Young Voices Toolkit
Music has a unique power to engage children and young people. We can harness this to bring a new generation into the life of the Church, and secure the future for church music.
Many churches are currently experiencing a resurgence in the involvement of children and young people in church music, driven by new ways of working. There are plenty of good examples and success stories to inspire us all.
While the challenges can seem daunting, with fresh thinking it is possible to put children and young people back at the heart of music ministry.
The Young Voices Toolkit provides a step-by-step approach to involving children in your church’s music, including:
• what you should think about before you start
• structures and plans to develop
• the resources you will need
• how to attract and motivate children
Follow each of the 12 points below, to read more and explore available resources.
1. Learn from others
You are not alone – there are plenty of examples of churches which have managed to rebuild the involvement of children in church music, and lots of models of good practice in use today. So find out what works for others, and what you might try to do in your own church.
2. Work as a team
The involvement of children in music needs to be rooted in the mission of the whole church, not just its music leader. Ensure that everyone who can help deliver it embrace the vision and are ready to play their part.
3. Create pathways
If your church already has contact with young families and children, work with those who know them best to create the opportunity for involvement in music. If not, forge active relationships with external organisations, especially schools, to create pathways into the church.
4. Build the right structures
To work successfully with children and young people, you can’t simply ‘bolt them on’ to existing structures. They will need rehearsing separately to adults, and you should consider which services they will be involved in, and how often. Social and faith-growing activities can be built around their involvement in music.
5. Find the resources you need
Initiatives to involve children and young people in your church’s music can be time-consuming and in some respects costly, so you will want to be clear where the human, financial and other resources you need are going to come from.
6. Implement good safeguarding
Some churches are put off working with children because of concerns around safeguarding requirements. Adopt a positive attitude that places the wellbeing of your young people at the centre of your work, and implement practical and robust approaches to keeping them safe, happy and nurtured.
7. Use appropriate liturgies
Ensure that the acts of worship in which you want to involve children are appropriate to their age group. Liturgies may need to be adapted to maximise their active engagement and provide opportunities for their voices to be heard.
8. Choose the right repertoire
Whatever the musical tradition of your church, make it the bedrock of your work with children. Don’t pander to notions of ‘what children like’, but introduce a new generation to the breadth and richness of church music, while respecting the stage of development your young musicians have reached.
9. Develop your skills
Working with children and young people might require you to learn new skills and adapt your approaches. Seek to learn from others around you, and look for opportunities for formal learning with the RSCM or elsewhere.
10. Spread the word
Make known the opportunity for children to develop musical, social and life skills, and to grow in faith within a nurturing church. Target your publicity where and how it is most likely to connect with children and their families, and use the power of word of mouth and the personal approach whenever you can.
11. Develop your young musicians
Young people can learn quickly, and you need to be ready to keep the challenges coming. Don’t play it too safe and so allow the experience to become stale. Provide them with plenty of opportunities to develop as musicians, including through formal training and Voice for Life.
12. Connect to the bigger picture
Your pool of young musicians might be small, so don’t let them feel isolated. Involve them in events outside your church, organise joint activities with musicians in other churches, or enrol them on RSCM courses where they can meet other children and young people active in church music.
There is no one-size-fits-all model for successful music ministry among children and young people. But by approaching the challenge step-by-step, considering the best approach at every stage, you will maximise the impact that your work can have on the life of your church.
Why involve children and young people in church music?
Traditionally, children and young people were centrally involved in church music. In our cathedrals and major churches, children’s voices still lead the singing. But in our parish churches, the number of choirs or other music groups involving children and young people has declined sharply in recent decades.
Why does this matter? Why should we seek to regrow the active involvement of children and young people in church music today?
The Church needs to find ways of engaging with more children and young people, in ways which grow faith, discipleship and the practice of worship. Music provides a means of engagement to which children can respond readily, giving them a positive reason to be involved in church and a meaningful role within it. It can help provide the first steps on journeys of faith and ministry.
Creating opportunities in music for children and young people also has significant benefits to wider society. Relatively few primary schools are equipped to deliver deep musical experiences and pathways into a life of music making. By stepping into that breach, churches and their musicians can provide life-enhancing opportunities which might otherwise remain closed to children in their area.
And for church music itself, the future can only be secured by investing in the involvement of the current generation, so ensuring that the rich tradition of church music is discovered and embraced afresh by young people.