Music Resources
🎵 Are you looking for our new virtual hymnal, Sing Out Love? Let’s go there!
“Without music life would be a mistake.
—Friedrich Nietzsch
“Qui bene cantat bis orat” (They who sing pray twice.)
—St. Augustine
Music and singing are integral parts of our Unitarian Universalist (UU) worship services. Whether it’s classical, rock, folk, or a cappella, music shifts the energy of worship and moves it into our bodies. Below are some ways to connect to Spirit, and to one another, through music.
Thematic Collection
The Association for UU Music Ministries (AUUMM) maintains the AUUMM Index of Music for Themed Worship, a database of music compatible with dozens of specific worship themes, from “Gratitude” to “Grace,” “Transcendence” to “Transformation.”
Hymnals and Songbooks
The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) publishes the hymnal Singing the Living Tradition plus two hymnal supplements: Singing the Journey and the Spanish-Language Las Voces del Camino. We also publish the multigenerational songbook Come, Sing a Song With Me through our imprint Skinner House Books.
For background on these individual hymns and songs: the book Between the Lines provides information about Singing the Living Tradition, and the Singing the Journey website offers background for the songs in Singing the Journey.
In 2025, the UUA released its online hymnal, Sing Out Love, available by subscription. New songs are added every month, and submissions are continually open.
Other Resources
The Association for Unitarian Universalist Music Ministries (AUUMM) “nurtures, educates, and inspires UU music leaders to create dynamic and transformative music ministries” everywhere from our largest multi-staff congregations to our smallest lay-led fellowships.
Insights and Instructions: a collection of essays and articles with information on everything from how to read the rhythms in the hymnal supplement, to how to be an effective songleader for your congregation, to ways to think about the ministry of the music director.
New Music: UU Composers
And if you want to explore new music by Unitarian Universalist composers, explore the AUUMM Composers Database.
