One thing that should be noted when considering the employee versus independent contractor for Canadian tax purposes is an expansion on the use of "tools". In many situations, where the individual has a particular set of skills that is not otherwise easily obtainable (doctors, lawyers and other such professionals being some of the prominent examples) this can lend a lot of weight toward the individual being considered and independent contractor. You might surmise that the same could be possible for musicians - I have yet to meet someone who picks up an instrument and is able to play it skillfully without having played any other instrument before.
While I would highly recommend you seek out a professional opinion before making any determination on your own (and I would note that in my post I am NOT providing an opinion on your situation) this is something to consider as being self-employed has many tax advantages even if there are some shortcomings.
Our church had used easy worship, but is now using pro presenter. I think there was some talk of going back to easy worship, but I think that had more to do with some of the litanies already being in easy worship. I think Pro Presenter may also play better with a Macintosh computer (not sure though).
Disclaimer: I am neither a sound engineer nor an organ specialist, but a musician who knows a bit about it all.
If you don't have a pipe organ, I would wonder if the organ is "anything special" and whether it is something you need to stay attached to. Not from the aspect/desire of scrapping the organ, but because there are newer more modern takes on the organ that you can plug into a sound system to give better sound/recording quality and better control to the sound engineers (although they are usually digital instead of analog like older organs - matter of taste as far as sound goes). I give an example below of a digital organ and pedals. It's not cheap, but I don't know how much you're planning on spending on speakers and just know that organ repairs can be expensive as well. Additionally, if you buy a digital organ like this (or another similar product), it may give the ability to be more versatile in including it with your praise team as it may have pad sounds (I have not checked).
All that being said, I would reiterate that money is not necessarily the only consideration (although it can often feel like it). Sometimes money is paid for beauty because our churches need beauty to help point us toward God.
Out of curiosity (since we currently have an old analog organ that I would contemplate replacing with a digital) did the organists feel like they could get a comparable sound out of the organs they tested or was that part of the "learning curve"?
If you have access to the Songselect website, you can do it within the in browser pdf viewer.
This is also a good way to get songs in a given "Capo Key" for your guitarists!
For clarification, when I refer to Songselect, that is Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI)'s website for finding music that is licensed by them (which is the vast majority of newer music, although I find that it is not the best for hymns unless they are classics)
I'm not an organ player so I don't know for sure, but I would think you might be able to glean some information from some of the instructional videos on YouTube for playing keyboard in worship (it will seem overly simplistic, but when you're playing with a number of other musicians your role in the music decreases, not necessarily in importance, but in the amount of "notes played" as instead of filling the whole spectrum of sound you'll have a particular role).
If you have specific questions you could ask and I could try to answer out of my limited knowledge.
A question to prompt some thought on the matter. When did classical/melodic music start? What was the complexity of the music sung in the time of the old testament? Do we have reason to believe that they sang four part harmony? How complex were there arrangements with the lyre and the ram's horn?
Can we really say that today's music (keeping lyrics out of this) is any better or worse than from the romantic or baroque periods? Or is it just different?
Thanks for the fast reply Joyce. I appreciate your expanding on the process for the hymnal and your outlining of some of the criteria you use for evaluating music.
Interesting that Jeremy Zeyl is coming up here as we as a church have decided to introduce his song "I Am Not My Own" over the month of July as we have recently finished an adult study of the Heidelberg Catechism. It's great to see the efforts he has made to write quality worship music with a reformed theology.
I have an extension question to your comment on the music being picked up/used in worshipping communities beyond their own - do you have any recommendations as to how an artist might go about achieving that? Outside of your wheelhouse maybe, but I'm curious what you have to say, if anything.
One of the things that usually ends up frustrating me (and I'm not sure if I'm right to let it frustrate me) is when I know the music for a service could be done better with maybe half an hour more practice, but individuals say that they don't want practice to go more than an hour. I view that as stopping short of the effort required, but that could be a result of my personality. Also, I recognize that if you were to take that to the extreme you could end up practicing for hours at a time and you need to draw the line somewhere. I guess I'm frustrated when I don't think people's hearts are in it, but then again, how can I know for sure where they are? I'm not expecting perfection, I am expecting people to have left something of themselves on the altar, but am I allowed to expect that or am I out of place?
Posted in: Employee vs. Independent Contractor (US)
One thing that should be noted when considering the employee versus independent contractor for Canadian tax purposes is an expansion on the use of "tools". In many situations, where the individual has a particular set of skills that is not otherwise easily obtainable (doctors, lawyers and other such professionals being some of the prominent examples) this can lend a lot of weight toward the individual being considered and independent contractor. You might surmise that the same could be possible for musicians - I have yet to meet someone who picks up an instrument and is able to play it skillfully without having played any other instrument before.
