Resonate Part 1

I was going to write some amazingly profound reason for starting this blog, but I couldn't find the right words. So I will just say it point blank. I wanted to start blogging about the joys and the trials of being a Music Director, to write some thoughts on music from the God's word, and to gain some perspective of what all of the last twelve years has taught me.

So here goes my blog. Launch date: June 8, 2016.

When we think about music, we have catch phrases, mantras, words, and other sayings that we use as music directors, educators, and conductors to try in some way to convey how we want our choirs, orchestras, and bands to sing or play. Many times we use these words so much that often we ourselves do bot think of the deeper meaning that they may have. We have a set amount of time with our groups to teach, promote, and encourage music and it never seems like enough, so these phrases we use eventually loose their impact. So to begin, lets examine a word that we use in music and try to gain some sense of deeper meaning.

Lets start with resonate.

We tell our singers to resonate, to sing where they have the most resonance. We encourage chest voice for men and head voice for women. We talk about the resonance that musical instruments have or how one room sounds more resonant than another when performing in it. But what does it really mean? What does it mean for the Christian?

According to the dictionary, Resonate means to exhibit resonance; a sound or vibration produced in one object that is caused by the sound or vibration produced in another. It means to expand, to intensify, or amplify the sound of.

So let's take one part of this definition at a time. We'll start with: sound produced in one object caused by another. 

Looking at this through Col. 2:13-15, which says: "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, haven forgiven all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.", will get some perspective.

We are quickened- to make one alive together, with Christ. “quickened together with. (Eph. 2:5) we have life because the resonation started in something other than ourselves. We had no ability to come to the Father alone, no way to "resonate" on our own. God through Christ provided the first tones which resonate in us. We have no way to produce tones apart from him. Christ gave us life in Him through His resurrection. He started the “sound” in us. when we respond to His call, we then become resonators of the life in us!

It is a spiritual quickening, being made alive, as before, we were dead, (separated) from God because of sin.

When the vocal chords begin to vibrate, the resonance transmits to places in your head and chest that are unable to vibrate on their own. Sinus cavities, and other parts of our head resonate to send the sound out. Men have a chest voice, women have head voice. This is used to describe the best “vocal placement” for the best possible sound in each gender.

Christ starts the quickening in us, who are unable to vibrate on our own. We are unable to come alive, to remove the sin separating us from Him. We are dependent on Him to start the work in us.

We then resonate the sound of Christ in our lives and transmit that sound to those around us, so that they may too hear it, and resonate as well with life from Christ.