Five (and a half) Tips for Teaching New Songs: #1

By Jon Nicol

You've got a new song to teach. And you're a good worship leader–you know better than to just spring it on your people and expect full-on participation.

So what are some ways that you can take to move this song onto people's worship radar?

Earlier this week, I started to give you five (and a half) tips. And we kicked with Tip #4½. Why? You can read that for yourself. But let's go ahead and jump back to Tip #1. This one isn't "number one" in the sense of it being the most important. It's just a likely first step. And it may be a step that works for you, and it may not.

Tip #1: Play it during the pre-service time

You can either play it from a CD or mp3, or performed live by the team. The recorded route is OK and will get it in people's ears. But here's why I like doing a "live pre-service" song:

1. The congregation will likely engage more with the live vs the recording.

2. It not only prepares the congregation, it gives the band a chance to learn it and play it in a live, but less pressured situation. 

3. It can open the door to verbally "introduce" the song.
How? Plan to end the song as the service begins. When you do, welcome people and say, "That song is called ___________ and we'll be using it in worship in a few weeks. If you come a minute or two early next week, you'll be able to hear it again."

And how many weeks should you play a new song during the pre-service time before intro-ing it? I typically run it for three weeks. This lets the song hit a decent portion of the congregation. (At least those that are on time.)

But the biggest reason I schedule it for three consecutive weeks? I want the bulk of the worship team rotation to have a chance to play it as a pre-service first.

The next tip will talk about moving from the pre-service into the actual worship time.

Question: Until then, do you use the "pre-service" time to introduce a new song? What other ways do you use to help familiarize your church family with new songs?

Post graphic derived from: Stock.xchng

October 11, 2012