Tapestry of Faith: Making Music Live: A Guide to Weaving Music into Faith Development Programs

Conclusion

First, a review list of the song-teaching strategies you can try:

The echo song

The rote method

Call-and-response

Hand signs/movement/dance

The zipper song

Rounds

The non-strategy

Storytelling with songs

Choose your song and decide on the best strategy for teaching it. Practice teaching the song to a mirror or to a colleague before you teach it to a group. Although I have tried to make it sound easy, song-teaching is like any other kind of teaching: it takes practice. You have to be prepared: know the song, know the strategy, be prepared to fix mistakes. You should even be prepared to switch strategies mid-song, and you should also be prepared to have a great time. Be playful, and let your singers' light shine.

Once you've taught a few songs using each strategy, it will become easy. The challenge will then be to make everyone sound great, in tune, and full of life.

Sing and shine on.