Song circles are a simple and effective way of gathering songwriters in your local church, creating an environment for them to grow and develop in the craft of songwriting.
As we are currently in a season with restrictions on physical gatherings,
Harmony Smith (Director of Worship, Vineyard Worship UK & Ireland)
shares how we can run song circles over Zoom.
The Song Circle model, developed by Adam Russell & friends in
Campbellsville Vineyard, KY, consists of 4 broad phases: writing, rest, editing, and trialling. In these short videos, Cath Butler unpacks each phase to equip you to run a song circle for your worship teams and songwriters.
Leading a Song Circle
In this video, Cath shares what the role of the leader at a song circle looks like.
The Writing Phase
This is where 6-8 writers meet fortnightly for 8-10 weeks, bringing a new song to each meet up. The focus of each gathering to listen to all the new songs, with some time for feedback.
The Rest Phase
After an intense first phase of hard work, this next step gives your songwriters some time to rest and gear up for phase three.
The Editing Phase
After deciding on the songs that you want to work on further, this phase is for reworking, honing and refining.
The Trial Phase
In this phase you will select the best of your edited songs and put them to use – experiment with arrangements, gauge how people respond to them, and continue to edit and refine as necessary.
