Every week thousands of musicians and singers in churches spend hour upon hour practicing for their worship service only to have that presentation hampered by audio issues.
A series of new training workshops being offered across North Carolina will provide vital training for audio technicians at churches to help them in making worship services the highest quality they can be to the glory of God. Beginning in mid-August, the worship ministry of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC), in conjunction with local Baptist associations, will offer several audio seminars in locations across the state that will address the basic skills that an audio technician needs to be successful in the local church.
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“As we’ve worked with churches on various aspects of worship and music ministry, we’ve discovered that there is a great need for this type of training,” said Kenny Lamm, BSC senior consultant for worship and music.
Mark Brady, worship pastor at Fellowship Baptist Church in Moyock, will lead the workshops. Brady’s experiences as a longtime Army musician and a music minister give him the unique perspective of addressing topics from the viewpoint of both the audio tech and the music director. “A good audio tech with mediocre equipment can make a mediocre choir sound good,” Brady said. “On the other hand, a mediocre tech with good equipment can make a good choir sound mediocre.”
During the training, Brady will cover topics such as the basics of sound, understanding the role of the audio technician and understanding the functions of the mixer, equalizer, monitors, microphones and other equipment. The workshop will also include hands-on training, as well.
“The task that really allows them to gain confidence in their skills is this hands-on portion,” Lamm said.
During the hands-on training attendees will have the opportunity to use analog and digital mixers to create mixes utilizing multi-track audio files. Attendees will also receive feedback during the hands-on sessions.
The classes will be offered on a Friday night and Saturday schedule. Part one, the basics class, will be offered on Friday nights and Saturday mornings. In addition, an advanced class will be offered on Saturday afternoons. To take the advanced class, participants must take the basic class or pass a prerequisite survey. Each class is limited to 20 people to allow for more personal and individualized instruction. Due to limited space, classes are offered for N.C. Baptist churches only.
Workshops are already scheduled for Bolivia (Aug. 14-15), Lincolnton (Sept. 11-12), Waynesville (Oct. 2-3) and Spring Hope Nov. 6-7) for the remainder of 2015. In 2016, sessions are already scheduled for Sanford (Feb. 5-6), Hamptonville (Feb. 19-20), Charlotte (March 4-5), Statesville (April 8-9) and Roxboro (April 22-23). Additional trainings are also being planned for the remainder of 2016.
The registration fee for the classes ranges from $15-$20 per person for the basic class, and $25 per person for the advanced class. The fee for attending both the basic and advanced classes range from $40-$50. Early bird registration rates are available. More information, including a detailed schedule and registration information, is available online at worshipAUDIO.org.