The Important Role of Music Chairman

You are a: Cheer Leader, Keen Observer, Student, General Manager, Coach, Teacher, Detective, Communication Specialist, Problem Solver

• Make a Plan for hymns and music.  Plan/Calendar for 3-4 months with your music people, including organists. Change the plan if needed.  
• Music Leader.  Others or you can lead the music and the choir.  If you don’t feel qualified, learn how to lead music, get trained, and practice. Prepare yourself just like you would if you were teaching a class. You are key to helping the sacrament meeting run smoothly and invite the spirit. You can be key to developing self esteem in others, conversion to the Lord, inviting the spirit to comfort and sustain others. 
• You Are a Minister to everyone that does music in your ward.  Get to know other’s musical training, musical desires, and musical potential.  Give thanks and encouragement to all who conduct, play the organ, and provide special musical numbers.  No matter how many times they’ve played or how good they are, they all need to be recognized and encouraged.  Write notes of recognition and thanks.
• Invite Other’s To Make Spiritual Music. Invite others, including youth and families to sing appropriate music in sacrament meetings.  
• Coordinate and Offer Musical Training in your wards.  If you don’t feel qualified to train your members in music, ask others who are qualified, including the stake music chairman and committee. Encourage your organists to teach youth how to play the organ. Encourage the learning and lessons of music to everyone.
• Support the Ward/Branch Choir.  If you’re not leading it, sing in it.  Encourage others to sing.  
• Study the Hymn Book.  Get to know the hymns, preface, indexes, types, training, scripture references, lyricists, composers . . . all in our hymnbook.  Study the history of the hymns. [Selecting the Right Hymns – p 380 Hymnbook, Standard Beat Patterns- p 384 Hymnbook]

The Handbook says:

A man or woman may serve as the ward music chairman. Under the direction of the ward music adviser, the ward music chairman has the following responsibilities:

• Serve as a resource to the bishopric on music matters.
• Arrange for effective, appropriate music in sacrament meetings and other ward meetings.
• Serve as a resource to ward leaders in providing music training and in meeting other music needs as requested.
• Recommend and supervise music training programs in the ward (see 19.7).
• Recommend and implement ward music activities as requested.
• Recommend members to fill ward music callings as requested by the ward music adviser. Supervise those who serve in ward music callings.

The ward music chairman receives training and support from the stake music chairman as needed. [Church Handbook 19.2.3]