While I would highly recommend you seek out a professional opinion before making any determination on your own (and I would note that in my post I am NOT providing an opinion on your situation) this is something to consider as being self-employed has many tax advantages even if there are some shortcomings.
Posted in: Thoughts on Easy Worship?
Our church had used easy worship, but is now using pro presenter. I think there was some talk of going back to easy worship, but I think that had more to do with some of the litanies already being in easy worship. I think Pro Presenter may also play better with a Macintosh computer (not sure though).
Posted in: Mixing Organ Into the Sound System
Disclaimer: I am neither a sound engineer nor an organ specialist, but a musician who knows a bit about it all.
If you don't have a pipe organ, I would wonder if the organ is "anything special" and whether it is something you need to stay attached to. Not from the aspect/desire of scrapping the organ, but because there are newer more modern takes on the organ that you can plug into a sound system to give better sound/recording quality and better control to the sound engineers (although they are usually digital instead of analog like older organs - matter of taste as far as sound goes). I give an example below of a digital organ and pedals. It's not cheap, but I don't know how much you're planning on spending on speakers and just know that organ repairs can be expensive as well. Additionally, if you buy a digital organ like this (or another similar product), it may give the ability to be more versatile in including it with your praise team as it may have pad sounds (I have not checked).
http://www.nordkeyboards.com/products/nord-pedal-keys-27
http://www.nordkeyboards.com/products/nord-c2d
I'd be happy to chat further if you want.
Posted in: Mixing Organ Into the Sound System
Hi Karisa,
All that being said, I would reiterate that money is not necessarily the only consideration (although it can often feel like it). Sometimes money is paid for beauty because our churches need beauty to help point us toward God.
Out of curiosity (since we currently have an old analog organ that I would contemplate replacing with a digital) did the organists feel like they could get a comparable sound out of the organs they tested or was that part of the "learning curve"?
Posted in: Transposing Church Music
If you have access to the Songselect website, you can do it within the in browser pdf viewer.
This is also a good way to get songs in a given "Capo Key" for your guitarists!
Posted in: Transposing Church Music
For clarification, when I refer to Songselect, that is Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI)'s website for finding music that is licensed by them (which is the vast majority of newer music, although I find that it is not the best for hymns unless they are classics)
Posted in: Using the Organ in Praise and Worship
Hi Diane,
I'm not an organ player so I don't know for sure, but I would think you might be able to glean some information from some of the instructional videos on YouTube for playing keyboard in worship (it will seem overly simplistic, but when you're playing with a number of other musicians your role in the music decreases, not necessarily in importance, but in the amount of "notes played" as instead of filling the whole spectrum of sound you'll have a particular role).
If you have specific questions you could ask and I could try to answer out of my limited knowledge.
Posted in: The Melodious Part of the Worship Service
A question to prompt some thought on the matter. When did classical/melodic music start? What was the complexity of the music sung in the time of the old testament? Do we have reason to believe that they sang four part harmony? How complex were there arrangements with the lyre and the ram's horn?
Can we really say that today's music (keeping lyrics out of this) is any better or worse than from the romantic or baroque periods? Or is it just different?
Posted in: How Do Churches Examine New Worship Music?
Thanks for the fast reply Joyce. I appreciate your expanding on the process for the hymnal and your outlining of some of the criteria you use for evaluating music.
Posted in: How Do Churches Examine New Worship Music?
Hi Ron,
Thanks for the response! I'm wondering though if you can expand on your first point at all - do you have "criteria" for determining this?
Posted in: How Do Churches Examine New Worship Music?
Interesting that Jeremy Zeyl is coming up here as we as a church have decided to introduce his song "I Am Not My Own" over the month of July as we have recently finished an adult study of the Heidelberg Catechism. It's great to see the efforts he has made to write quality worship music with a reformed theology.
I have an extension question to your comment on the music being picked up/used in worshipping communities beyond their own - do you have any recommendations as to how an artist might go about achieving that? Outside of your wheelhouse maybe, but I'm curious what you have to say, if anything.
Posted in: Excellence vs. Community?
One of the things that usually ends up frustrating me (and I'm not sure if I'm right to let it frustrate me) is when I know the music for a service could be done better with maybe half an hour more practice, but individuals say that they don't want practice to go more than an hour. I view that as stopping short of the effort required, but that could be a result of my personality. Also, I recognize that if you were to take that to the extreme you could end up practicing for hours at a time and you need to draw the line somewhere. I guess I'm frustrated when I don't think people's hearts are in it, but then again, how can I know for sure where they are? I'm not expecting perfection, I am expecting people to have left something of themselves on the altar, but am I allowed to expect that or am I out of place?