"Why do we teach music? What makes music different from every other subject?" My Brass Methods professor as well as academic adviser posed this very interesting question the other day. She posed this question in front of 9 Music Education Majors, so you would think this question would be answered quite quickly.
"Music is a unique form of expression."
"Yeah! It's an outlet for students who get bogged down with normal class" We thought we were so smart, getting the answer on the first try.
"But, doesn't art do that? That doesn't make Music different. What makes music different?" My professor's response left us speechless for a few minutes.
"Music teaches students to be quick thinkers and work together toward a common goal." So do sports, and any other cooperative learning activity.
"Music is like another language" So are other languages.
What makes music so unique from everything else? Because if music only has something to offer that other classes/organizations already offer at school, what's the point of even offering music? Why should we continue teaching music if it's only purpose was to benefit the other classes a student was taking, and didn't stand alone as an important and necessary subject? I pondered this question for a very long time. Probably two weeks now, in fact.
And It finally dawned on me, the above conversation is the exact reason why we should teach music in our schools and makes it so unique. Music cannot be explained. We try so hard to explain it using the notions we know true for other subjects, and music simply does not fit that mold. Music is something completely different from the other subjects, that it's nearly impossible to explain it. Therefore, it is just a sensation that only you can understand by experiencing it. By teaching students through music, we are allowing for them to come in contact with something so unexplainable, words don't need to be used. How powerful is that? You can reach students through this phenomenon and not even have to explain to them the value, they will simply know because they can experience it. Wow. What a cool thing.
And so it goes...
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Easter Song
I was supposed to sing at church, so my mom told me to sing an Easter song, because it was the week before Easter, and our church was doing a Cantata. I of course thought this was a good idea, and immediately set out to find a song that fit the category of "Easter Song."
But then, I started thinking.
EVERY SONG IS AN EASTER SONG.
Think about it, during the Easter season we as Christians celebrate the resurrection of our Savior and Lord after He had died for our sins on the cross. We are called to remember the magnitude of the love displayed for us on that day, and are thankful for the stone being rolled away on Easter Sunday.
But why isn't that what we do every day? Why should it be different? Shouldn't we remember the love of our Savior everyday? Shouldn't we try to understand the love only our Father could show for us? Why does it have to be labeled as an "Easter Song?" Why can't it just be a "Jesus Song" and sung every day? That's what I believe anyway.
So I sang an Easter song, but it wasn't one that was in the list of "Easter Songs" Google spit back at me from my quick search. It was instead one that I felt was a testament to God's power and grace. And, of course, it was totally a God moment, because only He would give me the gift of singing and allow me to sing a song that is glorifying Him. Yeah, it was Easter, but it was just a "Jesus song." I was simply praising my father, as we should do every day.
And so it goes...
Monday, February 25, 2013
Thoughts of Mine
Here is a random thought train when thinking about Luke 19:
Jesus come to Zacchaeus' house
Zacchaeus was a tax collector
Tax collectors were sinners
Sinners are lost from God
A sin is a sin as a sin is a sin
All of us are sinners --> ALL have fallen short of the Glory of God
Jesus wants to come to our house
Jesus lives in our hearts, we are a temple
We are like Zacchaeus
Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost."
Jesus seeks us out
Jesus saves us, for we are lost
Jesus is my Superhero
And so it goes..
Jesus come to Zacchaeus' house
Zacchaeus was a tax collector
Tax collectors were sinners
Sinners are lost from God
A sin is a sin as a sin is a sin
All of us are sinners --> ALL have fallen short of the Glory of God
Jesus wants to come to our house
Jesus lives in our hearts, we are a temple
We are like Zacchaeus
Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost."
Jesus seeks us out
Jesus saves us, for we are lost
Jesus is my Superhero
And so it goes..
Monday, November 12, 2012
Super Vision
You know what this world needs? Jesus.
You know what this world doesn't need? Me.
This world does not need me. They don't need me to tell them that they need Jesus. They get enough of that every day. What they really need is to see Jesus. They need for me to stop talking, and start showing the love that knows no ends.
Only God can save the world, so why should my mouth get in the way? Instead, why don't I just show Jesus in whatever way I can? I am determined to stop talking about a savior who is merciful and just, and instead start showing Him in my every day life.
This means praying for loved ones, as well as for enemies.
This means reading my bible and searching for truth.
This means declaring the truth I find.
This means not judging others, for it is not my place to judge.
This means loving people who are unloveable.
This means reaching out to those who are in need.
This means praising God for the good AND the bad, for it is all according to His plan.
This means letting God do work in my life so that others can see Him shining through me.
This means recognizing when God is working in my life, and praising Him for it.
No this does not mean that I will stop talking. But it does mean I will strive to speak truth. When I tell the world that they are sinners and Jesus died for them, I can almost hear the world reply "Tell me something I don't know." Instead, why don't I embrace the love that God has for us, share that love, and tell the world that Jesus lives!? Isn't that a cool story?
