Music

A Handful of Hard Notes

Five Historic Questions About Church Music “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” 1 The captive Hebrews’ question has echoed down through 2,000 years of Christian...

Why Rudiments?

Music is a language, thus it communicates. Just as you learn to communicate at a young age without understanding any grammar, you can learn music without understanding rudiments....

Music in an Elementary Classroom

Learning can’t be all fun and games. Or can it? Well, probably not, but when it can be, why not make it that? My students don’t think of music as another class, but an organized...

Music That Nurtures the Soul (Part 2 of 2)

In Part One, I tried to establish that music affects the health of our souls (mind, will, and emotions) for good or ill. The common belief that music is neutral has falsely...

Music That Nurtures the Soul (Part 1 of 2)

The German blitz of London during World War 2 brought fear and uncertainty to Londoners that is unknown to most Americans. They fell asleep...

The Living Gift of the Congregation’s Songs

Living gifts must be cultivated and nourished. Our congregational practice of four-part, a cappella harmony did not simply appear by magic. Considering a few historical...

Should We Sing a New Song?

Did you know that many of the four-part hymns sung in many conservative Anabaptist meetings today were written between 1725 and 1925? We typically really like them. “Blessed...

Choral Facial Expressions

I enjoy watching and listening to music groups sing. But, without fail, whenever I watch a music group sing, many of them adopt a facial expression not unlike if they had stomach...

I Sing as I Live

I wanted to know what people my age are saying to my interview questions, so I asked my friend Grace Weaver about her experiences with music. This interview is part of a series...

Teach Them to Love It

In this article, Burton Heatwole talks about why he sings with his family. This interview is part of a series of articles on how best to encourage music. Lynn Martin: What’s your...

We Didn’t Sing at All

For this article, I asked my pastor, Kevin Brechbill, about his experiences with singing. This interview is part of a series of articles on how best to encourage music. Lynn...

Singing New Songs

Poetry is one of our primary means of worship. The prayers and praises recorded in Scripture are nearly always written in verse, and today we still worship God with...

Singing in Original Languages

"What are some benefits and drawbacks of singing songs in their original language, when most of the audience cannot understand the text? Are these issues different if sung in a...