Our Next Chapel - Jan. 21st

Hi everyone,
Our next chapel is Jan. 21st.  It's a prayer chapel so we'll be on our instruments for the whole 40 minutes.  The direction I got was:

"Worship - 40 minutes. This is a more reflective chapel and will require the worship team to be in the background at times. Please prepare some instrumental songs as well."

We only have one practice left before this chapel.  Please, please, please practice these songs and know them well.  There are 2 songs below that are new to us as a band, but they are easy.  Here's the plan:

• We will do the songs we've been practicing:  
• This is Amazing Grace (see the youtube video in the post below)
• God is Able  (see the youtube video in the post below)
• Forever Reign  (see the youtube video in the post below)
• We will add to that:
• In My Life Be Lifted High (I Called You Answered) in G    This is an easy song we all know.  We can sing it and do it instrumentally.  Please see the chord sheet I attached to the email for how we will do it.
  
  
• My Heart is Yours (All to Jesus I Surrender)  in G   This song is on the radio right now done by Passion/Kristian Stanfill.   Again, please see the chord sheet attached to my email as to how we will do it
  
  
  
  
  
• How Great is Our God in G.  You should have the sheet music for this.
• Vocal practice on Tuesday at lunch with Mr. D in his classroom.
• All Singers - memorize all the words!!  
• All Musicians - memorize and know the songs!!!  Be prepared to vamp!  

We will likely repeat choruses and bridges of some songs in different places.  We will also potentially be doing some of these choruses and bridges slower so be prepared to be attentive sensitive to what is happening.  

New Songs!

Great practice today everyone!  I was impressed with how fast these songs are coming together.

God is Able - Key of E

This is Amazing Grace - Key of D

Forever Reign - Key of A

Dec. 3rd Chapel Debrief

Well done today, everyone!  Thanks to everyone for the help setting up and Mr. D for the extra vocal practices.  For those of you who lead songs - great work!  We actually followed you and this really encourage me.  We will certainly work on doing more of that.

It felt to me like we had a good flow today - like we were organized and everyone knew what song was coming up next and what part they were doing in it.  That was a good feeling, believe me.  I think a couple of you probably realized (a bit late) that you should have practiced a bit more...  You know who you are  :-)

Drums, you guys did well.  I try and do you a favour next time and we'll decided a little more in advance who is doing what song.  I thought you did great, though.

Keys - its sounds so great when you play pads in the slow songs.  We need to get you more comfortable doing that in between the songs so I don't have to try and do it on the E Guitar so much.

Singers - the feedback that I got was that we truly had a great vocal blend.  We'll keep working on that going forward, and we'll also work on getting you more relaxed, moving, and enjoying yourselves.

Bass - great work!  I have no complaints - you provided a great foundation for us and it sounded good.

Some of you were asking for the notes from Mr. D's vocal practices.  Here they are:

1.  Learning to sound like a united team - All working together instead of a bunch of amazing singers all singing sort of independent of each other.  Learning to blend - listening for harmonies - phrasing, etc.  Which highlighted the importance of the vocal time together.  

2.  Leader on stage?  We addressed the need for someone to always be leading.  Someone who calls the order and other details like a capella, repeat a chorus/verse, etc...   

3.  Singing technique:  Using their voice to enhance the mood/atmosphere....can lift up the feeling of worship.  Letting go of inhibitions,  singing from diaphragm,   

4.  Presence on stage - being convinced of what they are singing, looking at each other often, smiling, moving.  Grouping singers together who have the same parts ( altos, tenors, melodies, harmonies, etc...)

5. Memorize the words!

NEW SONG!!  Key of E

Last Minute Reminders for Dec. 5 Chapel

Hi Everyone,
Just some last minute reminders for the chapel coming up this week.

Vocalists - in the fast songs, smile and clap on your arm (or your leg, or something) with your spare hand.  Also, please remember to set up in a curve (like Mr. D's team does) so we can all see each other.

Can E.S. and M.W. please be team leads for set up again?  Thanks guys.

