Well, I'm the computer techie but just don't have any experience in this area. As for copyright, we've goat a ccli membership and are careful to stay within the rules for that.
For our congregation the challenge has turned out to be more about the influence that projection or songbooks has on song selection. Most modern songs are printed in a format that is spread over 6 pages and are arranged for a perfomer rather than for congregational singing. Our song leader & accompanyist have worked out arrangements that work well for our congregation and they would probably fit on 2 facing pages of a songbook, but it is virtually impossible for us to produce the music for these arrangements. So the result is that modern songs equal projection only.
I recognize the argument about songbooks and having heads down instead of up, but we have many worshipers who are uncomfortable looking up at a screen. I don't mean that they are people who don't like something different - I mean they are physically uncomfortable looking up at a screen to sing from. In addition, many miss the sense of "what's next" that you get with written music compared to a screen that may not change in time for the next section of the song.
Our hope was to offer written music for all songs and to project all songs so that we would include everyone, but we've basically ended up with a projection-only worship service. I believe our worship experience has suffered more than it has benefited.
Wendy, we've had a projector setup for close to 10 years. It was put in place because a member donated the funds because of a feeling of "that's what people want these days". I would not say that there has ever been a real plan for using the system. It was as if just having a projector was enough, and guess what - it hasn't helped us grow or reach our community better.
We are a small church. It doesn't take much for singing to sound weak or sound wonderful based upon 3 or 4 people who are either stumbling over a song or who really "get it". I think we stumble much more often than we "soar" because of what projection only (without a music resource) lacks because it is just words. There is no sense of how a song goes, or of where it is going. When you have music available you provide a resource that can carry congregational singing.
My big thing with congregational singing is that it be done in a way that encourages enthusiastic singing by the congregation. Arrangements that are done well will do this regardless of whether there is a projector or not. Arrangements that aren't done well or aren't lead well don't get better because a projector is involved. Enthusiastic singing brings worshipers into God's presence and to me that is what worship is all about.
It seems to me that in transitioning we often end up treating the "transition" as changing the attitudes of those who are more comfortable with traditional worship instead. Here are some examples that I've seen in our own congregation that hurt the efforts to modernize worship, but more important - they diminish the worship experience:
1. Songs are only on a projected screen, thus leaving behind those who prefer to use a songbook
2. Songs in a songbook that are also projected on a screen have mismatched words on the screen (sometimes on purpose to discourage use of the songbook)
3. Technology that is not used seamlessly - changing stanzas at the right time
4. Not recognizing that contemporary music which is heard on Christian radio is often not good for congregational singing
I'm on the worship committee for my church and I can't seem to get these things through to church leadership. I don't understand why those who want to "transition" worship won't recognize how important these things are to making it a process which unites the congregation instead of dividing it.
Thanks, Chad. I agree that the health of a congregation's worship is directly reflected in the strength of it's singing - and based upon that we're doing pretty poorly. I think I'm going to send your post along to the members of our worship committee.
Posted in: Is it possible to have a keyboard, connected to a computer, that would create musical notation from what is played?
Well, I'm the computer techie but just don't have any experience in this area. As for copyright, we've goat a ccli membership and are careful to stay within the rules for that.
Posted in: Has the use of projection technology helped or hindered your worship experience?
For our congregation the challenge has turned out to be more about the influence that projection or songbooks has on song selection. Most modern songs are printed in a format that is spread over 6 pages and are arranged for a perfomer rather than for congregational singing. Our song leader & accompanyist have worked out arrangements that work well for our congregation and they would probably fit on 2 facing pages of a songbook, but it is virtually impossible for us to produce the music for these arrangements. So the result is that modern songs equal projection only.
I recognize the argument about songbooks and having heads down instead of up, but we have many worshipers who are uncomfortable looking up at a screen. I don't mean that they are people who don't like something different - I mean they are physically uncomfortable looking up at a screen to sing from. In addition, many miss the sense of "what's next" that you get with written music compared to a screen that may not change in time for the next section of the song.
Our hope was to offer written music for all songs and to project all songs so that we would include everyone, but we've basically ended up with a projection-only worship service. I believe our worship experience has suffered more than it has benefited.
Posted in: Has the use of projection technology helped or hindered your worship experience?
Wendy, we've had a projector setup for close to 10 years. It was put in place because a member donated the funds because of a feeling of "that's what people want these days". I would not say that there has ever been a real plan for using the system. It was as if just having a projector was enough, and guess what - it hasn't helped us grow or reach our community better.
We are a small church. It doesn't take much for singing to sound weak or sound wonderful based upon 3 or 4 people who are either stumbling over a song or who really "get it". I think we stumble much more often than we "soar" because of what projection only (without a music resource) lacks because it is just words. There is no sense of how a song goes, or of where it is going. When you have music available you provide a resource that can carry congregational singing.
My big thing with congregational singing is that it be done in a way that encourages enthusiastic singing by the congregation. Arrangements that are done well will do this regardless of whether there is a projector or not. Arrangements that aren't done well or aren't lead well don't get better because a projector is involved. Enthusiastic singing brings worshipers into God's presence and to me that is what worship is all about.
Posted in: What Issues Do You Face in Modernizing Your Worship?
It seems to me that in transitioning we often end up treating the "transition" as changing the attitudes of those who are more comfortable with traditional worship instead. Here are some examples that I've seen in our own congregation that hurt the efforts to modernize worship, but more important - they diminish the worship experience:
1. Songs are only on a projected screen, thus leaving behind those who prefer to use a songbook
2. Songs in a songbook that are also projected on a screen have mismatched words on the screen (sometimes on purpose to discourage use of the songbook)
3. Technology that is not used seamlessly - changing stanzas at the right time
4. Not recognizing that contemporary music which is heard on Christian radio is often not good for congregational singing
I'm on the worship committee for my church and I can't seem to get these things through to church leadership. I don't understand why those who want to "transition" worship won't recognize how important these things are to making it a process which unites the congregation instead of dividing it.
Posted in: What Issues Do You Face in Modernizing Your Worship?
Thanks, Chad. I agree that the health of a congregation's worship is directly reflected in the strength of it's singing - and based upon that we're doing pretty poorly. I think I'm going to send your post along to the members of our worship committee.