April 15th All Worship Chapel

We're scheduled for an all worship chapel on April 18th.  This is an all acoustic set.  We'll be doing songs we're already familiar with so we can work them up quickly.  We all need your 'A' game  :-)  I know we can do it and do it good.  Let's have fun with this....


This is Amazing Grace    in the Key of D     keyboard - zephix organ
    - Instrumental intro
    - Verse 1
    - Chorus
    - Verse 2
    - Chorus
    - Bridge
    - Chorus
    - Instrumental outro

Your Grace is Enough   key of E     keys, remember you have that cool organ part in the chorus
    - Instrumental intro on guitar
    - Verse 1
    - Prechorus 'remember...'
    - Chorus 1
    - Verse 2
    - Prechorus 'remember... '
    - Chorus 2x
    - Prechorus 'remember... '
    - Chorus 3x
    - Instrument outro

Sing, Sing, Sing   in the Key of E       keyboard - zephix organ
    - Instrumental intro on E
    - Chorus
    - Verse 1
    - Chorus
    - Instrumental 4 bar (E, D, A, A, ...E)
    - Verse 2
    - Chorus 2x
    - Instrument outra (E, D, A, A, ...  E)


Open the Eyes of My Heart  in the Key of E      keyboard - zephix organ
    - Start with just keys and 'Open the eyes of my heart'
    - Verse Open the Eyes.... 2-3 times
    - Chorus 'See you..'
    - Verse 2x
    - Chorus 2x
    - Holy, Holy, Holy - just the girls 2x
    - Girls keep sing 'Holy, holy'  Guys sing 'Open the eyes'  2x
    - Tag 'I want to see you' 3x

How Great is Our God   in the Key of G
    - keyboard - piano and pad start
    - Verse 1
    - Chorus
    - Verse 2 all sing
    - Chorus 2x
    - Bridge  BIG
    - Chorus acapella

Beautiful    in the Key of A
    - keyboard - piano and pad
    - Acoustic and bass intro
    - Verse 1 O.F. sings out strong
    - Chorus
    - Verse 2 G.F sings
    - Chorus 2x
    - Verse 3 all together
    - Chorus 2x
    - Verse 4  BIG
    - Chorus 2x
    - Instrumental
    - Quiet bridge

You Are Good    in the Key of G     Keyboard - zephix organ
   - Instrumental intro
   - Verse 1
   - Chorus acapella
   - Instrumental
   - Verse 2
   - Chorus 2x
   - Bridge
   - Chorus
   - Instrumental outro

Forever   in the key of E   Keyboard - zephix organ  (if we have time to do this song)
   - Big instrumental start with all instruments
   - Verse 1
   - Prechorus 'sing praise..'
   - Verse 2
   - Prechorus 'sing praise..'
   - Chorus
   - Verse 3
   - Prechorus 'sing praise..'
   - Chorus 2x
   - Bridge
   - Chorus 2x
   - Instrument outro

New Songs for Acoustic Chapel

I've changed the song on the bottom since Lord I Need You doesn't quite work for us.  Please listen to it!  Girls have a different part that guys in the chorus and its really good.  We probably won't do it quite that fast.

Here's a list (and youtube videos) of songs for our acoustic chapel.  We may not do all of them, but since I want us to be prepared, we should practice all of them.  :-)  We will discuss and document song mappings in the next practice.

This is Amazing Grace - Lauren Daigle cover - Key of D up to E

Open the Eyes of my Heart - Paul Baloche     Key of E

How Can I Keep from Singing - Chris Tomlin   Key of E

Sing Sing Sing - Chris Tomlin    Key of A

You're Beautiful - Phil Wickam    Key of A

Light the Fire     Key of G

Feb. 25 Chapel Debrief

Great chapel everyone!

I thought set up went really good today.  Thanks to all of you for helping and being flexible with changing mics, etc. to make it easier to set up.  The stage was even relatively clean (the cables were the most organized I've seen them).  Thanks to Mr. D and Mr. S for their help too.  It sure was fun to do a set of 4 fast songs.... and then Forever Reign was a great way to wrap things up.

Overall, I thought the set went quite well.  The was a lot of audience participation in both the fast songs and the slower song.  For the most part we all knew what we were doing and where we were going with the songs.  The tempos in all of the songs were spot-on.

Keys, your transition from 'I am a Friend of God' to 'Forever Reign' was perfect.  That's exactly what we needed there and I got a lot of positive comments about it.

