Music is a gift from God that we can all appreciate! Even if you don’t play an instrument or sing, you can enjoy music. I was blessed to have singing parents.  They sang in churches, at home, and even in the car!  I didn’t have formal music lessons growing up, but the musical environment my parents provided gave me a love for music that has lasted through the years.

Perhaps just as influential was the music I learned at church.  In my childhood years, I was exposed to the great music of the Church in a variety of settings.  Traditional hymns and anthems, spirituals, soul, and gospel were all a part of my musical experience. Our family traveled throughout the U.S. wherever my parents ministered so I became familiar with many different music styles. I loved going to church, and I think one of the reasons why was the beautiful praise and worship music that was part of my childhood.

Because of my personal experience, it’s easy for me to see the value of music in children’s ministries, but not everyone has musical roots or realizes the many benefits that it can bring. In this blog, and subsequent articles I will point out some of those benefits and reasons why all teachers should consider using music to teach and inspire their students.

1. Music can set the tone for a joyful atmosphere in your class. Praise music helps us to focus on the goodness of God. Complaining children will often change their attitudes when they start singing songs of praise. Those who aren’t getting along are distracted and soon their differences seem to disappear.
2. The skillful use of music can bring order to your class or children’s church. You can help children use their high levels of energy to praise the Lord with fun exciting songs, and at other times bring a calmness and reverent atmosphere with slower worship songs.
3. Music touches the heart and helps prepare children for prayer and Bible story time. Just as pastors often plan for praise and worship music to prepare adults for the preaching of the Word, we can prepare children to receive God’s Word when we precede our lesson with songs of praise.
4. Children are spiritually uplifted as they worship God in song!  They enjoy expressing their emotions with music. One reason this is true is because the love and  joy we feel as believers can often be expressed more naturally with songs or instruments than with words alone.
5. Music helps children memorize scripture. The advertising world knows how easily we remember simple tunes and jingles and they invest millions of dollars to help us remember their products. Scripture is so much more valuable, but can also be easily brought to mind when the words are put to music.
6. Music can provide a cohesive group experience that is both fun and meaningful. Children enjoy hearing the sounds of their voices lifted together in praise! I’ve seen this happen as they suddenly become aware of the beautiful music they are making together! There’s so much variety in children’s music today and we should take advantage of both the new, and the old favorites that children enjoy!
7. Music provides a structure for learning Bible doctrine in an enjoyable way. Bible truths that are the foundation of our faith can be easily sung by children if they are age appropriate. And if they’re sung often, they’ll be remembered for years to come!
8. In addition to spiritual benefits, it has been established in research that learning music promotes our physical, mental, emotional and social growth. We are helping our students grow in all of these ways when we introduce music into our lessons.
9. Children can discover their natural gifts for music when you give them opportunities to sing or play instruments in your class. I was substituting one day in a third grade music class and I asked if any of the children would like to share a favorite song. Hands went up quickly! They all volunteered one of their friends to play the piano. I was amazed as their fellow student kept us all on the edge of our seats with his exciting rendition of a beautiful classical piece! But even the simple songs that some of the students sang afterwards were enjoyed by everyone!
10. Praise music brings glory to God! The Bible tells us to worship the Lord with singing, playing instruments, and dancing. For a refresher on some of the many ways we can use music to praise God, read Psalms 150. Then think about ways that you can use music in your class!

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16 NIV

So much more can be said on this subject so I’ll continue writing about the benefits of music and ways to use it in your class in my next blog.

God bless you as you serve Him today!

Verda Rubottom