8 Steps to Preparing a Conductor's Score for Worship Band, Orchestra and Choir

Modern worship music often includes not only the parts for the worship band (guitars, drums, bass, keyboards and vocals), but also parts for four-part (or more) choir singers and full orchestra. The score that contains all these parts is often called a "conductor's score" or more simply called "the score" since it contains all the parts of a given musical work in one score.

 In order to help all the musicians stay together throughout such a composition, the modern church music or worship director must learn to read, interpret and conduct from such a score. I have seen some directors who ignore the score and attempt to direct without it by using their gifted "ear," memory, or some other intuitive sense, but it usually results in frustration of the instrumentalists or singers because the director does not know exactly what they should be doing at any given moment and cannot answer their questions.

What is a conductor's score?

• A score that contains all the parts for the instruments and vocals of a particular musical work
• Sometimes, it is a reproduction of the original score as written by the composer
• Often, it is a reproduction of the score as arranged and orchestrated by the arranger or orchestrator
• Finally, it is the master score from which all the individual parts are extracted to create individual scores from which the musicians play and sing

What does the conductor's score do?

• It tells the director/conductor of a musical work what each instrumentalist and vocalist should be doing at any given moment in the music

Why is it important for the director to "prepare the score" or "mark" the score ahead of time?

• By marking the score, ahead of time, in larger handwritten notes, the director can see at a glance what individual parts and whole groups of musicians should be doing in the music
• Often, conductor's scores are in very small print to get all the parts on 8 1/2" x 11" paper that fits on a standard music stand
• And often, when directing a large group, the conductor's eyes are well above the score which is placed on a music stand at about waist level
• Thus, while conducting, the director cannot see the detail of every part from such a distance
• Therefore, by making larger handwritten notes, the director can see which groups of singers or instrumentalists should be playing or singing, and can cue them at the precise moments of entrance or release

A method for marking the conductor's/director's score:

• There are many ways to mark the score. Following is a method I was taught and have adapted and used for many years:
• Use the following tools to do the marking:
• 1. Use highlighting multi-colored markers, like those used to highlight textbooks for marking things you want to notice but not cover up.
• 2. Use colored pencils for writing words on the score. If not colored pencils, use something that stands out from the other words written on the score. If the words already on the score are typed, handwritten notes, even with a pen, work fine because they are usually not as neat as those that are typed, and they are usually larger.

