Below is an audio interview I did with Paul Schmutzler at Piano Animato. He was interested in my background, and some of the creative processes involved in arranging music. Enjoy!

I have come across a gem that has significantly improved my ability to “minister” effectively while performing my piano offertories. It’s not exactly something that I was taught; it was actually something I picked up from observing others and evaluating my own performances. It’s an idea that will revolutionize your piano ministry in your church.

Simply put, to maximize the impact of your instrumental solo, play at a level slightly below your ability. For example, if you are an advanced pianist, play something that is late intermediate. If you normally play at an intermediate level, play something early intermediate. And so on.

I have been doing this for years, and it has allowed me to minister more effectively from the keyboard. Here’s the reason it works: it’s a trade-off. If you’re willing to play something at an easier level, you’ll be able to focus more on communicating the text behind the tune. You’ll be able to play more expressively, and you won’t be so tied to the music. I have tried to consider this principle when writing music for choir and/or piano, and I’ve found that the songs that are more accessible just have a greater impact.

I’m certainly not advocating a lazy approach to your pianistic ministry. I believe in the value of improving your technique and advancing your ability. But you would serve your people best, and have a greater impact, if you saved your advanced material for the practice room and the concert hall, and enjoy the benefits that a slightly easier level song might afford you as you minister through music.

Anyone else experience this?

So I’ve been thinking: What’s the best way to teach a congregation a new song? There are a lot of factors to consider when seeking to teach a congregation a new song:

The accessibility (or inaccessibility) of the song
In other words, how easy is it to sing? When introducing a song to a group of individuals with varying levels of music ability, you’ll have better success with a simpler melody.

The level of familiarity with the song
When introducing a new song, it may be assumed that the congregation is generally unfamiliar with the tune. This may not always be the case, for various reasons. Any level of familiarity with the song will improve the congregation’s “success” in singing it.

The confidence of the worship leader
Obviously, those introducing the song–whether it be the worship leader, the instrumentalists, a vocal group, or a large choir–need to be comfortable and confident with the song. You can’t teach something unless you know it well yourself.

So how do you teach a congregation a new song? I think the answer is to address the above considerations.

Regarding accessibility, choose well. (Simple enough, right?) Regarding familiarity, introduce it early (like months in advance) by a vocal soloist, an ensemble, or the choir. After you’ve done that, have an instrumentalist play it for an offertory (providing the words on the screens for the congregation to follow along). Hopefully, at this point you will have addressed the last concern, that of confidence. Any additional ways to explore greater confidence should be explored.

Some final thoughts:

• When a choir piece becomes a favorite of the choir, and ultimately a favorite of the congregation, maybe it’s time to turn it into a congregational song. You might have to do a little re-arranging to make it happen. Of course, consider the factors above, especially accessibility.
• If it’s imperative to teach a song without the element of familiarity, the song leader or another soloist can lead the first stanza alone. Then have the congregation sing the same stanza. That may be enough the first time.
• Don’t give up if the first run-through is a flop. Regroup. See what you need to do differently. Try again.
• Be sure to make the new song a regular part of your congregational worship.

Song leaders and worship planners: How do you teach your congregation a new song? Give me some tips.

I’m a big fan of hymnals. In fact, you could say that I casually collect them. If you were to walk into my office and glance at my bookshelves, you would notice what could probably be described as a fairly large collection of them.

I grew up singing from hymnals in church. For every song. Without exception. When I went away to Christian college, we nearly exclusively used a hymnal. In my first ministry, the hymnal was the primary source of our congregational worship. Currently, I am serving in a ministry in which the congregation does not use a hymnal. It’s been a breath of fresh air. Here’s why:

It offers greater flexibility. As someone who has been involved with planning the weekly worship services, I’m always looking for new (and old) songs that communicate the truths needed for the hour. I have about three “go-to” hymnals which I prefer, but if I can’t find it in any of those, I have liberty to go to other sources. By displaying the lyrics on the overhead screens, we can build medleys and theme-based sets that provide continuity and seamless transitions. I am not limited to the selections of one hymnal.

Our congregation does sing out better. Loud singing is awesome! There’s something about not looking down, but rather looking up, and not being distracted with singing a part, that aids in vibrant congregational singing.

