During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
Before class, make a list of at least 3–4 simple songs most of your children will know.
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn— shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
Psalm 98:4–6
God’s people have a long history of making music together. Throughout the Bible, we read about singing and shouting, dancing and blasting trumpets. Praise is the outward expression of what is in the heart. When joy, gratitude, and awe filled the hearts of God’s people, they expressed it through music. And that music drew them nearer to God and to each other.
Music helps bring people closer to each other. It gives us common experiences and a deeper sense of belonging. How does music bring you closer to God? Closer to others? Ask God to help you bring a sense of belonging in your classroom through the music that you and your students create together.
Let families know that this week their children are learning that music brings people together. One way music does this is by helping people from different generations communicate with each other. Encourage parents and grandparents to teach their children songs they learned as children.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
As your children arrive, ask them to share high points and low points from the past week.
Over the past few weeks, we have learned that music helps us in many ways.
Who remembers some of the things music helps us do?
Music helps us express our feelings, remember things, and communicate.
Today we will learn another way that music helps us. First, let’s do a musical activity together.
Divide your children into groups of 3–4. Give each group the title of a simple, familiar song. If any children do not know the song you assigned them, quickly sing it for them.
Explain that they will have 3 minutes to practice singing their song as a group. They can also clap or stomp to the rhythm or create simple movements to go with their song. After 3 minutes, each group will perform their song in front of the class. Encourage the children to clap after each group performs.
What did you enjoy most about this activity?
Did you feel closer to the people in your singing group before or after you sang together? Explain.
Doing something together, such as singing songs, helps us to grow closer together. It helps us to feel that we are part of a group.
Music helps bring people together. We will learn 3 ways it does this.
First, music teaches us that each person has something important to give to others. Music is something everyone can participate in. It does not matter how old you are or if you are a skilled musician. It does not matter where you live or if you have a family. You can make music!
Second, music helps us to share common experiences. We can learn about our community and history when older people share songs. This helps us know who we are.
Has an older person ever taught you a song? If yes, what song?
Allow 2–3 children to share.
Music can also draw people closer together when they have shared a hard experience. If a flood destroyed our homes, a song about what happened could help everyone feel closer to each other. It would help us remember what happened and how we worked together to make things better.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, give the children about 5 minutes to begin the activity in class. It will give them an opportunity to deepen their connections with the other children.
Third, music helps us work together. When we sing a song, we each sing our part. If one of us does not sing, the music will sound different. If I try to sing louder than you do or if I sing a different song, the music will not sound good. But when all of us sing our parts and work well together, we make the song better and more beautiful. That is called unity.
Listen to what the Bible says about unity:
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
Psalm 133:1
Listen to this song from the Bible:
Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.
Psalm 150
Music helps us bring people together and feel closer to them. Let’s write and sing a song about our class.
Help the class create a song about something you have experienced together in class. They should think of 2–3 sentences for their song. If you have the optional large paper or board, you can write their ideas on it. Choose a simple tune that the children already know to use with your words.
If needed, share an example with the children, such as “I feel so thankful for this class! We learn about God’s love. We jump for joy because class is fun!” Once the class has decided on the words to the song, have the children say them 5 times. This will help them remember the words.
Show your children the objects you have. Your objects may include rocks, sticks, empty bottles, cups, spoons, or pans. Have each child come up and choose an object and then return to his place.
We are going to sing our song. You can make music with the object you chose. Remember we need to work together so our song can be heard well. No one should be so loud that others cannot be heard.
Give the children a minute to decide on how they will make music. When you give a signal, everyone will sing the song together. Sing your song several times. Tell them that when you raise your hand, they should be quiet. Encourage the children to clap for their good performance.
You all did a great job working together to create music. Creating music helped bring us closer together. When you see each other during the week, try to sing your song!
Our God is so kind and loving that He gave us the gift of music that can help us in many ways. Through music, we can express our feelings, remember things, communicate better, and feel part of a community.
Close class by speaking Psalm 133:1 as a blessing over the children.
Blessing: May you grow closer and feel more connected with each other through music. May the Lord help you know that you belong with Him and others! He loves it when we work together in unity!
Lead the children in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
