Client Testimonial

At the end of last week, I received a last minute project from one of my great clients, Tommy Creel at Crossgates Baptist Church in Brandon, MS. The project consisted of fixing a "studio" orchestration that doesn't match up with the published choral/piano part, plus I needed to add in some additional orchestra parts.

Since the project had to be completed in 3 days for a Sunday night service, I was a little concerned about some accidental mistakes on a rushed project. I e-mailed Tommy on Sunday night to see how the project turned out, and here was Tommy's response:

Everything went well. It was a good night. Thanks for all your help.

Be blessed friend!

Tommy Creel, Crossgates Baptist Church

What I'm reading right now - 7 Practices of Effective Ministries (part 1)

Over the last several days, I've been reading a great ministry book: 7 Practices of Effective Ministries If more churches would follow these principles, I believe we would have more great, effective churches instead of just "good" or "OK" churches.

As I finish this book up in the next few days, I'll be sharing these 7 practices and how we can apply them to our ministries.

Larry
MyStaffArranger.com

Take 5 Minutes (Post 13)

Today, I continue with another installment from my orchestra newsletter series Take 5. Enjoy!

Larry
MyStaffArranger.com


Take 5 –Rhythmic accuracy (part 1 – Basic Rhythm counting)

Last week, I introduced this next mini-series within my overall Take 5 series. Over the next several weeks, we’ll be discussing rhythmic patterns and counting as it relates to church orchestra music.

OK, so here are some basic counting patterns that we all encounter on a regular basis (in 4/4 time):

Quarter notes (steady beat): 1, 2, 3, 4

Eighth notes: 1 &, 2 &, 3 &, 4 &

Sixteenth notes: 1 e & a, 2 e & a, 3 e & a, 4 e & a

1 Eighth + 2 sixteenths: 1 & a, 2 & a, 3 & a, 4 & a

2 sixteenths + 1 Eighth: 1 e &, 2 e &, 3 e &, 4 e &

Everything I learned about leadership I learned through conducting (Part 3)

In a post last week, I listed three aspects of leadership that I have learned through my experiences with conducting. Here are some additional thoughts:

4. The buck stops with you. As the leader, you have to accept personal responsibility on the success or failure of your team. You need to do whatever it takes to take your team to the next level(s).

5. Develop the leaders around you. If you can spend 80% of your time and energy on the top 20% of your team, you will get a return of 80%. It's the old Pareto principle (80/20 Rule).

6. Keep your commitments, no matter how small. Your word has to be your word. Period! Your team needs to know that they can trust your leadership.

7. Value your people's time. Begin rehearsals on time. End rehearsals on time or even just a little bit early if possible. Give your groups a break from mid-week rehearsals on occasion if the schedule permits. Your people will love and adore you for this.

Larry
MyStaffArranger.com

Take 5 Minutes (Post 12)

Today, I continue with another installment from my orchestra newsletter series Take 5. Enjoy!

Larry
MyStaffArranger.com

Take 5 –Rhythmic accuracy (part 1 - Introduction)

One of the biggest challenges we have in church instrumental music today is playing difficult rhythm patterns. The string and woodwind sections are often given challenging runs, spanning one or two beats. The brass section is often given interesting “horn licks” composed of various combinations of eighth and sixteenth note patterns.

When playing these patterns, it’s important to have a good idea of what the note counting should be by sight (i.e. 1 &a 2 a 3e&a 4), hear and feel the rhythm internally, and also apply the appropriate style of the music to that rhythm.

Over the next few weeks, we will dig a little deeper on playing these various patterns with rhythmic accuracy and style. Stay tuned!

Everything I learned about leadership I learned through conducting (Part 2)

In yesterday's post, I mentioned that conducting any sort of ensemble is really more about leadership and less about the craft of conducting. I'm sure you have seen conductors that had excellent technique, but had difficulty leading their group from the podium and vice versa - their technique wasn't that great, but due to their musicianship and leadership skills, they were able to achieve a stirring performance from their group.

As I've pondered these thoughts and my own personality, this is what I have learned over the last 15+ years of conducting and leadership from the podium:

1. Preparation, preparation, preparation - before you enter a rehearsal, service, or performance, you need to prepare yourself mentally ahead of time. This means, you must have a game plan of what you need to accomplish during that period time. I always go into a rehearsal with a pre-planned rehearsal order and what I need to accomplish during that time. Essentially, you're establishing mini-goals you would like to accomplish during that rehearsal. In a performance setting, this changes a bit, in that I'm trying to accomplish a stirring, musical performance from my group for the congregation or audience. I need to be musically and mentally prepared to fearlessly lead my group from beginning to end with excellence.
2. Act and talk like the leader - groups under your leadership can smell fear in you in an instant. Being on the podium many times requires the "fake it until you feel it" mentality! You need to be poised and confident as you assume the conductor role. This is often a struggle for young, aspiring conductors.
3. Build relationships - your relationships with those you lead will determine your effectiveness over the long haul. Spend time talking to your team members before and after rehearsals. Go to breakfast, lunch, or dinner with them. Have social events where people can relate to you as a "real guy."

More thoughts in my next post.

Larry
MyStaffArranger.com

Everything I learned about leadership I learned through conducting (Part 1 - Intro)

Conducting has not always been my first love. My primary instrument has been trumpet since the 5th grade. When I entered music conservatory, though, I had to take some conducting classes, and at that point I had the conducting bug.

Since completing music conservatory, I have conducted a university concert band, elementary and middle school bands, auditioned for the Air Force Band program (man, those musicians are incredible!) and two church choirs and orchestras. Over the last several days, I've been thinking about how conducting these ensembles has changed me, and even shaped my personality.

You see, my personality is such that I'm a bit of introvert. Most days, I'm happy as can be to be hiding out in my office blogging, typing up e-mails, listening to music, reading scores, etc. I enjoy human interaction, but I also enjoy a lot of "me" time - time to read, think, and accomplish tasks.

Learning to be an excellent conductor, especially within the church setting, has taught me that the actual "get on the podium and conduct" part of the position is really just that, a small "part" of the job. Much of a conducting position is really all about building relationships and leading people. Having your musical "chops" together and conducting technique is extremely important, but it's just part of the equation. Those under your baton will not respect you if your not building your relationship with them on a regular basis. Lead out of love for them!

Tomorrow, I'll continue with Part 2.

Larry
MyStaffArranger.com