The Do's and Don'ts of Leading a Gospel Choir
Leading a gospel choir allows you to focus your skills and help those of your worship team bring a sacred message to your audience. What you say during this time is nearly always more important than how you say it. Following this go-to list of do's and don'ts may help guide your time leading a gospel choir.
Be Flexible, But Have a Plan
Your team is likely to have good ideas just as you do and as long as you take the time to detail your wishes in advance, you'll end up with a much more pleasing result for your audience and your choir instead of striking notes of discord. It's likely that you, your worship leader or musicians all have specific parts of the choir production that you feel passionately about. Laying out all of your ideas allows you the chance to walk through them before a last-minute rush sets in, allowing you to create a holy space for your singers that is strife-free.
Be a Humble Leader
While there will always be time to speak up and let your direction be known, understand that leading a gospel choir is not about a power play. You've been entrusted by pastors and by the congregation to take a leadership role in your church, so be confident in your platform and your direction without bringing ego into the mix.
Bring Your Audience Along
Creating a truly worshipful experience allows you, your choir and your audience a brief glimpse of the divine. This is your moment to shine, so be sure that the message you share is not jarring to others and fits within the sermon and Scripture being covered in the service. Always look for ways to support the prayers and litanies while avoiding the obvious extremes.
Make it Easy on Your Choir
When your choir is overshadowed by incredibly loud music or distracting visuals, it may distract your audience instead of keeping them engaged. Help your choir shine by selecting songs that are simple, yet rewarding to sing and allow them to get lost in the music. Creating a worshipful space is easier when choir members aren't struggling to hit high notes or losing their spot in a complex bit of music.
Want to learn more about leading a gospel choir? From Saturday, July 7 through Saturday, July 14, 2018, Ben Speer's Stamps-Baxter School of Music will help you take your career, ministry and talent to the next level. From songwriting leaders like Kenna West to performance training with Joyce Martin Sanders of The Martins, if you love Southern Gospel this is the place to be in July! Register online today so you don't miss this amazing opportunity to work with legends of Southern Gospel music.
