Churches Can Tap Emerging Talent
When Will It Be Christmas Again?
If you watch the singing competitions on television you’ll notice that the talent is getting younger and younger. It is not unusual to see mid-teens in the finals. A few have won!
The first reality competitions had narrow age parameters something like 18-30, but in recent years the competitions have removed age restrictions. Twelve-year-olds get international exposure. High school groups compete with veteran performers.
The opposite is true too. Susan Boyle stood before the world dressed in the dress she had worn to a recent wedding. We snickered at her nervous cockiness. She was well into her 50s and had sung for the locals all her life. The judges and audience were braced to witness her complete embarrassment. And then she opened her mouth.
The reason these polarities of talent are emerging is that today’s world provides more opportunity.
Youngsters are exposed to professional music from the womb. They are accustomed to the best.
Older people have the leisure to revive abandoned dreams.
Church is accustomed to relying on professionals. As the paid organist begins to play, the paid worship leader says, “Please turn to Hymn 150 in the Red, Green, Blue or Dark Red Hymnal.”
Most of the poets and tune writers represented in these hymnals retired to heaven more than 100 years ago.
Online tutorials make learning music theory a breeze. Many guitarists are proudly self-taught. PBS features a piano teacher that has adult learners playing chords and melody in no time. Skip the scales. Use whatever fingering works for you. Just play.
The mechanics of song-writing are readily available. Do you have song-writing talent in your church? Have you expected to find song-writing talent among your own? Is that one of the opportunities for service listed in your church newsletter?
Here is the 13-year-old song-writing daughter of a faithful 2×2 reader sharing a song she wrote for Christmas. Unlike a lot of modern songs it has more than one verse! We are proud to share it. Way to go, Abbey!