Inspired by Family Singing Together

Music is important to families. Few things are more inspirational for parents than children singing in a program and church worship teams including kids and teens and families together. This week, I got to experience a college student at Visible Music College leading worship with her mother as an additional singer on stage. Their voices rose dramatically and powerfully together and, in conjunction with the bilingual design of the gathered worship time, a phenomenal lift to the praise in the room.

It sounds counter-cultural now to suggest that families make music together. At some time past, families would play piano and sing together after meals and during family gatherings, but that sounds like an old-timey idea now, doesn’t it? Yet, everyone loves the sibling singer voices together in a band or the occasional family band. We do spend time listening to recitals and singer-songwriter performances of our kids and generally enjoy watching people make music.

What would it be like if your family played some music together?

Maybe the 21st century family could do some version of karaoke just for fun like we do charades when we have vacation time away from regular life every now and then. Making music or singing together is a vulnerable act. It has been proven to release endorphins to the singer’s brain and in a non-judgmental setting could be a lot of fun. Acoustic instruments around the campfire (or backyard fire pit), singing to the radio on a long drive, or sitting around a piano trying to simply play worship music or pop tunes could really bring a family together.

We’re told it only takes 18 minutes a day for a year to become highly skilled in any art form - better than 95% of all people - and maybe a little encouragement in the arts is warranted in this over-busy techy world.

So, take a little inspiration from a musical family. Respond to that nudge to go back and sit at the piano. Invite the family to sing together, even worship. Music is important.