Music in the Home

One of the things I love about being a homemaker is trying to do things to help make our house a home - a warm, inviting place of rest and comfort, and ultimately a home that glorifies God. If you spent the day with me in my home, you would be hearing a lot of music. I absolutely love classical piano music, especially hymns arranged in classical piano. This is usually what you will hear playing in our house. Our 1 1/2 year old daughter really loves music, too. In fact, if there isn't music on, she will often point to the cd player and ask, "push? push?"

There was a time in my life where I would have often had the radio on all day instead. Please understand I am not trying to criticize or condemn those of you who listen to the radio in your homes. That is truly not my point. My point is that one way I have found I can help create an atmosphere of peace and comfort is to play classical piano music, especially hymns, in our home. For us, having the radio on does not keep our hearts and minds in the right place because many of the songs are not edifying but rather glorify things that God despises. Besides that, the very style of some of the music does not help create an atmosphere of peace. I would rather not get into a debate about styles of music, but I know that for me, the style of music and not just the lyrics have an effect on my feelings and mood. Heavy rock music makes me feel irritated and angry. Even if the lyrics are edifying, the style of music alone just does not sit well with me and contradicts the words that are being sung, in my opinion. That being said, I think we must be very careful not to label certain styles of music as Christian or secular. Without a doubt, however, the style does affect our emotions in a one way or another. Our family does not hold to the opinion that syncopated rhythm or percussion are bad things, in and of themselves. We are, however, careful as to what music we allow to come into our home and do consider both the lyrics and style.

I also have a few other Christian cds that I play as well. I find that this helps me keep my heart focused on serving the Lord by serving my family. The lyrics of the hymns or other songs that are playing often go through my head, helping to keep my focus in the right place, while giving me something enjoyable to listen to while I go about my daily work. While I'm busy doing housework, I might play something a little more energetic. When I want something more calming, I might play something a little more mellow.

One thing that I feel I must say is that we need to be cautious that music does not replace the written Word of God or prayer. Although I believe music can definitely help me focus my heart in the right place, it must not serve as a substitution for reading God's Word and coming to Him in prayer. If we rely too much on using music to help calm us or uplift us, I believe we would be treading some dangerous waters.

Here are a few piano cd's that I enjoy:

101 Classic Piano Hymns (Classical hymns arranged with a bit of a contemporary twist, some contain percussion, violin, and other instruments. Mostly instrumental.)

David Nevue (I just discovered his music online today and have been listening to samples on the computer while I go about my day. So far I'm really enjoying some of his piano arrangements and thinking about purchasing some sheet music.)

Some of my all-time favourite hymns:
There is a Fountain
All the Way My Saviour Leads Me

*Linking up to Raising Homemakers homemaking link-up*