MUSI 4150.01
Practicum in Music Ministry I
Fall 2016
Tuesdays at 9:30, JGMB 102
Instructor: Thomas R. Webster, Ph.D.
Office: JGMB 102
Phone: 903-923-2158 (office): 903-407-2123 (cell)
E-mail:
Office Hours: MWF: 8:00-10:00; TR: 11:00-12:00; 1:00-2:00
I am pleased to meet with you, and I ask that you make an appointment whenever possible. Drop-ins are welcome, but I may not be available. Please make an appointment with me directly or by contacting the SCPA office at or ext. I want very much to assist you. Your success in this course is my primary goal.
Course Description:
This course provides an on-the-job training in an assigned church music leadership capacity approved by the program coordinator. Course requirements include periodic reports and plans. The public demonstration presented in MUSI 4250 will be developed and approved in consultation with the course instructor and on-site ministry supervisor during this semester.
Textbooks:
Bradley, Randall C. From Postlude to Prelude: Music Ministry’s Other Six Days. 2nd
Edition. St. Louis: Morning Star Publishers, 2015.
ISBN-10: 0-944529-67-4 ISBN-13: 978-0-944529-67-6
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will
· apply Christian ministry skills within the context of a church music program;
· develop, discuss and defend a philosophy for music ministry within the context of the local church
· develop skills, sensibilities, and spiritual focus to be an effective minister and church music leader; and
· evaluate ministry practices as they relate to the work with a professional church staff and the lay leadership of the church.
Like student teaching, this course provides students the opportunity to work in a church environment with actual ministry and music leadership responsibilities while working under the supervision of a church staff member and music faculty as well.
Attendance/Participation Requirements
Class Meetings: The student is required to meet with the faculty weekly throughout the semester.
Perfect attendance at all church responsibilities is expected and required. If the student fails to attend any required church function, or fails to complete any church responsibilities as determined by either the ministry supervisor or the instructor of this course, he/she will be subject to any measure of grade reduction as determined by the instructor. Further, if the student’s work is deemed unacceptable by the ministry supervisor, the church to which the student is responsible may terminate the student’s responsibilities, paid or volunteer, at any time during the course of the semester. If the church does release the student from his/her responsibilities, the student will receive a grade of “F” for this course.
Course Requirements and Assessments
Students will be assigned a ministry supervisor. The supervisor, in conjunction with the course instructor, will be a minister in a local congregation, and that individual will assign weekly ministerial, administrative and other professional responsibilities. The supervisor will work closely with and monitor the student’s work throughout the semester. The responsibilities of each student must be provided in writing by the ministry supervisor and approved by the course instructor at the initial class meeting during the first week of classes.
At each meeting the professor and students will discuss the students’ activities and experiences in his/her ministry work, as well as discuss the assigned readings.
The professor will make additional ministry-related assignments (e.g. prayer ministry, prospect contacts, grief and hospital ministry, administrative meetings attendance with staff and/or deacons, prospect contacts, evangelistic contacts) as needed and appropriate throughout the course of the semester.
During the weekly meetings, the student will provide discuss each topic outlined in the student learning outcomes above, and will provide the following written assignments during the mid-semester period and final exam period of the semester.
Grade Computation
Written Assignments 33%
Faculty Evaluation of Ministry Work 34%
Made from class discussions, on-site observations, and conversations with on-site supervisor
Ministry Supervisor Evaluation of Ministry Work 33%
A = Student completed all work competently and on time; and was well
prepared for all work; call to ministry was clearly evident in work ethic and attitude, was never late and had 100% attendance at all assigned work (except if emergency situations arose and these were handled appropriately and professionally.)
B = Student completed all work, had minimal issues meeting deadlines,
demonstrated acceptable competency and few weaknesses; call to
ministry was clearly evident in work ethic and attitude, student experienced personal and professional growth throughout the semester, was never late and had 100% attendance at all assigned work (except if emergency situations arose and these were handled appropriately and professionally.)
C = Student work was minimally acceptable, missing few deadlines and demonstrating competency is some, but not all areas of responsibility; call to ministry is evident, but work ethic and/or attitude needs improvement, had minimal issues with lateness and attendance, and when those issues arose, they were handled appropriately and professionally.