E. Guitar, good work.  You nailed your solos and you were doing some nice filler licks in some of the songs - very tasteful.  Well done.

Singers, I thought things sounded pretty good.  We sounded strong an confident, I thought, and it was good to see some of you clapping and moving around a bit (when I had a chance).  It was great to hear some of you call out queues and ad lib.

Percussion and bass - well done with the tempos and the fills.  I heard the bass up and down the fret board a couple of times :-)   The drums were solid.  You all provided a great foundation for us.

We'll talk more in our practice tomorrow.  Here's some new songs I'm thinking of....

Let God Arise   Key of E

How Can I Keep From Singing    Key of E

Feb 25th Chapel Plan

Good practice everyone!  To reiterate what Mr. D and Mr. S were saying, it would be super to be set up and ready to practice (with everyone present) at 3:30.  I don't feel comfortable chasing people around the school reminding them about practice now with the new security measures in place, so I have to rely on all of you to be responsible high school seniors.  :-)

As discussed in practice, our set for Wednesday will be:

• Undignified     Key of D.  CZ on drums - keep tempo up and very simple drum roles only on transitions!   Keys, use the Zepix organ sound.  Singers - CLAP, MOVE, SHOUT, and SMILE  :-)
• Start with instruments doing verse chords
• 1st verse - keep it very simple.  No snare on drums - just high hat and bass drum.
• Back to intro for 2 bars
• 2nd verse with more guitars.  Add the snare.  Build into chorus
• Na na na... HEY!
• 3rd verse again
• Chorus 2x
• Na na na... Hey!     End.
• You Are Good      Key of G   CZ on drums - again, keep your tempo up and very simple drum roles only on transitions.  Singers - CLAP, MOVE and SMILE  :-)
• Guitar  and instrument intro like we do this regularly
• 1st verse - drums and bass guitar only.  
• Chorus - like we practice - bass drum and high hat only
• Instrumental
• 2nd verse with instrumental shots
• Chorus 2x
• Bridge - Drums remember don't build too soon.  We're going through the bridge 2x.
• Chorus
• Instrumental outro
• Someone needs to talk briefly here so drummers can switch.
• Happy Day     Key of G   JN on drums.  Again, its a happy fast song, so we need to keep our tempo up.  Singers - CLAP, MOVE and SMILE  :-)
• Instrumental intro like we've been practicing.
• 1st verse - again drums and bass guitar only.  Everyone builds into chorusEveryone else should be clapping
• Chorus
• Instrumental
• 2nd verse - steady bass drum.  All instruments doing shots
• Chorus 2x
• Bridge as we practiced
• Chorus with a shot, then all come back in on 2nd 'oh happy day'
• Instrumental outro, right into Intro of the next song....
• Friend of God    Key of A   JN on drums.  
• Instrumental with pushed shots of A, B, C, D into 1st verse
• 1st verse only drums and bass guitar on first verse with 1 'its amazing' then back into
• 2nd verse with instruments chugging and 3 'its amazing'
• Chorus 2x remember end on D to go into bridge
• Bridge with a slow build
• Chorus with drum rolls into shots as we practiced with JN.
• Chorus again 
• Instrumental outro with pushed shots of A, B, C, D.
• Keys will keep A chord ringing for us to transition to Forever Reign
• Forever Reign    Key of A   We need to choose a drummer.  Whoever doesn't drum should play cymbals and the tambourine.
• Instrumental 
• 1st and 2nd verses as we practiced
• Chorus as we practiced.  Drummer needs to keep tempo going with a cymbal or bass kick on the offbeat
• 3rd verse big
• Chorus big - remember land on D to go into bridge
• Bridge
• Chorus 2x and end as we have been - long D chord resolving to an A chord.

Jan. 21st Chapel Debrief and New Songs!

Hi Everyone,

Well done, today!  I think you did a great job of being flexible and sensitive to the mood, plan, and what was going on.   I actually found it a little hard to hear everything today, so it's hard for me to give an opinion on how it think things sounded overall.  Other than a missed intro (like the start of the first song) and perhaps some forgotten words in places, I thought overall things went great.

There's always a new wrinkle - today it was a different location for our set up.  We handled it well, and managed to do a sound check on most of our set list for 'go-live' time.   Its funny, I think the parts that we didn't practice turned out really well - like the playing and singing in the background.  Instrumentalists did a great job of following along and adding in harmonies and melodies to complement the atmosphere.

