| |
March 2000 Table of Contents
Petite Praisers
Children's Choir: Educating For Worship
By Sharon Marshall
Children's Music Coordinator, Olive Baptist Church, Pensacola, Florida
Growing up in South Texas and then here in Pensacola, as the daughter of a Minister of Music, (one of those MMK's), I've experienced first hand the many changes in the world of church music. We've come from old upright pianos and pump organs to grand pianos and full orchestras. We've come from traditional hymns to campfire choruses to a great blend of both hymns and contemporary worship songs. I grew up in small churches, but have been in mega churches for the last twenty years. It doesn't matter whether then or now, big or small; the purpose of the music ministry in a church has always been the same - to bring glory and honor to our loving, Almighty God.
The ultimate goal for our children's choir ministry is for the children to learn that we were created to praise God. We want them to realize what an awesome privilege it is to praise Him and what an enormous responsibility it is to lead others into praise and worship. Our hope is that these children will go on to become youth choir worship leaders and then skilled, adult choir worship leaders. And who knows, to complete the cycle, maybe even children's choir workers?
The real challenge is to keep our program up to date, without sacrificing the wonderful traditions of the past. The competition for the time and efforts of our children is fierce. With video games, computers, sports, television, movies, school and other extra-curricular activities, kids have so many options to consider. Although we don't want to lower our standards or come down to the secular level, we have to be mindful of this competition.
"Variety is the spice of life" is definitely a key slogan for teaching children in this new century. Gone are the days of "sit up straight and sing." Choir has to be fun and exciting, action-packed.
First of all, we have to prayerfully select the right music for our children. We still have a hymn memory program in which the children memorize one hymn each month. If they learn all eight hymns, they receive a trophy at the end of the year. There are so many hymns of the faith that are not used in our services very often. I want the children to have exposure to these songs that reveal our deep heritage. I don't want these to be lost to our children. But at the same time, they also have a praise and worship song to learn each month. They need to feel a part of Sunday worship. As they become more familiar with the music being sung, they will feel more confident about joining in worship. It is priceless to watch the faces of our children as the minister of music begins a tune they have learned in choir.
One facet of our hymn program is learning about the authors and the stories behind some of the songs. The story of how Horatio G. Spafford wrote the song "It is Well With My Soul" after losing his children is such a testimony of the peace of God. Another powerful testimony is the story of how Augustus Toplady, the author of "Rock of Ages," actually took refuge in the cleft of a large rock during a great storm. They learn that the same God in the new, more contemporary songs is the same great God of these hymn writers of the past. The topics relevant then are still relevant today. The other facet of the hymn program is teaching the meaning of the words that are not typical of modern day language. Many times even the adults don't know what they're singing about. This is sometimes the more difficult part of hymn teaching, especially for the younger children.
Selecting the right musical for your children also takes much prayerful consideration. There are so many wonderful writers out there now who have written good, sound scripts and songs. It is a matter of where your church is and where it's going, and where your children are in their walk with the Lord.
In addition to hymns, praise songs, and musicals, we listen to everything we can get our hands on and choose songs that exemplify who we are and who Jesus is. One of our favorite collections of activity driven songs is Move to the Beat by children's music writer Pam Andrews. Genevox's Made For Praise series is full of fun worship songs. Both of these works use a variety of musical styles that keep children wondering what's next.
Secondly, it is very important to teach our children simple musical skills. Many of our schools have lost the funding for music and in some areas, we are the only chance for music education. One of my favorite people in the field of children's choirs, Connie Fortunato, a wonderful children's music educator says that teaching a child to love music, but not teaching him musical skills is like teaching a child to love books but never teaching him how to read. We want them to be equipped to be the best they can be for the Lord, both now and later in life. Many children who learn simple musical skills in children's choir have gone on to other musical experiences with great ease. Most of these skills can be taught within the context of hymn singing, praise and worship songs, musicals, worksheets, games, instrument activities, movement and other fun activities. Lifeway's Children's Music Series, has some excellent activities that help teach these skills. The kids don't have to know they're learning...
Our ministry is not "performance" driven. The preschoolers do a Christmas and spring program for parents and family only. The first through sixth grade choirs each lead in worship during a Wednesday night service once a year. The first through third grade choirs do a mini-musical some time during the year - Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, etc. The fourth and fifth graders do a big musical in the spring and the sixth graders "do their own thing." We try to keep Worship as our focus. We ask parents not to take flash photography or video during any worship service. Red video lights all over the place make it seem like a show, not worship. To be honest, this isn't a popular policy among parents, but worship is not a spectator event, it requires participation. What better way to teach our children than by example! Change is inevitable in this world, but our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Prayer is the key to combining the old and the new and making it work for His glory and honor. Only God can do that.
Back to Top
|
|
