How Church Musicians Benefit Their Communities by Allyssa

How Church Musicians Benefit Their Communities by Allyssa - December 2023 Scholarship Essay

When I go to college, I intend to major in church music. With a degree in church music, I will be equipped too serve as a music director at a congregation in my church body, the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod.
One of the main duties of a parish music director is accompanying worship services on Sundays and throughout the week on the organ. Parish musicians provide strong leadership through their organ playing so that the congregation can sing the hymns and liturgy with confidence. Additionally, they play in a way that paints the text of the hymns and liturgy, bringing life and color to every word sung by the congregation. This encourages the parishioners to seriously consider the meaning of what they are singing in a new and different way than before.
Music directors are also trained to lead choirs in their congregations and to work with other instrumentalists. Both these things, much like the accompaniment of the organ, can help support congregational singing and express the text in a way that is unattainable with the organ alone.
In all that they do, church musicians work to inspire others to appreciate God's gift of music and to seek a greater understanding of music, whether in the church or elsewhere, and of the rich hymnody and theology of the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod.