Virtual Choirs: How is it done? and an invite

We've had a few virtual choirs at St. Luke's since we last worshiped inside the sanctuary. A virtual choir is like a video meeting, but with a choir or other musical ensemble.

It seems like we are just singing or playing while on a Zoom call, but as the Church Council has noticed (they close every meeting praying the Lord's Prayer together), it doesn't quite work that way. The technology isn't quite ready for that sort of thing because there's always a delay and with music, timing is critical.

How we do it is the piano or piano and drum parts are recorded and sent to the other musicians. The musicians listen to the accompaniment on headphones and sing or play along while they record the video. The headphones are needed because we don't want to hear the piano on everyone else's microphone. The piano part would be too loud.

The musicians send their file to the choir director who lines up all the videos together and makes them sound great. This process takes a long time to get done well. But it is so much fun to see the choir.

During worship each week, we speak the Lord's Prayer, but all we hear is the Assisting Minister (and sometimes me, depending on the microphone levels). So let's do it together!

My question to you is: Do you want to do that with speaking the Lord's Prayer?

You'll need  

• 2 devices--A phone for recording yourself and a computer or tablet (or phone) to hear the audio.
  You'll need to pray along with Pat in order for us to be reading as a group. It doesn't have to be perfect.
  
• Headphones, plugged into the device with the audio.
  
• The YouTube video of Pat Lair leading The Lord's Prayer for the timing. (You do not need to be a YouTube subscriber to see it!)

When you are done, please either email it me seanj@stlukesbloomington.org or drop it at https://bit.ly/VirtualLordsPrayer

Here's what to do:
Step 1. Set up

1. Prayer Station
   Find a place where you can record yourself praying. If that's the park, the car, the kitchen... so be it.
2. Listening Device
   Plug in your headphones to the listening device. Make sure that we cannot hear Pat on the recording.
3. Cue up the video.
4. Recording Device
   Get your camera ready on the recording device. Turn the camera so it goes left to right, not up and down. Also, try to record so that your face is lit, put the windows in front of you.

 
Step 2. Record

1. Press record on the recording device.
2. Press play on the playing device.
3. Stop Recording

Step 3. Send the File

1. Send it to me either at seanj@stlukesbloomington.org or drop it at https://bit.ly/VirtualLordsPrayer

I'm not sure what it will sound like. Maybe it will sound like the Borg from Star Trek, but it will be us praying together.

Are you in?

I can't wait to pray with you again! If this goes well, let's try some music together!

Sean Johnson, Choir Director

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