1. HIGHLIGHT THE REPEATS: I use orange highlighter for this. Run the highligher from the top to the bottom of the score at the beginning and end of a repeated section. I also add brackets at the top and bottom to indicate which direction (right or left) the repeat is headed.
2. HIGHLIGHT THE KEY CHANGES: I use green highlighter for this because green means "go" to me, and a key change often is used to give the song a boost. Run the highlighter from top to bottom of the score since all the parts usually change key together.
3. HIGHLIGHT THE TIME SIGNATURE CHANGES: I use blue highlighter for this. Run the highlighter from top to bottom of the score over the new time signature. Often, the time signature will change back to the original shortly, so mark each change.
4. HIGHLIGHT THE VOLUME CHANGES: I use pink highlighter for this. Mark the crescendos and decrescendos that appear in the score. Often, these will be found on several lines of the score. I mark one of the lines about 1/3 of the way down from the top where it's easy to see.
5. HIGLIGHT THE TEMPO CHANGES: I use yellow highlighter for this. Highlight the intial tempo marking (e.g., 80 bmp, allegro, etc) and later tempo changes (e.g., ritardando, a tempo, etc.). Usually, these appear at the top of the score.
6. MARK THE ENTRANCES: I use colored pencils or a pen to mark these. Everytime an instrumental or vocal part enters (e.g., Violin, Timpani, Horn), write the name of the part just to the left of it, so you'll notice it and can cue the entrance with a hand gesture or a look in their direction. If it's a whole section or group entering (e.g., all brass, all voices, all strings), I draw a left bracket connecting the scores of all those parts (e.g., all brass might include separate parts for 1,2 trumpets, 3 trumpet, 1,2 trombone and 3 trombone, tuba). After bracketing all the individual scores, write "Brass" to the left of the brackett. I use a shorthand notation for many of the parts (Violin is Vln, Brass is Brs, Timpani is Tmp, Woodwinds is WW, etc.) because there's not a lot of room on the page. Sometimes, an entrance comes just after the page turn on the score. I mark the entrance at the appropriate place at the far right side on the previous page, before the page turn, so I'll know an entrance is coming up immediately after the page turn.
7. REWRITE IMPORTANT WORDS ON THE SCORE: Sometimes the Rhythm line of the score has notations (words in very small print) for multiple parts (acoustic and electric guitars, drum set, electric bass and keyboards). For example, one notation from a score in front of me has "E.G. distort riff, busy HH + BD quarters" in very small print below the Rhythm line. I wrote this out by hand in larger print so I'd know what the electric guitar, high hat and bass drum should be doing at that point.
8. ADD NOTATIONS FOR OTHER PARTS NOT INCLUDED ON THE SCORE. Sometimes, the band is playing from a chord chart that is not included on the conductor's score. It may not have the same rehearsal numbers or measure numbers as the other parts extracted from the conductor's score. The director must ADD notes to the score to indicate what they are seeing on their score (e.g., Intro, Verse 1, Verse 2, PreChorus, Chorus, Bridge, Instrumental Interlude, Tag, Ending, Outro). In so doing, the director knows what everyone is seeing on their score and can call out simultaneous cues for multiple groups as needed (e.g., "Rehearsal #2 and Chorus" or "Measure 37 and Bridge").
By using these methods and other adaptations, the director can rehearse and direct large and diverse groups of musicians simultaneously, seeing at a glance where the music is going and cueing entrances for individuals and whole sections of the ensemble to provide a satisfying musical experience for everyone involved. Enjoy, and to God be the glory!

Worship Planning: Balancing All the Elements

Service planning involves achieving a balance of all the elements that make up a given service. I'm currently planning a service with some unusual elements and would like to analyze the process out loud for the benefit of any readers who might be attempting something similar.
This service has at least two, maybe three, unusual elements: it's what we call a "combined service;" it includes some new musical forces; and it includes communion.

1. Combined service. We normally hold two services in our sanctuary on Sunday mornings at 8:30 and 11:00. From time to time we combine the people in one service in the gymnasium to promote a spirit of unity within the congregation. The people in the early service are used to music that's a little quieter and not as modern as in the late service.
2. New musical forces. We are currently in the process of adding choir singers and orchestra players to our current bands. Bands require only chord charts and/or lead sheets, while the choir and orchestra require three-four part vocal scores and orchestrations with individual parts for each instrument.
3. Communion. This service includes communion. We are currently experimenting with a form of communion in which the participants come forward to tables holding the communion elements serve one another in turn.
Given these elements, following are some of the choices I made for the service:

1. Song selection. I chose songs that are modern, songs that are well-known and songs that include portions of popular arrangements of traditional hymns for several reasons.

• Modern songs appeal especially to the late service people
• Songs that are well-known appeal to the early service people
• Modern songs appeal especially to the band
• Songs that are well-known are easier to learn by the choir and orchestra in a relatively short period of time (two rehearsals)
• Songs with remade versions of traditional hymns connect us to the present by using popular musical styles while connecting us to our past
• So I chose "Holy is the Lord," "How Great is Our God," "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone),"Jesus Messiah" and "Your Grace is Enough" by Chris Tomlin, "Revelation Song" by Jennie Riddle, and "In Christ Alone (with The Solid Rock / Medley)" by Stuart Townend, Keith Getty, William Bradbury and Edward Mote, arr. Travis Cottrell.

