Nexus Workshops @ Liskeard

Saturday 25th May saw a band from Nexus - the Academy of Music Ministry in Coventry - visit Cornwall for a musicians workshop. Kernowyouth sent reporter Phil Hadley along to see what was happening...

The visit of Nexus was the brainchild of two Cornish teenagers currently on the Nexus course. Claire Bains and Lara Critchley have a heart to see what they have learned be passed on to other musicians and worship leaders so the wider body of Christ can benefit. So they brought a whole band down from Coventry to Liskeard for the weekend.

Claire set out the aims of the afternoon as "wanting to inspire worship, to inspire people to take their instruments further, to take people further in leading worship and to strengthen their relationship with God by examining some of the Biblical teaching about worship."

Lara welcomed everyone by saying "This is your day. We are here to help and encourage." After some introductions the musicians went their separate ways for workshops on bass, guitar, keyboards, drums and vocals.

The vocalists were made to think about posture and breathing by Claire and Lara. In the keyboards workshop Nick got the two keyboard players thinking about how to break down the chords when they were not playing the melody. In the drums workshop Matt and Paul were teaching techniques to encourage independence - applying rhythm across the limbs without having to think about it! Jamie the bass player was passing on tips on how to use octaves to give the sound depth. Rich in the guitar workshop was encouraging the guitarists to not think Christian and secular but to think music that pleases God. He said, "We should be setting the precedent of the music that's shaping the culture not the other way round."

Then everyone was back together for some Biblical teaching on worship emphasising the difference between performance and worship. "Worship is all day everyday," said Claire. "But when we lead worship our priority is to bring people into God's presence so that they can feel God's heartbeat." Then Rich gave some practical tips on communication between the band members, and on choosing suitable songs for worship. "We don't want to interupt a congregation's journey of intimacy," he said.

The final session was a set of live playing workshops where the musicians played together as a band leading worship with their Nexus counterparts standing by helping and encouraging.

Everyone who attended felt they had learned an awful lot. The support and professionalism of the Nexus band to the young people they were helping and encouraging was tremendous.

The workshops were followed by tea and then an evening Youth Celebration led by the band from Nexus which saw young people from around Cornwall and Plymouth really "going for it" in their worship. The band stayed overnight and played at the Sunday morning service at Claire's (until her family's move to York) and Lara's home church, Grace Community Church at Morval near Looe.

The visit had been an outstanding success. The Nexus band were a credit to themselves, to their college and to the Lord. Excitement is mounting as a band from Nexus return to Cornwall to lead the worship at CCYC - the Cornwall Christian Youth Camp held at Bodmin Community College. One of the young people who attended the workshops has already visited the Nexus Academy for an Open Day and had an interview for studying there next year.

Lara and Claire are planning to launch taking these kinds of workshops to churches and Christian groups around the country once they have finished their year's course in Coventry. Pray for them. Support and encourage them. They have a heart for Cornwall, but wherever they go they fly the flag for the county's youth! If you want to find out more about Nexus check out Lara's article on this website.

Photos on this page

From top to bottom:
The Nexus Band;
Lara demonstrates posture for the vocalists while Claire explains;
Jamie teaching Bubbles in the Bass Workshop;
Rich taking the Guitar Workshop;
The Live Playing Workshops;
Hannah in the guitar workshop.

For extra pics click on the more photos button at the top of this page