Dear Theophilus Archive: Sept. 1999

Grace Notes: Interview with Stuart Townend

Ug: Hey Joe, can I make a long distance phone call?

Joe: Well... I'm not sure if that's a good idea... I'm still mad about that time you tried calling Australia to talk to Darlene Zschech!

Ug: I only wanted to hear a private rendition of "Shout to the Lord."

Joe: Did she sing for you?

Ug: Nah! I didn't even get to speak to her. She was too busy talking to some weird guy from U.S.P. It seems that he's so hung up on her. He even asked for an autographed CD!

Joe: Okay, you can use the phone, but make it quick! You're not calling Canada are you?!

Ug: Nah, nothing so outrageous!
(Beep! Beep! Beep! Ring! Ring!)

Voice: Hello and thank you for calling Worship Together headquarters in England! My name is Mary; how can I help you?

Ug: My name is Uh Goh Lee. I'm an important and respected member of the press in the United States. I need to speak to Stuart Townend... You know, the guy on the "Revival Generation" CD.

Mary: Yes, yes... Please hold for just a second please while I page him.

Ug: Thank you.
(click)
(King of Love plays in the background)

Recording: "Worship Together is a recording label and worship resource producer and provider committed to bringing you songs and music resources birthed from church renewal around the world. It is our desire that Worship Together songs, recordings, and resources will help you experience God's manifest presence in your private and public worship of our Lord Jesus Christ."
(click)

Stuart: This is Stuart Townend.

Ug: High Mr. Townend. My name is Uh Goh Lee, a journalist from America. I was hoping to get an interview with you...

Stuart: Why certainly. That's very flattering of you to want to interview me. Is this for a Christian publication?

Ug: Well...uh... I'm actually a freelance writer. I write a syndicated column called Grace Notes.

Stuart: Oh really.

(Mary starts a trace and calls Scotland Yard).

Ug (oblivious): Yes, I'd like to ask you a few questions if you don't mind. First off--who are you?

Suart: My name is Stuart Townend. I'm one of the worship leaders featured in the Worship Together series--a series that is right now bringing some of the revival songs of Britain to America. (To Mary: Did Scotland Yard figure out who this guy is yet?)

Ug: Okay Stu, what do you know about singing?

Stuart: Singing?

Ug: Yeah, you know, like la la la la!

Stuart: There's little doubt of the importance of vocals to the overall sound of a worship team. Just as a song without the melody makes little sense, so a band without one or more singers fronting it sounds incomplete and meandering. Are you a worship leader?

Ug: No, but my friend from whose house I'm calling--he is. And he needs a lot of help. Next question: Do we really need vocalists?

Stuart: I think what I'm hearing you ask is - ‘isn't the melody the job of the congregation? Surely there are enough people singing the tune without having even more of them standing at the front!’ Nothing could be further from the truth. Here are just a few of many reasons why your team will benefit from a vocal team: 

• It's vital in arranging.  
• It aids the congregation. A clear vocal sound gives the congregation more confidence to sing out. There's no doubt about it: seeing people worship is a tremendous spur to your own worship;
• Last, but not least, it adds another dimension musically. The voice is just as much an instru ment as a flute or a guitar; indeed, its potential for creative expression is far greater. 

Stuart: If you are building a vocal team from scratch, selection has to be done with the right combination of sensitivity and honesty. Not surprisingly, people take comments about their voices rather personally! But equally, a voice that doesn't fit with the overall sound can be a terrible distraction. What should you be looking for in a potential vocal group member? First of all, as with all members of the team, is attitude. Being in the worship team should be seen as an opportunity to serve, not as a showcase for one's musical talent. In the qualification stages, heart attitude has to take precedence over musical ability. (Of course, the ideal is to have people who are strong in both!) Secondly, if you are building a vocal group, it's important for the voices to bend. Blending is where voices join together to create one big, unified sound. Much of blending has to do with discipline and practice; learning to start and finish lines together, using the same vowel sounds and pronouncing consonants together, getting louder and softer at the same time, and so on. 

Ug: So what makes a good vocal group?

Stuart: Teams do come in different shapes and sizes, and to some extent it may depend on the circumstances of your church. If you aren't able to have microphones for your singers, you probably need to have the 'big' sound--a choir of a dozen or more. However, even a modest PA system should allow you three or four channels of vocals. In this situation I would go for a male and female voice singing the melody, another male to sing the tenor line, and a female to sing alto. The melody singers help to 'front' the congregation, while the other two add interest and dynamic where appropriate. 

Ug: Whoa! That's good stuff. Can you give me any more advice to pass on? For instance, once you have determined what kind of sound you want from the talent available to you, and you have gathered together you vocal group, where do you go from here?

Stuart: Let's look at some basic principles and ideas that will help move your vocal group forward both in ability and effectiveness: 

- Give them time to work together. Organize rehearsals so that every so often they can work on their own, preferably with a keyboard playero help with parts. 
 

• Don't ignore your vocalists at rehearsals. When the whole band is practicing, it can be easy to concentrate just on the instruments. Try to get them involved regularly in what's going on, even if a song is taking a long time to work out;
• Prioritize vocals in the PA pecking order! Most churches have pretty limited budgets when it comes to the church PA system, so you probably won't have everything you'd like to have, or feel you need. With that in mind, if you have a monitor/feedback system, vocals must be the first priority. It's frustrating for a keyboard player or guitarist not to be able to hear him/herself properly, but for a singer it's a nightmare. If you want your vocal team to sing in tune and blend well, they must be able to hear themselves and each other over the general noise of the band and congregation. Sometimes the lack of equipment means vocalists sharing microphones. Generally speaking this doesn't work. Most vocal microphones (SM58's, for example) are designed for close-up use; if your mouth is more than six inches away from it, the sound of your voice will begin to get very thin, and the microphone will begin to pick up the sound of the band--which is definitely not what you want! So, unless you are happy with vocalists working in indecently close proximity to one another as they sing, it's time to talk to the leaders about some more PA equipment, or cut down the number of singers;
• Encourage the selective use of harmonies. Harmonies can really increase the effectiveness of a song, if it is done sparingly; 
• Encourage your singers regularly. A singer who is encouraged will grow in confidence, and will not only develop their sound and technique, but will also feel more confident to step out in areas of (free) singing.

(To Mary: What's that? You have the Scotland Yard report on this guy?)

Uh... Mr. Lee?

Ug: Yes! That's me!

Stuart: I'm not so sure. The report I have here says that you are not a recognized member of the U.S. media.

Ug: Well, you know... U.S. libel and slander and such...

Stuart: It says here that you don't even exist.

Ug: Lies!

Stuart: It says that Ug Lee is not even your real name! In fact, your real name is listed here! YOUR REAL NAME IS…
(CLICK!!!!)

Ug: Oh! It seems the connection was bad! Oh well. That's okay. I think I got enough to write an article about this!

Joe: Wow! Did you really get an interview with Stuart Townend!!!!!!!

Ug: Well... Uh... Ummmm... Okay, I'll admit it! This interview never took place. I got all the information from the Worship Together web page at www.worshiptogerther.com ! I just imagined how Stu would have reacted to my questions for an interview. But for the next issue, I promise to get a real interview! Please don't tell Isaac!!!!

Joe: Have you ever thought of repenting?