Kim Gentes

If you are using media in your local church, you have no doubt seen the recently popular "countdown" mini-videos that are often played before services. Most often these are used as a simple clock reminder to the leaders and congregation of when the next segment of the service will begin.  As a tool they are fine, but are more or less inspirational depending on how they are applied. This last week, I looked into my review stack of things to consider for evaluation. The first thing that I was interested in looking at was the 2 volume set of DVD-ROM resources called "iWorship Service Starters"  from Integrity Music.

To be honest, I had low expectations of a resource that I expected to be a countdown clock. Much of the other "countdown" videos I have seen elsewhere were mish-mashes of hyped graphics that looked like a blitzkrieg of images (in ESPN pre-roll fashion) such as you'd see on the Discovery channel's scenes of the universe. At other times calmer countdown videos from some other websites featured blasé wheat field scenes and such that make the ticking clock seem exciting!

But as I looked into iWorship Service Starters resource, I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw and heard. First, what I loved about it was a focus on actual videos that are intended to encourage and inspire people to begin focusing on worship. Each video is between 1:15 to 1:45 in length (one minute and 15-45 seconds). The content of each video is a combination of scripture verses, biblical truths and song segments (most often the chorus of the themed song).  The videos aren't aimless countdowns, but actually are scripted stories. And that is the point- people can be caught by the subtle but engaging video, and begin to follow the story being told by each video. Near the middle of the video the themed song for that video might kick in and welcome the listener to join right in. It wasn't a distracting presentation, but a focused story that leads a person to start refocusing themself toward the themes of worship, praise and adoration of God.

Actually, I had both Volumes 1 and 2 of the series and went through and completely listened and watched each video on both volumes. They were good, solid invitations to worship, each one of the songs. I found myself, on several songs, thinking "ok, let's go, let's worship!" And I think that was the point of the videos- they are not intended to be just a short countdown, but something of a short story looping on your screen (with or without audio, according to your needs) encouraging people to prepare and focus for worship. Obviously no media tool like this replaces a community call to worship, but I like this concept much better than feeling like I am getting inundated by the church "commercials" or "hype machine" on the video screen as a way to fill up time on the media before the service starts. It feels intentional and it works. I was inspired and ready for someone to invite me to stand and begin worship.

Here are some details. On the two volumes I reviewed (Vol 1 & 2) each volume contained 7 themed song videos (7 different songs). Each DVD-ROM contains both MPEG1 and Quicktime format video files (this means it is compatible for PCs or Macs, and will work on any presentation software you use). Each video itself is available in two formats as well - with or without the countdown clock. I like this a lot. Personally, I am not a fan of the countdown clocks, as I think they actually bring tension to an already driven world. That said, I like the idea of using the version without the clock and let it loop- or maybe preload a few of the videos that have connected themes/songs and let them be a storyline. One specific custom use I would recommend-- pick a video or two of songs you will be using that morning! What a great way to tie in and prepare people to be oriented to the theme you are feeling God is directing you on that morning.

Of course, for those that like the countdown effect and how it helps you get the service started these videos will serve that purpose of both having the inspirational video and providing the last minute and a half of notification for your teams and congregation that the service is about to start.

There were only one thing I would like to see improved or considered for future versions. I would prefer more songs per volume. Seven songs on a DVD-ROM is significant, but really if I want to match a song from my morning set to the video to prepare the congregation for worship that day, I would love a broad selection on each volume so that I felt like I was getting a good value for each purchase. It just makes sense that a broader repertoire of songs on these volumes will make them more and more applicable as a larger catalog is available. I can't complain too much on this, however, because at less than 20 bucks for each volume (I found them on Amazon for just 18.82) it's only about 2.75 per song video, which seems really reasonable.

Overall, this is a very solid resource and I recommend it. It is a nice alternative to the overwrought countdowns I am seeing a lot in churches, mainly because these focus on worship preparation rather than "media hype". As a worship leader, that makes more sense to me.

Amazon Product links:

iWorship Service Starter Vol. 1: http://amzn.to/MEnbe1

iWorship Service Starter Vol. 2: http://amzn.to/K8hq6t

blessings!

