Notice: unserialize(): Error at offset 394 of 395 bytes in /www/pmh4395/public_html/mmi/core/core.session.php on line 824

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /www/pmh4395/public_html/mmi/core/core.session.php:824) in /www/pmh4395/public_html/mmi/core/core.functions.php on line 726
MondayMorningInsight.com > Church Video Ideas:  Merger (Getting the Artists and the Techies on the Same Page!)

HOME | ABOUT MMI | CATEGORIES OF INTEREST | CONTACT US

image

Church Video Ideas:  Merger (Getting the Artists and the Techies on the Same Page!)

Orginally published on Tuesday, October 17, 2006 at 7:20 AM
by Todd Rhoades

It happens all the time, in churches all around the world. You may have felt the tension or experienced the frustration without even realizing it. What is it? It’s the coming together of two teams: music and audiovisual, right-brained and left-brained, artsy and analytical – the artists vs. the technicians. Here’s the deal. Like it or not, these teams not only exist in every church, but they have to come together to work and minister. You can’t avoid it. How they meet is the issue. Will they collide or merge?

Collide – 1. to crash together violently. 2. to clash or disagree.
Merge – 1. to lose or cause to lose identity by being absorbed or swallowed up. 2. to combine; unite.

The collision
If your church has never struggled with this issue, consider yourself blessed. I know this never happens with your music and tech team members, but other churches sometimes experience tension when the two teams are communicating to one another in a rehearsal or sound check. This can surface in many ways and there are many reasons (physical, emotional, and spiritual) why this can happens.

Sunday morning sound checks can be rough on both teams. There are enough spiritual battles going on without us knowingly or intentionally adding to the regular pre-service stress. A lead worshipper and senior pastor have a ton going through their mind before a worship service. Besides the practical things like remembering things to say, transitions and the like, they also carry a huge burden for the people they’re about to minister to and are trying to be as sensitive to the Holy Spirit as they can be. Neither needs to be distracted by poor attitudes or silly tiffs. Here are a few thoughts on steps we can take to ease the tension and grow together.

Appreciation: Ever had to take an “Art Appreciation” or “Music Appreciation” course in school? As painful as those classes may be, you end with a new appreciation and understanding of what goes in to a painting or a song. I honestly don’t think that those serving in our worship and tech teams have a true feel for what the other is going through and the pressures they face.

Most singers or instrumentalists I know would freeze up and be totally stressed out to be “in the booth” and responsible for the sound or visuals during a service. The reverse is true, too. Many techies talk a big game until you put them on the stage, place a mic in their hand, and ask them to sing a solo. Most people would rather do anything else than sing in front of people.

What can you do? Get to know someone on the opposite team. Years ago, I met with my organist and asked her to explain to me the different kinds of stops she used and what all those knobs did. When I moved to a contemporary church and started working a praise band, I sat down with my drummer and asked him a thousand questions. I wanted to speak intelligently when asking him to give me a rim-shot, more kick, or to play a certain feel.

Understanding: A step further than appreciation is a true understanding of what the other team members go through. Personally, I think musicians make the best audio engineers. Besides the obvious reasons (like having a great ear), I think understanding plays a big part in how they mix and interact with band members. Have you ever come across a sound person who seems to get upset and take it personally when you ask for more of something in your monitor (forgive me if that is you)? I have led and presently serve on both teams, so here are a few scenarios and things to ponder.

A vocalist asks for more of their voice in their monitor: A sound tech who also sings understands the vocalist’s point of view and the insecurity that can come when a singer can’t hear one’s self.

The keys/pads player keeps asking for more keys in their monitor as the band cranks up: Anyone who has played electric keys with a band knows that, unlike a real piano that makes sound whether it is amplified or not, a keyboard player only hears what comes out of their monitor.

The worship leader wants more of his acoustic in his mix: An acoustic guitar player understands how an acoustic guitar can sometimes get lost in the mix due to stage volume, making the guitarist feel as if he/she is playing on thin air.

An electric guitar player gets upset when they’re told they can’t play through their rig: An electric guitarist needs their amp to produce the right sound and voicing that they’re going for, which is not the same as plugging into the house system via a direct box.

A bass player: Well, bass players can never get enough of themselves in their monitor. You know it’s true! Basically, anyone playing a fretted instrument needs to be able to hear themselves so they can play in tune.

I could go on and on. Obviously, each musician, including drummers (just kidding), has a unique role and circumstance when it comes to the overall sound. The reverse is true as well. I used musical examples to make a point, but this works both ways. Musicians would do well to learn a little about mixing for live worship and the challenges it brings. All who serve on the platform should seek to understand and appreciate those who serve behind a console, computer, or camera – hey that’s 3 Cs! By the way, those with a musical background also seem to run the lyrics the best. They know the music and have great timing and a natural feel for when to advance to the next slide.

