In a recent post, I delved into an aspect of modern culture that works against the training and maturation of this generation as singers and musicians in our churches – the importance of having a distinctive, unique, and/or interesting voice
What do we have going against us in this fight for quality? Television, as I’ve mentioned. But today’s youth also possess a certain sense of entitlement.
I read a blog post recently about the value of good electric guitarists in the church. It stated that the problem today is that kids realize that they can buy an acoustic guitar, learn three chords, buy a capo, and they’re done – they can be in a band. Electric guitarists have to invest in equipment, pursue quality tone, learn chords and scales, and replicate riffs that are well-known to average listeners. That entails a lot more work, and finding the necessary work ethic to produce quality electric guitar in church is difficult.
The keyboard is a worse beast to tame. For my generation, playing the piano was a multi-year costly endeavor. And even if the time and money were put into lessons, there was no guarantee that a pianist would emerge from the effort. Today, if you factor in the entitlement factor, it is nearly impossible.
What do we do? How do we find players?
I tend to focus on prayer (not perfectly, don’t misunderstand).
I’ve found that I can long for a good guitarist, keyboardist, drummer, pan flutist, or what-have-you all day long. But I can’t wish or hope them into existence. They have to follow Christ. They have to attend church. Specifically, they have to attend MY church. And they have to possess the skill to perform, the desire to serve, and the willingness to be led.
A tall order without God.
Not a Camouflaged Soul 