Report from TUNE UP 2019
Thanks to all who joined us on August 17, 2019 at Christ Church United Methodist Church Sugar Land (Sugar Land, TX).
The TUNE UP gathering is an annual event in the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod for contemporary church musicians. Over 50 participants from 20 different churches gathered in the Houston area in August for a day of training and networking. This was the sixth annual event that brings together a diverse group of leaders and participants to work on issues related to band-led worship in a congregation.
One of the unique things about TUNE UP is the multi-denominational atmosphere. This year musicians and worship leaders from Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Nazarene, and non-denominational churches all participated in an ecumenical and collegial environment.
The gathering began with opening worship and presentations from Clayton Faulkner (Director of Worship, Faith Lutheran, Bellaire, TX), Craig Gilbert (Purposed Heart Ministries, Alvin, TX), and Mark Swayze (Pastor of Contemporary Music and Community Growth, The Woodlands United Methodist Church, The Woodlands, TX). Words of welcome were offered by DeAndre Johnson (Pastor of Music and Worship Life, Christ Church Sugar Land, TX). The opening worship band was formed by the track leaders for the day. This included music led by Brian Christopher Clay (Worship Leader and Director of Communications and AV technology, St. John’s Lutheran Church, Knoxville, TN).
Healthy relationships among band members quickly emerged as one of the main takeaways for the day. Many of the struggles and conflicts that bands run into can be best addressed through healthy relational connectedness both at and away from church. Leading worship together begins with mutual respect and care for one another.
After opening worship everyone divided into instrumental, vocal, and tech breakout groups. The instrumental breakout groups were divided by specific area (worship leader, acoustic/electric guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, drums, vocals, and sound tech). There were also conceptual track offerings in the afternoon that included sessions on leading in humility, working with what you’ve got in your specific context, invitational leadership, and running an effective rehearsal.
One of the highlights every year is the “Coaching for Bands” session. This was essentially a masterclass on arranging music for bands. A group of volunteers from the attendees were spontaneously selected to form an “instant band” that had never played or sang together before. They were given a popular worship song to lead together. After a run through, they received feedback and help with their musicianship and presentation from a panel made up of the breakout group leaders. By the end of the session the group had made great strides in improving their cohesion and leadership of the song.
One attendee who has participated for several years commented, “Each time we think, ‘We’ve gone every year – what more can we possibly get out of this?’ Then we attend and remark on the way home, ‘Wow! So glad we went because we learned this and this and that.’ This is why we want to see this keep going. We learn new things each time AND we also realize how far we’ve come in implementing items we’ve learned in the past when they are suggested to others during the current event. Such a great opportunity to exchange ideas with other groups that we do not currently get anywhere else.”
Another attendee commented, “The concepts presented are applicable to any style of worship, not just contemporary. Listening with an open mind uncovers the challenges we face and encourages us to use new thinking in our approach to worship and music and excellence in execution.”
Plans are underway to hold another TUNE UP event in 2020. This website (TuneUpGathering.org) will have updates and registration information.
Getting Ready for TUNE UP 2019 this Saturday!
We are excited about the 2019 TUNE UP worship band gathering happening this Saturday, August 17. You’re receiving this email because you have been registered as a participant for the event. Here are a few details as you prepare for the event…
Location: TUNE UP is being held at Christ Church Sugar Land (3300 Austin Parkway, Sugar Land, TX 77479). The event will begin in the sanctuary; look for the signs when you arrive.
What to bring: If you’re a guitarist, feel free to bring your acoustic, electric, or bass guitar (no amplifiers, please). This is optional though; don’t feel like you have to bring your instrument. You might also like to bring something to take notes with.
Schedule: You can view the schedule for Saturday here. Check-in and registration begins at 9:00 AM, gathering music starts at 9:15 AM, and the event will start at 9:30 AM. The event will conclude by 3:30 PM.
Tracks: When your group registered, you were signed up for an instrumental, vocal, or worship leader track. Please plan to attend the track you were registered for during the “instrumental track” option. After that, you are free to pick from the available options for the “conceptual track.” If you decide you’d like to switch instrumental tracks – no problem. You can view the track options here.
Food: Lunch is provided for this event. We’re sorry, but we don’t have a vegetarian or gluten free option. There will also be coffee and breakfast items available in the morning.
#TUNEUP19: #TUNEUP19 is the hash tag for the event. Share your tweets and instagrams.
Thanks for joining us and we look forward to a great event on Saturday!
