Artists (“Artists” applies to musicians, singers, painters, graphic designers, actors, dancers, etc) in the church receive a tremendous amount of criticism. Musicians especially seem to have a never-ending stream of complainers. I’ve heard everything from “the music was too loud,” “don’t use that song again – I didn’t like it,” and, one of my personal favorites “did you know you messed up on that one part?” (As if I was not aware that a train wreck had occurred).
I think there are two kinds of people out there when it comes to criticism. First, there are those who want to point out something that was less than perfect. Whether it’s a song choice they didn’t like or something that was just wrong, they can’t wait to let you know. Most of the time, it seems these people just want to bring you down a peg. Second, there are those who genuinely want to help make things better by offering constructive criticism. These people are on your side and support what you’re doing. They noticed something that could be better and they want to help you. This post is written to the second group of people. (Let’s face it, the first group doesn’t really care if there’s a better way or not.) I want to help the second group understand how to offer constructive criticism without being a jerk.
First off, two important things to understand about artists:
When you feel the urge to offer criticism, follow these steps to help from coming off as the wrong kind of person.
Offering up criticism is never easy, but if you really care about the person and believe it’s something they need to hear, find a good time and share your thoughts with them. Don’t expect to be the hero at first, but if they are willing to listen and it helps them, that’s all the thanks you need.
Matthew Sterner is a guest blogger for Musicademy. He blogs at Beyond the Noise: Thoughts on Life and Worship.
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