Rehearsal Tips

1. Begin with prayer time. Ask your team how it is going.

2. Be Prepared for the rehearsal. Have all the music together. It would also be nice if you know the songs yourself.

3. Have a plan. Know where you are going and give your team your vision for that service!

4. Give your worship team the music in advanced. Do not spring a new song on them too early. Find out how long it takes for them to learn a new song. This is trial and error. I would not ask "So how long will it be before you learn this song." I usually give two to three weeks. Unless it is just totally easy and they all know it we just haven't done it yet. Depends on your team and the talent you have. I am blessed to have accomplished musicians and singers, but I have been in churches where it has been like two months to learn a new song. Again, just depends on the team.

5. Make rehearsal fun, however establish that it is a time to get the work done. Learning new music is tough, laugh with them. Make it a stress free environment.

6. If you use a screen with the words for your singers, make sure he words are right. And even spelled right.

7. Let your sound, lights, and multimedia team know where you are going.

8. I use planningcenteronline.com to communicate with my team. I can mass email and attach demo and chords sheets. They also have the opportunity to accept or decline. Your team should not ever come to rehearsal wondering what in the world they are doing Sunday!!

9. You should know every week who will be at practice and who will be singing Sunday. It is up to you to find out. Encourage your folks to email, text or call of they will be absent.

10. Be aware of time. Start on time and end on time. Be considerate of their time and remember many have worked all day, may have kids with homework and baths. We begin at 7:15 and end at 9:00. During the summer we end sooner.

11. If a song is not up to par in rehearsal. It probably will not be good to use it for worship. Change the song. It's OK. Your team will thank you for it. It all depends on the song they will tear it up when they love it, when they don't like it it takes time! Time is ok!

12. Be careful of mannerism and faces. Believe it or not they are watching you. Laugh more! Encourage. Just don't laugh at them. Not good.

13. Pray together at the end. Ask them to share what God is doing in their life.

14. Encourage them to read the Word daily and to worship daily.

15. Establish with your team that rehearsal time is rehearsal, not time to learn something brand new. If you as the worship leader has done your part they should have time to get the song under their belt and have it down for the most part, rehearsal time is a time to polish.

16. Encourage your team to practice, practice, practice.

17. Thank them for their time after rehearsal.

18. When it is good say it is good. When it is not good. Be careful, share all criticism in LOVE!!

19. If the band wants to go faster, try faster, it its just not working, stop the song and move on to another, if you have time come back to the song, however its usually best to put it away until next time.

20. Finally, identify with your team that there is a difference between worship and just singing a song. Encourage your team to identify the song to their spirit, meditate on it, relate to it. Ask the question what does this song mean to you and sing that. Too many worship bands just regurgitate. Allow God to take it over and make it unique to your team.

Reminder every team is in a different place. You as the worship leader needs to know where your team is. Constantly evaluating. Know what their limits are and never push them over unless you want to be job looking, even then don't. They are looking to you for vision and leadership and you need to give that to them.

Blessings,

Chris Kelley