I used in-ear monitors for the first time in high school. And although they are incredibly common, it is often an added expense that many small to medium-sized churches cannot justify. If you are new to in-ear monitors or are exploring what that may look like with your team, I wanted to share a few things I’ve learned over the years.
Practice before implementation.
Like most things, new can often mean scary, or bad. You and your team need to get used to using in-ear monitors before feeling the pressure to implement them. Don’t set them up and try them for the first time on a Sunday morning. Set up a separate rehearsal time, and use a mid-week rehearsal to test them out on a song or two. Just because you have them does not mean you need to make an immediate switch.
Set a team up for success.
One of the things I see when trying to implement new gear, new rhythms, or expectations for my team is the more I can work on the front end to set them up for success, the more likely they will be to embrace a change. With in-ears that could look like making sure that everyone understands how to mix their ears (is there an app, a piece of hardware, will the sound person be mixing?), understanding how to have a solid mix in general (start at zero, gradually layer in - starting with you, and your instrument, and bring everything else to a comfortable level around that).
Get the right gear.
Part of setting the team up for success is getting the right gear. Provide your team with quality headphones or earbuds. Don’t expect them just to bring a set of Apple earbuds they found in a junk drawer at home. If your team is used to floor monitors - or no monitors - in ears will be a significant adjustment. Spending a little bit of money on an ambient/crowd mic is an easy way for your team to not feel like they’ve gone from being able to hear everything and everyone, to only themselves.
Set the vision.
Many people do not like change. Why are you making the adjustment? Why are you asking people to learn something new? If you help shape the why, the what is often softened when the team is on board.