F = Work is unacceptable either in competency, commitment, attitude or in
any other way. Tardiness and/or attendance was in any way problematic.
Since the grading in this course is largely subjective, the Faculty and Ministry Supervisors assume the responsibility to communicate regularly with the student regarding the quality of all aspects of their work based on the grading criteria above. However, the student also assumes the responsibility to ask the faculty and ministry supervisor about their work, specifically regarding the grading criteria above so that they will always know where they stand regarding the quality of their work and the grade in the class. If at any time the student receives differing reports from the two supervisors, the student is required to send an email to both individuals requesting a joint consultation.
Final Exam: The final exam will be the completion of the written assignments described above. The student will turn in this assignment by noon on Monday, November 28 and then make an appointment to meet with the instructor privately to discuss this material.
Supplementary Materials (not required)
From Postlude to Prelude, Randall Bradley
The Worship Sourcebook, The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
Getting Ready for Sunday: A Practical Guide for Worship Planning, Martin Theilen
Prayers for the People, Michael Perry, ed.
The Complete Handbook for Ministers, James L. Christensen
Ready to Minister, William M. Pinson, Jr.
Formation for Christian Ministry, Anne Davis and Wade Rowatt, Jr.
Priorities in Ministry, Ernest E. Mosley.
Students with Disabilities
A student with a disability may request appropriate accommodations for this course by contacting the Office of Academic Success, Marshall Hall, Room 301, and providing the required documentation. If accommodations are approved by the Disability Accommodations Committee, the Office of Academic Success will notify the student and the student’s professor of the approved accommodations. The student must then discuss these accommodations with his or her professor.Students may not ask for accommodations the day of an exam or due date. Arrangements must be made prior to these important dates. For additional information, please refer to pages 15-16 of the catalog.
Academic Integrity
Students enrolled at East Texas Baptist University are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity avoiding all forms of cheating, illicit possession of examinations or examination materials, unwarranted access to instructor’s solutions’ manuals, plagiarism, forgery, collusion and submissions of the same assignment to multiple courses.
Penalties that may be applied by the faculty member to individual cases of academic dishonesty by a student include one or more of the following:
• Failure of the class in question
• Failure of particular assignments
• Requirement to redo the work in question
• Requirement to submit additional work
All incidents related to violations of academic integrity are required to be reported to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and multiple violations of academic integrity will result in further disciplinary measures which could lead to dismissal from the University.
Class Attendance
East Texas Baptist University is committed to the policy that regular and punctual attendance is essential to successful scholastic achievement. Attendance at all meetings of the course for which a student is registered is expected. To be eligible to earn credit in a course, the student must attend at least 75 percent of all class meetings. For additional information, please refer to page 30 of the 2016-2017 Undergraduate Catalog.
Students who exceed the absence limit in a course before the official withdrawal date will have the opportunity to withdraw from the class. Students in this situation who do not choose to withdraw on or before the official withdrawal date or who exceed the absence limit in a course after the official withdrawal date will receive a grade of XF.
Course Withdrawal
A student may withdraw from a course or courses or from the University beginning with the first day through 75 percent of the semester without academic penalty. The final day to withdraw from this course is Friday, November 11.
To withdraw from a course or courses or from the University the student must secure a withdrawal form from the Registrar’s Office, his/her advisor, or from the ETBU website, and follow the directions on the form, securing all required signatures. Students must process their own withdrawals. For additional information, please refer to page 29 of the 2016-2017 Undergraduate Catalog.
Weapons in Class
The on-campus possession of firearms, explosives, or fireworks is prohibited with the exception of the transportation and storage of firearms and ammunition by concealed handgun license holders in private vehicles (as described in SB1907) Pursuant to Section 30.06, Penal Code (trespass by license holder with a concealed handgun), a person licensed under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code (handgun licensing law, may not enter this property (ETBU) with a concealed handgun. The ETBU President may grant authorization to a qualified and certified full-time faculty or staff member, who is a license holder with a concealed handgun to conceal carry on the University campus, at a University-sponsored event or within or on a University vehicle.