Looking to our next chapel, I've got several new song suggestions for us (see below).  There was a slow one that a couple of you were suggesting last week, but I don't remember what it was.  Send me an email and I can post it as well.


I Am A Friend of God       Key of A

Happy Day     Key of G

Salvation is Here    Key of G

Prepare Jan. 21st!

I spoke with Mrs. F yesterday afternoon, and here's what this Wednesday will look like...
We will be playing on the stage!  Mrs. F's team will be setting up some 'ambience' for the Encounter (special lamps on the stage with us, and other things)  I think there will be a nice atmosphere.

We (our team) have the talent and ability to do a fantastic job this Wednesday.  We just need to remember a couple of things:

• Practice for it  :-)
• Keep it simple.  Drums, bass, and E. Guitar in particular.
• Be sensitive to what is happening.  Keep your eyes and ears open.
• Keys - play an octave higher in your right hand  :-)

Here's the plan (these times are approximate and subject to change):

8:30  G.F. or K.M. to talk about the focus of the chapel

8:31  This is Amazing Grace.  (key of D)  F leads us.

• Drums - straight, driving beat for whole song except the bridge (where we need cymbals)
• Verse 1 - F leads us and sings solo.  At 'Who shakes...'  everyone join her singing in unison. Only drums, bass, and Acc. guitar play to first chorus
• Chorus is vocally in unison (no harmonies).  All instruments play
• Verse 2 - everyone sing (in unison), and all instruments play.
• Chorus - vocals in harmony.  Instruments, hold the 'D' chord on '...all that you've done for ME' 
• Bridge - vocals strong and in unison first 2 times though, then into harmonies.  Instruments start with solid chords (drums on cymbals) and we gradually build in intensity.
• 2 Choruses and instrumental out to end the song.

8:35  God is Able.  (key of E)  G.F. leads us.

• E. Guitar starts us.   Keys in the background.  
• Verse 1 - G.F. sings solo to chorus.  Instrument build to chorus
• Chorus - Vocals in unison.  Drums on bass drums offbeat and a cymbal or highhat.  
• Instrumental with guitar
• Verse 2 - everyone sing in unison (no harmonies).  
• Chorus - vocals in harmony.  Instruments BIG.  
• Instrumental - E Guitar solo
• Bridge - Big instrumentally and vocally (E. Guitar, please play chords)
• Chorus - a cappella then build into another BIG chorus
• Tag - 'For the Lord, our God is able' several times.

8:39  Mrs. F talks about praying for missionaries.  

There will be boxes of paper airplanes on the stage with us.  When Mrs. F gives us the 'signal', we will throw the paper airplanes into the crowd.  Kids will catch them and pray.  Everyone will pray for several minutes - we will provide background music.  I'll transition us on the keyboard to the key of A

8:40  Forever Reign (key of A)  E.S. leads us.

• Drums, guitars and bass chugging to start.  
• Verse 1 - E.S. leads us and sings solo (this is good because its low  :-)  )
• Verse 2 - Everyone sings in unison
• Chorus - Everyone sings in unison.  
• Verse 3 - Everyone sings and instruments BIG
• Chorus - BIG, but remember, end on a D chord to head into the bridge.
• Bridge - Everyone sing in unison. Vocal and instruments subdued, but building.  Last time end Jesus higher and go right into chorus BIG.  
• Chorus - BIG.  End the song quieter.

8:45  Phil (Mr. M) talks us into Themed Prayer.  

Again, we will provide background music while this is happening.  I'll transition us on the keyboard to the key of G.

8:55  Be Lifted High / I called, You Answered  (key of G)  O.F. leads us.

• Keys will play the melody to start.  The E. Guitar will play it (nicely)  :-).  Then O.F. will lead us (In my life) singing solo 2 times.  
• Everyone joins O.F. singing (In My Life....) in unison  2 times.  Instruments building, building...
• O.F. cues us to go into "I called, you answered.."  Sing it 2 times.
• Quietly end with singing In my life, be lifted high.

8:59 Perry (other Mr. M) talks about the name on the card everyone received on their way in.  

Intro into everyone praying for the person on their card and committing to praying for them for the month.  We will play background music through this.

9:05  How Great is Our God (key of G)  K.M. leads

• Chorus - K.M. plays acoustic and and sings first chorus solo.
• Chorus 2 - Everyone joins her in unison vocally.  All instruments join gradually, but building.
• Name above all names - everyone BIG and harmonies.  Sing this bridge 2 times.
• Chorus - a cappella  (no instruments, just voices)

9:10  Conclusion.

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.