2012 - issue no. 011 spiritual renewal & resources for children’s ministers & kid’s choir directors - www.kidsworksmusic.com CHILDREN’S CHOIR 101 NEW RELEASE! “You have taught children... to give you praise, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you.” Psalm 8:2 As far back as I can remember, I sang in the church children’s choir, directed by my mom. When I outgrew it, I assisted my mom with choreography, and now I direct a Community Christian Children’s Choir of 70+ kids. So this ministry is not just close to my heart, it’s practically second nature! I don’t claim to be the highest authority on the subject, but now with a few years of experience under my belt, I humbly offer some tips. If you have a thriving kids’ choir ministry and have no need for assistance, then you are truly blest and need not read further. But if you’re like me, always looking to improve, simplify and incorporate new ideas, or if you do not have a children’s choir and are considering starting one, please read on! Allow me to get up on my soap box for a moment, in case there are still those who question the relevance of this ministry. I ask you this: How many other opportunities are there for kids to BE MINISTERS? How many relatives and friends would never darken the door of a church but would come to hear little Johnny or Suzy sing? What better way for children learn to worship our awesome God than through music? With all the clubs, classes and sports programs available to kids, shouldn’t they have one which enriches them spiritually and gives them the chance to praise God as a team, training them for a lifetime of worship? Have you had enough rhetorical questions? Then here goes nothin’... • SPIRITUAL STUFF: Starting any new ministry requires a step of faith. 1) Pray... a lot! Begin by enlisting your church prayer team to keep your ministry marinaded in prayer. This should seem like a given, but as it is a behind-the-scenes thing, it can easily be overlooked, and should be the cornerstone of your ministry. Prayer should begin and end each rehearsal. 2) Institute a choir devotional time. I use “The Blessing Box,” a gift-wrapped box, sent home with a different child each week. They put a secret object in the box (any random thing that fits) and bring it back the following week. We then open it during rehearsal and have a discussion about how the object relates to God, a verse, or a favorite Bible story. The kids bond together and teach each other Biblical truth, with their choir director as a guide. The discussions will surprise & delight you! 3) Be ready for spiritual attacks. You name it, Satan has thought of it: health issues, attitude problems, technical glitches. Remind yourself that God is in control, and once again, pray! • PRACTICAL STUFF: Brass tacks, the nitty gritty, etc... 1) Which day of the week is best? This seems obvious, but you need to do a little detective work to avoid schedule conflicts before they happen. With sports, school events, etc., our choir has changed days of the week three times! Find out what works best in your community. 2) How long should you rehearse? Our rehearsals are an hour and a half with one bathroom break, and 5 minutes for snacks and announcements at the end. We encourage punctuality by stamping kid’s hands if they are on time, and giving them a small treat or prize as they leave rehearsal. 3) Get the word out! An advertisement from the pulpit can boost registration, so get your pastoral staff on board. Utilize posters, mailers, emailers, the church bulletin, and handouts in Sunday School (adult classes too!). But the most effective advertisement I’ve found is to personally invite kids to join! 4) Schedule Praiseformance dates WAY in advance, so everyone knows what they are working towards. Schools have events on the calendar a full year ahead, so TRY to do the same. 5) Defray costs. With music books, rehearsal CD’s, tracks, props, t-shirts, snacks, etc., you may need to charge a nominal fee for choir. Our yearly donation is $15 per child (offering scholarships as needed), and we take a love offering at our Praiseformances. If buying every child a music book is impractical, most publishers will give permission to put lyrics on an overhead screen for a small fee. KidsWorks offers this permission if you purchase the PDF versions of our music books. • PEOPLE STUFF: You don’t need a music degree to direct a kids choir. 