Belief systems can unknowingly create bondage or purposefully create freedom. When I began my music teaching career, I created bondage. I had been educated to believe there are those who have music talent and those who do not. The “have” and the “have nots.” Music classes in schools were (and many still are) structured to address the “haves” and ignore the “have nots.”
SELECTION OF THE SPECIES. Entry into chorus was by demonstrating a certain level of talent in an audition. This was also true of orchestra, jazz, and other ensembles. [I have heard stories of people who said when they were in school, the chorus director told them, “Since you really want to be in chorus and obviously you can’t sing, just stand in the back row and mouth the words.”] The students not in chorus, band, or orchestra, took general music classes. Since they could not do music even in a music class, they were coldly tolerated knowing that they would soon be gone, never to darken the music door again and never the music teacher’s problem ever again. The sum of my thinking was, “Those stupid students, why don’t they get it? Oh well, such is life—win some, lose some!” That was my philosophy and the general philosophy of music education as well. I simply ignored all “have nots” and passed them by.
IN HIS IMAGE. One day, God blew my belief right out of the water. He rebuked me very plainly that He put music talent within every one of His humans, as every one is MADE IN HIS IMAGE. He told me some automatically connect with their talent, while others need help. He further told me it was MY JOB as the TEACHER to learn how to FIND that music talent within each person, and learn how to HELP THEM CONNECT and develop it into a usable skill for His Glory. Whoa, what a revelation!
LIFE-LONG BONDAGE. I now shudder to recall all the students I left in the bondage of my early thinking, and I am forever grateful God rebuked me out of it. I later taught beside a 50-year-old fifth grade teacher whose music teacher left him in a lifetime of bondage. He said he was always told he could not sing in tune, and to stand in the back of the choir and only mouth the words. I challenged him to come to my music room, and within three minutes I had him matching pitches and singing the scale in tune (Do-Re-Mi-Fa…). I told him his music teacher was plainly mistaken. However, I could not undo the damage, because as he left my room, he still said, “I can’t sing in tune.”
Pastor, apply what God told me about music teaching to you and your church. Have you made any judgments of “have” or “have not” over individuals in your congregation? Are you frustrated with those who do not get it? Have you found out it is YOUR JOB as the PASTOR to learn how to FIND spiritual talent, and learn how to HELP THEM CONNECT and develop it into usable skills for God’s Glory? Does your belief system unknowingly create BONDAGE or with purpose create FREEDOM?
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(1) Introduction
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(2) Your Paradigms
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(3) Bondage or Freedom
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(4) Gateway Skills
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(5) Teacher Accountability
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(6) Talking About vs. Doing
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(7) Student Accountability
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(8) Assessment
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(9) Bury Dead Tradition
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(10) Teaching vs. Learning
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(11) Teachers' Three Phases
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(12) Excellence is NOT a Goal
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(13) My Teaching Limits Were Their Learning Limits
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(14) Unlearning Creates Success
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(15) Pioneers vs. Settlers
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(16) Real and Lasting Learning
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(17) Problems With Memory
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(18) Ownership Creates Success
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(19) Not Perfect, But Honest
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(20) Take Risks and Give Away Control
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(21) Out of a Job
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(22) KCAASE and Proverbs 24
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(23) Responding vs. Reacting
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(24) Only When Performed
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(25) A Supervisor's Vision
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(26) Glimpses Into the Spiritual
Your Belief System and Your Church:
(27) One Reason Alone