CHOIR COORDINATION

THE MYSTERY OF SOUND (TMS)
17/1/2018
Choir Coordination
ft
Ike Anni

 2 Chronicles 5:11-14 KJV
And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place : (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course: [12] Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:) [13] It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord ; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the Lord , saying , For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord ; [14] So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God.
From the above text, we all will see clearly how crucial and important the choir is to the session of worship in church and this means that who is coordinating must be  up and doing spiritually, strategically, psychological and otherwise
Let's look at the choir tonight as an army and the coordinator of it as the commander in chief
As a coordinator of a choir, there are some things you need to work  on as a person first of all else your weakness will reflect in the choir
Below are some of them

1. Spiritual positivity
2. Leadership qualities without sentiments.
3. Discipline with regards to Scoring songs and ability to do it right per time.
4. The place of purity
5. The place of prayer
More will come in as we discuss
With regards to the aforementioned areas , we will see that any red flag on any area will make Vs 14 of above scripture becomes impossible with the choir you're coordinating
So I deduce thus tonight that choir coordination starts with the personal life of the choir master(you)
After working on yourself in these crucial areas, then leading the choir becomes much easier
7+ godly strategies to coordinating a choir
1) Establish a consistent time and style of rehearsal.
The choir is a ministry under the church as its federal governing office and hence, there must a well structured pattern of timing and styling of its affairs
As a choir coordinator, you need to take a good lead with the army(the choir) you have  to draft out a proper time and style of rehearsal.
Now, after establishing pt1 above with proper understanding with your members of the choir, then comes discipline to time by you 1st of all
Lead by example in this angle
please note

The main function of the church choir is to lead God's people in praise and worship. However, many choir members may judge the worth of theirparticipation not only by their contribution to worship, but also by the content and value of rehearsals. As a result, it is critical that you establish a consistent style of rehearsing.
In the dimension of rehearsal, let it be more like a teamwork not the usual leader choosing songs alone without members making suggestions

Never try to be autocratic in leading a choir else, the members will loose out in growing up

2) Select your repertoire with care.
Selecting music is in many ways the most creative and rewarding part of leading a choir. It is also among the most challenging. It's important to know the abilities of your choir and to test and expand those abilities with a range of repertoire. Overloading your choir with too much difficult music can be just as demoralizing as singingthe simplest hymn arrangements week after week
When you have to conclude on what song the choir will minister, take this point serious
3) Make sure you know the level of your choir members
And work with them at their level for a start to that great high level you desire or plan to take them to
4) Recognize that your choir members are volunteers.
This may sound funny but that's how you should see your members
It will help you value them
Treat them special to bring out the hidden gifts in them which the choir needs to be more effective.
Service as a choir member involves a major time commitment, so be sure tooffer your choir as much encouragement as possible. Pass on meaningful comments made by members of the congregation, therebyletting the choir know that it is having a positive impact on the congregation's spiritual life. For our choir, this realization is much more satisfying (and appropriate) than applause from the congregation or a compliment from the pulpit. It reinforces the efforts of the choir to serve as a conduit through which the congregation finds a new vocabulary of praise and worship.Make it as easy as possible for choir members to attend rehearsals. Publish a rehearsal schedule months in advance,
As a choir leader also note that your members are servants and volunteers as well because without them, nothing will work out cause you alone can't be the choir

5) Be prepared.
Choir members are apt to give more of themselves in rehearsals if you walk in knowing what you are going to rehearse, what you want by the end of the rehearsal, and how you're going to get it. If you demand much of your members, demand more of yourself. It should be obvious that you've carefully considered the choir's schedule, repertoire, and overall role in the life of the church.In addition, be prepared for unforseen circumstances
6) Be a smart choir leader who has holy spirit led logics else, confusion will be the atmospheric condition of your choir everyday and that will be a sign of irresponsibility in terms of leadership spiritually and physically....
7) Set high standards.

Do all you can to see that the choir consistently sings at its best possible level. If you relax, everyone else will too, and the choir's sense of accomplishment and contribution will suffer. If necessary, postpone an ill-prepared and rehearsed songs.
Participation in a vibrant, enthusiastic church choir can be an extraordinarily rewarding and spiritually enriching experience. Through careful planning and a realistic assessment of the strengths of choir members, you can lead the choir into a fruitful and meaningful relationship with the congregation of which it is a part and the God whom it glorifies.
You must assess your members spiritually, vocally, mentally, logically etc to know exactly how to lead them else they'll lead you and confuse you 100%
 Not that they can't bring in new ideas- they can and must but your ability to oversee them inline with the visions of your church matters 100%.....

8) Be humble
Please recall that Jesus was not autocratic in his ways of leading and loving the church till date....you too, swallow the pride of your position and embrace new ideas that will work, take corrections because if you don't,your members will spiritually and physically resemble your error of not being humble and that will be a huge modern day thorn on you and the church at large
Your choir members are like new born babies. When you fail to feed them vitamin A, they will fail to be smart😜

So please ensure you fed them with needed vitamins and nutrients spiritually and otherwise
9) Don't be sentimental

One ministry killer is leadership based on sentiments. Never approach any choir issue with personal sentiments  else, you'll ruin and kill the choir morally, spiritually, emotionally etc
Your choir has a life....nurse it well else it will become sick and dies sooner than you think....though they will be there physically but powerless

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E.A Isaiah (Convener)