Respect: God help us. I’ve heard some pretty rough things said between the two groups. Instead of assuming the worst about one another, we should assume the best and trust that whoever is on the other side is not against us.

On a few occasions, I’ve come across people that did have a heart issue and needed to be confronted in private. If needed, sometimes people need to step down or be relieved of their duties. But for the most part, people try their best to excel. They get extremely embarrassed when they mess up and believe it or not, they are just as frustrated as you are about what went wrong.

Those who run sound, lights, video, or projection lyrics serve behind the scenes and are extremely underappreciated. You know how it is: If they do their job well, no one notices them. If something goes wrong, everyone turns around and looks at them. There is a lot of pressure and not many accolades. Each of us should give one another a huge measure of grace and unmerited respect.

Commitment: Truth be told, we love everyone, but we don’t always like everyone. You know what I’m talking about. It is entirely possible to have people serving on your tech and music teams that don’t like each other; it’s bound to happen. What needs to be understood and communicated is that we are in this together and it is so much bigger than me or you or us. It’s all about him, not us.

We should be committed to the vision and mission of our church and the part we play as communicators (via the message, music, or media) of the Gospel. Our commitment to Christ and his Church should be so strong that we would never sabotage an event or service, or allow others to get under our skin and pull us down to their level. Audio person, this means no matter how rude a singer is, you don’t mute their microphone to teach them a lesson (not that any of us would ever do that).

The merger
Please know that I have made many sweeping and generalized statements throughout this article. Not all churches experience this tension the same way. Also, please know that techies are artists. I don’t mean to imply an either-or-type view of the people who serve in our worship arts ministries. I think the goal is to appreciate, understand and respect those we work with each week, while committing to a vision that is bigger than us all.

Webster defines merger as: “The absorption of a lesser interest or action into a greater one.” My hope is to see music teams and tech teams merge in our churches. To put to death the trivial wars that can sometimes occur. Let’s seek to gain a new appreciation and respect for one another. My challenge to you is to at least start the conversation of merging at your church. Bring this article to a rehearsal or broach the subject with your leaders and team members. If there’s an issue, prayerfully address it and do whatever needs to be done to stretch, learn, and grow. Christ and his Church deserve it.

FOR DISCUSSION:  How has “MERGER” happened in your ministry situation?  What problems do you still have that you could use some help with?  What questions would you like to ask Greg

-----

©2006 – Greg Atkinson (www.churchvideoideas.com)

Used by permission from author. All rights reserved by author.

imageGreg Atkinson lives in Dallas with his wife and their three small children. Greg served previously as the Director of WorshipHouse Media, after having served as a worship pastor for 11 years. He is the Founder of Multisensoryworship.com and Co-Founder of Wasteland Creative, where he continues to consult, teach and write about worship, media and creative communication. You can connect with him through his daily blog, Church Video Ideas, his podcast, Creative Synergy, or his email:


This post has been viewed 1186 times so far.



  There are 8 Comments:

  • Posted by matt

    Well...as a Technical Coordinator, I can definitely relate with this post.  It is true that techs (and audio engineers in particular) are their own breed and that singers/intsrumentalists can often push the envelope for being a bunch of divas on stage.  I do my best to serve those on stage the best I can, however it is true that most just don’t get as much respect as they should.  There is zero glory in working in the booth.

    However, I have always encouraged my volunteers to see themselves as servants that are no less important than those on the stage.  God sees their diligence and will reward them accordingly, and even better than any person on earth could.  And thankfully, our church and praise band/team is absolutely superb in working with my techs.

    I have an understanding with our Worship Leader.  I will tolerate absolutely no territoriality or smugness in my techs and she will tolerate no selfishness or acts of belittlement in her team.  It works very well.

    There is ALWAYS at least one Diva in every church praise team.  And yes, that person makes me want to scream sometimes.  There are times (more often than you could imagine) where she complains about not being able to hear ________ enough in her monitor/in-ear and I let her see me “turn a knob” (when in actuality I didn’t touch a thing) and then suddenly everything is “much better.”

    ....singers.  wink

  • Posted by

    I think it all comes from what the leader encourages and allows.

    I totally disagree with “There’s always one diva on every praise team”

    There is if the leader lets it happen.  Diva behavior whether on or off stage is completely unacceptable according to Gods’ standard. 

    As to tech and praise teams working together, the word team says it all.

    As a worship leader, I work hard at encouraging the tech and the praise leaders to think of themselves as a whole.  Neither of us can get the task accomplished without the other.  Too believe so is arrogance.

