music in the home

Incorporating church music into our family culture.

When I was a young girl, my parents decided it was high time we kids began to learn some church hymns.  Though I can’t recall the methodology, I do remember that it involved lots of repetition.  Consequently, by the time I was five or six, I had learned all three verses to the hymn Let Us All Press On.  That stirring song holds a sweet spot in my heart to this day.

Fast forward twenty or so years to when Tim and I were raising our young family.  During sacrament meeting, Tim would thoughtfully hold up the hymnbook to give me a chance to read the lyrics as we sang each congregational hymn.  Except that nine times out of ten, I politely let him know that I didn’t need him to.  Having practiced hymns with regularity as a child negated the use of a hymnbook because I’d memorized a majority of them.

Thanks mom and dad.

Music is such a huge part of our worship in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that it’s not difficult to imagine its importance to the Lord.

My earliest memories of feeling the Spirit are directly tied to my experiences singing Primary songs and hymns both in my home and at church.  For that very reason, I have worked diligently to ensure that my kids are given those same testimony-building opportunities.

Now that our church worship has temporarily shifted from meeting as a congregation on the Sabbath to gathering as families or individuals in our homes, how do we maintain the benefits of worshipful music?  Without our organists, our conductors, the special musical numbers and the energetic Primary choristers, how do we keep the music alive?

It doesn’t take much, honestly.  We don’t have to scour Pinterest for amazing ways to teach primary songs (although, as a Primary chorister there are some pretty incredible ones out there and it never hurts to borrow someone else’s awesome idea).

Here are a few simple ways to incorporate music into your home-centered church routine:

1.  As I mentioned above, repetition is key.  When my girls were little, we labeled one of the “tasks” on our family home evening chart “music”.  The person who is in charge of the music picks a song to learn that week.  Each night after scripture study and before our family prayer, we sing the chosen song…every night until the next family home evening when it’s someone else’s turn to pick the song.  After singing the same song 6 times, you can bet we’ve learned it pretty well.  (And are darn-ready to start singing a different one, not to mention.)
2. You might be familiar with Music and the Spoken Word.  It broadcasts every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time.  I can’t boast that our family reverently sits down to listen to this broadcast every Sunday, but I can attest that it plays at some point in our house every Sunday.  Although the Tabernacle Choir sings a variety of tunes from Broadway classics to Mendelssohn, my favorites are the tender arrangements of primary songs and latter-day hymns set to slideshows of beautiful scenery.  The inspirational message is always a winner, too.  
3. Did you know that just about every single Primary lesson in Come Follow Me for Primary includes a song?  If you are using this awesome resource to prepare Sunday lessons for your children at home, feel free to incorporate the suggested song(s).  It is easy to do, ties into the lesson, and might even be one of the songs our ward Primary is preparing for the program in September.
4. Do any of your children play an instrument or like to sing?  Find an arrangement of a hymn or primary song (at their level) and help them work to learn it.  Then have them provide the “special musical number” in your family’s sacrament meeting one Sunday.  When kids know they will be performing something, even it’s just for your family, they will feel accountable to learn it.  As they learn it, it becomes a part of them. 

As a side note, as a Primary chorister, I have invited several families in our ward to record themselves singing a chosen Primary song during the past month in which we have not had regular church meetings.  Then, I used the videos to make a single mashup video(Here’s an example).  I got great feedback from many families who participated, indicating that learning the song was such a positive experience for their children.  Added-bonus: at least a few children will know each song we are preparing for our Primary program really well.  Hopefully the rest of the kids will pick them up quickly when we resume our regular meeting schedule.  Hopefully.

Another great resource for using music to teach the gospel can be found in the Come Follow Me Manual for Primary Choristers.  Easy ideas for teaching music effectively to children can be found there.

There you have it.  A few simple ideas to incorporate music into your home-centered church (and your family culture, when thinking more broadly). 

What are some ways you use music in your religious worship at home?