SIX REASONS WHY CHILDREN SHOULD PLAY MUSIC IN CHURCH

Part of being a church pianist slash piano teacher is raising the next generation of church musicians. I always encourage young pianists to share their music gifts with their local congregation. Whenever a student’s parent would ask me: “Ms Raluca, when’s Johnny’s next performance opportunity?” (implying a formal studio recital) I’d reply: “When’s your next church service?” 😎 Christian piano students need not wait for the end-of-the-year studio recital to share their gifts with the public! They can do it at church! And I believe that’s even better than waiting for the piano teacher to organize her students’ recitals. Below I’ll list three pedagogical reasons and three spiritual reasons as to why young Christian pianists should play in church:

THREE PEDAGOGICAL REASONS why children should play music in church:

1. Frequent Performance Practice. As piano teachers we understand the value of frequent performance practice. We encourage our students to play for their families, to sign up for their schools’ talent shows, and, obviously, to perform in our studio recitals. When there’s a performance opportunity on the schedule, students will practice better and smarter than they usually do. The more performance opportunities they have, the more repertoire they will master and they will be equipped with better task management skills. For church-going families, there’s already a built-in WEEKLY opportunity for the young pianist to perform publicly WITHOUT parents having to go out of their way! Since the family already attends church, the child can use that opportunity to perform, whether in the main service, or in Sunday school, or in a small group setting. The more they perform, the more confident they become at the piano!

2. Learning How to Handle Stage Anxiety In a Safe Environment. I have this one student, let’s call him Oliver (age 9). In the span of one semester he had performed twice – in September he played a church postlude and in December he played in our studio’s Christmas recital. At the September performance he was GLOWING with excitement but at the December performance he was shaking in fear! “What is the matter?” I asked. “I’m nervous because I don’t know anyone here!” he replied. That was a lightbulb moment – the church performance back in September took place in a familiar setting (our sanctuary) and he already knew everyone in the congregation. By contrast, the December performance was in an unfamiliar setting and he didn’t know any of the other families in attendance.

Not all students will feel as confident in church – some will struggle with stage anxiety no matter the environment. HOWEVER – the church provides that safe space where it’s ok to fail. It’s ok to mess up your performance, it’s ok to press the wrong note and it’s ok to cry. Why? Because those people already love you. Nobody will judge you. Even if you mess up, they will STILL love you, because they are your spiritual family.

3. Familiar Repertoire. Many students struggle with learning new repertoire (and performing it publicly) partly because they lack a connection with the music. Either they’re not accustomed to classical music or they don’t understand the value of learning this particular skill. The advantage of playing in church is that there’s already a built-in connection with the repertoire – young pianists get to choose songs they are already familiar with. And there are SO MANY arrangements of old hymns, modern hymns, and other contemporary music for every level! Don’t know where to begin? Check out my collection of early-intermediate piano hymn arrangements here. From my experience, students learn their hymn piano arrangements three times faster than their classical sonatinas 😂

THREE SPIRITUAL REASONS why children should play music in church:

1. Ministering to the body of Christ. Earlier in this blog post I kept referring to the opportunity to play in church as a “performance” opportunity. While, objectively speaking, it is a form of performance (you play, others listen), in its theological essence music is an act of ministry. When we play music in church we don’t do it to show off our skills and we don’t do it to get graded like we do in school. When we play music in church we do it for God and for his people. We build each other up. Therefore, when children play music in church, they learn that there’s a higher end to making music, that goes beyond memorizing their repertoire because their teacher said so. When children play music in church, they learn that music is a ministry, and thus they become active participants as they minister to the body of Christ.

2. Belonging to the Body of Christ. Playing music in church allows the church to come together as the body of Christ – the child plays a familiar hymn and everyone else is humming along. It is a tangible experience of how everyone is part of the same body, doing life together and encouraging one another. Since church is not a place of artistic criticism, rather a place where one can play a wrong note and still be loved (!) young musicians will understand that they belong to the church, they belong to the body of Christ EVEN when they make mistakes (future conversations about mistakes vs. actual sins is highly encouraged). Moreover, when we belong to the same body, we learn how each member contributes with their own gifts, whether you are young or old. There is no distinction between grown-up Christians and not-yet-grown-up Christians when it comes to belonging to the body of Christ. The church needs children as much as children need the Church.

3. Grown-ups Will Understand How To Obey Christ In New Ways. When we allow children to be active participants in the church, we obey Christ who said: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14, NIV). Jesus clearly wanted his disciples to learn something from the way children interacted with Him. But how often do we see children running up to Jesus today? Do churches allow for this to take place? I’ve been to churches where children were completely out of sight, tucked away in a Sunday school room all year long, never participating in the main service. Yes, children need to hear the gospel in an accessible language, AND at the same time we must create opportunities where the entire body of Christ can come together. Making music is a great option. Here’s one idea: your church can organize a hymn-sing on a Saturday evening where everyone comes together (young and old) and people take turns playing piano on said hymns while the rest sang along. I believe grown-ups need to be around children just as much as children need to be around grown-ups.

If you have young pianists in your life, encourage them to actively participate in the church! They need not play in the main service, but they can still serve in Sunday school, mid-week services, or small group gatherings. The church will be blessed to hear them play.

Let's encourage the next generation of musicians to use their gifts for the Lord and for the church!