Music Matters

FAQs

Linked questions have current answers.  Unlinked questions have been raised and are waiting for answers.  We can all learn from each other; if you would like to suggest answers or new questions, please write Jan Kraybill.  

Put MUSIC MATTERS in the subject line, and include your name, contact information via phone and e-mail, and a short paragraph about your congregational experience and expertise in church music.  Text may be edited for length or clarity.  Please allow several months for the work of the various committees who approve content for the church’s website.

• Our congregation has no musicians at all. Is it OK to use recorded music for congregational hymns and songs?
• How can I teach new songs to a congregation that's not happy when asked to learn and sing anything but "the old standbys"?
• What ideas do you have for using traditional hymns in untraditional ways—to blend generational participation and to enjoy the hymns in new ways?
• We don't sing in parts anymore. How can I encourage my congregation to do more than sing the melody line?

• What's the best way to introduce new songs with the guitar? It's harder to hear the melody.
• Should be hymns announced from the pulpit? or is posting them in the bulletin or displaying words on a screen enough direction for congregational singing?
• How do I determine the correct tempo for a hymn?
• Introductions to hymns—whole or part of hymn?
• Amens—never or always?
• How can I keep the congregation from dragging when they sing?
• What are appropriate instruments for worship?
• Music played under prayers—good or bad?
• How can we use music to set the mood of the service and continue it throughout?
• How can I get our church musician to avoid playing all music in a monotone?
• Some of the pianists won't play from the gold book because it's too hard. How can I encourage them?

• How does a congregation without musical talent incorporate music into their services? We all agree that dynamic worship services have more rather than less music, but we can’t figure out how to do that without a musically creative person in the mix. Musicians can generally think of these creative ideas; the rest of us can’t. More and more congregations are aging and fewer young people are taking lessons. What advice is there for us?
• What are the best songs for worship? How can judge what’s good and bad?
• What are steps to efficient worship planning? We have a few busy people who are always doing a lot.

• What resources are available to educate congregations about copyright law?
• How can or should we use new forms of expression? Words on a screen, syncopated music, etc.

• There are several young people in our congregation who take piano lessons. Are there any Community of Christ resources for them?
• What musical training is offered at Graceland University during the summer?
• What resources are available to help congregations do vibrant worship?

• What's going on at Headquarters musically during the summer for visitors to the Auditorium and Temple?
• It would be great motivation and inspiration for our congregation's organist to experience the Auditorium or Temple organ firsthand. Is that possible?
• Do you offer custom organ demos for tour groups at the Auditorium and Temple?

• We use lots of organ in worship—how can we branch out?
• Very few people show up for our choir—what are creative ways to recruit more?
• Our youth want to form a band but the adults won’t accept it. How can we create bridges between the generations?
• Is applause appropriate after music, i.e. bell choir, children’s music, etc.?

• I'd like to submit an article for consideration for one of the monthly articles. How do I do that?
• I'd like to submit a question for this FAQ section. How do I do that?
• I'd like to "weigh in" on a question in the FAQ section—I think I have a unique perspective or another idea for a solution. How do I express my opinion?

You will have to make this judgment call based on your congregation’s resources and needs. Some considerations are:

