An odd one

[beckyminor]

Hello Anomalian Prayer Warriors!

'Tis the season when church music ministry folks start working on Easter...

Well, at least it is when your husband is directing a full 70 minute musical: actors, staging, set, the whole shebang.

The trouble is, we keep losing men in the chorus. As it is, we have 3 or 4 women singing tenor in addition to our small male singer population, but with a smallish cast like we have, the guys we've lost leave a big hole. I'm feeling very burdened for the ensemble and am praying more men step up to sing to keep the ensemble balanced.

Will some of you, as kooky as it may sound, pray that we can find some more men willing to sing in our chorus? So many people have already put in a lot of work...I would hate for the production to suffer due to this issue. It's a new endeavor for our church and I think it has powerful outreach potential.

Thanks so much if you can intercede on our behalf.

[journeyman]

Agreeing with you that more men will step up to the plate and that the LORD's plan for this musical will be accomplished.

[beckyminor]

Thanks, journeyman! I appreciate your addition to the prayers.

[metalikhan]

Prayers lifted, becky.

Not kooky at all. It's good to bring every part of our lives to Him no matter how great or small the concerns might seem to us.

[Christian Soldier]

We have the same problem at our church. Our choir is small enough as is without having the few sing-willing men step out. I had originally hoped to stay out of the choir this go around, but it looks like they need me so...

[beckyminor]

Jan 28, 2010 11:51:16 GMT -5 Christian Soldier said:

We have the same problem at our church. Our choir is small enough as is without having the few sing-willing men step out. I had originally hoped to stay out of the choir this go around, but it looks like they need me so...

;D

Yeah...if you can carry a tune and your voice is low, consider yourself recruited, right?

My hubby has been strenuously trying to stay out of the cast of the show that he can focus entirely on directing, but I don't see how he's going to slip past at least singing in the chorus. But beyond him, I'm hoping that somehow some of our teens will decide it's not too horribly loser-ish to help out.

[Jeff Gerke]

Can you play with the soundtrack a bit? I know you're probably wanting to do everything live, but if you're using an amplification system at all, there is the possibility of adding some prerecorded voices to the stream. The director would have to really stay on beat so the prerecorded track is in sync with the live singers, but you could prerecord your entire choir (or just the men, whatever) singing the tenor parts, and then run that subtly beneath the live singers doing their own parts on game day.

Jeff

[beckyminor]

Technology to the rescue!

Interesting idea Jeff. Actually, for a handful of reasons, our orchestration will be a track, so adding some "beef" to the men's parts isn't even as technically difficult as one might think.

The trick is to figure out how to propose such a thing without making anyone feel inadequate. My hope is that the guys would just feel relieved that they don't have to shoulder such a heavy load. And of course, the other trick is sound studio and mixing time...but as usual, I'm dreaming up problems and obstacles way sooner than necessary.

Thanks for the idea!

[pixydust]

Sounds like quite the production! May God give you the wisdom to know what to sweat and what to let go of.

[beckyminor]

Thanks so much, pixydust. You hit the nail on the head there...I have a habit of sweating stuff that isn't really my "jurisdiction." I'm burdened over this situation, but I need to know when to step back and let other folks handle stuff, or when God has a totally different plan. If we're doing this thing for Him, He knows how He wants it to work out.

Thanks for the encouragement.

[Christian Soldier]

I can carry a tune but my voice is most definitely not low. No ma'am. Not low at all. Thus, making me rarer still: a tenor than can, and likes to, sing. Go figure, right?

[pixydust]

No problem-o chicky! Sounds like you're going to do wonderfully! Just enjoy the ride.

[beckyminor]

Feb 2, 2010 18:07:57 GMT -5 Christian Soldier said:

I can carry a tune but my voice is most definitely not low. No ma'am. Not low at all. Thus, making me rarer still: a tenor than can, and likes to, sing. Go figure, right?

LOL...then you are pure gold, my man! If male singers are a rare breed, the tenor chalks up as something people talk in hushed voices about having sighted at one time or another.

Though I guess low is also a relative thing. Low compared to my voice, yes. Low in the scheme of making the floor rumble when you sing, maybe not. But still valuable.

[beckyminor]

Just an update: thanks, those of you who offered up prayers for our dramatic endeavor! It looks like we have all the male roles in the presentation covered (and that's without my husband, the director having to take on a role) as well as a few guys to sing backstage in order to bolster the meatiness of the mens sound. We're so grateful for those elements coming together.

As for me, I've got a set to paint over the coming 4 weeks, which I can't help but being anxious about. I guess I'm sensitive to enemy oppression, because boy am I feeling it now! With just about 5 weeks to go until we perform the musical, I'm in a toe to toe battle with worry and stress.

I'm just planning on doing my best and counting on the Lord to take care of the rest, to partially quote an old Keith Green ditty. But your prayers for health, patience and sanity for all involved would be a wonderful thing.

[journeyman]

Done!