My dear Gnudren,
A happy Season of Epiphany to you all! [Don’t forget the Season of Christmas and Epiphany lasts till the 2nd February.]
Old Gnu offers you two children’s songs from the past. He considers both of them classics in their own genre. The first, Now Jesus One Day, by Sister Mary Oswin was a resounding hit with our 5 year olds and under. The second one, The Nicodemus Song, was a hit with all the children as far as I can tell. The words, in the shortest space possible, effectively sum up Nicodemus’ encounter with Jesus. Mercifully neither had actions although we made some up for the splashes in first song.
Action songs were the cause of much deep-seated resentment among our 7-year-old (and above) boys, and even some of the girls. They resented being sent (usually by coercion from parents) to the front of the church to do the actions in the children’s songs slot. They would sooner opt for rugby or football training on a Sunday morning.
It was absolutely fine for the fives and under, but it was not for them. One 8-year-old boy told me he would only join the family service choir if was not forced to do actions! We adults thought we were being inclusive, and hang it all, this was a family service after all, and surely such things ought to happen in a Family Service! And putting children at the front satisfied our need to be assured that we were in a family service.
The girls were generally more pastorally minded and one or two would accompany a toddler to the front and encourage them to join in the actions. That is why the Mahershalalhashbaz, Sanballat, Haggai, Nicodemus and other songs which shall appear on Gnu-Tube were hits with those 7 years old and above. They had some musical ‘challenge’ and were quirky (according to some people) but that is precisely what engaged these young adults. And above all they didn’t have actions. These songs were great hits even with 5 year olds who understood very little of their content, but enjoyed them as much as Jesus love is very wonderful and other such songs. By the time our children are 7 or 8, they have adult brains but they lack the life experiences we old fogeys have. They will get them soon enough, and no doubt sooner than they should, as Mr. Bennett said in another context in Pride and Prejudice. But they are in no mood for being talked down to or being patronised.
Of course, action songs for the pre-school age children are fine in church gatherings. But like passages of the Old Testament they need brief and deft introduction – no, not a sermon! – as to why we are reading or singing them. Then no one will be misled or feel uncomfortable, but will feel more at home with something that at present is alien to them.
You doubt what Old Gnu says? Then try running a children’s choir with children from 5 to 10 years old where the repertoire is largely a diet of action songs.