I'm Sorry, But You Can't Sing With Us

I received this question from a pastor:

"How do you describe the minimum level of vocal ability that a person needs to possess before they will perform on a Sunday morning? As you might guess, this is prompted by a church member who very much wants to sing with the team, but frankly probably falls below the standard of what we would like to have on stage...."

Important question, right?! A simple, unemotional, yet empathetic, clear criterion is so important in this area. The way I like to go about it is something like this:

Thanks so much for being willing to serve. I want to make sure you're set up to succeed in this, and one way we do this is by a simple evaluation. It's not an audition, but rather, since we are all growing together, we want to know where we're starting and what we each are working on. To start singing on the team, there are four requirements:

1. Sing in tune (not flat or sharp)

2. Sing in time (able to match the rhythm of the song and the click)

3. Sing in harmony (either reading notes or improvising)

4. Sing with others (blend, controlling vibrato, etc.)

For each of those, we'll walk through a simple exercise of singing through a song together. If any of the areas are below our starting point, and you're willing to work on them, we'll help you work on improving them. If you're either uninterested or unable to work on them, we'll help you find a different role on the team. Either way, we want to help you discern the best spot for you to serve!

Again, something really, really simple and straightforward.

Here are some further ideas from our friends at The Church Collective:

https://thechurchcollective.com/next-level/breathing-and-breath-support/

-Dave Helmuth
(purchase my book, "Worship Fertilizer: (the first hundred)" HERE)

I'm Sorry, But You Can't Sing With Us (Nº 113)