The Wednesday Workout

by Richard Devinney

"By the Way- You Start Tomorrow Night". The recruiting of a less-than-fully-trained person is usually done at the last minute, since the search for a fully trained person will continue as long as there is either time or hope. Our last-minute, inexperienced director, then will be starting immediately. This first chapter is the most light-hearted, the most general, and the most basic of the book. It is pep talk and a look at the thing to do the first...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0687443121
• ISBN13: 9780687443123
• Release Date: July 1993
• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Length: 94 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Big help in a little package

This book was the answer to a prayer. The situation described by the author -- being asked by the pastor to direct the choir with no previous experience -- was exactly what happened to me. This book answered a multitude of questions and helped me guide the choir through a tough transition after losing the last choir director suddenly. Thank you!!!

Every church choir leader should have this book!!

This book has been really useful to me, although I have quite some choral experience. But I can recognize many of the situations explained in the book (I realize the church choir leader situation is quite similar in Europe and America!!), and get a good laugh! - And there were lots of really useful and practical tips also!

Compact value for newcomer or experienced

For the inexperienced church choir director, this book is a godsend. Very little instruction in how to wave your arms, but jam-packed with information on how to do the thousands of other things that choir directors have to do. To quote the book, "It's not enough just to be a good musician.... A church choir director must be a conductor, a coach, a teacher, a pastor, a dictator, a diplomat, a salesperson, a promoter, a cheerleader, a caregiver, a people person, an idea person, an organizer, a singer, and oh yes, a musician." This little book has dozens of ideas on how to keep the energy and spirit and joy in a church choir. I used a dozen little Post-It tabs to mark places I wanted to re-read. Highly recommended. For actual conducting technique, I recommend Choral Conducting: Focus on Communication, by Harold A. Decker and Colleen J. Kirk.

Striking the right chord

About 3½ years ago, I was suddenly placed in charge of a small choral group of nine people. This saved me a lot of time and energy. Many of my fears, were mentioned in the first chapter. The book is encouraging and insightful because it deals with problems and solutions you will have to deal with as a music minister in your church. If you're starting and don't have much experience this will be a great book to help you over the learning curve. If you've been doing choir for a while, this will encourage you with some of the best ideas concerning music ministry. I've re-read the book as a refresher and truly feel like the fire has been restarted.

Simple, sweet and innovative

I found this to be the most inspiring book I found that is written specifically for a new choirmaster. It doesn't get too technical. It offers unusual suggestions for getting your choir out of its established rut. It prepares you for the emotional issues that will arise. I read "The Wednesday Night Workout" the summer before I took the reins of our choir and found it to be VERY helpful. I began the new choir season organized, innovative and armed with humor.