kidmin
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Under What Umbrella Is a Kids’ Choir?
I get asked this question all the time. Does a children’s choir fall under the worship ministry, the kids’ ministry, neither, both? And the answer is: Yes. Really. It can be under any of these. There is no right answer. It depends on how your church is set up and what giftedness is available. KidMin…
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Five Steps to Starting a Kids’ Christmas Choir
Either you thought it was a great idea, or somebody tossed it your way, but you now see yourself tasked with preparing a choir for Christmas. Don’t panic. It’s going to be great! And I’ll help you get started. Step One: Decide who, when, where, why. (We’ll get to what later.) Who’s leading it? You?…
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It’s Not Too Early for Christmas Resources!
It’s 95 degrees as I’m writing this, but guess what, Christmas is just around the corner! Maybe you’ve never done a kids’ choir before or maybe you’re looking for something for your choir of littles that will take them beyond memorization and into learning and beyond learning into worship. That’s what Little JAM Sessions is all about. As it…
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Preschool Ministry is Kinda Chic
Okay, chic is probably not the word I would use for working with preschoolers, but since it’s all-over social media right now, I’ll jump on board. But other words would I use? Challenging Yes, it’s challenging to work with preschoolers. They are sitting quietly one minute and jumping off tables the next. They know both…
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Unity in Diversity
Many music genres today are fusions of older styles: Reggaeton, Ethio-Jazz, K-Pop, Celtic Punk, Country Rap, and Blues Rock to name just a few. This blending of genres shows what amazing things can happen when cultures learn from each other — not stealing, not appropriation, but sharing. As a classically trained singer, I’ve sung in…
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Words Matter!
Have you ever heard Martina McBride’s Independence Day at a patriotic event? Or Bruno Mars’ Marry You at a wedding? Words matter and so do song lyrics. Independence Day is actually about getting out of a bad relationship (nothing patriotic), and Marry You is about getting drunk, heading to Vegas, and divorcing in the morning…
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Are You Missing a Big Discipleship Moment?
One of my great privileges is to sing with the Santa Clarita Master Chorale, a group of about 80 talented musicians that put on three concerts of beautiful and challenging repertoire each year. In addition to singing, I am the staff writer who researches and composes the program notes for each concert, giving the audience…
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Benefits of Singing in Choir
Singing is mentioned over 400 times in the Bible. Clearly, it’s important to God. And there are numerous benefits to choir singing. I’ll share some of them with you here and later I’ll share the benefits of singing specifically in KidMin choirs. Kids who sing in choir: Choir is great for kids because it really…
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Crafting is crucial
Time, energy, mess … oh my. Oh yes! My absolute favorite reasons for having littles do crafts is that it’s a fantastic tool for the kinesthetic and visual learners. They’ve heard a story. They’ve heard music. The aural learners are all set. But the hands-on and the I’ve-got-to-see-it crews need something more. Of course, there…
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Pro Tip for Building a KidMin Choir Program
Start with Preschoolers! Why? Preschoolers love to sing, easily soak up information, and are adorable. Even if it’s just a few kids, people will love them and they will have fun. We want littles to start understanding worship from the earliest possible. Preschoolers are capable of praising God AND understanding what that means. So, preschoolers…