As we consider how we worship, we need to acknowledge that God calls each one of us to sing. We are to sing even if we are untrained, even if we are unskilled, and even if we are self-conscious. And if we are to sing, don’t you think God means for us to sing out, to sing loud, to sing as if our singing really matters?

I have heard it said that there were traditionally three different schools of singing: French, German, and Italian. I lack the musical knowledge to confidently distinguish between them, but my understanding is that the French school values vocal clarity and agility, the German school values vocal power and drama, and the Italian school values clear and beautiful tones.

To these schools of singing I would like to add a fourth: The school of Christ. The German school expects its singers to focus on projection and resonance, the French school on precision, the Italian school on a kind of agility that allows them to create beauty through complexity. But the school of Christ has an entirely different focus.

The school of Christ is much less concerned with the outer man than the inner.

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