109 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
109 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
Welcome to the new life music team! Each of you has expressed interest in
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working with the new rehearsal band format experiment. For those of you who
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were not able to make our kickoff meeting, here is a summary of what we
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discussed:
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**Why are we starting this band?**
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The main band is optimized for experience musicians. There are some habits that
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make it difficult for new members to jump in. For example:
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* Song selection changes on short notice.
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* Material is given on short notice and not always entirely accurate.
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* There are lots of songs to learn.
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We need new people rotating into the music ministry in order to keep it
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healthy, but jumping directly into the primary band is not the an easy task. We
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need a different format that gives intermediate players and new members a
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chance to get up to speed with the music. That's what this band is intended to
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be. We are not creating a new, separate band in the music program but a new
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format to introduce new members and experiment with new practice methods.
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**What is different about this band?**
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This band is pursuing excellence through rigorous preparation. We will:
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* Have songs chosen a month in advance,
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* Have accurate material available from the beginning in the correct key,
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* Prepare the song order in advance,
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* Not make changes to the song selection or material,
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* Have an agenda for each practice, and
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* Emphasize personal practice for learning parts.
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For band members we will have lead sheets with all the chord changes recorded
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and any runs notated. For the vocalists we will have individual parts recorded.
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For both we will have reference material. We want to make personal practice
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time meaningful so we won't make changes that waste the time our members have
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spent practicing.
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Our goal for every song will be first to be able to play it as well as the
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recording. Of course it will take time to develop that level, but that is the
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goal. First we will learn the music as it was written, and play it as close as
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possible to the original. Once we know the song inside and out we may begin to
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play with it as a band, but our first goal is to duplicate the professional
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sound.
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Ultimately the goals of this band are:
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* To develop a new culture of excellence through preparation at New Life,
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* Give new members an entry point to the New Life music program,
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* Create a place for people to learn new skills (or learn a new instrument),
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and
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* Prepare people to transition to regularly playing in the regular rotation.
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**When do we practice?**
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We are asking each member to find time during each week for personal practice.
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Find the time that works best for you. It is worth the time to give our best
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effort to the Lord. We're not going to make you keep a practice log, we trust
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you to invest the time you feel necessary to thoroughly learn your part. Our
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recommendation is that each member finds at least two hours during the week to
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spend practicing their material or developing their skill on their instrument.
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We will have practice together as a band, but this time will be wasted if we do
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not each individually come having worked on our part.
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We will come together once every other week for an hour and a half as a band
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to rehearse. If we have all been practicing our parts individually, then our
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practice together can be efficient and effective. **Our first practice will
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be Tuesday, July 19th from 7pm to 8:30pm.** The full practice schedule for the
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next two months is not completely determined, but the plan is:
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* Tuesday, July 19th from 7 to 8:30pm,
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* Tuesday, August 2nd from 7 to 8:30pm,
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* Tuesday, August 16th from 7 to 8:30pm,
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* Tuesday, August 30th from 7 to 8:30pm.
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If any of these dates or times change we will let you know.
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**What are the first songs we'll be doing?**
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* [Defend Us (Jessica DiGiovanni)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hfA--ZwROQ&authuser=0)
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* [Holy Spirit (Kari Jobe)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPPMSfCdUng&authuser=0)
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* [Blessed Be Your Name (Tree63)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cAvqByM1Fk)
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We will be performing these songs as recorded in the recordings above. Lead
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sheets and parts will be sent out within the next few days. Please be listening
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to the reference material in preparation for the first practice.
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**First practice agenda:**
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* Philosophy and approach towards practice, performance, and worship.
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- Why are we doing this?
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- What should we be practicing?
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- How do we make our personal practice effective?
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- What level of quality is acceptable for us?
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- How do we prepare spiritually to lead worship?
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- How do we combine musical excellence and spiritual sensitivity?
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- Short time of prayer.
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* Introduction to each song:
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- Listen and disect the song.
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- Start working on the major parts of the song.
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Finally, thank you all for your interest in this new endeavour! We are looking
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forward to the opportunity to work with each of you.
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Thanks,
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Jonathan Bernard
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