Review by Kim Gentes

iWORSHIP FLEXX is marketed as "videos that follow your lead". An apt description, iWORSHIP FLEXX are professional videos related to specific worship songs. Each FLEXX product contains several songs (normally 7 different songs on each edition). Each song comes with several MPEG & Quicktime files - each file represents a song segment. Used with software like MediaShout, you navigate through verses, choruses and other song sections by clicking on these custom designed videos. iWORSHIP FLEXX is easy to use and contains exceptionally well produced content.

iWORSHIP FLEXX highlights very progressive video styling and graphics which may be a notch or two above what you are currently using in your services with adding static lyrics on some stock motion backgrounds.  The folks producing iWORSHIP FLEXX have done a spectacular job at making the videos very crisp for their purpose- upbeat songs pop, while balads pull back and let the image breathe without disturbing the visuals too much.  One thing I liked about the offering is that it provides intro segments, which let you cue up the song musically before the lyrics start hitting the screen.  There is also a great extended video segment, letting you run consistently on the screen, even if your band is playing an instrumental section.

Technically speaking, you will want to make sure you are using a relatively new machine with FLEXX video demands.  This model of doing VJ or worship lyric presentation removes the lyrics COMPLETELY from the process-- they are all embedded in the FLEXX video segments.  And that is the point- what you are doing here is simply running a single video for each section of the song.  The concept is brilliant, but does mean you can't have the old PC that ran powerpoint try to chug along on these meaty MPEG or Quicktime videos as you swap through song segments.

Churches that want a more progressive, higher level video experience will love FLEXX.  I would say that some churches may find FLEXX a little too progressive, depending on their song selection.  Over the years I have heard churches get more and more articulate about too much happening on the video screen during worship.  I think FLEXX could be used well, but I am guessing some churches will want to be sure to watch a demo before purchasing for their more conservative environments.

Overall, its a great product, beautifully and artfully rendered, with a perfect mix of technical chops to make it "plug and play" with MediaShout or other higher end presentation software. 

iWorship FLEXX has several titles out including:

• Majestic (Amazon link) : http://amzn.to/p7BKa7
• You Are Good (Amazon link) : http://amzn.to/q5rqxL
• Our God Saves (Amazon link) : http://amzn.to/nPV6ud
• Glorious (Amazon link) : http://amzn.to/qzRLhJ
• Lead Me To The Cross (Amazon link) : http://amzn.to/n0BkaA
• God You Reign (Amazon link) : http://amzn.to/oo9ho5
• You Are For Me (Amazon link) : http://amzn.to/ow65e1
• Christmas: We Adore You (Amazon link) : http://amzn.to/nCS6uj

Review by Kim Gentes

For the last 20 years of musical involvement I personally had been engaged training, teaching, and developing materials for guitar players, worship leaders, and drummers.  But my musical journey began actually with playing drums in junior and senior high school bands. Later, in college, I participating in local churches as a drummer, and eventually helped develop drummers by writing some essentials curriculum for drums.  Back in the early days of the modern praise and worship sound being used in local churches, there was very little in the way of resources for musical training. In the last 5-10 years, these resources have begun to spring up from notable musicians and clinicians around the worship community.

Most of the contributions in the musical training within the worship community have been more of “clinic session” style resources.  Those clinic style DVDs deal topically or stylistically with learning how to play an instrument in the worship setting.  However, what has been missing from the resourcing cache of the modern church are extensive and comprehensive full length courses on given instruments.  To that end, Musicademy brings us “Worship Drums Course: Beginners“ and “Worship Drums Course: Intermediate“, the first fully enclosed lesson series that takes you from a novice to “ready-to-play” participant in your local church worship band.

Having spent years as a drummer and many additional years as a worship leader, I feel that one of the critical components of modern church music is a competent drummer.   The Musicademy “Worship Drums Course” contents are basically the equivalent of having dozens of lessons compiled onto DVD, organized into step-by-step chapters and ready for you to start learning!

