The Bible and Music

What is the value of actually singing a song?  Do you get something more from it than just listening?

Whenever Dr. McGrath asks us to sing, there is an instant feeling of dread that you can feel in the room.  Why can’t we just listen and talk about the music?  I think there is value to both listening and singing.

When you listen to something, you can focus on the melody and the general sound.  You can think about how a song makes you feel – happy, sad excited, etc.  This is important, because melody and feeling contribute a lot to the purpose of a song.

When you sing a song, you are forced to focus on the lyrics.  Assuming that you know the right lyrics of the song, singing along makes you think about the author and the message they are trying to convey.  This is particularly important in biblical music or music with biblical references.  The artist is often trying to tell a story or make a connection between their own life and their faith.  No matter how a melody makes you feel, you will never know the whole story unless you understand the lyrics.

Once you have taken the time to both listen and sing a song, you can start to have a complete understanding of the story being conveyed.  The words tell you the story, but the melody tells you the mood and gives context.