Clayton Faulkner & Richard Birk,
Announcing Two TUNE UP Events in 2019
Welcome to 2019! We are excited to bring worship leaders and church musicians together for two events this year.
March 23, 2019 – Psalm Immersion with Richard Bruxvoort Colligan
August 17, 2019 – TUNE UP worship band gathering
Richard Bruxvoort Colligan is a psalmist making adventurous music for the ever-evolving church. A composer and musician, he serves across denominations singing songs, teaching the psalms and telling dumb jokes.
He has recorded several albums of original worship music, and his hymns have been published by the UCC, ELCA, UMC and PCUSA. Richard earned his M.A. in Theology and the Arts from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities and is currently working on his DMin through Eden Seminary in St. Louis. Since 2004, his central vocation has been immersion in the Psalms, studying, teaching, singing and creating new congregational songs for all 150. He teaches Psalms at several seminaries, in workshop at events and local churches and he is the weekly Psalm Correspondent for the Pulpit Fiction podcast.
He lives with his wife and teenage son in Strawberry Point, Iowa. Free listening at PsalmImmersion.com.
Registration for the Psalm Immersion will open soon. Registration for the TUNE UP gathering in August will open after Easter.
Stay tuned for more updates.
Date Set for TUNE UP 2017!
Hello everyone! Thanks for checking out our TUNE UP website. We are excited to announce that we have a date and location set for our gathering this year!
TUNE UP 2017 will take place on Saturday, August 5, at Messiah Lutheran Church in Cypress, TX (11522 Telge Road, Cypress , TX 77429). We are looking forward to being in a new venue a little bit further to the west of Houston. We have many returning leaders, as well as some new faces joining us.
Registration will open on the website sometime after Easter. Please get the word out to your teams and bands.
Recap from TUNE UP 2016
On Saturday, August 20, 2016, the TUNE UP worship band gathering was held. Over 60 worship musicians, pastors, sound techs, and video techs assembled on the campus of Faith Lutheran Church in Bellaire, TX for a multi-denominational training event. Continuing in its fourth year, the event was organized by the Worship Excellence Team of the TX-LA Gulf Coast Synod (ELCA) to improve the quality of band-led worship in smaller churches.
The assembled musicians and techs represented 14 congregations including Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, and United Methodist churches. Participants traveled from as far as Austin, Texas and DeRidder, Louisiana to attend the training event.
The gathering began with opening worship and a panel discussion about the intersection of worship and culture. Then everyone divided into instrumental/vocal/tech tracks, and conceptual tracks. The instrumental tracks were divided by specific area (worship leader, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, drums, vocals, sound tech, and video tech). Conceptual track offerings included sessions on music theory, collaborative worship design, making worship contextual, live streaming, and a web tool called Planning Center Online. During the “Coaching for Bands” session a volunteer church band from Messiah Lutheran in Cypress received feedback and help with their music from a panel of track leaders.
One of our special guests for the event was Brian Hehn, Director of The Center for Congregational Song at The Hymn Society in the U.S. and Canada. Brian, who joined the house band on percussion, had this to say: “Great event. Thanks for doing this important work. The overall spirit of the event and people who attended/led was very joyful and kind-spirited.” Watch the website for details on upcoming events: TuneUpGathering.org.
TUNE UP in Louisiana!
TUNE UP Louisiana POSTPONED! We’re sorry, but the event schedule for February 22 in Louisiana has been postponed till a later date.
We want you to know that we have confirmed the date for TUNE UP worship band gathering in Louisiana: Saturday, February 22, 2014.
The event will be hosted by Christ the King Lutheran Church in Kenner (1001 W. Esplanade Ave. • Kenner, La 70065). This event is designed for acoustic guitarists, electric guitarists, bass guitarists, drummers, keyboardists, vocalists, and audio/video techs.
Look for more details and online registration for the event coming soon!
TUNE UP worship band gathering – Saturday, August 10, 2013
Welcome!
This event is for Worship Bands, Youth Bands, Praise Teams, Sound Techs, Vocalists, Keyboardists, Electric Guitarists, Bass Guitarists, Acoustic Guitarists, Drummers, Pastors, and Directors of Music.
If you want to learn and grow as a contemporary worship musician, this is the event for you.
SPONSORED BY:
Messiah Lutheran Church (Cypress, TX)
Faith Lutheran Church (Bellaire, TX)
St. John Lutheran Church (Angleton, TX)
Tree of Life Lutheran Church (Conroe, TX)
TUNE UP 