hymn study questions

Love both of those sites! What we often do is to choose hymns and print several sets of lyrics for each child that I complile in a simple 3 ring binder. Then I find a good rendition of the song online or on one of our worship cd’s (or through one of the sites listed). We use our song sheets and the video for the first week or so, then just sing the hymn and learn the lyrics acapella for the rest of the month.

Hymn study is one of our favorite things! Be sure not to overlook the hymns (as opposed to the worship songs). We don’t hear them on the radio or in our churches much anymore, and they are so full of theology and rock-solid promises from the Word.

Another point about hymns vs. worship songs …

I was saved as an adult and remember my first Christmas in church singing, “O Come All Ye Faithful” with the family of believers. It was such a joy singing those words and realizing that I was part of the family of believers – the faithful – because of what Jesus did for me. There is awesome relational power in those hymns.

Also, as a lifetime choir singer, I can tell you that the melodies are much better suited to teaching singing to young people than some of the more modern and stylized songs. Part singing and learning to ‘mind your part’ is easily taught in a family circle through hymns.

I think now that I am excited about it, I had better make MY 2014 hymn study list!

I should have said “many” not “much” in my previous post. Oops.

I learned to sing parts by standing next to someone who was singing the alto line during congregational singing and looking at the musical score in the hymn book. By looking at the score, I could see how close the notes were to each other and when they went up and down and how far they jumped. I didn’t know the musical term “intervals,” but I got the idea from looking at the notes. I’m a visual person, and it really helped to see the notes and how they moved together.

That’s a good point, Sonya. Although I can play the piano and read music, what you described is exactly how I figured out how to SING alto — by sitting close enough to a strong alto voice that I could hear it (and learn to find it myself) amidst the majority of the congregation singing the melody. The alto post is typically much more comfortably in my range.

Maybe I could just play the alto part on the piano and we could sing that (after we know the soprano). Then once comfortable with that, we could sing with 2 kids on soprano, while I sing alto with another child? Hmmm….

Looking forward to hearing some ideas on this!

Well, I learned many hymns and ‘religious’ songs in public school choir (back in the day!) and that is how I learned to sing ‘parts’. Something strange to me when I started singing on a ‘praise team’ in church is that the singers did not use sheet music or read music at all! They use chord sheets, and they know the notes of the chord. That is still a foreign concept to me…though I have learned enough to wing a harmony. But I am not as adept at this as my fellow believers, who learned to sing this way.

But, as far as teaching parts to children:

What we do is learn the melody first. Then, the older children learn the alto part by my playing it several times and singing through it with them (alone). Once we have done that 3-4 times, they usually have it down well enough to sing the alto while the younger kids and I sing soprano (melody).

I love the idea Carolyn had about having someone recording the hymn acapella! We do use instruments at our church, but I feel that acapella singing is excellent training for teaching confident singing.

I read the biography “Bonhoeffer” a couple of years ago, and was struck by how his family worshipped by singing this way. His love of music and hymns helped strengthen his faith while he went to martyrdom for Christ. What a precious gift we give our kids by teaching them words of truth musically!