1) As a kids choir director, you need enthusiasm, energy, a love for kids, the ability to carry a tune, and a vocal range which allows you to sing the melody to the kids for them to learn. Having conducting experience is helpful, keeping a beat and cutting off notes, but if your songs have hand movements, you simply need to be able to do them for the kids to mimic. 2) Having a pianist is a great blessing, but if you don’t have that luxury, rehearsals can be led with tracks and a CD player. Be ready to hit “pause” a lot! 3) Enlist parents! Soccer moms are used to signing up to bring snack, help carpool, etc. You will need about one adult helper for every 10-15 kids to keep morale and help corral! Plus many have untapped talents: sign language, dance, acting/directing. Put out word of your needs, and watch how God provides! • OTHER RANDOM STUFF: Keepin’ it fresh! 1) Start the season with a kick-off party: a simple “cookie pot luck,” play games like “People Scavenger Hunt” and “Name That Tune” with familiar songs, teach a simple round and get them all singing, play a CD of songs you will be learning, etc. Show your enthusiasm. It’s contagious! 2) Think outside the box, and outside the church! Try caroling at assisted living homes, offering the choir to sing at outreaches and community events, or try organizing a “flash mob” (everyone congregates at a public place and starts randomly singing). • LAST BUT NOT LEAST, MUSIC STUFF: You need SOMETHING for the kids to sing! The fall season is a busy time, so it’s a good idea to start on Christmas music right away. Our Christmas musicals are full of songs kids will love to sing and will learn quickly. We are already getting great feedback about our newest addition, “Josie and the Jinglicious Dream Lamp!” “I just finished reading the Josie script, and I absolutely LOVE it!!! You’ve got a whole, “Ghost of Christmas future” meets “Doctor Who” thing going on here, with just a touch of Star Trek Next Generation thrown in for good measure. After 26 years of Children’s theater ministry I finally feel like I’ve found some kindred spirits. For years I’ve sifted through Kids’ musicals, and after a long hard hunt found music that I liked, paired up with . . . uh . . . less than captivating scripts, so I would take the music and spend several weeks writing a new script around it. You have no idea how exciting it is for me to read a script, come to the end and say . . . “Wow. I love this from start to finish. I don’t have to do any writing for this year’s Christmas show.” -Marc LaPointe, Sweetwater Community Church, Bonita CA Any comments and/or additional suggestions are welcome. We’re all in this together... I pray that as you step out in faith, God will richly bless your efforts! Sharon K. Turney KidsWorks co-founder and Children’s Ministry Music Director, Neighborhood Church of Castro Valley Have a question? Comment? Suggestion for a future issue? Click here! Contact KidsWorks for more information: California Office - 510-727-0932 [email protected] • w w w. k i d s w o r k s m u s i c . c o m Created by Sharon & Don Turney Our newest Christmas musical, “JOSIE AND THE JINGLICIOUS DREAM LAMP” & mini-musical, “JOSIE AND THE JINGLICIOUS DREAM LAMP - LIGHT!” It has happened! Angels have proclaimed the greatest miracle of all time... The Messiah has been born! Josie, a shepherd girl, was there to witness it, but to convince her skeptical friend, Micah, will take another miracle! Equipped with the mysterious “Jinglicious Dream Lamp,” the two friends travel through time, meeting people who need to hear the good news. But will they ever make it back to Bethlehem? Is this just a crazy dream? Will Micah ever see the light? With songs ranging from Medieval to the Millennium, “Josie and the Jinglicious Dream Lamp“ will delight the young & the young at heart! Audio samples and scripts are now available for free preview. Pre-orders will be taken starting NOW, to be shipped August 20. 10% DISCOUNT for orders received now thru August 20! In our shopping cart, enter Coupon Code: JINGLE10 Our KidsWorks Performing Arts Kamp season has been a blast this year! People are always amazed at how kids can learn and present a musical in one week, plus enjoy Bible stories, drama games, puppetmaking, arts & crafts and more. Many of you have expressed interest in our Kamps, and we have restructured our Hosting Fees to make our Kamps more affordable. Find out how to completely eliminate all Hosting Fees! Free info available at: www.kidsworksmusic.com click on “Kamps” and then click on “More Info.”