Released: Thursday - April 8, 2010 10:05 AM EST

Fellow Musician,

WOW! Time is continuing to fly as we are already into April and the pollen is EVERYWHERE!!  We hope that you are continuing to be blessed as you strive to increase your skill level on your respective instruments and spiritual walk.  It's been a few months since our last newsletter, but we weren't relaxing.  Thanks to the GREAT feedback we got from you in response to our survey in January, we are working hard on some new things that I am sure will be a blessing to you.  I just want to encourage you to keep working to perfect your craft unto God.  Do not get discouraged for this is just the enemy working to prevent you from realizing the PERFECT PRAISE you have waiting to be birthed.  Stay the course.  Even if you are an accomplished musician, it is important for you not to get complacent.  The standard for Gospel Music today is high and we need to show the world that the Gospel Musician is a SERIOUS musician!!  We have an opportunity to use our gift as a way to minister to others and allow God to add more souls to his Kingdom.

Stay Tuned, Stay Blessed, and Practice!!
Letron Brantley (CEO & Founder)
GospelSkillz.com

4 Key Ingredients To Successful Music Ministry

Being a musician myself I have come to realize that there are some key elements that I feel the church does not  consider when putting together the music ministry.  Often times you see much turnover in the music department because there have been no standards set for operation.  Below are some of what I call "Essential Elements" that are needed to build and grow a strong music ministry.

1. The Minister Of Music - One of the most important aspects of the music department is the leader AKA the Minister of Music.  This person must have some special qualities like what the bible calls “The Fruit Of The Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23 (New International Version).  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.) It has been my experience that these qualities are hard to come by in the church, not only by the music leadership, but also the very leadership of the church itself.  We all know that the head sets the tone for what the body will do and how the body will function.  If the head is missing any of these qualities then the communication to the body will not be effective and will affect worship (1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.)
    
2. Equality - For the most part there is a difference in the way a piano player is treated in the church verses the way a horn player is treated. There are major differences of course in pay $$$$ and depending on the way the ministry is structured there is also a lack of communication. Many of the churches that I have been members of have great respect for the piano player and or organist, but when it comes to the drums or a horn player some churches don’t feel that they are as important as the other instruments.  If we are the church we are one body and we need all of our parts to serve God from the piano to the drums, the bass, and the horns.  All are needed to give God the glory and as that church we need to respect the Anointing on the lives of the people that serve in the ministry regardless of what instrument they play!
    
3. The Choir Director - Many times the position of the choir director has often been lacking in communication, direction, and examples of what the choir is suppose to be doing in and out of the church building. God requires us to give him our very best, but we don’t give him that. We show up late or not at all, we eat candy and snacks in church, we text in the choir stand while the sermon is being preached, and we talk constantly.  We show God total disrespect in his house and then ask him to come in and heal our loved ones, fill us, and bless us.  It flows from the top down so the director has to set the right example for those that are his flock.  If we have the “The Fruit Of The Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23), then we will be praising God like the Levites and in turn will begin to see God move like never before!
    
4. Rehearsals - Some people think that practice makes perfect but I think perfect practice makes perfect.  When you are dealing with musicians that have not played together or singers that haven’t sang together, practice is the one thing that can make the worship service soar to another place where that pastor might not get a chance to preach because worship was so high.  If we can allow God to show up in rehearsal then we know he will show up on Sunday morning or any other time. When was the last time your music department got together and did a fast or instead of general rehearsal got in the word and had bible study?  To me it’s things like these that take your spiritual gift to another level as well as the worship service!

I'd like to hear what you think about these ingredients.  Is there anything else that should be considered when thinking about a strategy to grow a successful music ministry?

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by Larry Miles
GospelSkillz.com

Gospel Horns Dead or Alive?! - Synthetic Horns vs the Real Thing In Ministry

Being a horn player myself, I know the frustration of wondering whether you are going to go out like the doorman at a hotel. Once the automatic and revolving doors came into existence, his job was pretty much obsolete.  Although there are a few doormen out there still doing their service, there are certainly not as many as a result of the advancement in technology.  Do horn players face the same fate?  Once the electronic synthesizer came into existence and the ability to play horns was available it seemed that everyone wanted to use that instead of a live horn section. Is it because the keyboard horns sound better?  Is it a money factor?  Is Psalms 150 being taking literally..."Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet"...therefore the actual instrument is not needed?  Keyboards such as the Yamaha Motif and the Roland Phantom are getting close to producing some realistic sounding horn samples.  Is it just a matter of time before they get it completely right?

I'm pleased to see artists such as John P. Kee, Fred Hammond, Tye Tribbett, and others do concerts with real horns.  Obviously if they are taking the time to build and write for a horn section, they see the significance of having one as a part of their ministry.  To me, live horns add a unique flavor to a service or song.  For one, there is more flexibility in what can be done in terms of harmonic variations within the lines themselves especially in a live situation.  Also the sound of a live horn section is warmer and more intricate than keyboard horns. 

When giving a display of how horns are used effectively in church, I always turn to the United House Of Prayer for All People.  They have an amazing theme in many of their churches where the horns are a huge part of their service.  Here is a video sample of a UHOP band playing an event outside.  I've seen horns and drums carry an entire service where God used the band to help usher in his presence.  I don't say that for the sake of competition with my fellow keyboardists and organists, only just to show that horn players are just as important to the ministry of God as any other instrument.

Why then are we quick to substitute real horns for "fake ones"?

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by Letron Brantley (CEO & Founder)
GospelSkillz.com