Resources from Ad Lib Music

Drummer, Community Life Pastor, dad, and former staff with Eagles’ Wings, Brian Flewelling will help our teams grow in the discipline and art of making our personal and gathered worship times richer, fuller, more grounded and alive. He’ll talk both about the devotional side of using the Word to inspire and inform our worship, and the importance and practices of saturating our gathered worship with the Word.With each Fertilizer, you’ll grow in worship, in musicianship, in leadership, in relationship…it’ll be just what you need to grow. Be a part of this podcast by submitting your questions and comments to [email protected]

Drummer, Community Life Pastor, dad, and former staff with Eagles’ Wings, Brian Flewelling will help our teams grow in the discipline and art of making our personal and gathered worship times richer, fuller, more grounded and alive. He’ll talk both about the devotional side of using the Word to inspire and inform our worship, and the importance and practices of saturating our gathered worship with the Word.With each Fertilizer, you’ll grow in worship, in musicianship, in leadership, in relationship…it’ll be just what you need to grow. Be a part of this podcast by submitting your questions and comments to [email protected]

What if you could say that? If you’re the leader, are you doing what you can to feel that and create spaces for your teams to feel that? I you serve on the team, is that your current experience? You’ll learn how to make sure the whole team arrives better prepared, how to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the time you spend rehearsing, and how to think well about the gem that the weekly rehearsal can be! And if you’re a tech, of course there’s a huge part for you in this too. With experiences of leading different teams at different churches each week, Dave Helmuth is able to teach broadly and very specifically to help you experience rehearsals that’ll leave you exclaiming “I love rehearsal!”With each Fertilizer, you’ll grow in worship, in musicianship, in leadership, in relationship…it’ll be just what you need to grow. Be a part of this podcast by submitting your questions and comments to [email protected]

Rick tells his story of how he learned to have both passion to lead and compassion for those he leads.The topic of “how engaged/responsive/connected the congregation was on Sunday” is a significant (but often elusive) measuring stick for how well we’re leading. And I mean leading as a team, because no one ever leads alone. It’s easy to hide behind the songs and blow through a set of worship music, missing the opportunity to activate God’s people and nurture their worshiping hearts. Rick Rowe leads with one hand on the keys and one hand in the air, motioning for participation from the congregation. Way beyond giving insights on how to “work a crowd,” he’ll share practical ways of thinking and habits to learn in increasing congregational engagement as a worship-leading team. After 17 years in full-time worship ministry, Rick now lives out his passion for authentic, Christ-honoring worship in the local church by serving with Ad Lib Music as a Worship Coach.With each Fertilizer, you’ll grow in worship, in musicianship, in leadership, in relationship…it’ll be just what you need to grow. Be a part of this podcast by submitting your questions and comments to [email protected]

I challenge you to BE a worshiper off-stage, a trust-builder and bridge-builder, led by the Spirit, undistracted by logistics, an activator of people, secure in who you are, in who God says you are, given in your calling, a leader of a “leaned-in team,” a fearless “asker,” a great chooser of songs, great at teaching new songs, a teacher of biblical worship, a reproducer of worshipers and worship leaders, historically broad. Learn what it takes to increase congregational engagement in worship.With each Fertilizer, you’ll grow in worship, in musicianship, in leadership, in relationship…it’ll be just what you need to grow. Be a part of this podcast by submitting your questions and comments to [email protected]

I challenge you to BE a worshiper off-stage, a trust-builder and bridge-builder, led by the Spirit, undistracted by logistics, an activator of people, secure in who you are, in who God says you are, given in your calling, a leader of a “leaned-in team,” a fearless “asker,” a great chooser of songs, great at teaching new songs, a teacher of biblical worship, a reproducer of worshipers and worship leaders, historically broad. Learn what it takes to increase congregational engagement in worship.With each Fertilizer, you’ll grow in worship, in musicianship, in leadership, in relationship…it’ll be just what you need to grow. Be a part of this podcast by submitting your questions and comments to [email protected]

Chandy shared with us at the Boutique* Worship Event at WJTL's Junction Center about the heart of David and the transormational practice of meditating on God.Chandy is an anointed preacher and a revelatory teacher. He is compelled by desire for the bride of Christ to walk in God’s full purpose and plan. The Word comes alive as he shares truth from a place of honest devotion to Jesus. Both Chandy and Sarah are passionate worship leaders and songwriters. They live as missionaries on the Island of Cyprus with their 4 children exploring Biblical community with the Gateways Beyond Tribe.Donate to his ministry at http://www.gatewaysbeyond.org/donate.phpWith each Fertilizer, you’ll grow in worship, in musicianship, in leadership, in relationship…it’ll be just what you need to grow. Be a part of this podcast by submitting your questions and comments to [email protected]

Chandy shared with us at the Boutique* Worship Event at WJTL's Junction Center about the heart of David and the transormational practice of meditating on God.Chandy is an anointed preacher and a revelatory teacher. He is compelled by desire for the bride of Christ to walk in God’s full purpose and plan. The Word comes alive as he shares truth from a place of honest devotion to Jesus. Both Chandy and Sarah are passionate worship leaders and songwriters. They live as missionaries on the Island of Cyprus with their 4 children exploring Biblical community with the Gateways Beyond Tribe.Donate to his ministry at http://www.gatewaysbeyond.org/donate.phpWith each Fertilizer, you’ll grow in worship, in musicianship, in leadership, in relationship…it’ll be just what you need to grow. Be a part of this podcast by submitting your questions and comments to [email protected]

