Choosing Music for Club & Camp

Guest post written by, Paul Coty, Regional Director, NYC

What is the one sound you hear at weddings, parties, beaches, playgrounds, and almost anywhere groups of people gather to celebrate? It’s the sound of music. Music is the backdrop for many of life’s events. It motivates an athlete as he approaches a game, accompanies a dancer as she glides across the stage, and sets the stage for worship. It’s lost on no one that music soothes the crying baby, the racing heart, or the anxious individual or group.

We can be meticulous with our musical choices, depending on the location, group, and mood we’re trying to set.

Since I know that we take our music seriously, I’d like to elevate a discussion regarding how we choose music for club and camp. In the olden days, which I know makes me sound old, we had three categories of music. The first category was fun – the type of music that engaged everyone in the room. The purpose was not to convey a message, but to create a feeling. The second type of music was meant to bring a message. These were popular songs that kids knew, but they also had a strong message in the lyrics. The lyrics, though not gospel-based, pointed to the gospel. Last but not least were the spiritual “content” songs. These songs didn’t ask kids to do anything they were not committed to, but the songs did make it clear Who we were going to talk about.

The music we play at club has the same progression as club talks – it starts a bit on the outskirts, and then pulls you in for the time when the gospel will be proclaimed. And just like we intentionally prepare our club talks, the music we play at club and camp should be chosen with the same degree of prayerfulness and planning. Think about the way a worship leader prepares for Sunday or a bride and groom carefully choose songs for their wedding. This is how we should purposefully be selecting the songs we proclaim at clubs each week and summer.

The club season has already ended or is coming to an end. But, I challenge you to continue to be aware of what kids are singing. Those words have power. Every voice speaking to kids has significance. In 1 Corinthians 14:10 Paul states, “There are many different languages in the world, and every language has meaning.” Let’s be sure that the SIGNIFICANT VOICE is heard in what we ask kids to sing.