Role of Music and Worship
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Music plays an important role in worship. It soothes one’s soul and lifts the spirit.. It also creates atmosphere. Have you ever noticed how movie productions use music to stimulate suspense, humor, and deep emotions? How can you use music to create attitude and emotion, and what types of music should you use?
Making Music Fit the Purpose
When thinking of children’s music, most adults think of cute, silly, kiddy sounding tunes with lots of body movement and actions. While that style of music has its time and place, there is so much more to offer children! Children enjoy action songs, but they can also enjoy sincere, slow, worshipful songs that lead them into the presence of God Almighty. It’s necessary to have a well-balanced selection for your kids and keep in mind the tone you want to create in that part of the service. For example, if you’re going to be teaching on a heavy topic that will require their undivided attention, don’t hype them up with action songs or alternative music and expect them to instantly slow down for serious concentration when your teaching begins. Use the type of music that fits the attitude you need for that particular part of the service.
Music can be used in several different parts of the service, such as during the regular song worship and altar time, creating an inviting atmosphere while the children arrive, developing a certain mood while telling a story, and adding excitement while playing a game. Let the music help set the attitude and emotion needed for that particular part of the service. For example, music played while kids are arriving doesn’t always have to be an on-the-cutting-edge style to hype them up because it plays an important part in how they will respond later in the service. One well-known children’s pastor always uses slower, worshipful music while the children arrive. He plays up-beat music that stimulates a lot of energy just before they leave to go home. On the other hand, if a particular service is a all game review day or a contest culmination and party, more active pre-service music is appropriate for the setting you are trying to create. Similarly, many children’s pastors like to play more alternative style music in the background during game time, but not during worship time. Or, if you feel the need to build the kids’ enthusiasm for being at church as they aren’t trained to worship yet, start with more active songs and gradually keep slowing the pace of various songs until you lead into slow worship at the end of your song worship time. Then the kids will be more thoughtful, focused on God, and ready to hear from Him. Make the music fit your purpose and you’ll be helping yourself to reach your service goals!
What Should I Look for in a CD/DVD?
It’s also good to use quality, contemporary music (Contemporary doesn’t refer only to fast-paced music.) in a split-trax format. You can use the music with the words to teach the song and then move on to music without the words once the children know the song.
Copyright Concerns
Whatever music you use, also keep in mind the copyright laws. You may want to check with the director of music at your church for royalties needed to create transparencies, video, or PowerPoint presentations. Your church may also already have a program set up to legally produce transparencies, etc. Of course, there are people who are putting out royalty-free music that are exceptional to use with special ministry performances as well as royalty-free music for kids’ worship transparencies.
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