People say "I gotta see it to believe it." So from now on, I'm going to strive to let people see Jesus in me, so that they can believe and be saved.
And so it goes..
You know what this world doesn't need? Me.
This world does not need me. They don't need me to tell them that they need Jesus. They get enough of that every day. What they really need is to see Jesus. They need for me to stop talking, and start showing the love that knows no ends.
Only God can save the world, so why should my mouth get in the way? Instead, why don't I just show Jesus in whatever way I can? I am determined to stop talking about a savior who is merciful and just, and instead start showing Him in my every day life.
This means praying for loved ones, as well as for enemies.
This means reading my bible and searching for truth.
This means declaring the truth I find.
This means not judging others, for it is not my place to judge.
This means loving people who are unloveable.
This means reaching out to those who are in need.
This means praising God for the good AND the bad, for it is all according to His plan.
This means letting God do work in my life so that others can see Him shining through me.
This means recognizing when God is working in my life, and praising Him for it.
No this does not mean that I will stop talking. But it does mean I will strive to speak truth. When I tell the world that they are sinners and Jesus died for them, I can almost hear the world reply "Tell me something I don't know." Instead, why don't I embrace the love that God has for us, share that love, and tell the world that Jesus lives!? Isn't that a cool story?
People say "I gotta see it to believe it." So from now on, I'm going to strive to let people see Jesus in me, so that they can believe and be saved.
And so it goes..
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Super Strength from a Super God
"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength"- Philippians 4:13
I sometimes think that verse should be rearranged to say "All things I can only do through Christ who gives me strength." To me, helps show the strength and power of our God, and gives credit to the one who is all powerful. In case you are not playing at home, the verse mentions two people "I", and "Christ". I am not powerful, especially ALL Powerful, so that leaves Christ for that calling. And so rightly He is. God has Super Strength.
I can only do the things THROUGH Christ, who strengthens me. All the things. That doesn't mean that without Christ, I can do some of the things, but Christ adds on the rest that I lack. No. Everything that I have the ability to do is because of the Super Strength Christ gives me to do it. He is the one with all the power, and He is the one who deserves the Glory.
One of the most reassuring facts, at least to me, is that Jesus Christ doesn't need me. Christ is all powerful, wich means He has the strength and power to melt hearts of stone. He has the strength and power to reach out to the sinner. He can do it all on His own! He doesn't need me to reach out to the sinner. He doesn't need me to love the unloved. He doesn't need me to spread the Good News. He can do it all on His own. He doesn't need me- never has needed me, never will need me. And I love it! Why, you ask? BECAUSE GOD WANTS ME!!!
"I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you." Isaiah 41:9
I sometimes think that verse should be rearranged to say "All things I can only do through Christ who gives me strength." To me, helps show the strength and power of our God, and gives credit to the one who is all powerful. In case you are not playing at home, the verse mentions two people "I", and "Christ". I am not powerful, especially ALL Powerful, so that leaves Christ for that calling. And so rightly He is. God has Super Strength.
I can only do the things THROUGH Christ, who strengthens me. All the things. That doesn't mean that without Christ, I can do some of the things, but Christ adds on the rest that I lack. No. Everything that I have the ability to do is because of the Super Strength Christ gives me to do it. He is the one with all the power, and He is the one who deserves the Glory.
One of the most reassuring facts, at least to me, is that Jesus Christ doesn't need me. Christ is all powerful, wich means He has the strength and power to melt hearts of stone. He has the strength and power to reach out to the sinner. He can do it all on His own! He doesn't need me to reach out to the sinner. He doesn't need me to love the unloved. He doesn't need me to spread the Good News. He can do it all on His own. He doesn't need me- never has needed me, never will need me. And I love it! Why, you ask? BECAUSE GOD WANTS ME!!!
"I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you." Isaiah 41:9
I have been chosen by God to help further His kingdom. I have been Called by Christ to love the unloved. I have been selected by a Savior to reach out to the Sinner. Wow! How amazing! And the cooler thing is, even when I am being the Hands and Feet of God, it's still not my doing! Why? Because "All things I can only do through Christ who gives me Strength." God is giving me the strength to move. So in the end it's all God. I am a vessel for the Savior of the world! Praise be to God!
My God is a super hero.
And so it goes...
Monday, August 6, 2012
REAL love
Songs always seem to speak to me. Ya know, the whole face plant thing? Well.. It's because song's always seem to speak to me.. and whaddaya know? It happened again.
The song "Forever Reign"- by Hillsong has a chorus (as most pop songs do) and the lyrics go like this:
Oh!
I'm running to Your arms
I'm running to Your arms
The riches of Your love Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world Forever Reign
Yeah... that song has become my favorite as of right now. Which is saying something, because I generally can't pick a favorite song. But it is, because that line I have highlighted in red has been the biggest lesson of my summer.
This summer I had the opportunity to move up from a counselor at Camp to the role of Assistant Director for two of the weeks. It was an exciting transition, but let me tell ya, it was the scariest transition of my life. Suddenly having to be in charge of decisions made at camp? Suddenly having to give a talk in front of 30+ 2nd-5th graders (depending on the week)? Woah buddy. Scary stuff.
