I was at a loss of things to write about, so I began recalling some musically relevant things I’ve experienced. The only thing I can think of right now is the various age limits we place on involvement in our music departments. Some time ago, I was faced with the dilemma of not having enough “solid” singers on the praise team. I knew that I had some children that were 11 and 12 that were able to sing and even harmonize as well as any adult.
What do you think I did?
Well, with my pastor’s permission, I removed the age requirement (15 years old) for being on the praise team. This requirement was in place long before my arrival, but no one seemed to have a problem with the fresh new faces on the praise team. Of course I was totally fair about this and allowed anyone who was interested in singing to audition. Some did not make the cut and only a few did. The result was the same as with adults; there were hints of jealousy and resentment from several that did not make the cut, but we were able to talk through everything and move on.
About six months into everything, a visiting elder asked if there was no children’s choir. The pastor said there was. The elder asked why there were children singing on the praise team if they had a choir to sing in. The pastor explained the need for skilled singers and the elder responded by saying this decision may not send the right kind of message. The pastor and I took these thoughts into careful consideration. But we continued with the younger singers on the praise team. A few months later, an issue came up that brought attention to the fact that certain people were under the age of 15 and this led to the reinstatement of the 15 year old age requirement.
The worst part about the whole situation was telling the children they could not be on the praise team. But the children seemed to have no problem with that as they were beginning to feel the pressure of being depended upon like an adult. These children were on time for rehearsals, behaved in practice, and held their own while singing with their parents and other adults. It’s a shame, but I had less disciplinary problems from them than some of the twenty-somethings.
Some of the children’s parents were the ones who had the biggest bone to pick with me. And I could understand the anger; we gave their children something and took it away. But with the pastor’s support, we were able to put that fire out.
Looking back, I learned that maybe it isn’t the best thing to use children until they are a certain age. The level of responsibility placed on someone on a praise team can be taxing to young children. There are even times when practices become uncomfortable because you can’t teach young children the same as adults. You just have to work with what you have. We should be very careful that we try not to change things on impulse as we might find out later, the need probably wasn’t as urgent as it seemed. You have to consider ALL the people affected by your decisions. If we were not so fortunate in this situation, we could have lost people in that local assembly over someone singing 2 times a month. All I have left to say is be careful out there people. PLEASE be careful.
God Bless!
What do you think I did?
Well, with my pastor’s permission, I removed the age requirement (15 years old) for being on the praise team. This requirement was in place long before my arrival, but no one seemed to have a problem with the fresh new faces on the praise team. Of course I was totally fair about this and allowed anyone who was interested in singing to audition. Some did not make the cut and only a few did. The result was the same as with adults; there were hints of jealousy and resentment from several that did not make the cut, but we were able to talk through everything and move on.
About six months into everything, a visiting elder asked if there was no children’s choir. The pastor said there was. The elder asked why there were children singing on the praise team if they had a choir to sing in. The pastor explained the need for skilled singers and the elder responded by saying this decision may not send the right kind of message. The pastor and I took these thoughts into careful consideration. But we continued with the younger singers on the praise team. A few months later, an issue came up that brought attention to the fact that certain people were under the age of 15 and this led to the reinstatement of the 15 year old age requirement.
The worst part about the whole situation was telling the children they could not be on the praise team. But the children seemed to have no problem with that as they were beginning to feel the pressure of being depended upon like an adult. These children were on time for rehearsals, behaved in practice, and held their own while singing with their parents and other adults. It’s a shame, but I had less disciplinary problems from them than some of the twenty-somethings.
Some of the children’s parents were the ones who had the biggest bone to pick with me. And I could understand the anger; we gave their children something and took it away. But with the pastor’s support, we were able to put that fire out.
Looking back, I learned that maybe it isn’t the best thing to use children until they are a certain age. The level of responsibility placed on someone on a praise team can be taxing to young children. There are even times when practices become uncomfortable because you can’t teach young children the same as adults. You just have to work with what you have. We should be very careful that we try not to change things on impulse as we might find out later, the need probably wasn’t as urgent as it seemed. You have to consider ALL the people affected by your decisions. If we were not so fortunate in this situation, we could have lost people in that local assembly over someone singing 2 times a month. All I have left to say is be careful out there people. PLEASE be careful.
God Bless!
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