Memories of Down Under

Some of you may know that I’ve spent quite a little time down under – in Australia and New Zealand – working with artists, and teaching at music festivals and conferences. I’ve even done a few of my own workshops in that part of the world.

I love Australia and New Zealand! There are some great cities there – Sydney and Auckland are two of my favorites. The Great Barrier Reef is a unique place to snorkel. But most of all, I love the people (even though they talk funny and drive on the wrong side of the road)!

If I remember correctly, the first time I was invited down there was when Parachute Festival and Hillsong Music Conference asked me to be a part of their deal. We stayed at the facilities in the Sydney Olympic Park and had a great time. A big plus was that it was winter in the States, but it was summer down there (always a great perk – especially when you have to fly 14 hours from LA just to get there)!

One of the people I met the first time I was down there invited me to work with his group the next time I came. I told him I’d love to do that. And then I totally forgot about it! So I was really glad when I went back in 2006 that I got a call from him asking if I remembered about coming out to teach and work with his team. Because it turned out to be the perfect opportunity for me to put together my new workshop DVDs for worship teams. You see, the invitation came from the worship leader at the largest church in New Zealand (over 6000 members), and his “group” was over 300 musicians, all part of his team.

I’d never worked with a group of 300 people before! Actually, they didn’t all play and sing at one time. Their ability levels ran from beginner to professional, the average group size was 6-12 people, and each of the groups played to different groups within the church at different times. This particular church, LIFE Church in Auckland, has a great production facility onsite, and they were agreeable to filming the teaching for me.

So now I’ve just released Expressive Worship, a 2-DVD set of teaching for worship teams, worship leaders, and Christian/Gospel artists that perform on Sunday mornings. You can read more about it and my thoughts about working with worship teams in my most recent blog The Same But Different, and on the Expressive Worship product page. Read about what I covered in the workshop and teaching, plus view some video clips of the product, too! And then let your worship leader or pastor know about this new teaching tool to help create more Expressive Worship in your congregation!

Tom Jackson

Tom is uniquely talented and skilled at transforming an artist's live show into a magical experience for the audience; helping artists at every level create a live show that is engaging and memorable, teaching them to exceed their audiences' expectations and to create fans for life. Tom has taught indie and major artists of every genre. He has worked with Taylor Swift, Le Crae, Home Free, The Tenors, Shawn Mendes, The Band Perry, Francesca Battistelli, Jars of Clay, & many more. Tom also teaches at colleges, conferences and events worldwide.

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