Constructive Criticsm: Are You Simon, Paula, or Randy?

I’m not an expert on leadership by any means. In fact, I’ve got a lot to learn. One thing I do know, however, is that I can learn by observing others. If you want to be great at something find someone who is already great and do what they do. Read more

This is Our God (Hillsong Preview)

Watch this incredible video promo of the upcoming Hillsong release, “This Is Our God”, featuring “Healer” by Mike Guglielmucci. Watch for a full review of the CD/DVD in our Reviews Section, coming soon!

Becoming A Worship Songwriter: Let’s Get Started

How does one become a “worship songwriter?” On the one hand, groups like the Enter The Worship Circle musicians, say “Anyone can write a worship song.”  They encourage a “just do it” method that begins with studying the Psalms, asking the Lord to show you His heart as you meditate on the passages, then playing chords as you sing the words of psalms. You keep repeating them until new thoughts come to you. You then sing these new thoughts and phrases and “let your worship carry you” into a new song.Then there are those in modern hymnody who advocate for extensive training and awareness in poetry, music and theology, such as Timothy Dudley-Smith, who tells Paul Westermeyer in Tongues of Fire: Profiles in 20th Century Hymn Writing, that what he finds alarming in modern worship songwriting is “The apparent belief that anyone with a guitar can dash off a ‘worship song’ fit to be sung by a congregation to almighty God, without effort, consultation, or revision - and often without grammar, syntax, meter, or rhythm either!” Read more

Worship is a Risk

I believe that the heart of worship is sacrifice. God’s glory demands personal humbling and the exaltation of Him above all else. Yet, we often subliminally assume that this sacrifice does not involve risk. We stand in our pews on Sunday and sing tentatively, hands down to our sides, trying not to stick out or do anything embarrassing, and assume that we have fulfilled our responsibility in worship. Just exactly what is it about sacrifice that doesn’t sound risky (sarcasm implied)? Surely Abraham was taking an incredible risk as he climbed a mountain to sacrifice his firstborn to God. Read more

“New” Drum Mic - Shure VP88

I love music and I love mixing live music. I also love grasping ways to improve my technique, my ears and mixes. While at the Willow Arts Conference “Arise” a couple of weeks ago, I encountered something fantastic. It was the drums that I was hearing through the PA. Granted, the Meyer line arrays hanging in the room had something to do with that but I have experienced plenty of performances on all sorts of quality speaker systems and this stood out. The cymbals were smooth, the snare popped, it seemed you could hear every nuance of the kit without any of it being overbearing. Read more

Beating The Summer Slump

Memorial Day to Labor Day is the summer season here in the U.S. Typically it’s prime time for families to vacation and be in and out of church. Most churches experience a little dip in consistent attendance during these months and tend to use the time to gear up towards the fall season.

We are in the middle of an experiment here at my church. Instead of doing the same ol’ thing with the worship team, we decided to try and bring a little variety to our look, feel, and sound. Typically, we have a band/singer setup not unlike the typical medium to large size church, but this approach can be adapted by any size church, and might even be more effective if used in a smaller church. Read more

Introduction to Music Loops in Worship

If you are part of the growing community of worship leaders, there is a good chance that you are at least mildly acquainted with loops. Loops have, to varying degrees, become an important tool to many modern worship leaders. From simple drum loops to full-song sequences, artists such as Steve Fee, Chris Tomlin and the David Crowder Band have integrated loops into their songs.

From the standpoint of a worship band, loops can be very useful as they can be used to compensate for Read more

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