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...
A Handful of Hard Notes
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Singing
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...
My Teacher Could Sight-Sing
For my final interview of this type, Adolf Unger talks about how he became interested in music and the influence that music can have. This interview is part of a series of...
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...
Music: Where to Start?
This is an introduction to a series of articles on how best to encourage music. “I can’t sing,” my pastor told me. “I wish I could, but I can’t sing a note.” I was surprised. His...
Building Confidence Singing in Church
What are five ways I can build my confidence as a congregational singer? I must sing. It’s what a redeemed person does. I won’t build confidence by only listening to...
Helping Those Who Sing “Off-tune”
Anytime we respond to someone who says they are tone deaf or can’t carry a tune, we should use language very carefully. For starters,…