Rules

While Flipping through my hymnal one Sunday, I stumbled across one of the opening pages. It printed the directions for singing presented by John Wesley. They made me giggle, but also offer insight into how to praise God through music.

I. Learn these tunes before you learn any others; afterwards learn as many as you please. I like to do an ecclectic mix of music at SUMC. Hold true to the classics, but also introduce more contemporary. Traditiona Hymns, but also Classical pieces.
II. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can. That one is for everyone who tries to put syncopated rhythms on the beat, or add those extra measures to Amazing Grace.
III. Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a single degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find it a blessing. 'Nuff said?
IV. Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, then when you sung the songs of Satan. The hymns aren't chores. They ARE praise. They ARE worship.
V. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound. That one's for me. :)
VI. Sing in time. Whatever time is sung be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it; but attend close to the leading voices, and move therewith as exactly as you can; and take care not to sing to slow. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first. And Watch your Conductor!
VII. Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve here, and reward you when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.

From John Wesley's Select Hymns, 1761
 

Watch your conductor Part Two

In my very first blog entry, I recollected a true event that happened right in our church. That event got me thinking about ways that a musician following a conductor is similar to us following God. If you haven't read the first one yet, please click the link and do so. I'll wait....

Well, we held the annual conference at SUMC recently, and two moments from that weekend gave me reason to revisit other aspects of this topic.

The first happened on Saturday, at the conference. I was called in to play the hymns. And I did so, faithfully. One of the people from another church brought along a Djembe Drum. I did not realize this until I suddenly heard drumming along with the music. Problem was: this guy was not playing at the same tempo as I was. He was keeping a clear beat of his own, but it wasn't in sync with me or the other singers. I later found out that he was one of the Pastors.

As we battled for the correct rhythm, I wondered, can he just not hear me? Is he trying to take charge and change the tempo? Is he hinting that the song should be faster or slower? And where does he get off telling ME what to do?

The speaker then reported about the National Methodist Conference. They were debating some changes to how the church does things. One particular issue was in such dispute, and time was running out, so they jumped the gun, and put in a final proposal just to get the issue off the table. Suddenly, someone stood up to speak. She reminded the assembly that the Holy Spirit was talking to them. They weren't done with this issue yet. They tabled the issue for more discussion until the next meeting.The report became a reminder that it's not all about us down here. It's about God's purpose, and serving God's will.

I was reminded that it's not all about me, the leader/conductor/organist, and it's not all about the drummer helper guy. What's important to God is that everyone is participating in the song. In a different layout of a church, I could help the drummer keep tempo with the rest of us. But all we could do for the moment, was just be, and participate.

The next day. Sunday. I woke up AT 9am. I'm supposed to be at church by 9am. I shouted some very unchristian words, and raced out the door. I called Seba, with simple instructions: I'll be there soon; go over the parts for today's anthem.

Now, it was Mother's Day, and our traditional Anthem for mother's day is a piece called "As A Mother Comforts Her Child." It's a bit deep, and not very pop-ish, and there's a verse about a bear killing someone who threatens her cubs. It also has some counterpoint which is doable, but very challenging for the choir. It's always a lot of work to get them psyched about doing it.

So, during the time I was commuting, the choir had some discussion. They started expressing that fear we all have of going out in front of people not fully prepared. They were unsure of the anthem, and a little intimidated by the response to the psalm for that day. Instead of spending that 15 minutes-half hour learning the parts to get ready, they debated whether or not to even do it, and with our pastor's permission, suggested an alternative anthem, and chose the easier alternate response for the psalm.

Now remember, in this allegory, I'm the conductor, representing God, and they are the choir, representing all of us. Has that ever happened to you? You hear and understand God's plan for you, and what you should do, but it seems difficult, and you are afraid of failure and humiliation; so you reason your way into finding an alternative course of action. One that strays from God's path for you.

When I finally arrived, and the choir informed me of the decisions regarding music planning that THEY did; I corrected them, ran through the parts of "As the Mother" and it went amazingly. Because of time constraints, I went with the alternate response for the psalm, which incidently, was for use during Christmastime. It was the first line of "Joy To The World." In May. On Mother's Day.

