A Note – From Our Music Studio: Music Literacy?
“Now thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things hath done, In Whom the world rejoices; Who from our mother’s arms hath blessed us on our way with countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.”
(17th century hymn “Nun danket alle Gott”)
Who wondrous things hath done, In Whom the world rejoices; Who from our mother’s arms hath blessed us on our way with countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.”
(17th century hymn “Nun danket alle Gott”)
The great command that God gave to the Israelites, and Christ reiterated, is known as the “Shema” (Deuteronomy 6), “Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one! You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as phylacteries between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Remembering (commonly referred to as reviewing in education), is possibly the most important, and certainly most prevalent aspect of education. In the act of remembering, a teacher assesses the student’s frame: do they understand, where do they need to grow, or have they mastered this and it is now a part of them?...
When God told Moses that the day of his death was near, He gave Moses a song that God Himself may sing (through Moses) to the Israelites. This song relayed Israel’s eventual corruption and discipline, but more importantly it rehearsed God’s covenant faithfulness to them and commanded them to return and to remember. In Psalm 96, God commands all the earth to sing—retelling His faithfulness to no end! In Colossians, the Apostle Paul commands the Church to let the Word of Christ dwell richly in them. How, Paul? By singing.
How can singing be such a paramount aspect of the people of God, and yet, we live in a culture where singing is awkward, or only for those who are “good” at it? In part, I believe it is because the vast majority of God’s people are musically illiterate. Literacy is the key to accessing the wonderful depths of any language. Without English literacy, you could never hope to understand the book of Romans. Without Music literacy, you could never hope to sing it back to God with excellence (which He commands you to do—Colossians 3:16).
So, if I had to answer, “Why Music Literacy?” in 5 words, I would say, “Because, it is being obedient.” But it is so much more than that. Music literacy is nourishment for the whole person; mind, body, and soul. Music literacy is ontological (what are we?), teleological (what are we for?), and doxological (who are we for?) Think of the Westminster Shorter Catechism question no. 1; our chief end (our telos) is to glorify God and enjoy Him, forever! Do we know all the things that we will do in eternity? No. Do we know one thing we’ll do, for sure? Yes: we’ll sing. With renewed perfection and harmony, we’ll sing a new song.
So let us start now, learning to sing with understanding and excellence to our King (Psalm 47:7). With joyful, beautiful songs let’s foreshadow and yearn for our glorious eternity in Christ.
Music literacy is one of the gifts we seek to give our Imago Dei students and families. When your student comes home, do ask them, “What are you learning in Music class?” and have them teach it to you (teaching is one of the best ways to truly learn something). Do the hard, sometimes awkward, but vital work of making singing and listening to musical masterworks a part of your home’s culture.
If you don’t know where to begin, that’s why I am here! I intend to continue my regular newsletters to parents, Lord willing. In them, I have a hymn and/or a masterwork of the month for you to enjoy as a family. If you are interested in past Newsletters (2022-24) please email me (laenamueller@missiodeifellowship.org).
As we plant the seeds of musical literacy in our children now, let us pray for a wonderful crop— Soli Deo Gloria!
Author: Laena Mueller
Remembering (commonly referred to as reviewing in education), is possibly the most important, and certainly most prevalent aspect of education. In the act of remembering, a teacher assesses the student’s frame: do they understand, where do they need to grow, or have they mastered this and it is now a part of them?...
When God told Moses that the day of his death was near, He gave Moses a song that God Himself may sing (through Moses) to the Israelites. This song relayed Israel’s eventual corruption and discipline, but more importantly it rehearsed God’s covenant faithfulness to them and commanded them to return and to remember. In Psalm 96, God commands all the earth to sing—retelling His faithfulness to no end! In Colossians, the Apostle Paul commands the Church to let the Word of Christ dwell richly in them. How, Paul? By singing.
How can singing be such a paramount aspect of the people of God, and yet, we live in a culture where singing is awkward, or only for those who are “good” at it? In part, I believe it is because the vast majority of God’s people are musically illiterate. Literacy is the key to accessing the wonderful depths of any language. Without English literacy, you could never hope to understand the book of Romans. Without Music literacy, you could never hope to sing it back to God with excellence (which He commands you to do—Colossians 3:16).
So, if I had to answer, “Why Music Literacy?” in 5 words, I would say, “Because, it is being obedient.” But it is so much more than that. Music literacy is nourishment for the whole person; mind, body, and soul. Music literacy is ontological (what are we?), teleological (what are we for?), and doxological (who are we for?) Think of the Westminster Shorter Catechism question no. 1; our chief end (our telos) is to glorify God and enjoy Him, forever! Do we know all the things that we will do in eternity? No. Do we know one thing we’ll do, for sure? Yes: we’ll sing. With renewed perfection and harmony, we’ll sing a new song.
So let us start now, learning to sing with understanding and excellence to our King (Psalm 47:7). With joyful, beautiful songs let’s foreshadow and yearn for our glorious eternity in Christ.
Music literacy is one of the gifts we seek to give our Imago Dei students and families. When your student comes home, do ask them, “What are you learning in Music class?” and have them teach it to you (teaching is one of the best ways to truly learn something). Do the hard, sometimes awkward, but vital work of making singing and listening to musical masterworks a part of your home’s culture.
If you don’t know where to begin, that’s why I am here! I intend to continue my regular newsletters to parents, Lord willing. In them, I have a hymn and/or a masterwork of the month for you to enjoy as a family. If you are interested in past Newsletters (2022-24) please email me (laenamueller@missiodeifellowship.org).
As we plant the seeds of musical literacy in our children now, let us pray for a wonderful crop— Soli Deo Gloria!
Author: Laena Mueller
Posted in Discipleship, Education, Music, Worship
Posted in Classical Christian Education, Association of Classical Christian Schools, Music Class, Music Literacy, Kodály
Posted in Classical Christian Education, Association of Classical Christian Schools, Music Class, Music Literacy, Kodály
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