self awareness

How to Have a Healthy Relationship with Your Pastor

August 30, 2018 By Bryan Holten Leave a Comment

A better partnership starts with awareness. Here’s how to get there.

two colleagues shaking hands

Pastors and musicians have a history of fraught relationships, but yours doesn’t have to be that way. Everyone has their good and bad days, but no one deserves to be stuck at an impasse forever. Healthy relationships in the church are just as important as anywhere else. Here are a few of my suggestions for how to have a healthy relationship with your pastor. He or she should always be your number one partner in music ministry.

Don’t assume anything.

Too many musicians assume that the pastor is little more than a philosopher with his “head in the clouds.” Likewise, too many pastors assume that musicians are temperamental artists with little concern for the larger work of the church. Don’t make this mistake.

Music Quality in the Church Choir: Tips for Directors

February 22, 2018 By Bryan Holten Leave a Comment

Don’t assume that your church choir can’t do quality music just because they learn slowly.

We’ve all been here before. Somewhere in your music files (likely tucked under “Q” for “Quatre Motets”) is the Duruflé Ubi Caritas, a much beloved setting of a timeless text. Trouble is, you only have enough tenors and basses to place one on each part, and that’s if they’re all present! So much for programming something great, right? If only your church choir could learn music more quickly.

Because there are so many faults underlying this assumption, I’m going to tackle them one at a time.

Self Assessment through Audio Recordings (for Musicians)

November 30, 2017 By Bryan Holten Leave a Comment

smartphone with headphones

Your recording device is like an honest friend. Here’s how to use it to your benefit.

Even the simplest audio setup—perhaps an iPhone audio recorder app—can be a powerful tool for self assessment in music. Here’s how to make the best use of it.

First, a story.

The perils of self-assessment

Imagine that you are having lunch with a good friend named Sam. You’ve known Sam a long time, and you know that she shares your values and wants you to succeed. You know that she’s in a romantic relationship with Theo, and it’s not going well. She wants to talk about it. You are hoping that the conversation will unfold organically and you’ll have a chance to help her without forcing your opinion.

If only it were that easy. Instead, you talk in platitudes for 45 minutes, growing ever more uncomfortable. Finally, Sam asks you a blunt question without segue: “What do you think of Theo?”