But God doesn't give me more than I can handle, and He always stretches me to become something better through Him.
Being a director gave me the ability to really watch other counselors and see how they interacted with the kids. It was amazing to see counselors play crazy games during free time, step up and lead during group time, and even go out of their comfort zone in many situations. The love that was poured out into these kids was astounding and abundant- and it brought me a lot of joy.
However, there were times when I struggled a lot determining whether the counselors loved the kids as much as I wanted them to. Why did the counselors group together and not spread themselves out amongst the kids at times? Why did the counselors sometimes tell a kid no when all the kid wanted to do was play an easy, sit-down game? It didn't make sense to me, and at times I thought that the counselors were there for the wrong reason, and none of them were meeting the "ideal counselor" image I had in my mind.
Suddenly, that song came into my life. "The riches of YOUR love will always be enough." It hit me.. it isn't our love that matters for these kids' lives, it's JESUS' love! And His love will ALWAYS be enough- always abundant, always sufficient, always there. And Jesus love pours out amongst our counselors in all ways, all shapes, all sizes. It was after much prayer and thought about this song that I realized it wasn't what us directors had in mind for the "Best counselor", but what Jesus called as the best counselor. God has a purposed for all of the counselors at camp, and it isn't my job to Judge them based on how I would've handled situations. All the kids love the counselors, and ultimately see Jesus in them. Isn't that the goal?
God didn't put together the group of counselors that Brice saw fit as good, but put together a group of counselors that HE saw fit as perfect for what HIS plan was.
And isn't that awesome? God really has taught me a lot this summer, but this lesson has really settled on my heart. REAL love isn't determined by one outlook, but is only seen through the Love of Jesus. I am so thankful for being moved to a director position this year, and can't wait to see what new lessons God teaches me as I take on this exciting role.
And so it goes...
The song "Forever Reign"- by Hillsong has a chorus (as most pop songs do) and the lyrics go like this:
Oh!
I'm running to Your arms
I'm running to Your arms
The riches of Your love Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world Forever Reign
Yeah... that song has become my favorite as of right now. Which is saying something, because I generally can't pick a favorite song. But it is, because that line I have highlighted in red has been the biggest lesson of my summer.
This summer I had the opportunity to move up from a counselor at Camp to the role of Assistant Director for two of the weeks. It was an exciting transition, but let me tell ya, it was the scariest transition of my life. Suddenly having to be in charge of decisions made at camp? Suddenly having to give a talk in front of 30+ 2nd-5th graders (depending on the week)? Woah buddy. Scary stuff.
But God doesn't give me more than I can handle, and He always stretches me to become something better through Him.
Being a director gave me the ability to really watch other counselors and see how they interacted with the kids. It was amazing to see counselors play crazy games during free time, step up and lead during group time, and even go out of their comfort zone in many situations. The love that was poured out into these kids was astounding and abundant- and it brought me a lot of joy.
However, there were times when I struggled a lot determining whether the counselors loved the kids as much as I wanted them to. Why did the counselors group together and not spread themselves out amongst the kids at times? Why did the counselors sometimes tell a kid no when all the kid wanted to do was play an easy, sit-down game? It didn't make sense to me, and at times I thought that the counselors were there for the wrong reason, and none of them were meeting the "ideal counselor" image I had in my mind.
Suddenly, that song came into my life. "The riches of YOUR love will always be enough." It hit me.. it isn't our love that matters for these kids' lives, it's JESUS' love! And His love will ALWAYS be enough- always abundant, always sufficient, always there. And Jesus love pours out amongst our counselors in all ways, all shapes, all sizes. It was after much prayer and thought about this song that I realized it wasn't what us directors had in mind for the "Best counselor", but what Jesus called as the best counselor. God has a purposed for all of the counselors at camp, and it isn't my job to Judge them based on how I would've handled situations. All the kids love the counselors, and ultimately see Jesus in them. Isn't that the goal?
God didn't put together the group of counselors that Brice saw fit as good, but put together a group of counselors that HE saw fit as perfect for what HIS plan was.
And isn't that awesome? God really has taught me a lot this summer, but this lesson has really settled on my heart. REAL love isn't determined by one outlook, but is only seen through the Love of Jesus. I am so thankful for being moved to a director position this year, and can't wait to see what new lessons God teaches me as I take on this exciting role.
And so it goes...
Monday, April 30, 2012
Jesus is REAL
Morning.
The sun rises, the birds sing
A new beginning, a new day, a new start
Awaken from slumber
Forgiven
Jesus is REAL
Midday.
The weather shifts, the people wander
Animals play, nature blossoms, sun shines
Life continues
Beauty
Jesus is REAL
Evening.
The sun sets, the air cools
A calm assurance, a comfort, a hope for tomorrow
Loved by a Savior
Peaceful
Jesus is REAL
And so it goes..
The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say
You’re beautiful"
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