Your Grace is Enough
Electric Guitar intro.
Keys, do shots with the rest of the instruments in the verses.
Drums - remember to watch the bass guitar for beat on this one - particularly in the verses - match the bass drum to the beat the bass guitar is doing.
Singers, remember the different chorus words towards the end.

Joy, Unspeakable Joy
Drums - straight rock beat (bass, snare, bass, bass, snare) all the way to the 3rd verse.  Do fills only at transition points.
Instruments - remember we're pulling back and doing a big build with a key change to A at the 3rd verse.  Also, we replay the introduction of the song at the end (with the electric guitar solo).

Angels We Have Heard on High
Since this one key changes into E, we'll do it here as it will make for an easy transition into Here I am to Worship which is also in E.
- F and K are doing a duet in the first verse.  (remember this doesn't mean other vocalists don't sing!  they just don't hold up their mics to their mouths)
- Instruments only first chorus
- Everyone singing second verse
- H and G are singing the third verse ('Come to Bethlehem and see...')

Here I am To Worship
G sings the first verse.  Unison first chorus.
Remember big build after second verse into chorus.
Quiet start to bridge, build up to the big drum roll  :-)

Dec 5 Chapel

Good practice last week everyone.
Here's our tentative set list for our chapel on Dec. 5:

Your Grace is Enough - Matt Maher.  Key of E   I needed a simple, fast song that you all know.  I wanted us to try a new one.

Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy)  Chris Tomlin  Key of G + A

Angels We Have Heard on High  Key of D   I have a good idea of how I want this song arranged now.  We'll work on it this week.  It will be much slower that we practiced it last week.

No video

Here I am to Worship   Key of E

Nov. 5th Chapel Debrief

I don't know about you, but I thought that chapel went rather well.  There were hiccups here and there (including one big one by me), but I felt we endeavoured to be sensitive, we had a good idea of what we were doing and who was doing what, and we knew our songs well.

I have to preface everything I say in these 'debrief' blog posts with this disclaimer - what I say here are impressions that I get after considering how things went.  Since I'm playing and singing with you all, I'm only listening with half an ear.  Having said that, here's what I heard (and thought)....

Thanks to everyone for knowing your stuff and helping with the set up.  WAY better than last time.  Special thanks to E.S. and M.W. for coordinating the two set up teams.

Biggest pleasant surprise?  A.W. on the keyboards.  Great work!  The keys sounded strong and confident in both slow songs (which is where we really needed to hear you) and you came up with your own lick for 'How Great is Our God' that sounded really good.

Second biggest pleasant surprise?  O.F. singing the 'Name above all names' bridge.  Very nicely done!  Timing, tone, and confidence were all there.  You couldn't have done it better it we had practiced it from the beginning of the year.

I thought everyone did a great job of the singing parts that they had.  I'm not sure the mix was always there, but for the most part you all knew when and what you were singing.  I thought 'How Great is Our God' came together nicely vocally (with the exception of my early entry into one of the a cappella parts - I apologize for that).

The drums and bass gave us a great foundation in the slow songs.  They felt good, solid.  I thought Israel Houghton's 'You Are Good' went quite well.  M.W.'s guitar solo in Planetshakers 'You Are Good' sounded good too.

Things we can change and improve for the future:
- We could be more relaxed.  I know this is tough and a learning process.  I'm sorry if I came across as 'intense' in the practice before chapel.  Make no mistake,  I was very focussed.  I could probably do it better if I smiled more, though.  :-)
- Singers should stand in a curve instead of a straight line so it's easier for us to make eye contact with each other.
- We could get more comfortable with 'free worship'.

Food for thought:
- Is there a difference between 'cool' worship and 'true' worship?
- What are you focussed on when you are worshipping up front?
- What distracts you?
- What is the fruit in you after you've participated in leading a worship set?  How do you feel?  Exhausted, frustrated, exhilarated, light heart, heavy heart...?
- Worship is warfare.  See II Chron. 20:1-30

Nov. 5th Chapel

Hey everyone,
Good practice on Thursday.  We won't be able to practice together this weekend, but you can still practice at home  :-)   M.W. -  as discussed, you're the team lead for setting up the IEM system.  E.S. - again as we agreed, you're the team lead for stage set up.

