Stay on the melody (please)

By Guest Blogger | November 4, 2010

One simple thing that many worship leaders could do that would immediately increase their effectiveness by leaps and bounds would be to stay on the melody. By resisting the urge to break off of the melody and sing higher, or sing harmony, or sing a cool little blues run, they would instantaneously be easier to […]

Ask the Expert – How many songs does an average church need?

By Marie@Musicademy | October 25, 2010

Tony Marshall, an Elder at Westbrooke Church emails saying: “I’m somewhat of a novice in this field, and am struggling to find advice as to how many songs our worship team should have in its “song bank” at a time.  Is there a “typical” number of songs we should rotate through?  Do churches vary this much?” Our initial […]

Just because you are tired of a song….

By Guest Blogger | October 5, 2010

For every one time you lead a song during a service, you probably sing it two other times during rehearsal. Them: 1. You: 3. For every one time you lead a song during a service, then lead it a few weeks later a second time, chances are that a quarter (or so) of your congregation […]

Prophetic or Planned Worship? Mutually exclusive?

By Guest Blogger | September 17, 2010

One thing that has challenged me recently is watching iHop and the ‘prayer & worship’ (‘harp and bowl’) type of worship. I’ve found it incredible and inspiring, with highly gifted musicians and passionate worshippers. This kind of worship is becoming more common – worship where we have our planning but are open to what the […]

The best of 2010’s new worship music from the festivals

By Guest Blogger | September 2, 2010

As a worship leader, I’m always on the lookout for new songs that will bring a fresh expression of worship to the church, and the festivals are a great place to find them. I served at two of this year’s Soul Survivor events, and attended the student equivalent, Momentum, as a punter, giving me a […]

So you’re going to be a worship leader

By Bob Kilpatrick | May 24, 2010

Why are you a worship leader? You are the worship leader in your fellowship. How did you come to this role? You’re the only person in your fellowship that can carry a tune. You’re the pastor’s wife and that’s what pastor’s wives do. You were seduced away from another fellowship by a generous salary and […]

How to introduce a new song

By Andy@Musicademy | May 14, 2010

Tips for introducing a new worship song to your congregation There a number of ways to introduce new songs to a congregation. Graham Kendrick teaches his songs line by line, Stuart Townend tends to teach songs in sections as the lyrics change but the melody remains the same and Matt Redman often injects the new […]

Finally, a resource for selecting congregationally-friendly keys for worship songs!

By Kenny Lamm | November 15, 2012

One of the greatest obstacles to participative worship is singing songs in keys too high (or occasionally too low) for the average congregational singer. Understanding acceptable vocal ranges for average singers certainly helps worship leaders choose good keys, but for some, the process is quite a chore. Today I release a chart of the top […]