“ I don ’ t know how to play a musical instrument , recognize classical music composers , or have a beautiful singing voice , so there ’ s no way I could teach music to my children !”
As a long-time music teacher and home educator , I have heard this sentiment from countless parents . We all recognize the importance of musical instruction for brain development and making connections between multiple areas of study . But if you are not musically inclined , teaching music can feel intimidating due to abstract concepts and the wide variety of content within musical genres . If you feel unqualified or overwhelmed in this area , be encouraged that even the most non-musical person can incorporate meaningful , insightful , and God-honoring musical instruction into their home .
As Christians , we must approach everything from a biblical worldview . In our homeschool , we use the Bible as the foundation from which we teach . For example , in math and science , we begin each year by reading Genesis and reminding our children of God ’ s perfect creation . His orderliness , attention to detail , and the evidence we see around us affirm that the Bible confirms math and science . Our homeschool education is rooted and grounded in this book , and our study of music should not be an exception .
Music was important enough to be included in the Bible , so it should be important to us . Consider the following ideas to incorporate more music into your day .
USE THE BIBLE AS YOUR PRIMARY RESOURCE TO TEACH CHILDREN THE VALUE OF MUSIC
From Genesis to Revelation , the Bible is filled with music . I can easily imagine the beautiful music that could be heard in the Garden of Eden , from birds singing in harmony with creation . As early as Genesis 4 , we read of the first musician and musical instruments , “ His name was Jubal ; he was the father of all who play the harp and the flute .” God intentionally gave men the ability to know about and enjoy musical instruments from the earliest days .
Use the Bible as a model of how and what to sing . Singing out loud in worship was a common practice in the Bible . In Matthew 26:30 , we read that Jesus and His disciples sang a hymn together after the Last Supper . Paul and Silas sang in prison , and David sang to the Lord when he was delivered from the hands of his enemies .
While the Bible is not a songbook , it contains over 180 songs . One hundred fifty of these are written in the book of Psalms . There are songs of victory , lament , praise , deliverance , battle , thanksgiving , and even love songs . You may be excited to find that many of these songs have been written as contemporary praise and worship songs . See if you can match songs from the Bible with songs your family already knows .
RENEWANATION . ORG 21