Team leads - you're ensuring everyone has everything they need and knows what they doing and where they are going (refer to the stage layout handout I gave you on Thursday).  H.E. - as discussed, you'll be manning the front door from 7:10 to 7:25.  Everyone - DON'T ring the door bell.  Let H.E. get it for you.  If you arrive after 7:25.... well, you'll have to make your own way in.

F.F. - you said you'd read a scripture.  We'll get you to do it between the 2 fast songs.  Please read Psalm 136:1-3.

E.S. - If you comfortable, I'd like to you be 'the leader'.  At the beginning, invite everyone to join us.  Feel free to call out queues of where we're going (nice and loud).  Talk in between songs where you feel comfortable.  And please close our set with a prayer.

Everyone - as E.S. suggested in practice, there will be a place for any of you (if you feel lead) to briefly share after we're done with the two fast songs, or in between the two slow ones.  I'll provide some background music on the guitar.


Our agenda for Wednesday is:

• E.S. Welcome and invitation to loosen up and worship with us.  Be loud and clear.  If you can't hear yourself through the main speakers, no one else will hear you.
• You Are Good (Planetshakers)  Drums, remember to try and get the syncopated snare rhythm in the verses.  Guitars, we need to ensure that we're tight in this song, particularly in the bridge.  All instrumentalists - remember to go right to the bridge after we sing the chorus 2 times.  We also can't forget the single 'shot' in the verse on the word 'plan'.  We should also be doing a double shot on the words 'You are' going into the chorus.
• F.F. Read Psalm 136:1-3.  Again, be loud and clear.  If you can't hear yourself through the main speakers, no one else will hear you.
• You Are Good (Israel Houghton)  We'll start this song with drums and congas like we practiced.  Then acoustic guitar will play with them for 4 bars, then all instruments (big) for 8 bars and finally into the first verse.  Maintaining the tempo through the choruses is key in this song for the drums.  Guitars again need to ensure that we're not sustaining our notes when we shouldn't be (to keep it sounding clean).  Bass, don't forget your slides in the verse on the word 'forever'. 
• We sit down in the front row, stage left (west side).  Allison Springer will speak here for ~ 20 minutes.
• Healing is in Your Hands  A.W. - Start your intro as soon as you are ready and play this as background music until we're all ready.  Pretty much bass, keys, and acoustic guitar through the first verse and chorus in this song.  Remember, we're only doing half a chorus between the first and second verses.  After the second verse, singers can go into harmony and all instruments are playing.  In the Bridge, we all pull back.  Second time through the bridge we're building big (drums, help us here).  We just keep building through the chorus after the bridge to the end of the song.
• Selah....  (pause and consider...)
• How Great is Our God  Key of G.
  - First verse and 1 chorus - K.M. will play and sing the first half of the first verse alone ('the splendour of the king').  G.F.  will sing the second half of the first verse ('he wraps himself in light') with K.M playing acoustic.  In the first chorus drums do cymbal work, keys and bass join K.M. and everyone sings in unison.
  - Second verse and 1 chorus - all instruments playing, J.P. will sing the first half ('age to age he stands') and F.F. will sing the second half ('the godhead three in one').  Everyone joins in the chorus singing harmony and instruments are big.
  - First Bridge - all instruments pull back except bass, keys, and acoustic.  These three instruments play long notes first time through.  O.F. will sing the first time through - sing big and strong (I know you can)  :-).
  - Second Bridge - all instruments join and we're building big time.  Singers go into harmony.  Big cymbal roll into chorus....
  - Chorus after bridge - a cappella (no instruments)
  - Following choruses - All instruments back in big.

Things to keep in mind:

• Singers, you're never not singing.  Like we talked about in practice, there will be some times where you won't have the mike at your mouth (amplified), but you should always be singing.  When you are designated to sing, kiss the microphone!!
• Drums - keep your fills simple.  
• Let's have fun and enter in!!