tools

5 Simple Ways to Communicate with Your Choir

5 Simple Ways to Communicate with Your Choir

Communication skills are such an important part of ministry: keeping people connected and engaged, and making them feel a part of the things that are going on, both in the music program and in the church as a whole. Clear, consistent communication is key to building and sustaining your music program and developing that core sense of community among all involved.

I’ve talked about building community before (see How to Build Community in Your Choir), but it’s worth saying again:

"I believe the heart of ministry is community - a sense of connectedness, fellowship, and unity; shared responsibility and ownership. If we aren't united in our mission and work together as a choir, what kind of ministry do we have?"

How do you unite everyone, in mission and work? You guessed it - communication.

It doesn’t have to be complicated; in fact, the simpler the communication is, the easier and more effective it will be most times. The important thing is that you keep communication lines open, that you regularly share updates, encouragement, news, and other reminders in a consistent way, and that you do your best to keep people involved and connected to the work you’re doing. 

Here are five simple ways to communicate regularly with your choir throughout the year:

My Favorite Online Resources for Church Musicians

My Favorite Online Resources for Church Musicians

Every church musician has their go-to resources for worship planning, anthem selection, ministry leadership, and rehearsal planning. Some might say their planner; others, their hymnal. Some of you might find the lectionary an invaluable resource for planning and a one-a-day devotional for staying inspired. But what about when you're away from your desk?

Over the past few years, I've found a few resources that I go back to again and again and the best part? They're all online.

From worship planning to anthem selection, hymn choices to choir devotions, here are some of my all-time favorite online church music resources:

Hymnary.org

Do y'all know about Hymnary.org? This is one of my favorite resources.

Hymnary.org features a huge database of hymns from all different hymnals. Look up texts, additional verses, hymn tune information, and much more. Search by text, tune, writers, Scripture reference, or topic, and look up tables of contents for hundreds (thousands?) of hymnals and hymnal supplements. This site also features links to choral anthems, instrumental arrangements, and digital scores.

Favorite Business Tools for Creatives

Favorite Business Tools for Creatives

As a teacher, church musician, and self-employed business owner, I am always looking for ways to simplify my to-do list and be more productive. Who wants to spend their time doing tasks the hard way when there's a simpler, less time-consuming option? Today, I'm sharing a few of my favorite business tools for creatives to help you save time and hassle on some of those everyday work tasks.

TweetDeck

Schedule tweets in advance (including images!) and manage multiple columns - feed, notifications, Twitter chats, custom searches, etc., all from one central dashboard. TweetDeck does it all, and it's free!

ManageFlitter

Ever wonder how many people you follow on Twitter that are inactive? ManageFlitter makes it quick and easy to see who's active and who's not. ManageFlitter also has a sophisticated scheduling tool, including stats that show you the prime time to post each day.