Often when we try to take the easier path, which we know is not God's plan, the results are just as disastrous. Before I started going back to church several years ago, I had not been defying God's instructions, but rather ignoring them, and trying to find my own way. Like a choir planning their own music without a conductor to guide them. After my return to the church, my way was clear, and things in my life became easier, and more managable. Still an occasional "bad performance" but nothing to compare with singing "Joy to The World" on Mother's Day.

Lord, forgive us when we try to reroute the journey you have planned for us. Help us to know our part, and give us the confidence to trust your guidance. And when someone or something throws off our tempo, help us to find a way to play together, rather than fight each other. Amen


But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. Job 28:12-13

Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way. Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good. Psalm 119:34-39

2011 - Year in Music - Contemporary Christian

On my other blog, (the one that occasionally included stuff I shouldn't share with my church) I'm running down my favorite music from 2011. I've explained myself, and covered Artists from the past, Country Music, Rock Music and Singers and Songwriters.

But sorting through the offerings on Napster, and now Rhapsody, I got to hear a wide selection of Christian Rock and Gospel artists. I can now say that Christian music is just like pop music. There's some good stuff, and a WHOLE LOT of bad stuff.

There's an odd feeling about Christian music. When it's terrible and simplistic, you almost feel guilty about not liking it. You expect that the artists will come back at you and say, "What do you have against Christianity?" And then you have to explain yourself; about how you work for a church, and you really love Jesus, and please don't pray for bad things to happen to me!

1 Corinthians 13:11 reads, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me." To me, that means that younger people understand their religion at the most basic level; "God is Good. He loves us. Jesus died for our sins." As you get older, you start to seek out and appreciate a more complex understanding of God's love for us.

Similarly, many Christian artists write songs that are just plain simplistic and silly. These basic praise songs are wonderful for the purpose they serve: use in worship. But when I'm listening to Christian music for leisure, I prefer to delve into reflection, express more natural feelings, and explore something more than just "My God is an Awesome God."

These albums, which came out last year, all express that deeper love for God and Jesus, and do it in an incredibly musical way. I encourage everyone to check them out, even if they aren't religious; because beyond being Christian, they're also great musicians.

Amy Grant - Somewhere Down the Road (Deluxe Edition) - True, this album really came out in 2010, and the deluxe edition, which was released last year, only features a few more remixes of the single "Overnight;" but it's still really good. Amy Grant's pop career has diminished in the eyes of pop culture what a truly amazing songwriter she really is. "Somewhere Down the Road" ignores the pop culture impact of her career, and just focuses on expressing true feelings through beautiful music.

Psalms Alive! with Rob Mathes - If you've never heard of Rob Mathes, SEEK HIM OUT. I fell in love with his music with his Christmas Concerts, and his album "Evening Train" is one of my all time favorites. This collection must have come from a touring show he produced with original musical setting of the words of the Psalms. Mathes' brilliance as a composer and as a pop style artist shines through with every song which mixes Gospel with other styles.

The Martins - New Day - OK, picture a family band playing Branson or Salt Lake City, like the Osmonds, performing deeply religious music. Now, imagine it's not ridiculously cheesy. The Martins have a great feel for country-ish pop, and are all supremely talented. All three of their voices shine on solos, and their harmonies work very well.

Dave and Jess Ray - Music for The Radio - I played this album for my students, and they dug it. It took a while before some of them began to suspect the religious nature of the music. This group mixes modern pop music with some hip-hop elements, but this could have easily been recorded by any Disney artist and sold to audiences worldwide. Which, ironically, is the whole point of the title song.

Echoing Angels - This country rock band IS Christian, but their music isn't, necessarily. The Christian morality is what they write about without preaching. Plus, the songs rock hard and feel great to listen to.

And my favorite of the year... Brandon Heath - Leaving Eden - Heath's music is heartfelt and passionate. He sucks you in with the title song which sings about the bad things that happen in life, and then heals you with the rest of the album. Two songs hit home as brilliantly insightful; the amazingly beautiful meditation, "Only Water," and the motivational "The One." The rest of the album is great, too.

