Rehearsal Leading at St. Lydia’s
Rehearsal is a pillar of making church together at St. Lydia’s. It’s a time when leaders come together to not only review music and liturgy, but also encourage one another in best practices toward hospitality. The Rehearsal Leader, while not taking an active role once the service begins, helps to hold rehearsal time, brings forth questions to examine, and helps leaders live fully into what it means to create a place of welcome.
Here are some ways that Rehearsal Leaders can encourage and guide those filling different roles for a typical Dinner Church service:
For the Song Leader:
The focus of a Song Leader should be hospitality, not performance or perfection.
Be sure to practice every song including the hymn. In reviewing the hymn, determine: any problematic words or verses? How many verses to sing?
Identify any trouble areas (diction, volume, rhythm, tone/melody, breath support, hand motions) and focus there. Make modifications as needed. Sometimes, a Song Leader may need a Co-Song Leader to share the load and execute trickier songs.
For each song, help the leader formulate a strategy for finding the starting note. Practice getting to the note. Wait for shruti? Pitch pipe? Other?
After practicing each song, practice teaching the song. Encourage large, inviting motions.
Encourage leaders to lead by modeling, not by verbal instruction.
Along with encouraging big gestures, encourage an economy of hand motion. This helps the congregation value rather than tune out the motions.
Encourage leaders to step back from the song once it’s taught. Let the group carry it, let your voice melt into the group, once they are singing securely, until it’s time to get attention again to end the song.
For songs where congregants are divided into parts, strategize with the leader about how the groups might be balanced (e.g., don’t put all the visitors from Florida in one group and all the regulars in another. Identify strong singers and spread them across different groups.)
Practice leading the drone with a big, inviting motion.
Practice the spoken “Amen” and its cue to the congregation.
Formulate a strategy for the prayer song: how many rounds going in, how many rounds coming out, and how much silence to leave before starting up the song again.
For the Reader:
The Reader should stand when reading the poem.
Check tricky pronunciations from the Scripture text with Coordinator, Pastor, or Presider.
Introduce the reading simply, e.g. “A reading from the Gospel of John.” No need to state chapter and verse.
Inflect only for semantics, not for drama or emotion. Leave the reading as open to interpretation as possible.
Poem introduction: only title/poet name needed, not a full backstory.
For the Service Leader:
Take the time to read lines aloud in rehearsal, especially this is a new volunteer, if it’s been a while, or if it’s a new liturgical season.
Inflect only for semantics, not for drama or emotion. Leave space for people who are entering the service from a variety of circumstances (joy, grief, anger, elation, ennui, etc.)
Strategize and clarify when to perform activities such as handing out candles or passing the light. Does the way the script guides those actions make practical sense? Make sure congregation is only being asked to learn one thing at a time (for example, song-learning first, then passing out candles).
Remember that all of the Service Leader’s tasks are listed in script. Otherwise, the Coordinator will handle.
No need to ad lib beyond what the script contains.
Fill out the worship record after passing the peace. The Coordinator can assist with questions as needed.
For the Shruti Player:
Technique: consistent movement to produce steady sound. Practice ending the sound smoothly.
Volume: which songs should be loud vs quiet? Consider whether the loud side of the instrument is facing toward or away from the group.
Confirm whether and how to play shruti during transition moments such as walking to tables, walking outside, or drinking from the cup.