One thing we have tried to incorporate into our day is singing hymns.
I have to admit it took me a while to add this to our Symposium/Morning Time! What held me back? I love to sing, but my homeschooler is less than enthusiastic. So, truly, it was fear of her balking (she is a teenager) that kept me from starting.
So the first time I put it into the morning line up, I used a hymn that we had just sung that Sunday and I used a YouTube video to "back us up". It worked well. Most mornings she sung along, but some mornings she did not. I wondered "what was I worried about?"
Our family is a part of the Methodist tradition and hymn singing is a great part of that tradition. Charles Wesley (brother to Methodism founder John Wesley) wrote many of the hymns we sing on Sundays so that seemed to be the perfect place to start. Charles was gifted to be able to communicate deep spiritual truths into verse that were put to popular tunes of the day.
We started with "And Can It Be That I Should Gain?"
This was a fairly decent recording. I had trouble finding one that wasn't overly grand or overly casual (with artistic timing and such) AND something in our range. The next hymns were too difficult to find simple recordings on YouTube... so I printed them out from Hymnary.org.
I have to admit, once I got over my nervousness of singing without accompaniment we began to like it. We could see the notes, time signatures, number of sharps and flats so we could not just have discussions (occasionally) about the lyrics, but also about the music itself. This was the dessert of this experience. I really want these words hidden in our hears for when (because it is most certainly a "when", not an "if") we need them.
My heart soars when I hear her singing or even humming one of the hymns as my daughter goes about her day.
Just for fun, here is the list of directions that are in the front of every Methodist Hymnal:
John Wesley's Instructions for Singing 1761
I have to admit it took me a while to add this to our Symposium/Morning Time! What held me back? I love to sing, but my homeschooler is less than enthusiastic. So, truly, it was fear of her balking (she is a teenager) that kept me from starting.
So the first time I put it into the morning line up, I used a hymn that we had just sung that Sunday and I used a YouTube video to "back us up". It worked well. Most mornings she sung along, but some mornings she did not. I wondered "what was I worried about?"
Our family is a part of the Methodist tradition and hymn singing is a great part of that tradition. Charles Wesley (brother to Methodism founder John Wesley) wrote many of the hymns we sing on Sundays so that seemed to be the perfect place to start. Charles was gifted to be able to communicate deep spiritual truths into verse that were put to popular tunes of the day.
We started with "And Can It Be That I Should Gain?"
This was a fairly decent recording. I had trouble finding one that wasn't overly grand or overly casual (with artistic timing and such) AND something in our range. The next hymns were too difficult to find simple recordings on YouTube... so I printed them out from Hymnary.org.
I have to admit, once I got over my nervousness of singing without accompaniment we began to like it. We could see the notes, time signatures, number of sharps and flats so we could not just have discussions (occasionally) about the lyrics, but also about the music itself. This was the dessert of this experience. I really want these words hidden in our hears for when (because it is most certainly a "when", not an "if") we need them.
My heart soars when I hear her singing or even humming one of the hymns as my daughter goes about her day.
Just for fun, here is the list of directions that are in the front of every Methodist Hymnal:
John Wesley's Instructions for Singing 1761
- "Learn these Tunes before you learn any others ....
- Sing them exactly as they are printed here without altering or mending them at all ...
- Sing ALL. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can ...
- Sing lustily and with a good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength ...
- Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony ...
- Sing in Time. Whatever time is sung, be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it ... and take care not to sing too slow...
- Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing Him more than yourself or any other creature."
Do you sing in your homeschool? Any tips?
~Juliana
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