A Song Selection Tool I Love
Do you ever scroll through your song list on planning center (or your spread sheet, or flip through all those pages in your binder, or go through all those loose chord charts in the bottom of your guitar case), and not know what songs to choose for the week?
Do you have too many options?
Or maybe you look through your list and think you’ve worn some songs out and they need to be retired, but you’re not sure.
Or maybe you don’t know when to implement new songs. When’s the right time?
If you’ve ever fallen into one of those categories, then there’s a great tool you should try: The Song Bank
What’s a Song Bank?
A song bank is a list of songs that you stick to for a season. For my church, we usually have a song bank for 3 or 4 months and then refresh it. We choose 25 to 35 songs at the beginning of the quarter. And here’s the key: those are the ONLY SONGS we do for that 3 to 4-month period.
That often sounds crazy to worship leaders I talk to, so I thought I’d answer some of the questions I tend to get about song banks!
Is that Enough Songs?
Yes! And my guess is you won’t even use all of them. Most churches we work with do 4 songs on a Sunday. With 25 to 35 songs, you will be repeating some, but you could still go several weeks before repeating a song.
Won’t my Church get Tired of Singing the Same Songs?
I doubt it. You might. Your band might. But your church probably won’t. What you have to remember is that you practice the song at home, listen to it on the way to rehearsal, play it again at rehearsal (probably more than once)l, practice it sometime after rehearsal, sound check with it, and THEN lead it in service. You get sick of it way before your church does because you’ve heard it over and over. Your church hasn’t. When you’re tired of it, they’re probably just getting it.
How does a Song Bank Help Me?
It solves all the problems I talked about above! First of all, you limit your options. You only have so many songs to choose from. Next, you’ll definitely know now if you’ve worn a song out. Have you done it 9 out of the last 12 weeks? That sounds worn to me. Lastly, it forces you to introduce new songs and even gives you a chance to look ahead and plan when to do them!
Other Benefits:
-You can hand your team a list of songs at the beginning of the quarter to practice at home and be able to really nail down over the next several weeks.
-After just one quarter with a song bank, you’ll have some “go-to” songs that you know can be done well if there is an extended time of worship, you have to cancel rehearsal, or need to switch songs last minute.
Who Chooses the Songs?
This is a fun part about a song bank – you can get your whole team involved! Have a song bank meeting after rehearsal once a quarter. Have your team bring ideas for songs. Chances are you won’t use all of them, but there are bound to be some great ideas.
At my church, we bring together all of our worship leaders and our lead pastor – at the last meeting there were 6 of us in the room. Everyone is instructed to come in with 4 or 5 song ideas. We just go around the room and share our list. We write down all the ideas.
What if someone has a bad idea?
Write it down anyway. Usually the songs suggested that aren’t great ideas aren’t great because they aren’t worship songs. Sometimes people confuse songs on Christian radio with worship songs. When that happens, I usually just explain it to them later. If it’s just a song that doesn’t fit your style or your band’s capabilities at the moment, maybe see if there is another version. Or it’s okay to say no. The point of the meeting is to collect ideas. You don’t have to do them all!
What about Songs We Already Sing?
Use them! Use the songs God is already using in your church. Maybe even start with those. You definitely don’t want every song to be a new song. But maybe there are some songs that you should take a break from. Or maybe there are some songs you used to sing that you should bring back! That’s what’s great about the song bank, it makes you think about what God has done, is doing, and will do in the future!
How do I get Started?
STEP ONE: Schedule a meeting with your team (or with a few key leaders), tell them a little about song banks (send them this blog if it helps!), and ask them to come to the meeting with 4 or 5 song suggestions
STEP TWO: In the meeting, compile a list of all the ideas.
Pro tip: you may want to go ahead and decide on the staple songs that you already do and want to keep.
STEP THREE: Narrow your list down to 25 or 35 songs that fit where your church is based on the season, sermon series, etc.
STEP FOUR: Commit to only doing those songs for the quarter!
Here’s What Will Happen (in my experience anyway)
-You’ll have an easier time choosing songs. (which likely means less stress and freeing up time!)
-Your band will have an easier time learning songs.
-You’ll introduce more songs than you used to.
-Your rehearsals will be shorter.
-You’ll find anthems for your church for different seasons.
-Your team will love having a voice in the process.
A song bank is a great tool for many reasons. If you’ve ever struggled choosing songs week to week, it may be the tool for you!