Right from the start, Colin Brookes, the primary instructor on the DVDs, explains each concept verbally with clarity and a warm approachable manner. As you roll through the lessons, on-screen subtitles punctuate the points. The typical lesson consists of:

• a brief verbal introduction
• a drum notation script across the bottom of the screen
• Colin playing the rudiment or lesson point
• an example of that skill being implemented in a full rhythm (with some lead in measures).

Most lessons included at least 2 or 3 complete reps where the student can actually follow along and work out the rhythm.

This is a quality approach to teaching. There is important information being conveyed, but also plenty of clear examples and lots of repetition to give the student time to lock in to the concept by actually playing.  Many times in the lessons, Colin shows both a regular speed example of the beat and a slowed down version.  This is crucial to building a proper foundation in drumming technique. While it is important to practice in music—it is essential to practice right!  To make sure this happens Colin slows down the tempo and students are forced to learn the beat the right way.  The result is that you spend hours of on DVD time (and hours more of off-DVD time) practicing the skills the right way. As the skill improves, then speed can be increased.

In addition to the professional approach being taken on the lessons in both Beginner and Intermediate drum courses, both DVD sets include two other important add-on content sections: Quick Tips and Interviews.  The Quick Tips are a collection of simple practical notes about the instrument and your role with it- things like: drum kit positioning, eye contact with the worship leader, fast /slow click speeds, dynamics, music styles, syncing with the bass, and more.  The Interviews are a collection of personal stories, tips and insights from worship leaders, drummers and other musicians, each of which explain some topic from their perspective and experience.

Musicademy has done a very good job at not only collecting a complete set of lessons (for each of the Beginning and Intermediate lessons), but it has done this with an eye to good video production and editing, making the DVDs a joy to use.

Are you a new drummer who wants to make sure you learn all the basics correctly, but at your own pace or from your own location? If so, then “Worship Drums Course: Beginners” is the course for you! 

Are you current playing drums, but want to move forward with learning moderate level beats or launching into another level of skill on your instrument? If so, then “Worship Drums Course: Intermediate” will likely be very helpful to you!

Each DVD set (Beginning and Intermediate) contains 3 DVDs and a full 6hours of content.  This is a great value! If you have ever gone to get private lessons, you know the cost of learning an instrument can be very expensive. These DVDs not only give you top notch professional training, but they deliver it in a usable medium (play at home, at church or wherever you can set up to learn) and at a cost that is very affordable.

Product link: The Musicademy Intermediate Worship Drums Course

Review by Kim Anthony Gentes

When I began playing music, back in the mid-80's, my first instrument was drums. For ten years I had the opportunity to play (and eventually instruct) drums in context of local churches. Towards the end of that time, I worked with beginning drummers trying to help them learn the essentials of the instrument. Also, it was important to me to take the skills of a drummer and help them make a significant contribution to their local church worship.

It is from that perspective that I begin watching and reviewing the DVD from drummer/clinician Carl Albrecht, entitled "The Beginning Drummer". First off, let me give you an overview of the DVD content. Carl covers the following in this DVD:

• The Set-Up (drum kit positioning/fit)
• Tuning (kick, snare and toms)
• Rudiments & Basic Technique
• Rudiments on the Kit
• Basic Grooves (8th note groove, 16th note groove, triplet groove, the shuffle)
• Closing comments

While "The Beginning Drummer" DVD is focused on developing the framework of how to play the drums, it is much more than just a great tool for just novice drummers. I would recommend this DVD to any drummer, whether a beginner or an advanced player. Any drummer will benefit from this excellent tool. All the segments taught on the DVD are explained in crisp, succinct language and then demonstrated with nicely paced lesson that can be used as a guide to your own practice time. The DVD also has a couple of good bonus features- an eclectic three and a half minute solo and a very important reminder to drummers of the essential nature of timing and practicing with a metronome.

