Parish Music School / worshops

Introduction:

• This is about using the church facility and the culture of christian music to serve the communities and the general public at the same time spreading the testimony through music which is potentially some essential factors in human life and daily living.
• The actual business plan would be done with other software in other formats.

Abstract:

• The purposes of a church music school (or workshops) must be uniquely reflecting the mission of the church, especially the parish culture, and distinguishable from the secular music schools.
• The functions and the styles of music instruction and training must reflect the special testimony of Christian faith and the special needs of the participants.
• The church / congregation demonstrates the faith through musical expression and the provision of musical services to the community.
• The members of the church provide the services of administration of the facility and the business affairs of the music ministry in t he community.
• The congregation develops human resources, both in management and the music, needed by the music ministry.

The purposes, functions, and processes:

1. The mission and the purposes of parish music school is for ordinary people to implement faith, grow, and testify spirituality through music and music activities rather than developing professional performers.
2. The processes, the management, and the demonstration of the parish music school must reflect the Christ-like characteristics of Christian endeavors, rather than the traditional training through rigid disciplines.
3. The actions and the processes in the parish music school are preferably multifaceted rather than single-targeted.

Key elements

• types of activities - individual music lessons, ensemble music lessons, group music lessons, group study of music literature and other related forms of art including faith oriented actions, hymn singing and recording, personalized documentary recording, ... and other new activities to be invented.  
• facility - rooms, platform, sound equipment, tables, chairs, chalkboard, whiteboard, projection screens, projectors, copy machines, computers, bulletin boards, parking spaces, restrooms, drinking fountain, coffee machine, etc.
• human resources: (showing how various type of ability might contribute in a real scene)
• group facilitators / instructors
• music coaches / instructors
• music composer / arrangers
• lyric writers
• theologians (help interpreting the music theologically if on-site)
• musicologists (help interpreting the music musicologically if on-site)
• process recorders - writers, video-photographers
• managers / administrators
• course syllabi
• business processes - the whole set of general business processing and documentary for history and expansion of the ministry
• techniques - new techniques and procedures for every elements will be evolved, developed, and documented

Types of activities: workshops are preferred to the individualized instructions/lessons

1. group workshops
2. one-on-one workshops

Facility: (Mentioned here are special ones that are needed by the music ministry. If the equipment were kept at the church special space would be needed for managed access and usage)

1. rooms for private lessons with sufficient privacy and visibility for openness avoiding accusation of sexual harassment.
2. rooms for group lessons without interference of overflowing sound or noise.
3. low-cost audio-visual equipment for practices, recording, play-back, projection, etc. for easy management with minimum risk
4. backdrop for video recording

Individualized instructors / coaches, for one-on-one workshops:

1. inspire and support the inquisition of the participants.
2. provide consultation or guidance for interpreting music with multiple dimensions at various levels.

Group facilitators / instructors:

1. motivate the group participants by observing and supporting the various orientations, communication styles, background knowledge, skill levels, abstraction levels, etc.
2. guide the group sessions toward constructive functions and temporary summary of each session.
3. record /document the session, inviting the collaboration of the participants. 

Sample session:

1. discussion and singing of any given hymn with documentary recording of any willing singers
2. arrange and practice music for special ensembles and/or special occasions.
3. discuss and sing any given songs chosen by any participants.
4. introduce new hymns to the congregation.
5. introduce to the congregation some songs to be sung by the church choir
6. create special lyrics, melodies, arrangements, through group workshop, for special occasions.