparation for what He will do in the service.

I prefer a mid-week rehearsal to allow a few days to make adjustments before the weekend service. I usually do a tech run-through with everyone before the service--a dress rehearsal of sorts--to smooth out any changes made to the set since mid-week. I use this final time to make a practice run with the projected lyrics, too. Make close inspection to find misspellings, poor grammar, punctuation, missing words, etc. This attention to detail will save disruption of flow for you and the congregation in the service. I find it helpful to have a TV monitor with the words pointing back at me so I can sing the correct lyrics (my biggest flaw while leading worship!) and to monitor any needed changes to be made for the service. When the pre-service run is finished, clear the stage of any impediments, and try to not congregate there before the service. It is helpful to have a full 30 minutes of time between concluding the pre-service run and the start of the service.

Be ready for surprises and expect spiritual resistance. The enemy would want nothing more than to disrupt. Things can and will go wrong (that will warrant a whole installment in the future!). Prepare "escape routes" if any thing does goes awry. Always be as ready as possible to catch something before it crashes! Sometimes we can recover the fumble--sometimes we might not. I always find it helpful to have as many questions answered before the service as possible. With prayer, a plan, patience and practice, God will do mighty things! Just watch and see!

Look for Creating Great Moments in Worship, Part 6: When Things Go Wrong, in the coming weeks. Any comments, questions or suggestions may be directed to: jamie@jamieharvill.com. Also, ask how Jamie can help your church attain a more effective worship experience.