• Are the recordings or the source material copyright protected? While some tunes are in the public domain, many more are not and may be protected under current copyright law. Our church is morally and ethically bound to follow current law.
• What is the overall quality of the recording? The notes should be played correctly, of course, but the tempo, timbre, volume, and other factors are important to consider. Bottom line: does the quality of the recording enhance or inhibit the congregation’s ability to sing?
• What is the level of artistry needed? While recordings are often note-perfect, and are completely predictable each time they are played, it is impossible for a recording to respond sensitively to the situation or dynamics of a particular worship service or congregation. (For example, the tempo of the CD recordings of Hymns of the Saints and Sing a New Song hymnals is seen by some congregations as too fast, and by others as too slow.) It is usually preferable to use live musicians whenever possible, because they can bring sensitivity to context in the worship that enables stronger congregational singing.
• What technology is used to create the recording? Excellent acoustical recordings, or MIDI files made for playback on an instrument such as an electronic organ or keyboard, are always preferable to MIDI files played through computer speakers. Many "generic" MIDI recordings available on-line sound "robotic" and "tinny" – not characteristics that lead to vibrant congregational singing.
• Do we have the technical expertise and equipment to use recordings well? Many congregations have experienced the embarrassment of technical glitches that disrupt worship. The playback system suddenly doesn’t work; the wrong CD track is played; the congregation gets ahead or behind the recording because they can’t hear it as they sing; the introduction given on the recording isn’t what the congregation expected; there is one more verse in the hymnal or on the screen than is on the recording; etc. It’s important to rehearse using a recording just as you would rehearse playing the hymn or song "live."
• How can we encourage less-experienced musicians to grow? If you always use recordings, it may be that you are actually squelching the opportunity for hidden musical talent in your community. Some congregations without instrumentalists have developed a strong a cappella (without accompaniment) singing tradition, and have re-discovered the old-time gospel quartet style of singing. Some with young instrumentalists have encouraged praise bands to grow out of youth "garage bands." Some have gone to local high schools and offered $5 a Sunday for a student to come and play hymns. Some have provided free lessons for interested young people in their churches. Some have encouraged instrumentalists (everything from flute to harmonica) in their congregations to play along with the recordings, until they are confident and expert enough to lead on their own. Some have shared musicians with churches of other denominations in their town. If you choose to use a recording, find ways to still encourage musical growth in your congregation.

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How can I teach new songs to a congregation that's not happy when asked to learn and sing anything but "the old standbys"?

We are a denomination that believes in an open canon of scripture and continuing revelation. Helping our congregations understand that new hymn-tunes and texts bring new light and truth is one way of beginning the process.

Other suggestions can be found in the January 2008 and April 2008 MusicMatters columns.

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What ideas do you have for using traditional hymns in untraditional ways—to blend generational participation and to enjoy the hymns in new ways?

Some suggestions can be found in the August 2006 Music Matters column.

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What's the best way to introduce new songs with guitar? It's harder to hear the melody.

You need a singer who can sing the melody with confidence. Then teach phrases of the song and have the congregation sing them back. When they can sing that phrase fairly well, move on to the next phrase. If you have a recording of the song, it might also help to play it before you teach the song.

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How do I determine the correct tempo for a hymn?

Some suggestions can be found in the March 2007 Music Matters column.

Whatever you have available to you and what your congregation will tolerate. There are many youth and adults who either play an instrument in school or who have played in the past in school. They probably should be screened for quality. If they need more practice to become more proficient, work with them.

One way is to use recorded music. There are congregations that use the recordings that are available with Sing a New Song. They can be used with or without voices. This has worked well in many small congregations. There are other commercially produced recordings of standard hymns that could also be used.

Another possibility is to hire a musician from the community to come for your services. Other denominations have done this for years; perhaps it's time for Community of Christ to take a serious look at this option.

The best songs are the songs that the congregation can sing well. Scheduling a song that no one knows can ruin a great service!

In contemporary Christian music, look for songs that have a good melody line and positive images that reflect Community of Christ theology. I choose to sing about the living Christ. I find this approach much more inspiring, especially knowing that music enhances, supports, and many times moves the service to where God wants it to be.

The Legal Services webpage has a list of questions and answers about copyright. The Legal Services webpage includes contact information for CCLI (Christian Copyright Licensing International) and CVLI (Christian Video Licensing International), groups that offer umbrella licenses that cover much of the hymnody, songs of churches and some of the videos

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Piano Club is the answer for you! The mission of this group is to inspire and train keyboardists of all ages and abilities for musical service in their congregations. Memberships for children/youth, adults, or families provide bimonthly newsletters with hymn arrangements, short stories about hymns, helpful hints on practicing, articles on service playing, and more. It’s a way to make new friends and expand musical skills.

Jerie Gail Ramsey is the volunteer coordinator of Piano Club. She can help you decide what level (A, B, C, D, or E) of hymn arrangements would be most helpful for you to receive. There is also an organ component of Piano Club, which provides simplified (level C) arrangements of hymns for less-experienced organists. If you’re not a musician, purchase a membership for a young person or adult in your congregation! Contact Jerie Gail, or 641-784-3492.

