High Praises Music Conference

I attended the High Praises Music Conference, hosted by the First Pentecostal Church of Bakersfield, on Saturday.  It was outstanding!  The special guest was Sis. Dedie Cooley (and she brought her husband and kids along.)  Sis. Cooley is top notch.  She is so passionate about the ministry portion of music ministry in a church.  I attended several of her classes and got so much out of them!  Here's a little recap of my day:

Connecting With Your Congregation - Sis. Cooley
It's important to select the right songs for your congregation.  Singing songs the congregation can learn and worship with.  Choosing songs that lift up Jesus, not show off the musical abilities of your musicians and singers.  She made a great point at how long it takes to learn a new song.  The choir or music director has listened to a new song about 25 times before the congregation hears it for the first time. We need to give the congregation time to learn the new song as well, so they can worship freely.  And sometimes we just need to make the song "congregation friendly."  In other words, drop a couple of bridges or musical interludes.  Our worship service should be a true time of worship, not entertainment where the congregation stands or sits and listens to the praise team sing.
My 2 Cents:  Just because a song sounds great in the car, does not mean it will translate well for a worship service.  Also, I have learned that the first time our choir sings a new song, the congregation rarely really gets with us.  But the next time, and the time after that, they start worshiping with us.

Have You Heard? - Sis. Cooley
Have you heard?  If it is a chorus you do not know, it is a new chorus!
This was a great class.  Sis. Cooley presented 25 choruses, providing lead sheets, and singing each one.  In.One.Hour.  She is so energetic!  I only knew about 4 of the 25 choruses, so I came home with a bunch of "new" songs.  Some I may have heard somewhere else, but forgot as soon as I got home.  Having a lead sheet for each song is so great.

Background and Altar Service Principles - Sis. Cooley
Bottom line - Background music should remain in the "background"
Numerous musicians shouldn't be playing background music at the same time.  Our role is to be a help and blessing to the service, not a distraction.
Altar music must never be a distraction.  The most important part of the service is at the end of the message, when people are being stirred.  Too loud or the wrong song at altar time can kill the move of the Spirit.

Music Question and Answer Panel - Bro. & Sis. Cooley, Sis. Cathy Clark, Sis. Debbie White
Many questions were presented - How do you know when a person is ready to play for a service?  How long should you practice?  What is required of a musician before they are used?  And many more.
The prevailing theme was musicians must practice and be competent, but a right spirit is key.  All the talent in the world cannot cover up a bad spirit.
Bro. Cooley's perspective, as a pastor was also very helpful.

Working With Difficult People - Bro. Cooley
Resolving conflict - how, why, why it's difficult but necessary.  Bro. Cooley gave so much good information in this class.  He also talked about how to survive a confrontational "ambush." 
Yeah, we musicians are temperamental and conflicts will happen.  But how they are handled can make or break a music department.

Stop the Music - Sis. Cooley
This last class was incredible.  Those who function in music play influential roles in the life of the church.  We must have a consistent walk with God.  It's a sad, but not uncommon, occurrence when a musician walks away from God.  If they never get off the platform and bury their face in the altar, they are in a very dangerous place.
"Music ministry is not the right of the talented, but rather it is the privilege to the committed."


I really cannot express just how much this conference helped me.  To be reminded of WHY I started playing in the first place.  To sit and think about what I need to work on.  Whether I'm in the congregation or on the platform, I must first be a worshiper.  The new material was a shot in the arm, but even more importantly was the spiritual boost.