Sunday, April 26, 2015

Song Leaders?-part 1

Song Leaders?-part 1 
            My earliest memories of going to church include standing with a hymnbook in my hands, singing vigorously while trying to see over the pew in front of me.  It never entered my mind that the day would come when the hymnbook would begin to disappear in the sanctuary. Many people wrongly suppose that the hymnbook disappeared because of the invention of the “big screen.” There are several reasons why many modern sanctuaries are without hymnbooks.
            The first thing that disappeared was not the book, but the effective song leader. By song leader, I mean someone who is knowledgeable in conducting skills and expresses the essence of the worship music while utilizing these skills. As I travel around to a variety of churches, I seldom see a song leader who even makes an attempt to use conducting patterns. Those who do not understand conducting patterns most often do not understand how conducting gestures visually express the essence of the music part of the music they are trying to lead.
            Second, I seldom see a song leader who really leads the people in singing. The congregational song leader should direct the music with passion.  The character of the song leader’s beat pattern should reflect the essence and character of the song he or she is trying to represent with conducting gestures.
            Third, the facial expressions of the song leader should mirror the message of the text. Believe it or not, the conductor’s visage should change as the meaning of the text changes.  The body language of the song leader should be non-verbal effusion of the director’s inner desire to express the meaning of the text and the music part of the music.

 

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