I know, I know… you feel bad that your congregation won’t be able to sing parts without the music in front of them. Even more egregiously, you feel like you’re contributing to the lack of music education in today’s society. Let’s be honest: when has music education ever been a purpose of congregational singing, or corporate worship, for that matter. Here’s the point: it shouldn’t be. (Dan Kreider has written an excellent article about this point.)

It keeps the main thing the main thing. Frankly, having to flip through the pages of a hymnal can be a distraction for the worshiper. Further, to varying degrees, part-reading can be a distraction as well. Focusing on the words (lyrics) can help us focus on the truths being communicated. And that’s a good thing.

In conclusion, let me back-pedal a little, before I get ostracized by the three of you who haven’t already ostracized me. I like hymnals. I hope they don’t go away. I enjoy occasionally using them for devotional purposes. We have just discovered the value of not using them in corporate worship. Every church is different, and each one gets to make its own call on the issue. I’m just sharing my perspective. I hope it gives you something to think about.

As much as you plan and prepare for a worship service or any sort of church gathering, there’s always the possibility that something can go wrong. I’ve written a little about this, if you’re interested in reading my humorous unplanned moment in one of our worship services. It’s not an enjoyable experience.

Cary Schmidt, a worship leader in a church in California, wrote a great article about his experience with a worship service “train wreck,” as he calls it. Sadly, I could relate to his very humorous experience. You should take a moment to read it.

The following video takes the prize. Once you’re finished dying of laughter, you’ll probably feel very sad for all involved. Admittedly, it is quite humorous. But I’m so sad for the dear people who were trying to be encouraging.

Anything can happen. Do your best to plan for everything. Then trust that God will work out everything else. And trust that no one is recording it!

I’ve previously given tips for playing background piano music during a worship service. Let’s discuss some ideas about when you should play background music.

A few thoughts, first. I realize each church is different. Some don’t incorporate background music at all, and others continually have something playing. (I once heard an entire church service, sermon and all, with background music. It wasn’t a short service. I hope that organist was well-paid.) There are also many opinions about background music. If you are a church pianist, you would serve your church best to find out what the church leadership desires in this area.

For the sake of this post, let’s assume background music is encouraged. When might you provide background music? Here are some ideas:

1. Preludes. Perhaps the most obvious place for background music, the prelude can provide a powerful set-up to your service. (I’ve also written about this here and here.)
2. Postludes. Another great moment for background music is as the congregation exits. (More about postludes here.)
3. Prayers. Corporate prayer is an important time for any worship gathering. I’m not suggesting that all corporate prayer should have a music soundtrack, but it might be appropriate from time to time to quietly accompany a prayer with simple, reflective chords.
4. Scripture/Devotional Readings. You never want to distract, so if you think you’ll be a distraction, or if you have been in the past, don’t play background music during the reading of Scripture. But if you can handle it with class, it would provide a nice touch to the service.
5. Invitations. Probably the most common place to play background music. Vary it up some. Many times I’ll play through the invitation hymn that’s going to be sung, but many times also I’ll just play some simple chords, or make up a creative melodic motif. Again… don’t be a distraction!
6. Baby Dedications. A music-box type sound would go well during a baby dedication. You can also play familiar hymns like “Jesus Loves Me” or “Precious Jewels.”
7. Testimonies. It might be nice to provide a backdrop for a personal testimony being shared.
8. Transitions. You might consider include a few bars of music between certain elements in your service. If you have multiple places for transitional music, consider using a few well-known measures of a well-known hymn to reinforce a particular theme.

Having directed choirs for over a decade (which, I know, I know… that hasn’t been very long), I’ve thought a lot about the commitment that’s involved in being a good choir member. As a volunteer choir grows numerically, I think it’s easy for choir members to feel as though they won’t be missed, and so they tend to bend on their commitment level.

I feel it’s important to maintain the same level of commitment, if not be more committed, during times of growth.

I’d like to direct your attention to this article on choir commitment by well-known composer and arranger Lloyd Larson. I think every choir member should read this article.

Who is the best choir member ever? The committed and faithful one.

