By My Side: The Spirituality of Music
by Chris Thomas
“The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will extol Him.” Exodus 15:2 NAB
Music has always been part of the Judeo-Christian experience. It provided a way to remember and a way to worship. As early as in the fourth chapter of Genesis, Jubal, a seventh-generation descendant of Adam, was named the ancestor of all who play the lyre and the pipe. Exodus provides us the lyrics of the song of praise that Moses and the children of Israel sang after safely crossing the Red Sea. The book of Psalms in the Old Testament is a collection of religious songs gathered over the course of centuries. In them are found expressions of sorrow, longing, and praise.
Music can provide a bond through the singing of hymns by large congregations or through performances among friends. Marc-Andre Bougie, the music director for Texarkana Symphony Orchestra, shares that it was while he was directing a choir that he met and fell in love with one of the singers, Candace, who eventually became his wife. Their four-year-old daughter, Miriam, finds great joy in experiencing music by “playing” percussion on the Tupperware or having her dad accompany her on the piano while she is singing.
Music is definitely a family affair in the Bougie household. Children naturally use music and rhythm to express their feelings. Have you ever heard a young child spontaneously burst into song just because he is happy? This past summer, we vacationed in Florida with our 15-month-old grandson. We quickly learned that if we would sing “Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog”, he would break into a huge smile and start wiggling his hips and shoulders. That caused all gathered to grin and start dancing.
Music can spark laughter and create memories.
Four centuries before Christ, Plato wrote in the Republic that music subtly forms the soul to its own image whether for good or bad. He noted that even infants grasp its emotional aspects. Music disposes the young toward learning cognitively as well as emotionally. Marc-Andre noted singing aids in memorization whether that be learning geography or psalms and bible verses. He feels that it is important that children have access to musical instruments in the household. They can be as simple as cooking utensils or perhaps flutes or guitars found at garage sales.
Our culture is blessed with an easy ability to hear music at any time and any place; individually or with all present. Our middle son is passionate about classical music. When he comes to visit, the house seems to expand with it. Through him, we have learned to appreciate artists and styles we had never known: Arvo Part, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Dawn Upshaw to name a few. When his older brother visits we listen to the Dave Matthews Band, a favorite of his for the past ten years. We have enjoyed many lively dinner conversations discussing lyrics, styles and performances.
Music can have a positive or negative impact on the spiritual and emotional aspects of our lives, so it is wise to stay aware of the music our children are listening to. It can evoke a sense of the sacred. Marc-Andre commented that any type of music we perform can become a prayer when it is offered for the glory of God. He reminded me of a fourth-century quote from St. Augustine who wrote, “He who sings well, prays twice.”