2. Song Arrangements.

• Congregational songs. I chose Praise Charts arrangements from PraiseCharts.com for all the congregational songs. These arrangements are made from popular recordings by the original artists, so they appeal to the band. But they also include three- to four-part vocals for the choir singers and full orchestrations for the orchestra players.
• Offertory. I chose a pull-out from a musical that we're preparing for the fall, "Revelation Song" from the Glorious Day musical by Travis Cottrell.
• Communion. I chose "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) and "In Christ Alone (with The Solid Rock / Medley" because they have elements that are both new and old which people can sing without watching the screen while they are serving one another.

3. Staging.

• Band. The band is the core of the worship team so they will be more centrally located and more toward the front of the platform.
• Choir. The choir has historically been located on the side of the chancel (front) in the sanctuary. In that location, their voices sound weak because they are singing toward the other side of the room. For this service, we are placing the choir on risers facing straight forward so that their voices can be more easily heard and their faces more easily seen as they lead worship.
• Orchestra. The orchestra will be in front of the choir with some standing and some seated. Likely the brass and some woodwinds will stand and the strings will be seated as needed. I want some of them to stand so that their presence is clearly seen and heard since this is their first time to participate along with the band and the choir.

The Story of Job as Modern Drama

Some of the Old Testament prophets illustrated God's message to His people through drama. In one instance, God commanded one of his prophets to marry a prostitute, a woman who in the normal course of her trade would be unfaithful to her husband, in order to demonstrate Israel's unfaithfulness to her loving husband and God, Yahweh.

As I began reading the book of Job today, I imagined a dramatic re-presentation of Job's story to address the question of suffering in our day. The language, customs, dress and other accoutrements could be modernized and perhaps the leading character could be a woman or even a teenager or a child since suffering is experienced by young and old alike. I imagine a woman experiencing a post-partum or mid-life depression, a teenager considering suicide because of some loss or a child in the hospital with leukemia.

It would be a challenge to write a script that succinctly but sufficiently portrays the character's perseverance in spite of her own impatience and utter frustration, the friends' logical arguments and patented but ultimately unsatisfying answers, the spouse's (or closest confidant's) fatalism, the Accuser's scheming, and finally God's conclusion of the matter. Modern people suffer too, and their friends and family make the same mistakes that Job's did. We need to hear once again how God concludes the matter and learn to live by faith in the tension of of his answer.

Celebrating God's Deliverance: The Festival of Purim

The origins of Purim, perhaps a less familiar Jewish festival, is found in the book of Esther. Purim is celebrated each year to commemorate God's deliverance of the Jewish exiles from annihilation by edict of King Xerxes of Persia (485/6-465 B.C). This came about through the surreptitious work of his second in command, Haman the Agagite. Haman was likely a descendant of King Agag, king of the Amalekites, descendants of Esau and archenemies of Israel under King Saul.

Esther, a young Jewish exile, providentially became Queen of Persia when Xerxes banished Queen Vashti for refusing his summons. Mordecai, Esther's older cousin who had adopted her earlier after the death of her parents, also served in the king's court. As a courtier, he was privy to inside information that led to his uncovering a plot to kill the king. Later, he uncovered Haman's devious plot to kill all the Jews. To foil Haman's plan, Mordecai sent Esther to ask the king to reverse his decision and save the Jewish exiles. However, Esther knew that appearing before king without an official summons could result in her own death. She was therefore somewhat reluctant to attempt such an intervention.

Mordecai acknowledged the danger, yet gave her this warning, "If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the royal position for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14). Fortunately, the king welcomed Esther and granted her request. The plot was foiled, Haman was executed and Mordecai became prime minister.

Later, he and Esther wrote and circulated a letter to the encourage the Jews to institutionalize Purim as an annual celebration of the date when they "got relief from their enemies" and when "their sorrow was turned into joy." They were instructed to observe "days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor."

The name Purim arose from Haman's casting lots, purim, to determine the day when the Jews would be executed. Ironically, Purim became the name of the celebration that commemorates the foiling of that plot and the deliverance of the Jews from their enemies.