In church work, and yes, church music work, it’s important to think through and determine the purpose for what you do. In the leadership team at our church, my colleagues often confront me with the question: Why do we do this? Honestly, it’s not a question I usually think of first. Truth is, I probably fall into a pattern of “We Do This Because We’ve Always Done This” a lot more than I want to admit.

But a question like that makes you think. It forces you to evaluate the reason behind what you do. You answer questions like What’s our goal? and What are our desired results? As a result, from time to time, an event or activity is justifiably removed from the church events calendar because it previously wasn’t successful in reaching its desired results. That’s a good things, because it refines and simplifies the program of the church. It helps us to declutter, and keeps us on target with our mission.

I recently thought about this while preparing for our 9/11 Remembrance Service. Just like Christmas and Easter, for this program I gave more music to the choir than they could shake a stick at, and the orchestra received music that expanded even the more experienced instrumentalists limits. We had narrators, soloists, and ensembles all in their places. The media and technical crew all had their cues, and the support staff head’s were spinning with the usual things such as parking, nurseries, ushers, greeters, etc. It was “all hands on deck.”

Why?

Why do we do any of our “big” programs? Why do we give all these opportunities for people to serve? In a nutshell, it’s all about Jesus. It’s all about sharing Him with others. It’s about exemplifying what Christ can do in and through us every day. Even though that might sound overly spiritual or simplistic, that’s really what it’s all about for us. We don’t hide it, and we don’t apologize about it. And when (if) our programs no longer serve this greater purpose, they will become irrelevant and unnecessary, and ultimately a distraction.

So at the end of the day, while the evaluation may consider topics such as musical preparedness, accuracy, and effective communication, the greater consideration is how well Christ was represented and proclaimed. I’m more interested in souls that came to Christ than the seemingly effortless way a full choir and orchestra can pull off a finale. I’m more concerned with what each participant’s relationship with Christ is than I am with a narrator’s entrance or a choir’s blend. That’s not to say I disregard all the technical nuances involved in pulling off a large-scale program. (Nothing could be further from the truth. Just ask those who serve with me!) It just means that all those technicalities must serve (and not distract from) the greater purpose of it all.

Thoughts to think about as you serve in your church music ministry from someone who hasn’t arrived, but is learning as he goes.

It’s hard to sing when you’re going through a trial. When it comes to church music ministry, it’s hard to minister through music when you feel like you’re the one who needs to be ministered to.

Here’s a scenario: someone is going through a deep personal trial, and they ask to not sing for a song or service, because they will cry, or because it’s just too hard. I understand someone desiring to not be embarrassed, and I always cut slack to those seeking a break so they can sort things out. But what if there were another option? What if God could actually use my hurt and pain in ways I never thought imaginable?

Each week, worshipers sing through tears brought on by the challenges they are facing in their life. In fact, there is rarely a week that passes that I’m not keenly aware of the trials or difficulties a choir member or someone in our church is going through. And yet God graciously uses them in a powerful way for His glory.

David faced this challenge when he was running from King Saul who was out for his life. In Psalm 57, he pleads for God’s protection through this trial. (Interestingly, he didn’t ask for God to remove the trial.) He turns a corner at verse seven and reveals his focus, which ultimately enabled him to face the trial: “My heart is fixed, O God… I will sing and give praise.” He recognized that God hadn’t changed, only his circumstances did.

I’ve been there. I’ve had to minister through difficult circumstances when I, frankly, didn’t feel like ministering. I can’t explain it, but I know I experienced God’s enabling power to faithfully worship Him. So instead of viewing stepping down as the only option, pray about how God might be able to use your pain to minister to others and glorify God. Isn’t it worth considering?

Communion is such an important (and biblical) part of our church culture. Unfortunately, it’s often an item that is given little to no thought or preparation by church leaders. However, with a little purposeful planning, an effective service can be planned, prepared, and implemented that will effectively bring each worshiper into the presence of God.

