Music

Music Team Members

The members of the Music Team are a vital part of the Walk to Emmaus Weekend. They are responsible for providing music at each team meeting and for the entire Emmaus three days. The team should consist of no more than 3 people, a Music Leader, an Assistant Music Leader, and a third “Media” member to take care of Powerpoint, playing CDs, etc. It is extremely important to remember that leading music on a Walk is a ministry requiring prayerful planning with an attitude of humble servanthood. It is not an opportunity to perform.

Major Responsibilities

Music Leader and Assistant

Team Meetings

· Plan and lead music at team meetings.

· Have each speaker give the name of the song they wish to have sung before their talk. If it is not in the Emmaus Song Book, the speaker is responsible for getting the words to the music team before the walk begins. (Note: The first talk on Priorities does not have a speaker’s song.) If the song is new to many of the conference room team members, try to introduce it to the team at one of the team meetings.

· Check with the Serenade Chairperson to see if you will be needed to help with Serenade.

During the Walk

· Plan to sing 2 short songs at Send Off. They should be peppy and well known.

· Sing or play a meditative solo after the movie on Wednesday night.

· Thursday morning, plan to sing after chapel before breakfast.

· Teach De Colores, the Blessings, and Sing Hallelujah before Prevenient Grace talk on Thursday morning.

· Lead the singing of the speaker’s song and Sing Hallelujah before each talk.

· Remember to teach Bind Us Together at some time during the walk.

· Be prepared to sing to the dining room for meals.

· Plan ahead. Be ready to sing when asked by the Lay Director. Don’t forget to include the Media person in the planning.

· Sing or play meditative solo at Thursday night chapel.

· Friday morning, teach Jesus, Jesus.

· Plan for Dying Moments—what to sing or play.

· If needed, play Spirit of the Living God for community at Serenade on Saturday morning.

· Check with Closing to see if you will need to lead the community in Sing Hallelujah as the pilgrims come to closing.

· Plan to provide music during Communion at closing.

Media

Team Meetings

· Announce to those giving talks when speakers need to provide you with Powerpoint presentations, CDs, song lyrics, etc. that will be used for their talk.

During the Walk

· Arrive at the camp on Wednesday in time to become familiar with the projector, CD player, DVD player, and computer.

· Operate Powerpoint, etc. for music and talks.

Suggested Items to Bring to the Walk

· Music stand with light

· Guitar stand

Audio/Visual Equipment

A/V equipment includes a video projector, DVD player, VCR, CD, sound board, lapel mic, and hand-held mic used at the podium. The conference room is carpeted, so using guitars with pickups is encouraged. You will need to bring your instrument cord. The lapel mic can be used, if needed, for the solo after the movie on Wednesday night. When a talk is not being given, it is a good idea to mute the podium microphone.

Choosing the Music

Choose a balance of types of songs—lively songs, quiet songs, songs with hand motions, familiar hymns, songs of praise, songs of contrition, and contemporary worship songs. Diversity in music selections will better meet the needs and backgrounds of a variety of pilgrims and express more accurately the different moods of the Christian life.

Plan ahead and always have songs picked out in advance. This will allow you to go quickly from one song to the next. Teach new songs after singing a song that everybody knows. Be mindful of the mood. Does it need to be worshipful? Or, do you need to do something peppy or with hand motions to “wake everybody up”?

A worksheet is available to help with planning the music for the weekend.

Songbooks are available but may not include many of the popular contemporary worship songs. Check with the Music board representative about using songsheets and projecting lyrics.

Explanation of De Colores and Meal Graces

The song De Colores has a long-standing tradition in Emmaus and similar three-day programs, Cursillo, Tres Diaz, Chrysalis, Kairos, and Epiphany. All the three-day Cursillo model programs teach this song, which speaks of God’s beauty in the world.

In Spanish, “Cursillo” is a common word, derived from “Curso”, which means “little course”, something that is done is a few days rather than in weeks or months. The term, Cursillo, connotes the idea of intensity, of doing a great deal in very little time—a short course in Christianity.

According to tradition, the words to De Colores were written by participants (nuns?) on their way home from a Cursillo where they had heard many talks on the many colors of God’s grace. Their bus broke down near a barnyard. Seeing the fields in the spring colors of flowers and blooming trees, the iridescent colors of the roosters and chickens, and seeing a rainbow in the distance, they wrote the words to De Colores, which means “of the colors”. The words are sung to an old folk tune from Majorca, Spain. There are 99 verses; undoubtedly the bus was broken down for a long time.

The tradition of having grace before and after meals is a Benedictine tradition of praying God’s blessing before the meal and thanking God for the blessing of the food and the fellowship of the meal.