Don't matter if it's not good enough....

Several years ago, I set out to arrange some Christmas Music, and one of the first songs on my list was "Little Drummer Boy." I've always loved this song; but I didn't know why I loved this song so much until I got down to arranging. I wanted to do something truly original with the song, and the key, for me, was the "Pa-rum-pa-pum-pums." I'm sure it's clear to everyone that "Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum" is the sound of the little boy's drum; but I wanted to emphasise that.

I considered having a complete drum accompaniment, which became too noisy. I tried an a cappella accompaniment of voices repeating "Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum" over and over, but that didn't work either. Finally, I explored the lyrics and had an idea. Just as the boy in the song plays the drum for the baby Jesus, I play piano. So, I rearranged the song using piano as accompaniment. I'd sing each line, and play an accompanying figure for each "Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum." It refocuses the song and allows the story to shine.

"Come, they told me, a newborn King to see. Our finest gifts we bring, to set before the king, so to honor him when we come. Little Baby, I am a poor boy, too. I have no gift to bring, that's fit to give a king. Shall I play for you? (on my drum)."

Of course, I don't play a drum in my version, so I omit that line. The tale is now not about a fictional boy visiting the manger, but it's about me. I'm coming before our king and, having no proper gifts to bring, will honor Him with my music.

Then I get to the final verse. "Mary nodded. The Ox and Lamb kept time. I played, I played for Him. I played my best for Him."

At this point of my arrangement, I launch into a few minutes of improvised piano soloing. I purposely did not compose, arrange, or otherwise plan out this section. I want every performance to be "of the moment." I want to freely express myself musically at that moment. And like all improvisation; sometimes it's good, and sometimes, not so much.

There have been performances where I really stink up the place with my playing of this section. I've had rare glimpses of brilliance, but often, it's rather mediocre. I'll admit, it frustrates me when my improvisation isn't up to my own standards. I recall one of the first times I tried the piece, it wasn't that great, and I felt horribly embarassed. Then I finished singing...

"Then He smiled at me..."

Since I omit the final line, my song ends here. I realized that this line is the most important. Jesus is pleased with my gift of music, even when the human standards by which I gauge it tell me that it's sub-par. It's not important to Him that I perform amazingly. It's not important to Him that I be perfect. It's important to Him that I perform. That I lift my voice, and my fingers in praise. That I use my gifts, and help others to do so as well.

Often, musicians are encouraged to strive for perfection. And that's a good thing, because who wants to hear music that has incorrect notes in it. But when musicians are obsessed with perfection, it can drive you crazy, and it leads to a condescension that not everyone is cut out to make music. One of the best choices I ever made in my life is letting go of perfectionism, and just enjoying the music making process. Letting go of the feeling of having to be the best, and enjoying the act of being the best I can be. No longer seeing the world as people who are good at music, and those who aren't; and instead embracing a world where every person can be taught to sing and join in with the songs.

My very controversial view of choral singing is that even if you aren't a skilled singer, I can teach you. I've never cut a person from my choir because of a lack of singing ability. Instead I've worked to help them improve their sense of pitch, improve their tone, or just worked to help learn the parts. That way, ideally everyone can join in with the hymns, anthems and songs of the church service.

A thousand years ago, the Catholic church firmly believed that it was inappropriate to speak prayers; they needed to be sung, or they believed God didn't hear you. I don't believe that, but I DO believe that when a person sings, he prays twice. I am pleased that SUMC includes so much music in their service. Music sends the message directly to your heart and soul as spoken word never can. And when we sing, and express our joy, love, and faith in that way, Jesus smiles at us.

Lord, may our voices raise in pleasing song to your glory. And give our congregation the courage and confidence to raise their own voices in praise to you. And may it make you smile. In Jesus' name we pray.
AMEN

31 These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the LORD after the ark came to rest there. ³² They ministered with music before the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, until Solomon built the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem. They performed their duties according to the regulations laid down for them.  - 1 Chronicles 6:31-32

¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Ephesians 5:18-20

Watch Your Conductor

It's no wonder why conductors have God complexes. Because in the microcosm that is our choir, band orchestra, etc., we decide how the music is supposed to be, what is musically correct and best for all, and we demand that you not go off and do your own thing. You MUST do what we say; because we are the ones responsible for the ensemble's success or failure. We love this music so much, we want it to be nothing short of amazing.

