Worship Arts Application

Anyone wishing to volunteer in the Worship Arts Ministry, please read over the information and complete the application below. Upon receiving your application, we will contact you for an audition time. Auditions serve as an opportunity for the Worship Arts staff to hear you play/sing and will last about 30 minutes. Auditions are held approximately three to four times a year. We encourage prospective volunteers to wait until they consider Blackhawk Church their "home church" before applying to serve with Worship Arts Community.

WHAT WE LOOK FOR

We believe that music is a gift from God and want to encourage all people to explore and enjoy this gift. We look for musicians who are proficient and skilled on their instrument/voice part and have experience playing/singing with other musicians. We want our musicians to be committed Blackhawk attenders and, above all, to be worshippers with a passion for using their artistic gifts to point others toward Christ. 

Sunday worship bands are only one of various ways that musicians can serve at Blackhawk. While we encourage all interested musicians to audition, we ultimately have a limited number of serving opportunities available for Sunday worship bands. These bands are not always the best fit for everyone; our rehearsals are fast-paced and require musicians to be highly prepared and adaptable. We sometimes end up directing musicians to other growth or serving opportunities in their area of gifting around Blackhawk (such as College-Age Ministry).

NUTS AND BOLTS

  • WAC schedules volunteer musicians for the following sites/venues/service times: 
    • Blackhawk Brader Way site - 3 distinct venues:
      • Blackhawk Live/Online (9am and 10:45am) 
      • Gospel Fusion (9am and 10:45am)
      • Traditions (9am) 
    • Blackhawk Fitchburg site (9am and 10:45 am)
    • Blackhawk Downtown site (9 am and 10:45 am during the school year // 10am during the summer) 
  • Our general practice is to schedule musicians to play at the site/venue they attend, but we may occasionally ask musicians to help out at a different site/venue.
  • Worship bands rehearse on Wednesday from 6:45 to 9:00 pm (or 5:45 to 8:00 pm for Downtown teams). Team members only attend rehearsals the Wednesday prior to the Sunday they are scheduled. Musicians can look ahead of time at our online planning website, Planning Center Online, to review the week’s music selections, charts, and recordings; physical music binders are supplied at the Wednesday rehearsal. 
  • We ask volunteer musicians to commit to serving on a worship band once a month. Depending on need and availability, we will occasionally schedule someone up to 2 times in a month. 
  • We use an online planning website called Planning Center Online to schedule worship bands. Volunteers use the website to block out dates ahead of time that they’re not available to serve, and we schedule bands using that information.

STANDARDS BY VOICE/INSTRUMENT TYPE

Vocals:

For Sunday worship bands, we look for vocalists who are capable of singing both melody and harmony parts. Vocalists are often required to create their own harmony parts virtually on the spot. We look for vocalists with a pleasant, confident timbre who know how to make appropriate stylistic choices.

Acoustic and Rhythm Electric Guitar: 

We look for acoustic/rhythm guitarists who can rhythmically drive a music team by setting and keeping steady tempos, utilizing various strum patterns to create different grooves/feels, and giving clear cues to the rest of the band.

Lead Electric Guitar: 

We seek lead electric guitarists who are able to create supportive atmospheric sound beds/washes and stylistically appropriate parts to help bring out various rhythms/grooves. Lead players must be able to proficiently play specific lead parts and/or solos as called for.

Piano and Keyboards: 

We look for pianists and keyboardists who are capable of playing confidently off chord charts rather than written sheet music. Pianists and keyboardists should be able to improvise chordal accompaniment, rhythmic figures, sustained pad sounds, and lead lines within a full-band setting in away that is musically sensitive, rhythmically accurate, and stylistically tasteful.

Bass Guitar:

We look for bass players who aretechnically proficient at the bass and can easily read chord charts. Bassplayers must be able to lock into a rhythmic groove with a drummerand find the right feel for any given song without overplaying. 

Drums: 

We look for drummers who are technically strong and comfortable playing a variety of styles. Drummers should be able to maintain a solid, steady tempo and a simple, intelligible groove in various time signatures and tempos. We seek drummers who are sensitive within a range of dynamics and who are responsive to other musicians in the band.

Solo Melodic Instruments (strings, brass,woodwinds): 

Those playing a solo melodic instrument on Sunday worship bands should be capable of tastefully improvising counter melodies and supportive melodic parts in a variety of styles. The ability to improvise over chords is a must, and the ability to read music is also helpful.

Ensembles (strings, brass, woodwinds):

These groups generally convene on an as-needed (rather than monthly) basis. Musicians in these ensembles primarily read sheet music; the ability to improvise is not necessary. For these groups we seek strong music readers who are comfortable learning new music without much advance notice and are proficient at their particular instrument. The music is not usually very technically difficult.

Please complete the application below:

*Address Line 1
Address Line 2
*City
*State/Province/Region
*Zip/Postal Code
*Occupation:
*How long have you regularly attended Blackhawk?:
*Which site do you attend?:
Which venue do you normally worship in (if you attend our Brader Way site)?:
I am interested in serving in one or more of these areas:
*Are you in a Community Group at Blackhawk?:
If no, are you involved in a small group through another organization? :
  :
Are you available on a monthly basis for Wednesday and Sunday rehearsal times? :
* :
How would you define what it means to be a Christ-follower? :
* :
How did your walk with God begin, and where are you now on your spiritual journey? :
* :

MUSICAL BACKGROUND

*What is your instrument or voice part?:
If a vocalist, are you comfortable creating harmonies on the spot?:
 :
*What training and experience do you have?:
*Why do you want to serve with worship arts?:
*Describe a good team dynamic you've been a part in:
*Who are your all-time favorite artists? :

STATEMENTS OF AGREEMENT

Please read the following statements and check all that apply.
 :
 :
 :
 :
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REFERENCES

Provide the names of two Christian references who can speak to your character and meet the following criteria:
  • Known you for more than one year
  • At least 18 years old
  • Not related to you 
  • Not your significant other 
*1a) Name:
*1b) Relationship:
*1c) Phone Number:
*1d) Email Address:
*2a) Name:
*2b) Relationship:
*2c) Phone Number:
*2c) Email Address:

CHURCH HISTORY

Please list churches you have most recently attended. 
1a) Church Name:
1b) Dates Attended:
1c) City/State:
1d) Phone:
1e) Ministries you volunteered in:
2a) Church Name:
2b) Dates Attended:
2c) City/State:
2d) Phone:
2e) Ministries you volunteered in:
AUTHORIZATION AND RELEASE TO OBTAIN A REFERENCE CHECK By signing below I agree that the information provided in this application is true, and I authorize the Church (Blackhawk Evangelical Free Church and/or its representative) to verify the information on this form. I authorize any organizations, institutions, churches or references listed in this application to give the Church any information (including opinions) that they may have regarding my character and suitability for volunteer work. I hereby release any individual or organization in an attempt to comply with this authorization and application. :
*Type your name here to serve as your signature: :
*Date:
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