2090 The Excellent Music Program in Midsize/Large Churches
UU Musicians Network

Speaker: Dan Boyce

Dan Boyce

Dan Boyce, Minister of Music Emeritus at Birmingham Unitarian Church, in Bloomfield Hills, MI, presented this workshop on enhancing music in large and mid-size churches. Much of Boyce's expertise comes from his 24 years of service at this congregation of about 650 members. Choir membership is 50-60, and on any Sunday it might be 30-35 members.

Boyce said that the issue of continuity is critical in developing a music program. You need someone who will take the program and push it to new levels. At the Birmingham Church, they initially added a "music administrator" who ultimately became Director of Music. More recently, the position of youth music program director was added. That program now has 45-50 children.

The first step in assessing your church's program is to understand where it is now. Is it "surviving," "striving," "arriving," or "thriving?"

What things are you proud of in your music program? What things are you sorry aren't better, and that you want to improve? What are some action items that you want to accomplish? Boyce recommended taking a long vision and see where you'd like to be. You must have dreams, else you will stay in the same place.

Many musicians are not politically adept, and sustaining a vision is hard so it helps to have strong music committee members who can help make sure that things get done, that musicians know what needs to be done when. You don't want the choir thought of as a separate entity of the church, which can easily happen.

Boyce presented information on three aspects of the music program: people (who takes responsibility and the various roles people fill), programs (how things happen) and possible spin-offs into various areas of congregational life.

People Issues:

• Specialists/Different roles - Administrators will think musicians are equally adept at all phases of music, but, of course, they are not. Those in positions of hiring musicians should be sensitive to the strengths of the musicians they're hiring
  
• Hiring practices - Look for someone who is not only a good musician but is also skilled at working with volunteers (as opposed to professionals); you need someone with the people skills as well as the technical skills; also keep in mind that the music in a service is NOT a concert but is part of the worship experience; in interviews, you need to check that; you want the musician to enhance the service and not take it over.
  
• Professionalism - Congregations that want a high degree of professionalism need to understand that they'll have to pay for it. Most UU Musicians' Network (UUMN) members feel that they're not really understood, especially in terms of pay.

Programs:
A good music program should infuse music into the whole church life - not just for those who can read music, or who already love music. Music is a participatory sport, not a performer/audience process.

• Worship, fellowship, learning, and service are the four themes of our church; music helps with all of those themes.
  
• The choir is also a small-group ministry unto itself.
  
• A youth choir is very dependent on the individual who takes it over. A critical issue is rehearsal time; you must bring parents in on it. It has to be fun for the kids as well as a learning experience.

Possible spin-offs (provided by Boyce and attendees):

• Some congregations actually have an orchestra, with ages running from 10 to 70.
  
• Once-a-month folk/coffee house
  
• "Dead Composers Society" - people playing pieces of their choosing
  
• Summertime "UU Revival" - all-city inclusion - hymn singing
  
• Baking Powder Biscuit band - jug band
  
• Bell choir - one small church had 4 or 5 small bell parts in certain pieces because they couldn't afford a full bell choir. It added a wonderful tonal addition to the pieces.
  
• Madrigal choirs
  
• Small instrumental ensembles help with worship to supplement the organs and pianos
  
• Taking small groups of singers to parishioners who are home-bound as pastoral ministry
  
• Renaissance Fair every year at Memorial Day. In one congregation the choir doubles in size because people like to sing madrigals and recorder players "come out of the woodwork"
  
• Mozart Festival founded by the church; not a church activity but a community one; lots of people come out.
  
• All-church groups such as: Christmas program, with instrumentalists, children's program and then a spring program; or a "Choir Sunday" where the service is devoted to the choir. For the choir Sunday, invite people to come "test drive" the choir; you invite people in for rehearsals for that program, and some people inevitably stay.

Workshop participants discussed a variety of issues, including two Sunday services, and how you divide the choir's resources. Another congregation has paid section leaders, who sing as a quartet for the first service and then sing with the choir for the second service. This enables you to have people in the choir who aren't necessarily that good, but who love to sing.

Choirs can also involve themselves in many different activities. Some possibilities are choir tours, weekend trips to other congregations, multi-choir concerts, bringing in an orchestra. Some choirs, rather than having robes or "uniforms," wear uniform colors instead. This allows for individual creativity and still keep a consistent look to the choir.

Talk also focused on budget allocations. What percent of the total church budget is devoted to music? In a small church, an adequate allocation would be around five percent but in a mid-size to large church it should be around ten percent. Adequate rehearsal space and adequate storage space are all important. Budget planning should be considered in a long-range vision, and then it is not an every-year debate.

Good music programs also involve much planning. When do new ideas and programs get implemented - and how? You need good planners on the Music Committee -- people who know who to get things done, such as former board chairs and strategists, not just music lovers with no political experience. This had a great impact on building an effective program.

Reporter & Photogrpaher Allan Stern; Web Designer Julie Albanese

General Assembly 2002 · Program Grid 2002 · General Assembly Home