I'm reminded of one particular "incident" that happened during services. Our pastor had selected "Christ Beside Us" as the closing hymn. You know the one: "Christ beside me, Christ above me," etc... to the tune of "Morning has Broken." Now, "Morning Has Broken" is at a moderate tempo, and is very relaxed.  This closing hymn is THREE verses long, and at the end of the service. I made the call to bring it up to a brisk, upbeat tempo, so as to end on a peppy note, and to get us out of there to get our coffee as quickly as possible.

Now on that particular Sunday, we had several choir members who had recently had hip surgery, or foot surgery, or some other reason to not brave the staircase up to the loft. Therefore, we stayed down in the pews, and sang from offstage left. I positioned myself in front of the reader's lectern, so as to be in the sight lines of both the choir and the organist. And I began to conduct my brisk tempo for the final hymn.

When the choir and congregation began to sing... it was awesomely slow; trudging along at roughly the tempo of the original, "Morning has Broken." As much as I tried to pick the tempo up, it trudged along slowly, and after all three verses were complete, the room was filled with an air of boredom and "Thank goodness that's over."

What happened? Nobody watched their conductor.

The organist listened to the congregation, and followed the tempo she heard from them. The congregation was listening for the choir and organ, trying to follow the tempo they heard from them. In the half a second that it took for sound to enter the ear, the brain to register that there was music going on, and the signal to get to the voice to perform; we were getting slower and slower and slower. Plus, everyone was following each other. No one was leading.

How often does that happen in real life? With God as our conductor, He send us signs and messages that tell us what the right course of action is at all times. Yet we don't listen to Him, instead we try to follow each other's lead, which sometimes leads us in entirely the wrong direction. We hear God saying, "Help out the needy;" but instead, we follow the crowd in saying, "No, wait, we can't spare the money right now." We hear God saying, "Forgive your brothers, love your enemies, and pray for your persecuters;" but we follow the crowd who say, "You gonna take that? What are you going to do about it?"

Another problem with our hymn performance was that the congregation sang without really being confident that they knew how the song went. They've sung it many times, but we tend to not have confidence enough to take the lead and sing strongly the part that we know. So, instead, we wait to hear the rest of the congregation, and just do what they do.

We've read the Bible, studied the scriptures, and listened to countless sermons. We should know what God wants us to do. But often, we are afraid to confidently do what we know to be right, and we look around, waiting to see someone else do something, and then follow their example. Why do you think people tend to sit towards the back of the church instead of up front?

We could have had a brisk, positive ending to our service, if only people had followed their conductor. I gave the brisker tempo, our organist could have followed me, and led the congregation; the singers could have watched me, kept time in their head, and sung it briskly. But no one was even looking in my direction.

You can have a brisk, happy, loving, abundant life; if only you would watch and follow the lead of your conductor, Jesus Christ. He came to lead by example and through teaching; in the same way as I, as conductor of our choir, rehearse and give instruction to the ensemble. God is giving us the answers every day, and is always conducting the symphony of our life. We should look up, and follow His lead. Otherwise, our life becomes drudgery, slow, painful, and hard to tolerate.

Lord, I will watch for your cues, and will try to follow your conducting of our lives. Make your gestures clear and precise, and give me the confidence to follow unconditionally.
AMEN

Judges 7:17-18 - “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. ¹⁸ When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon.’”
Matthew 16:23-24 - Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

 ²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

Welcome to our new blog.

The purpose of this blog is to further our fellowship as Christians. I will, personally, write about my take on the readings for each Sunday. I welcome any entries from you as well. Simply write it up, and send it to me and I will post it here.

We'll also use this blog to keep you up to date on Church events. We are currently in the middle of Lent, and preparing for Holy Week. On Maundy Thursday, (April 21st), we will present a cantata by Joseph Martin titled, "Harvest of Sorrows."

Please join us in person Every Sunday at 10am for services and Fellowship.