By Anali Frias
The worship arts program will have new requirements starting in the fall.
The interdisciplinary program, which trains worships leaders, will now include coursework in music theory, conducting and playing an instrument in addition to requirements of theology and communication courses.
“Almost every job posting I reviewed assumes that the prospective employee will have musical training,” said Sam Green, program director and music professor at Trevecca.
The revised program will allow students to have a musical experience, while maintaining the versatile approach of the worship arts program, said Green.
Music department faculty members made tweaks to the program as it became an official program of the newly formed School of Music and Worship Arts. Some courses were deleted including Intro to Worship Arts and Telling a Story.
The new academic requirements include courses in music theory, choir, conducting, and a worship band requirement. A more concentrated study of Psalms will be added for worship leaders.
A proficiency in keyboard or guitar will also be required.
“Probably the number one goal was to put music in as a course subject,” said David Diehl, Associate Professor.
The new program won’t lose its focus on theology and communication, but it will turn a few of the required classes now into electives for the program.
Film Criticism and Introduction to Entrepreneurship will become electives.
“The second goal was how can we have these programs mutually support each other and interact so Dr. Green put classes in the music department so that we’ll be sharing resources and that students will get input for a lot of different sources and ideas and philosophies,” said Diehl.
Students can still choose to minor in any other field.
“Some might choose to minor in songwriting because in today’s church so many songs that we sing are coming from other churches- Elevation Worship, Bethel Music, Hillsong- all of those are actually churches whereas back in the day, the music came from publishing companies. Now the publishers are actually pulling songs from churches. So, it’s important for today’s student who’s going to be a worship leader to have a songwriting minor,” said Green.
Students are still encouraged to have minors while in this program.
“If they want, they can have a communication minor, and actually that’s a great minor because really what a worship leader’s doing is communicating the word of God through music so you know it does give a lot more flexibility,” said Green.
A music minor won’t be required, though some students chose to get more musical training.
“I’m looking to minor in the worship arts program and this new change actually works out great for me because I’m looking for that extra musical training,” said freshman Jessica Greer, a music business major.
“Now everyone will go through musicianship of some sort and if they’d like to, they can take more,” said Green.