"The Beginning Drummer" DVD is all of what you would need for a thorough introduction to drumming. What really impressed me was Carl's excellent ability to both teach and execute each lesson topic. He is obviously a gifted communicator, as well as musician. Carl's personal style helps combine the technical details and terminology in what feels like a private lesson. Throughout the DVD he gives you all the proper musical foundations for playing drums, while also focusing that knowledge on his goal of serving God and others in music. Carl is a servant and he approaches this teaching DVD from that perspective. He interweaves this concept across the lessons, even including a brief prayer to begin the training.

No detail or topic is left out on this exhaustive DVD that completely covers the topic of "The Beginning Drummer". I was very impressed with the content, communication, and the videography for this training tool. Whether you are a veteran drummer who wants to get a complete treatment of all the foundations of drummer to brush up on technique, or a new drummer looking for "the" video guide to take you through a step-by-step introduction on playing the drums- this DVD will serve you well.

This DVD is an impressive and essential part of any modern church's music library. I highly recommend it and am happy to grant it an Editor's Choice Award. Great work Carl!

Product Link http://carlalbrecht.com/store/the-beginning-drummer-dvd/

Review by Kim Gentes

There are as many definitions of "worship" in the church as there are teachers, which results in a myriad of reflection, study and teachings on the topic.  Captivating this topic in a helpful video symposium, Vineyard Worship resources and host Dan Wilt have gathered some of the most insightful and influential voices in the global church.  The new DVD entitled "What is Worship ?" serves as a panorama of expression from scholars like Peter Fitch, N.T. Wright, Peter Davids and Don Williams.  Adding pastors and writers such as John Wimber, Derek Morphew, and John Eldredge, along with worship leaders Matt Redman, Brian Doerksen, David Ruis, Tim Hughes, Kathryn Scott and Nigel Briggs this DVD teaching tool is an hour and ten minutes of coordinated walk through many topics centered around a culturally-current definition of worship.

"What is Worship?" walks through topics such as "Who we worship", "Why we worship" and "how we worship" as it prepares the viewer by laying the groundwork for its thesis. In the 5th chapter of the DVD (about 12minutes into it) Dan Wilt frames a definition of worship that is expanded up in the remaining 11 chapters of the DVD.   In listening and watching a DVD like this, I started off thinking, " I already know what worship is.  I am not going to learn much here."  I was wrong.  I found myself learning a lot, and then re-watching the DVD two more times to soak in.

What I enjoyed most about the DVD was the teaching from N.T. Wright, who's scriptural understanding of the throne room scene in Revelation 4 and 5 is particularly insightful.  Discussion with scholar Peter Fitch and Don Williams were also excellent, as was a genuinely personal interview with Matt Redman.  I found the pastoral contributions of John Wimber and David Ruis to be both well thought and challenging.  Noted author John Eldredge (whose books include "Wild at Heart", "Sacred Romance", and others) contributes a short, but very welcomed warning for our church culture to remain clear on the balance of major and minor messages in the Christian life.

The DVD has the nuance of a 60-minutes style interview/monologue interlaced with a teaching style outline framing the chapters and their transitions by Dan Wilt.  It is a viewing experience that is very easy to enjoy and learn.  The videography is well done, save a couple of clips of archive footage that were integrated into the DVD.  The DVD has options for Spanish and Dutch subtitles, as well.

This DVD could easily be the basis for a 3 or 4 week small group, and it is nicely segmented for stop and start viewing, if needed.  In fact, one thing you should be aware of is that its likely you can't digest the material in the hour and ten minutes in which it is presented.  This is simply because the points are rendered quickly and the presentation moves on.  If you aren't watching it carefully, you will miss points made along the way, which is a great argument for watching it multiple times. Alternatively, viewing this DVD in segments (4 chapters at a time) would be a great way to walk through it in a group.  A good application of this would be for a worship leader to present 15 minutes of this DVD to their worship/praise team as a teaching tool during a rehearsal or team meeting.  Not only would it fuel discussion, but would expose the team to some excellent teaching.

This DVD is a very well-thought, well-presented tool, that is useful in any church. I highly recommend it.  You can view online details (chapter titles) and an extended online video of the DVD by clicking on/viewing the clip above.

Product Link: What Is Worship? (DVD)

Review by Kim Gentes