Notes and Lines

Gian Benallo from First Christian Church of Huber Heights in Dayton, Ohio, presents a unique stage design that resembles sheet music.

Gian used 8-foot clear fluorescent light protectors, purchased from Lowe’s, and attached them to a frame made from 1x4s painted flat black. These were screwed to the stage with L brackets. To attach them, he cut a small X in the front with a razor blade, allowing a screw to pass through without significant damage. The protectors were secured to the frame from the back. Inside the tubes, Gian inserted long strips of sketch paper from a roll bought at Hobby Lobby. This paper diffused the Supernight SMD5050 RGB LED strip lights, purchased from Amazon, making the tubes appear like colored fluorescent bulbs.

For another stage element, Gian used two 4×4-foot pieces of hardboard from Lowe’s. He cut out a pattern using a hole saw and painted them flat black. These hardboards were attached to the same type of frame as the light tubes. The insides were also covered with sketch paper. He used 2 Chauvet Color Pallets (LED wash panels) offset from left to right to backlight them. The Color Pallets were effective because they can be divided into 8 different areas with varying colors, creating impressive gradients.

The entire project cost less than $250, excluding the Color Pallets, which were already owned and cost about $150 each. However, other lighting options, such as Par LEDs, could be used to achieve similar results.

Creating Musical Stage Designs for Worship

Music-themed stage designs offer a unique opportunity to visually reinforce the central role of worship in church services. This sheet music design from First Christian Church of Huber Heights demonstrates how everyday materials can be transformed into meaningful visual metaphors that resonate with congregations. The vertical lines of the fluorescent protectors naturally evoke musical staff lines, while the illuminated tubes suggest notes waiting to be played, creating an atmosphere of anticipation and creative possibility.

The genius of this design lies in its accessibility for churches of all sizes and budgets. By repurposing standard fluorescent light protectors found at any hardware store, Gian created professional-looking light tubes at a fraction of the cost of commercial stage lighting fixtures. The 8-foot length provides substantial visual impact without overwhelming smaller stages, and the modular nature of the design allows for flexible arrangements depending on your specific space constraints. Churches can easily adapt this concept to create different configurations, from symmetrical arrangements flanking a center screen to asymmetrical designs that add visual interest.

The diffusion technique using sketch paper is particularly noteworthy for volunteer teams. Unlike specialized diffusion materials that can be expensive and difficult to source, sketch paper from a craft store provides excellent light scattering properties at minimal cost. The paper’s slight texture helps eliminate the “hot spots” that often plague LED strip installations, creating instead a smooth, even glow that mimics traditional fluorescent tubes. This approach also makes bulb replacement or color changes simple, as the paper can be easily removed and reinserted.

Hardboard panels offer another budget-friendly material that delivers professional results. Often called Masonite, this material is inexpensive, readily available, and easy to work with using standard woodworking tools. The circular cutouts created with a hole saw add visual rhythm and allow backlighting to shine through, creating depth and dimension that flat panels cannot achieve. Painting the hardboard flat black ensures that the focus remains on the illuminated elements rather than the structure itself.

Lighting control through the Chauvet Color Pallets adds versatility that static lighting cannot match. The ability to program different colors and gradients means this design can adapt to various service themes throughout the year, from warm ambers during contemplative moments to vibrant colors during celebration services. The 8-zone division capability allows for sophisticated programming that can create movement and visual interest without physical motion, keeping the design feeling fresh across multiple services.

Related Designs

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• Arched Stained Glass – See how to build cathedral-style stained glass windows using foam, fabric, and creative lighting techniques.
• LED by the Crosses – Explore how to construct dramatic LED crosses using aluminum extrusions and LED tape for worship centerpieces.
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Pro Tips for LED Tube Stage Projects

Plan Your Power Distribution: LED strips require careful power planning to avoid voltage drop and ensure consistent brightness across all tubes. Calculate total wattage for your entire installation and use appropriately rated power supplies with at least 20% headroom. For longer runs, consider injecting power at multiple points rather than just one end. Always use proper wire gauges for your current draw, and label all connections clearly for future troubleshooting.

Master the Diffusion: The quality of your diffusion material dramatically affects the final appearance of LED tubes. Test different papers, fabrics, and films to find the right balance between light transmission and hot spot elimination. Thinner materials allow more light through but may show individual LED points, while thicker materials provide better diffusion but reduce overall brightness. Consider layering materials for optimal results.

Build for Transport and Storage: Unless your stage design is permanent, plan for how it will be stored between uses. Design frames that can be disassembled or folded flat to minimize storage space. Protect delicate elements like the fluorescent tubes with padding during transport. Document your assembly process with photos so volunteers can recreate the design without guesswork. Consider color-coding connection points to simplify setup.

Program Versatile Lighting Scenes: Take full advantage of your LED controllers by creating multiple lighting scenes for different service moments. Develop a baseline scene for general use, then create variations for worship, prayer, announcements, and special events. Test your programming in the actual venue, as colors can appear differently on camera than they do to the naked eye. Document your DMX addresses and scene settings for easy volunteer reference.

Related: Taste the Rainbow – Discover how to create a stunning wavy Coroplast backdrop with offset studs for dynamic stage lighting effects.