10 commandments for worship bands / 7. feedback

1. thou shalt play in tune
2. thou shalt learn the song, not just the arrangement
3. thou shalt practice with a metronome or drum machine
4. thou shalt seek out a mentor or coach on your instrument
5. thou shalt know thy gear
6. thou shalt play less for more
7. thou shalt seek out feedback
8. thou shalt be on time
9. thou shalt learn basic practical music theory and ear training
10. thou shalt continue thy education

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giving and receiving feedback is hard for a lot of churches. we allow it become complicated for fear that it will go unhealthy and cause divisions. and it can. but that’s not a good enough reason to avoid it. it can be very healthy, and is needed if we are to collectively give our best to God.

speaking as a worship pastor, it’s difficult for me to proactively give feedback to each individual player and singer. there are so many things going on. soundchecks, rehearsals, services. everything moves so fast, and there are many details that i have to have in my head at any given time.

so i find it very helpful when people seek me out for my feedback on their contribution to the worship band. i always have some feedback - usually both positive and constructive. when someone seeks out my feedback, it says to me that they are not just going through the motions, not just having fun with a low commitment level to the mission. it tells me that they are serious about serving the greater purpose of leading our church in worship. i will do backflips to help someone like that improve on their game!

just this past week, i had a volunteer musician ask me for criticism in order to improve the quality of his contribution to the mission. i LOVE that! he came to me in the office during the week, which helped a lot. i’m way too distracted on a sunday. we were able to sit in front of my computer and studio monitors and watch/listen to some musical examples that are closer in line with what i’m going for on his particular instrument.

besides the good of the mission, it’s important in our individual development. it may feel safe to never hear constructive criticism, but it doesn’t help me to be the best i can be. other people’s encouragement can serve to help stretch me out of my comfort zones. it can alert me to some blind spots.

here’s an example from my own experience. my lead pastor and i have what i would call a very healthy relationship. we respect each other, and beyond that, we genuinely like each other. this helps us to have the trust level necessary to give and receive feedback.

jonathan has mentioned a few quirks in my worship leading over time that i always knew were there but no one had ever addressed. for me, specifically, i need to be very intentional on preparing the content of any speaking that i do. the musical part of leading comes fairly naturally. but when i launch out to speak underprepared, my thoughts tend to get jumbled and i ramble while saying “uh…” about 58,000 times.

the fact that jonathan cared enough about our mission to point out a weakness and to help me work on it meant a lot to me. i know that jonathan wants me to be the best i can be - for God, for our church, and for myself.

thoughts?

p.s. now’s a good time for me to ask for some feedback from you readers.
*who are you?
*do you find this 10 commandments series helpful?
*why do you read this blog?
*what kind of content is the most helpful/enriching/intriguing to you?

let me hear you!