Being A Music Director Was Never About The Music. It Was About This

Growing up as a musician, the quality of the music produced was always at the forefront of my mind.  It didn’t matter what instrument I played or the music I created.   

I wanted the music to be an experience that engaged the audience. 

When I moved to the Pacific Northwest, I joined my church’s Young Adults worship team. I attended in my first three months, but I always thought about how stellar these musicians were. They were cohesive and dialed in, which sparked my interest in becoming part of something bigger since I hadn't found the right fit for my musical tastes yet. 

The team was led by a charismatic worship leader who kept everything together and was easy to follow.  Because of his direction, there was no need for a music director to keep things flowing.  It made playing easy, and I could enjoy myself during our gatherings. 

Unfortunately, after only two months with the team, he abruptly resigned for a position far away, leaving us without leadership. While we had good vocalists to carry us vocally, the instrumentalists felt left in the dust. 

A few weeks in without him, I noticed we were struggling. Someone would go off track, which suffocated the experience we were supposed to manifest for everyone in the room. 

People were trying things out of the blue that weren’t sticking. Instrumentalists and vocalists bickered and argued, which took away from the experience. 

At that point, I knew enough was enough. 

I went to the Front of House engineer and asked him for a music director's mic. He set it up without hesitation and ensured everything was working properly. 

I asked the team if I could try something, and if it didn’t work, I would gladly put the microphone away.  They agreed without hesitation, as everyone wanted things to get better. 

Having a couple of rounds of experience on the main worship team, I applied what I had learned from the main music director in the brief few months to get the rehearsal back under control. Within minutes, we went from struggling and hitting walls to creating a cohesive experience.

While I had no previous experience with an MD mic before then, I was fortunate to have previous experience directing concert bands, orchestras, and smaller ensembles. It was simply a new format I was learning to adapt to.

From that point on, I knew that music directing was not only something that I would be good at but also something that would give me joy. I will explore reasons beyond the music for how being a Music Director gave me a solid purpose within the church. 

What Music Directing In Church Is Truly About 

There’s an unfortunate stigma around having a Music Director, which suggests that worship becomes scripted and inauthentic.  That may appear to be the case, but there are significant costs to not having one when musicians are on rotation. 

After some much-needed reflection, I formulated in words the true purpose of a Music Director: 

To keep the music flowing, prevent distractions, and allow the musicians, vocalists, and congregation to fix their eyes upon Jesus instead of their deficiencies. 

It’s easy to be critical of a venue that has music whenever you attend. Everyone has preferences, but there are aspects of music that everybody notices, regardless of their tastes. 

Some people notice when a vocalist or musician is off-pitch.  Most people notice when rhythms aren't meshing.  However, everyone notices when everything gets off track, and those on stage have a “deer in the headlights” look on their faces. 

And let me tell you – even those who have the heart to look past our mistakes may lose their focus on Jesus when these bumps in the road happen. 

Structure Is Not The Goal 

It's worth mentioning that the goal of being a Music Director is not to have a scripted, polished flow to worship.  Spontaneity is a great element to add to worship because we never know what He will do in us next.   

An excellent Music Director will yield to God-driven spontaneity. 

It could be as simple as repeating a verse or calling a drum breakdown to change the flavor of the chorus. In more advanced cases, the worship leader may make up a new phrase, and the Music Director needs to call the chords that best fit the moment. 

Being the Music Director meant we had a lot more flexibility with what we wanted to do without potentially derailing.  However, another critical role is seldom known beyond the immediate musicians and tech team. 

Perfection Isn't Required – This Is. 

A Music Director’s job is to add a critical element to the mix that isn't heard but felt. 

Resilience. 

That's right.  Things are bound to go wrong from time to time.  Even with planning, preparation, and the ability to gel, unexpected challenges will arise. 

It could be that someone is rushing, an announcer has their mic on and is too close to the stage, or a technical glitch shakes things up. 

This is where the Music Director must take the reins to restore flow as quickly as possible.  Here are some common scenarios I've run into: 

Someone Gets Off Click 

The click is a programmed woodblock to keep musicians tight and on the beat.  Only the musicians and tech team can hear this sound, which usually sits nicely in their mix. 

Unfortunately, someone may get their mix jacked through no fault of their own, and they cannot hear the beat. As Music Director, I can count on the microphone to aid the musicians and help them return to the beat. 

Usually, after two bars, they are good to go. However, in rare cases, the click gets turned off, and everyone is instructed to yield to the drummer. If a drummer doesn’t play a specific part, that's where I'll come in and keep the tempo as steady as humanly possible. 

The Worship Leader Goes A Different Direction Than Expected 

It happens.  Sometimes, the worship leader feels called to go a different direction in a moment than anticipated. 

Any digital programming fades away when this happens, and I call out the section and chords to keep the musicians on track. Generally, the click stays on to keep the musicians locked on the beat as they adapt to the change. 

