Music with a mission
This past week, we at SF Campus just finished up our last session of MYT – Multiply Your Talents. As a church, we held a bunch of classes ranging from Photoshop to Video to Stage/Lighting to Bass to Guitar. I had the opportunity to teach the beginner guitar class and it was quite a rewarding experience for me. I remember that before our first session, I had prepared five weeks worth of lessons designed to go at a pretty slow pace. In my experience, people usually had a hard time practicing during the week; so if I taught too much, it would just go over their heads. Plus, I had a class of over 12 students with all sorts of musical background. I was content if they could just learn how to play the chords right!
But boy did my class prove me wrong. Each week, I ended up teaching more than I had planned and they picked up stuff quickly. Luckily, I had taught an eight-week course before and had that extra material handy. Strumming, picking, basic chords, and even to barre chords! They did it all. They were enthusiastic and we had a great time together every Friday as we reviewed old stuff and learned new techniques. In the end, we had a mini-recital where half the class played "Forever" by Chris Tomlin and another half played "Hosanna" by Paul Baloche. As their teacher, I was every bit as nervous as they were, but they performed really well. Not only that, but when the song leader mixed up the order of the verse/chorus or added a few extra beats, they picked up on it right away and were unfazed. I felt so proud of them!
However, what I am most excited about is how they will be able to use their fledgling skills for God's purpose. Matthew asked Kathy what she would do with her new skills and she answered that she could now play guitar for her small group. THAT is why I wanted to teach this class. It wasn't so that they could show off their skills or perform on stage. My vision was that they could use it for personal worship and to minister to others together in a small setting. I know for me, music is such an integral part of my worship of God and I wanted all of my students to learn enough so that they could play their favorite songs and lift up a sacrifice of praise to God. One of my students shared how she wanted to learn "He Knows My Name" because while she was in Cambodia, she sang that song together with a group of girls and it really ministered to them as they shared their struggles. Music has a powerful way of drawing our hearts close to God; and I'm looking forward to seeing how God will use what little I taught to guide people closer to Him.