Here are some thoughts that should aid in your planning of a Lord’s Supper Service:

Dedicate a whole service to the Lord’s Supper. This will give you a chance to make musical, narrative, and dramatic selections that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to use. The pastor’s sermon could be contained within the service, usually before the actual communion. In fact, in our services, this usually falls somewhere in the middle of the program (instead of the traditional location of the sermon, at the end of the service), allowing the congregation to respond through congregational singing afterwards. As a music director, it’s important to work closely with your pastor regarding the direction of the program.

Develop a theme for the service. While the main focus is communion, you can use various themes that will draw attention to the aspect of Christ’s sacrifice that you wish to emphasize. Many of our themes have conveniently come from titles of some of the songs we’ve featured in these services (such as “There Stands a Cross,” “The Old Rugged Cross,” “Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone,” and “This is Our Freedom,” to name a few). Choose songs that point to the theme of your program. If you have a significant drama that will work well, perhaps its working title would work as a title for the program. All the elements you choose should build upon and develop your theme.

Provide plenty of congregational involvement. You can do this through congregational singing, responsive reading, etc. Anything you can do to get the congregation actively participating will be a huge plus for the service. A lot of times, after the passing and taking of the elements, we’ll have an entire congregational music set that will provide a corporate “response” to God’s forgiveness and mercy through the sacrifice of His Son. This is always a sweet time of worship.

Use a published cantata for the program. I remember there was one year that there were two Easter cantatas that I wanted to use at my church, but we obviously could only do one for Easter. I later decided to use the other one for a Lord’s Supper Service. I simplified the process by introducing the individual choir songs throughout the year, prior to the Lord’s Supper Service. I also delegated about half of the songs to ensembles and soloists. The drama and narration were also delegated out. It all came together fairly easily, and it turned out to be the Lord’s Supper Service that received the most positive feedback.

Be creative in the preparation of your meditation music. Typically our services provide a time of reflection (which is also used as a time for the ushers to pass out the drink or bread). Instead of always having the organist or pianist play during this time, consider having a piano and flute, or keyboard and violin. We’ve had our clarinet player perform during this time. It just provides a unique, and new, way of worshiping.

Maintain a good flow and momentum throughout. Ensure that all transitions work well and that movement is minimal. Be aware of peaks and valleys within the progression of your program. Strive to build towards a climax in the program. Consider how you will dismiss the congregation at the end. These are all things that are important to think through.

End with the resurrection. While it is effective to focus on the passion of Christ, I’ve found that it’s best to move people’s thoughts to the empty tomb, as the resurrection is the rest of the story. Because of Christ’s resurrected body, we have hope as believers. Hope and a bright future is a wonderful way to send people off from a Lord’s Supper Service.

I hope these thoughts are helpful. They are not new with me; I have learned so much from “picking the brains” of other church music directors. The truth is that our Lord’s Supper Services are some of the most memorable and anticipated services that we hold. And truthfully, I don’t think it’s what we do that makes it memorable. I think it has more to do with the who of our worship that makes it memorable.

So what about you? Do you have any ideas you can add to this list?

This is a guest post by Greg Howlett. Greg is a recording artist and Christian concert pianist. Check out his website (www.greghowlett.com) for free resources, lessons, and tips for church pianists.

As I talk to church pianists, I try to always stay conscious of the realities of their life. Most of them are parents who are focused on rearing their children. They are usually heavily involved in church activities. In fact, they are very busy with things that are all very important.

Many of them feel guilty that they do not have time to practice piano very much. In my opinion, they do not have to feel guilty and I usually find a way to tell them that. After all, it is hardly a stretch to say that rearing children is more important than becoming a virtuoso on the piano.

But this issue is complicated. The Bible gives very few specific directives about music, but there are a few. For example, we are called to “play skillfully” (Psalm 33:3) and “make His praise glorious” (Psalm 66:2).

That is the balancing act that we are faced with. How can we balance the pressing responsibilities of life with the responsibility to play skillfully in our churches? Neither extreme is appropriate. No parent should elevate piano practice over caring for their children. But on the other hand, no church pianist should ignore their responsibility to practice their skill in order to play as well as they can.

In this post, I want to give some thoughts to adult pianists about how you can improve your skill. I also want to give my perspective on what you should focus on learning.