Afterward, if I feel confident and know where the worship leader is going, I'll hotkey the program into position and fade in all the digital candy. When done correctly, it's like nothing ever happened! 

The Digital Programming Stops Working Abruptly 

This situation is sticky as it's the most noticeable disruption. However, computers are subject to glitches without notice, no matter how many times you've run everything, to ensure smooth, cohesive transitions. 

When the computer glitches, it's just a matter of context, which methods will be deployed to keep everyone on track. 

Generally, I'll let everyone know that the system has a glitch and coach them to keep on track. When necessary, I may instruct musicians to inject improvised elements to keep the mix as full as possible to compensate for the digital elements removed. 

This is the case that truly tests everyone's resilience.  At this point, it's all a matter of being a coach to keep the players creating a resonating experience amid challenges. 

Lessons I Learned From Being A Music Director 

Being a Music Director isn't an isolated position in the professional world. It requires transferable real-world skills, including critical thinking, leadership, empathy, coaching, and technical know-how. The Music Director must also hold everyone accountable to high standards. 

However, these are some of the most vivid lessons I learned as a Music Director, which I am applying to my new season of freelancing and entrepreneurship. 

Everyone Will Pitch Suggestions, But You Must Direct 

As musicians, we all naturally have creative ideas we want to implement. People will come up with ideas of how a song could be better, how a phrase should be sung, and how to alter the structure of a song to improve it. 

As a Music Director, I highly suggest listening to these ideas. They can potentially improve the overall experience and allow everyone to contribute. 

But ultimately, it is up to us to decide how things will flow. We oversee the running of digital programming and direct the musicians to support the worship setting.  Tough calls are sometimes part of the game. 

Unfortunately, our decisions will never please everybody. Therefore, when making decisions, acknowledge the validity of other people’s ideas while clarifying why the direction chosen is the best for the team. 

Great Skills Must Back Good Intentions 

Some people think joining a worship team is easy, and there’s some truth to it to some extent. Generally, it’s not jazz music that requires phrasing, articulation, improvisation, and knowledge of sophisticated chord structures. 

However, just because it’s basic doesn’t mean it’s easy. It simply means that the amount of training to jumpstart somebody from the beginning will be far less than if they aspire to become a professional classical or jazz musician. 

A person with a great heart is desired on any worship team. However, if they aspire to play drums and have no sense of rhythm, they will do more damage to the worship setting than good. 

It’s not because they have the wrong intentions – it’s because their skills are not up to par. People from the outside may not know that because we live in a distorted world. Unfortunately, we must acknowledge that and make sure musicians work on their skills in addition to their hearts. 

However, in my time as a Music Director, I have found that if someone has good intentions and a willingness to learn, they can get up to speed faster than you think. Have them audition and give them transparent feedback about where they are and what they need to do to get where you need them to be. 

After the audition, follow up with them on their journeys and skills. If you want to go above and beyond, have them send you videos to showcase their progress.  Then, have them try again and see how close they are to the goalpost. 

If they’re not cut out for being musicians, redirect them to seek counsel on other opportunities.  Nothing is worse than encouraging someone with no musical potential to pursue it. 

Resilience Is The Result of Mindset & Training 

When you’re confident as a Music Director, it significantly increases the team’s ability to bounce back from hiccups and bumps in the road. 

However, one of the most overlooked opportunities to train your musicians is to simulate scenarios where something goes wrong. Generally, this is a great opportunity to train your musicians when the average musicianship is at the standard of excellence, so we can take it to the next level. 

When planning these training scenarios, talk to a leader in the group, whether instrumentalist or vocalist, about fumbling a little bit to get things off track. Usually, worship leaders and drummers are the best candidates because when they screw up, it’s felt. 

Simulate a session with the team and give them a nod when you want them to go off the rails. Once they do, remind the musicians to stay focused and follow the leader. 

At the end of the play-through, let everybody know that it was just a test, and they did very well (at least, we hope so).  Thank the person who simulated the screw-up for being a team player so that people recognize they were part of the training as well. 

We can’t prepare musicians and vocalists for every nuance that can go wrong, but we can use the Pareto Principle and determine what 20% of incidents create 80% of the turmoil. From there, when musicians and vocalists know that things can happen, they will know to listen to the Music Director and bounce back from hiccups. 

Great Experiences Are Key

If there’s anything to take away from being a Music Director, great music is not the goal at the end of the day. It’s simply the byproduct. 

The Music Director's goal is to create an atmosphere of excellence in character and performance. We are called to give our best every day to the Lord, so we should do so in our playing as much as in our being. 

In the real world, being a Music Director demonstrates the ability to coach people, manage teams, and manage time to keep rehearsals crisp and efficient.  These skills will always be desired in any industry and profession.  Musicians with a knack for leadership will find themselves right at home when they take up music directing.