Previous Piano Club arrangements have been collected into books that are available for purchase. These are available through Herald House.

There are also suggestions on encouraging young musicians in the July 2006 Music Matters column.

There are always many offerings at Graceland University for musicians looking to increase their skills. These often include a Fine Arts Camp, musical experiences at Spectacular, musical classes at Congregational Leaders’ Workshop, and an Organ Camp. Find more information with the following contact information:

• Fine Arts Camp: Graceland Division of Fine Arts at 641-784-5270
• SPEC
• Congregational Leaders’ Workshop
• Organ Camp: Dr. David Pickering, (641) 784-5082

The Worship Ministries webpage has a list of recommended books.

Ever since the Auditorium was completed and its grand Aeolian-Skinner organ was installed in 1959, the church has welcomed visitors to its headquarters in Independence, MO.  Part of this welcome by the then-RLDS church took the form of regular, free, half-hour demonstration recitals, open to the public, in addition to a weekly radio broadcast called "The Auditorium Organ."  The tradition expanded to include recitals in the Temple upon its completion in 1993.  The summer of 2006 marked our 47th consecutive year of presenting summer daily organ recitals! 

Each Sunday in September through May, and every day during June, July, and August, at 3:00 p.m., one of our talented staff organists and guest artists performs a musical introduction to world of the organ, emphasizing the diversity of history and geography that is represented in compositions for this wonderful instrument. Staff organists are volunteer musicians from various faith traditions who together strive to share our passion for music and for the organ. Our purpose in these demonstration recitals is to provide an opportunity to encounter the sacred through a diversity of musical expressions from various times and places, which can uplift, educate, and inspire us all.

The organs at Community of Christ Headquarters are the original Aeolian-Skinner (113 rank) Auditorium organ and the Temple's Casavant (102 rank) instrument.  See specifications for these instruments here.

For more information about recitals and specific artists: 
Dome and Spire 
Driving Directions

The Auditorium and Temple organs are available for any qualified organist to play when the buildings and the instruments are not otherwise scheduled. Contact Jan Kraybill, Principal Musician,  or 816-833-1000, ext. 2432, to arrange a playing visit. Because of staffing issues, it is important to contact her as early as possible, since it may take 4-6 weeks for a response.

Community of Christ World Headquarters Pipe Organs

These are available at minimal cost to tour groups which cannot schedule their time at the Auditorium and Temple to coincide with the regular 3:00 organ recital. Contact Cathy Loving, head of Guide Services at Headquarters, or 816-833-1000, ext. 2206.

If you have a piano available, have the piano and organ accompany the singing or do duets. In this same way, use guitar and other instruments to help the organ accompany the singing. Utilize any and all available instruments for prelude, ministry of music, hymn singing. It might be wise to introduce other instruments gradually, especially if your congregation might have concerns about doing something different.

Let the youth form their band. Have them play for youth activities at the congregation--and possibly at the Mission Center. Introduce the band slowly to the congregation. If one or two have a Christian-oriented song that could be done well, let them do this song for church service--something slow and soft, not loud and blaring. Get feedback from the congregation about this ministry of music. If they feel it is okay, have the band do a similar piece in a month or so. Then increase the number of band members slowly over the next year. The drums should be added last. There are no guarantees that this will work, but it will allow the youth to have their band and give them some opportunities to play at least at youth activities.

This question is not unique to Community of Christ. There are many perspectives on it, and each congregation will have its own viewpoint. One perspective can be found in the March 2008 MusicMatters column.

Articles are welcome, especially those that offer practical tips on topics relevant to a wide range of musical expressions and congregational experiences. Submit articles for consideration to Jan Kraybill. Please include your name, contact information via phone and e-mail, and a short paragraph about your congregational experience and expertise in church music. (Articles may be edited for length or clarity. Please allow several months for the work of the various committees who approve content for the church’s website.)  Please make sure MUSIC MATTERS is in the subject line.

Send questions to Jan Kraybill.   Please make sure MUSIC MATTERS is in the subject line.

Send responses to Jan Kraybill. (Responses may be edited for length or clarity. Please allow several months for the work of the various committees who approve content for the church’s website.)   Please make sure MUSIC MATTERS is in the subject line.

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