So when you went to your worship team rehearsal this week, what skill did you plan on working on with your team? Did you just learn the songs or did you learn how to play music together?Because it’s the prefect lab for growth really: Two hours, five songs, and six (or three!) musicians PLUS the desire to learn and just a smidge of intentionality, and BAM! you've got a mini-seminar. And you can have 52 of them every year…at YOUR church with YOUR people! And it’s stinkin’ free!Or you can just get the songs learned for this Sunday. (bleh!)Sure, your team might accidentally get a tad better (or they might stay relatively the same for the next year). Look behind you to see how far (or short) you’ve come. Do you have the same nagging musical irritations over and over?How do you actually start doing this?Simply and one small step at a time. Hey, this is the real world. You may be struggling to just put your song list together, or you may be doing all you feel you can do just to get there and strap on your bass, let alone prepare.So this challenge is going out to worship leaders and to team members…since you’re each responsible to double your talents. Seriously (don’t get Matthew twenty-fived). That’s part of why God gave them to you to manage. And let me ask you this: If you were managing someone else’s talents the way you’re managing your own, would you fire yourself? (thank you, Dave Ramsey)Choose one skill to work on in one song for that week. Relax and play what you know for the others, but intentionally focus and stretch in this one song. Consider doing it first so that it has the potential of influencing all the other songs.Skills? What skills?Dynamics, listening, groove, steady tempo, build, tuning, blend, accents, different styles, listening (you’re right, I did already say that), playing in fractions, memorization, improvisation, listening (yep), modern sound, you get the idea. Here are some samples:~Work dynamics with 10,000 Reasons – play the chorus super loud, the verses super quiet, and use the musical interludes at the end of each to set up the next section.~Take a familiar song, like Our God, and play it once together, once with just the bass and drums (having the piano and guitars listen), then once with just the piano and guitars playing (having the bass and drums listen), and then all together. Then talk about what each of them heard.~Get the metronome out (oh boy), and play Be The Centre at the typical 67 BPM. Then at 87 BPM. Then at 107 BPM. Or take a song you always do at 90 BPM, and try doing it at 83 BPM.~Use a remade hymn like Jesus Paid It All and have all the singers circle up tightly and sing it without mics to really focus on blending and owning the words.~Use a song born from the river (Bethel, IHOP, Life Center…O Taste And See, My Soul Longs for You, Faithful) and “plan” for spontaneous improvisation at the end of the song. Have a different member of the band pick the chord progression to use.The bottom line is this: If your only growth plan is Ad Lib Music’s Rehearsal Coaching (which is great) or going to seminars and conferences (which are awesome), you’re missing the biggest opportunity for growth. Really.With each Fertilizer, you’ll grow in worship, in musicianship, in leadership, in relationship…it’ll be just what you need to grow. Be a part of this podcast by submitting your questions and comments to [email protected]

So when you went to your worship team rehearsal this week, what skill did you plan on working on with your team? Did you just learn the songs or did you learn how to play music together?Because it’s the prefect lab for growth really: Two hours, five songs, and six (or three!) musicians PLUS the desire to learn and just a smidge of intentionality, and BAM! you've got a mini-seminar. And you can have 52 of them every year…at YOUR church with YOUR people! And it’s stinkin’ free!Or you can just get the songs learned for this Sunday. (bleh!)Sure, your team might accidentally get a tad better (or they might stay relatively the same for the next year). Look behind you to see how far (or short) you’ve come. Do you have the same nagging musical irritations over and over?How do you actually start doing this?Simply and one small step at a time. Hey, this is the real world. You may be struggling to just put your song list together, or you may be doing all you feel you can do just to get there and strap on your bass, let alone prepare.So this challenge is going out to worship leaders and to team members…since you’re each responsible to double your talents. Seriously (don’t get Matthew twenty-fived). That’s part of why God gave them to you to manage. And let me ask you this: If you were managing someone else’s talents the way you’re managing your own, would you fire yourself? (thank you, Dave Ramsey)Choose one skill to work on in one song for that week. Relax and play what you know for the others, but intentionally focus and stretch in this one song. Consider doing it first so that it has the potential of influencing all the other songs.Skills? What skills?Dynamics, listening, groove, steady tempo, build, tuning, blend, accents, different styles, listening (you’re right, I did already say that), playing in fractions, memorization, improvisation, listening (yep), modern sound, you get the idea. Here are some samples:~Work dynamics with 10,000 Reasons – play the chorus super loud, the verses super quiet, and use the musical interludes at the end of each to set up the next section.~Take a familiar song, like Our God, and play it once together, once with just the bass and drums (having the piano and guitars listen), then once with just the piano and guitars playing (having the bass and drums listen), and then all together. Then talk about what each of them heard.~Get the metronome out (oh boy), and play Be The Centre at the typical 67 BPM. Then at 87 BPM. Then at 107 BPM. Or take a song you always do at 90 BPM, and try doing it at 83 BPM.~Use a remade hymn like Jesus Paid It All and have all the singers circle up tightly and sing it without mics to really focus on blending and owning the words.~Use a song born from the river (Bethel, IHOP, Life Center…O Taste And See, My Soul Longs for You, Faithful) and “plan” for spontaneous improvisation at the end of the song. Have a different member of the band pick the chord progression to use.The bottom line is this: If your only growth plan is Ad Lib Music’s Rehearsal Coaching (which is great) or going to seminars and conferences (which are awesome), you’re missing the biggest opportunity for growth. Really.With each Fertilizer, you’ll grow in worship, in musicianship, in leadership, in relationship…it’ll be just what you need to grow. Be a part of this podcast by submitting your questions and comments to [email protected]