You are probably better suited for learning right now than you have ever been.
Many good musicians seem to believe that learning stops when college is done. That is simply not true. For decades after college, learning actually becomes easier in many respects. I can honestly say that I am learning far quicker now (in my thirties) than I learned in college. As your base of knowledge grows, your ability to learn grows. So, never give up on learning.

Becoming a better church pianist is not a sprint; it is a marathon.
Forget about your occasional three-hour practice sessions after the children are in bed. They will not help you very much. I would propose something much easier: play every day.

Notice I did not say how much to play every day. If you can only afford to spend five minutes, play five minutes. But try to find a way to end each day a tiny bit better of a pianist than you started.

Becoming a better pianist does not happen in a day or a week or even a month. It takes years of a little practice each day.

Look for others to learn from.
The biggest obstacle in church music is pride. Pride is devastating in many ways, but one thing pride will often do is kill a person’s capacity for improving.

Prideful pianists do not think they need to learn from others. They find fault with everyone else’s music and develop an attitude that no one can teach them anything.

Don’t be that way. Look for the positives in other pianists’ music and learn from them. Ask them questions. Ask for lessons. I still beg for a quick lesson whenever I can and every pianist I respect is the same way. If you possibly can, take regular piano lessons (I still do that too).

Strive to be useful in church.
Unless you go to a certain kind of church, practicing Bach inventions has somewhat limited value. I am not saying to never play classical music, but it should probably not be your focus. You need to focus on learning how to be good at the skills that church pianists need to have.

Those skills include congregational accompaniment, accompanying smaller groups, and playing by ear. You have to be able to play in different styles (sometimes powerful, sometimes soft). You have to know how to transpose, modulate, understand harmony, and many other little things.

Understand and become proficient in all three ways that people play the piano.

People play either by reading notes, by ear, or by knowledge of theory. All three can be learned by all pianists, and church pianists should learn all three. Each has its place in church.

Everyone knows what I mean by playing by reading and playing by ear. But let me discuss the concept of playing by theory in a little more detail. Pianists that understand theory and use it in their music have numerous shortcuts that help them:

1. They can predict what chord should be played with a particular melody note.
2. They can predict what chord is coming next.
3. They can switch out technical patterns easily based on the underlying chord (for example, they can switch a run slightly to make it more comfortable for their style/hands).
4. They can reharmonize on the fly (spruce up harmony or replace it entirely).
5. They can transpose and modulate easily.

Theory is extremely important for church pianists and it is a bridge between playing by reading and playing by ear. If you play only by reading, you can probably learn to play by ear fairly easily if you can lean on theory knowledge. Likewise, those that play by ear can learn to read music quickly by leaning on their theory.

You can probably surmise that I think theory is very important. But how do you learn it well enough to start leaning on it in your music?

First of all, you need to become aware of it in your music. Start watching the music from a theory perspective. A good first step is to start analyzing the notes you play to figure out what the chord is. Over time, you actually want to start thinking in terms of chords rather than notes.

Fortunately, there are lots of helps available today to pianists that want to learn theory. There are plenty of free resources online (including my site www.greghowlett.com). Books and courses are also widely available. But ideally, you need to find a teacher, coach or mentor that understands these concepts.

Once you understand theory, music becomes very exciting and new doors will open to you. You will almost magically find yourself playing by ear better and reading music better.

These thoughts have not been for pianists that want to play professionally and have hours to practice each day. Rather they are for busy church pianists who just want to continue to improve over their life. Trust me when I say that a few minutes every day working on the right things will pay off. You just have to get started. Eventually, you will be able to look back and see how far you have come!

The Mikado Academy of Music is hosting a seminar for church pianists on Saturday, October 9.

Last year’s church pianist seminar was such a huge success that we decided to make it an annual event. This year we’ll be featuring guest pianist, composer, and recording artist, Faye López.

If you’re interested in developing your skills as a keyboard musician in your church, then consider attending this one-day event. You’ll be encouraged in your ministry work. Your registration ($25; $15 for students) includes a seminar notebook, a catered lunch, and some extra freebies. It will also be an opportunity to meet and connect with other church musicians in the field.

Check out the seminar brochure for more information. Also, check out the seminar’s website to learn more and register. I hope you’ll consider attending; I’d love to see you there!