Music and Religion

I have grown up in the South for my entire life and have always been surrounded by a strong Christian culture. Although I do not identify as a religious person, I have been exposed to many church functions and services. I sang in a Methodist Church ‘s children’s choir when I was ten and eleven years old and also played handbells for a while. The lyrics of the songs were usually in English (sometimes in Latin) and typically told stories from the Bible or celebrated a holiday. I do not remember discussing the meaning of the songs we sang very often, however, during rehearsals or during church services. The music the choir sang was traditional choral music, with two or three part harmony and a piano or organ accompaniment. My school choir sang similar music,  which sometimes contained religious themes.

There were opportunities during Sunday services for various choirs to sing, and also times that the congregation sang hymns. The congregation had two relationships with the music: sometimes they were audience members who observed, and other times they were participants. This broke the ceremony up between active and passive activities, which seemed to keep the congregation engaged in what was happening. The audience did not clap for the choir after they sang. For me, this reinforced the idea that the choir existed for a greater purpose than just to perform. The music’s important message and meaning was the focus of attention, and not the choir itself.

During a music therapy practicum experience in the high risk pregnancy unit of the hospital last semester, many of the patients I saw requested Contemporary Christian music. The most prominent theme in the songs was that Jesus watches over and protects people. Patients also frequently requested Country music, which I was previously unfamiliar with, as well. Many Country songs, such as “Jesus Take the Wheel” and “Bless the Broken Road,” contain religious lyrics. Both genres were effective in providing important spiritual connections for patients who preferred those types of music.


Stylistically, I found many similarities between Contemporary Christian music and Country music. Both are frequently accompanied by the guitar and/or the piano with a single singer instead of a choir. The chord progressions they use are often similar, and many of the songs had a small vocal range. I noticed that many patients who enjoyed one genre also enjoyed the other.

In this setting, the patients were sometimes participants who sang along to songs, and other times they only listened to the music. After each song, an opportunity was given for patients to discuss lyrics and themes of songs that were important to them or that they related to. As a rule, I did my best to let the patients guide the discussion so that they could explore themes that they felt were important.