Philosophy of Church Music
4. PHILOSOPHY OF MUSICAL ACTIVITIES
DefinitionMusical activities comprise everything from denominational singing to choral programs. It addresses the human capital involved in creating and selecting music to the music itself to those involved in performing it.
Characteristics
The primary characteristic of musical activities is that it educates. But this
education happens on more than one front. First, it educates the denomination. It
prepares them for receiving truth in an interactive and mentally engaging fashion.
Second, it educates the performers. It makes better worshipers of them and, in turn,
better worship leaders of them.
Some examples of musical activities would include graded choirs, small and large ensembles, solos, music education opportunities, music therapy and music appreciation classes, and concert series.
Purpose
Musical activity is for ministering to the church. It concentrates on developing the
body of Christ in its maturity by providing teaching, and by providing opportunities to
serve and use individual talent.
It also creates social opportunities. Ensemble is first about community, not music. Creating musical activities brings people together who might not otherwise interact with one another, and creates new synergies in the congregation. Additionally (and somewhat pragmatically), it gives the music minister some insights as to the personal dynamic qualities of the people he might be interested in utilizing in the music ministry.
Ultimately, musical activity should be a self-perpetuating phenomenon. If new musical worshipers are not being involved, the worship aspect of the church suffers, and so ultimately does the overall ministry of the church. For this reason, it is worth addressing the matter of graded choirs.
Children are receiving varying degrees of musical education in school, but these musical education services are of a different quality and aim for a different purpose than that which a church could offer. In a graded choir program, children would have the opportunity to find their voicefirst, to find out if they have a singing voice (though this is often difficult to ascertain until shortly before puberty), and second to find out if they want to use their voice.
The graded choir program would also teach musical skills. Basic vocal technique principles can be started at any age (though maturity will necessitate slight modifications in individual approaches to vocal production). And there is no better time to teach music reading and critical listening skills than when the student is young.
Finally, it would teach the child the concepts of ministryissues such as solidarity in numbers, the matter of ensemble participation, the privilege and responsibility of leading in worship. All of these matters are best addressed early in life to ensure future participants in the larger worship leading communities. This is not to say that all children involved in graded choirs ought to remain in music functions as they grow up, but you will hardly have a better opportunity to cultivate the promising ones any other way.
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