Children's choir in church is important to a child’s growing spirituality, and is unfortunately underrated. As a child with an overactive imagination and the inability to sit still, no other church activity held my attention so well as the one that had me on my feet, with clever lyrics and fast hand motions. Thus, children's choir was probably the most vital influence I had to keep me interested in church and in learning about God.
Just about every Bible verse I have memorized today is a result of some catchy song. I learned many Bible stories through the musicals that I never learned in Sunday school. I’ve attended some great sermons growing up, but no lessons have stuck with me quite as well as the ones I danced to.
And the B-I-B-L-E isn't the only thing I learned about in children’s choir. Children’s choir may be the only place where some kids are exposed to basic music skills, such as notes, rhythms, and pitch. Not every child has the patience to sit on a hard piano bench for hours for a lesson, but when I was little I never once remember thinking that singing and dancing my heart out for Jesus was boring. I was outright, upright and downright happy all the time in church choir. My friends and I didn’t care if we were good singers or not — however, there is not a six year old whose voice is not adorable. Besides the learning and the fun, children’s choir is one of the few places in church where children have the opportunity the get out of their comfort zone and build confidence, whether it’s performing in front of a crowd, singing a solo or enunciating a speaking part.
Most importantly, the directors, the people that devote their time and energy to the children, are wonderful influences. I have the utmost respect and admiration for my past choir directors and volunteers who assisted. Appreciation of their talents and the introduction to different styles of music caused me to seek music in other areas of my life. Their constant encouragement has resulted in my ability to have little fear when addressing a room full of people. And their love and patience reflected that of Jesus’s teaching, an important lesson for young children to learn within itself.
While it may seem like a lot of trouble to get kids to the choir room for a short practice each week, I strongly encourage every parent to take advantage of this opportunity offered at church. Children's choir can have a strong impact on a child's life, musically and spiritually, and is a great chance to teach kids service as they take time out of their lives to give back to the church.
