Music

“Praise the Lord ... Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre, praise Him with tambourine and dancing, praise Him with the strings and flute. praise Him with the clash of cymbals... Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”

Psalm 150: 1, 3-6

As Christians, we can use the gift of music to praise God, to express ourselves artistically, and to enjoy fellowship with one another. Since Old Testament times, it has been an integral part in the lives of all Christians – the Israelites rejoiced at crossing the Red Sea; they worshipped in the Temple and David composed many of our wonderful Psalms. Music is one of the highest forms of honour that we can present to the Lord. The Apostle Paul entreats us to “speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord, always give thanks to God...” (Eph. 5:19-20)

Instructional Philosophy for Teaching Music

Lifting up our voices in unison and in harmony, students offer praises to God in devotions, chapels, and music classes. At G.C.C.S., students are also given the opportunity to use rhythm instruments in the primary grades, study the recorder and tone-chimes in Grades 3-6 and learn to play a musical instrument in Grades 7 & 8. They learn to read music, to compose, and to perform various pieces for concerts, school functions, and to simply enjoy and share with their peers. Music theory, history and various cultural styles are also taught as part of the music program. Students are encouraged to use this gift for their own enjoyment and to be discerning of music that opposes a Christian worldview.

Music – Program Goals

Tendency Goals: Decisional Dimension (heart)

• to appreciate the wonder of God's creative ability through music
• to celebrate contemporary and traditional music
• to be discerning of any music that is not God-glorifying
• to experience a broad spectrum of musical experiences (i.e., singing, playing instruments, listening, movement, and creating music)
• to recognize how universal music is, and that it is an extremely effective tool for worship and communicating the Gospel

Cognitive Goals: Intellectual Dimension (head)

• to understand the basic elements of music literacy by studying music history, theory, composition, and notation
• to correlate music with art and other core subjects
• to begin to understand structure and order in music
• to help students analyze the music they listen to and expose them to current, Christian musicians

Ability Goals: Creative, Responsive, Dimension (hands)

• to praise and communicate with God and with each other
• to use music as a positive, constructive release of energy and emotions
• to foster joy and delight in music and to express these feelings in praise to God
• to create special effects with vocal/instrumental sounds
• to foster creativity
• to encourage students to discover their specific, God-given musical abilities whether vocal, instrumental, or compositional
• to develop skills necessary for advancement in further levels of musical study
• to encourage public performance of musical skills and thereby share their God given talents
• to produce positive character qualities through teamwork in group settings within the classroom