    Too many times the praise leaders pray separately from the tech people (if they pray at all).  And rarely do they meet together.  We hold quarterly team meetings, where we discuss our issues, but also dream together about what God wants to do with us in ministry together.

    It’s important for a worship leader to not only plan a service and get the job done, but to lead with and promote unity and a sense of team ministry and to impart vision.

    Too many worship leaders are given the job because of musical ability without at thought given to minstry ability, administration giftedness and leadership skills.

  • Posted by

    I start every rehearsal, and usually that includes Saturday evening and Sunday morning sound-check, with 5 - 10 minutes of the band worshipping together (the only instrument is piano or guitar -me-) singing and praying a song that is almost never one of the ones that we are actually doing that weekend… Something easy with just a few words that everyone knows. I “lose” 10, occasionally 15 minutes of rehearsal. We put down all the instruments (except the one guitar or piano) and the mics. I get MORE than that time back in unity of purpose and grounding.

    We are NOT “up there” to sing or play music, we just use that tool, to the best of our ability, to worship God and lead others in that worship of God.

    Sometimes, if I’ve prepared a meditation between songs, I “practice” it during this time…

    Also, we are about to implement an Aviom in-ear monitoring system. everybody will have their own “mix”.

  • Posted by matt

    You’ll love the Avioms Peter.  They make a HUGE difference in the overall sound of the room by removing monitors on stage.  However, most people on stage feel very isolated with both pieces in.  Many people only use one and leave the other hanging so that they can hear the congregation and each other on stage.  What I have done is install an ambient mic hung down from the ceiling facing the stage.  Then, I run its signal into the Aviom system and make it a selectable channel on everyone’s pod.  This has made an enormous difference to them and has even allowed them to use both in-ears and still feel “connected.”

  • Posted by

    Matt-

    I can’t agree with you on one point.  I do understand tat there is no glory “in the booth.” I have been there.  I have worked in the sound booth a number of times.

    But on the other side of the coin, as a worship leader, when I ask for a certain something in my monitor, I expect my sound engineer to do it.  Whether I can hear a difference is besides the point.  If I ask him to do it, it should be done.  End of discussion.  We have had this occur in our church and had to be dealt with.  I don’t believe in dishonesty in any of the team members, and this includes the sound techs.

  • Posted by matt

    Jeremy...no offense man...but reread what I said.  It’s not that I blatantly did not do something.  I act according to my experience.  More often than you can imagine, some people on stage (not necessarily you or other worship leaders) do not really know what they want or what they are asking for.  We do not blindly do whatever you tell us because if we did, your monitors would explode.  And sometimes the placebo effect is very much a real issue.  In 98% of the times I “faked” it, the person I was “faking” for would turn around and give a big thumbs up as if whatever I “did” fixed things wonderfully.  That’s just the nature of the beast.  It is by no means dishonesty.  Doctors do it all the time.  And some worship singers/instrumentalists are hypochondriacs.

    And on a side note, your “end of discussion” comment is an example of what really boils our blood sometimes.  I’m not going to tell you how to sing/play.  I will serve you the best way I can, but the rest is at my discretion.

  • Posted by

    It depends.

    If a guy on stage asks for a change in sound for the house… as a sound man, ignore him. If it’s the monitors… serve him as well as you can.

    Jeremy, I have a worship team where every time somebody asks for “more of me” the sound man just obeys… by the time they’ve rehearsed/sound checked for about 20 minutes, they complain “The stage volume is too loud.

    Duh…

  • Posted by

    I totally agree with that Peter.  I guess that is what I was trying to say.  Monitors are not there to accomodate the sound people, but to serve the vocalists/musicians.  If the musicians cannot hear themselves, they cannot do their job correctly.
    I also realize that there are some of those that desire to hear themselves at a very high volume above anythinig else.  Those are the people that need to be informed and coached as to why their level needs to be at a certain level only.  Just faking the twisting of a knob does them absolutely no justice.  They need to know that you cannot do anything, and why.  If they do not like it, then maybe they should try a different ministry in the church.
    I believe that integrity is a vital part of the church, or at least it should be.  We need to let our “yes” mean “yes” and our “no” mean “no.” If you ask your bass player to turn his rig down 1 whole number, that is what is expected, right? (BTW why is it always the bass player?) So the same should be expected from the sound techs as well. 
    I understand that, Matt, you have a lot more experience at this than I, and I am by no means trying to tell you how to do your job.  I am just conveying what is expected from our sound techs and musicians alike.  Are we being to harsh?

  • Page 1 of 1 pages

Post Your Comments:

Name:

Email:

Location:

URL:

Live Comment Preview:

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?

Please enter the word you see in the image below: