Assignments for this course take the form of written summaries, research, and analysis. They are designed to help us work through the course objectives, while keeping a focus on our spiritual growth through conceptual learning.

For each assignment, please develop a document and submit it to me in either Microsoft Word or HTML format (your word processing software should permit you to do a "save as" and choose either of those formats).

Each assignment can be completed by consulting Web-based materials listed on the course Resource page.

Comments:

Foundations-Philosophy of Instruction 

As an introduction to instruction, I believe we must first lay a strong foundation regarding creativity, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.  When I think of these characteristics, the first thing I do is reflect on and seek the Lord who created humanity and everything else - the Master Artist (Jesus Christ).  In fact, the Lord tells us that, “The earth is His [the Lord’s], and everything in it, the world and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1, NIV).   

As creative beings made in the image of God, we must always search for ways to express His creativity through us to make His presence known to the world and to help humanity see the reality of a God who loves them, who was willing to pay the ultimate price for their redemption so that they could have a relationship with Him.  God is capable of meeting us right where we are at in our lives and the creative arts can help express this reality.  How wonderful it is for us to be used of God to bring forth His message in the creative arts because the creative arts have a way of directly speaking to and touching the heart in ways that other forms of communication do not.  The creative arts, when expressed from a humble heart surrendered to God, are a wonderful way to see how “we do not have a high priest [Jesus] who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in everyway, just as we are---yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15, NIV).  This is why we can approach Him with confidence “so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, NIV).  Therefore, what better Person to be connected with than the very Creator (Master Artist) Himself.  Only in Him, not in the creation, is all knowledge and understanding for He is the very Author of life.   

The Lord is the Master Artist (in which He is the Master Composer-Musician).  The Word of God provides much information regarding creativity, knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and relationship.  Therefore, our foundation for this course will be centered on the foundation for life – God’s Word (the Bible). 

What is music through the eyes of faith? 

When I reflect on the answer to this question, the first thing that is quickened in my heart is experiencing God’s creation of music through the redemptive spirit (a born again, recreated spirit).  When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and as we go through the process of sanctification by the Holy Spirit, we learn to see and hear things as God originally intended.  This includes the creative art of music.  Have you ever listened to a Holy Spirit-anointed song and have just been so moved in your heart that it produced a significant change in your life?  Well, the reason for that is your recreated spirit is responding and surrendering to the Spirit of God, which allows you to hear Him for who He is—uncorrupted by the fallen (sin) nature.  To clarify, it is not the music itself that makes the change in our hearts for music in and of itself is neutral; it is the Holy Spirit that moves in our hearts to reveal the truth that sets us free.   

According to Dr. Calvin Johansson, the author of Music and Ministry, A Biblical Counterpoint, the Christian life is a wholly integrated existence where every facet of our life is experienced through Christ: 

                        “The regenerate should see all of life as a gift to be developed

                         for glorifying the Creator.  The Christian faith puts together the

                         fragmented pieces of life as the believer comes to know purpose

                         and meaning.  With a perspective derived from Christ, all of life

                         manifests the eternal and corroborates the central thesis that

                         God is the Creator who loves us, has redeemed us, has promised

                         us healing, and has given the world to us as a gift and a responsibility.

                         The Christian’s life, then, is a wholly integrated existence.  There

                         must be no barriers, no imbalances, no compartments.  All of life

                         is lived in Christ and everything the Christian does is centered on

                         this perspective.  For the Christian, nothing falls outside the unity

                         of the life in faith.” 

Essentially, the notion that life is separated between ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’ activities is artificial and therefore, unbiblical.  When we belong to Christ, everything is under His grace and authority for “we [you] are not our [your] own; we [you] were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NIV).  In fact, trying to put our life into compartments keeps us in bondage to the law (or legalism) and makes us strive in our own human effort, which is totally against God’s purpose of redemption.  Paul declared our freedom in Christ stating, “you, my brothers (and sisters) were called to be free.  But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love” (Galatians 5:13, NIV).  Therefore, everything that is under redemption is under the complete authority of Jesus Christ, including the creative expression of music.  

Assignment #1 

Text:  Read the Introduction, Chapter 1 (God’s Creation, Human Creativity, and

Music Making) and Chapter 2 (What Does Music Mean?) 

Application:  Prayerfully consider these concepts:

·         God is the first abstract, nonrepresentational imaginer, because

what He first imagined and crafted did not represent or imitate

anything.  Each thing made was thought up, purely and simply, in

and of itself and without prior reference.

·         The creation was not only originally imagined but continued.  Each created thing has been originally created and then re-presented, not imitated or copied. 

·         Artistic style may be defined as the language of individuality and there can be as many different re-presentations of a given object as there are creative individuals.  Consequently, uniqueness of personal style is far more crucial than the artistic or musical procedures and systems we choose.

·         The Creator is not the creation and the music maker is not the music.

·         Consider the meaning of music from God’s perspective (What does music mean and how is it experienced and expressed from the perspective of a recreated spirit?)

·         All true artists are, by nature, careful about the quality of their work.  Integrity is always of the essence.  But this integrity is not to be equated with moral and ethical integrity. 

Using your Bible (which you will cite scriptural passages from) and your text (which you will cite specific quotes and or paraphrases with page numbers) as primary sources, compose a 5-6 page commentary-analysis of the above concepts.  Explain your personal understanding and experience of these concepts and what they mean for your life.  You may want to think about these questions as you compose your commentary:  How is the gift of creativity expressed in you and through you?  How is creativity manifested in music making?  Be sure to express your ideas completely and follow MLA writing standards. 

Assignment #2 

Text:  Read Chapter 3 (Musical Pluralism and Diversity) and Chapter 4 (The Aesthetics of Musical Pluralism) 

Application:  Prayerfully consider these concepts:

·         Musical pluralism does not begin with aesthetics but with people.

·         Every pluralist needs a centered perspective which is unified in 3 ways:

(1)    There must be a practitional center

(2)    There must be a qualitative center

(3)    There must be a biblical center

·         What does it mean to be artistically unified?

·         Aesthetic laws must be lived from the inside out.  An understanding of aesthetic laws is a gradual process.  In our spiritual lives we do not immediately attain maturity.  We stumble, we fall, we confess.  We get up and continue to press on.  So with music and art, there is no immediate leap into aesthetic maturity. 

For this assignment, choose two pieces of music.  For one selection, choose a piece in a style that you are more accustomed to and for the other selection, choose a piece that is in a style less familiar to you.   If you have a diverse musical CD collection, you are welcome to choose your pieces from your own collection.  If your musical CD collection is less diverse, I would be glad to make suggestions for you so you can get the greatest benefit exploring the concept of musical pluralism.  When you have decided on your two musical pieces, write the titles of your pieces down and carefully listen to them.  Then, write down what you hear in each of your pieces.  Consider the similarities and/or differences in their musical systems (i.e., if there are any) and musical elements (i.e. melody, rhythm or musical time, harmony or musical space, musical texture, musical form, tempo and dynamics, and instrumentation).  Be as detailed as possible in your observations.  Then submit a copy of your observations and comparisons.  Even though this assignment will not be a formal essay per se, please still express your ideas completely and adhere to MLA writing standards. 

Assignment #3 

Text:  Read Chapter 5 (Personal Excellence, Success and Competition) and Chapter 6 (General Issues in Musical Quality) 

Application:  Prayerfully consider these suggestions:

·         Be sure that you truly want to seek and find quality with all your heart.

·         Don’t just think about quality; do quality.  Hunt it down.

·         Don’t be afraid to pay close attention to history.

·         Pay close attention to the experts in the field, the actual, on-the-spot music makers themselves.

·         Be sure that music making becomes a matter of conscience.

·         Keep comparing music to music, rather than comparing music to words and spiritualized, but not necessarily biblical, comments about music.

·         Don’t make decisions about the quality of one kind of music while listening to another.

·         Avoid musical opinions that are deemed ‘absolute’. 

Consider the meaning of excellence and your personal experience of it and compose a reflection essay of 5-6 pages in length of how living a life of excellence can help you determine the essence of quality in music.  Approach this assignment with prayer and ask the Lord to reveal to you His standard of excellence for your life and its application to musical quality.  Use your Bible and scriptural references as well as your text and your experience with music to support your views.  Express your ideas completely and adhere to MLA writing standards. 

Assignment #4 

Text:  Read Chapter 7 (The Nature of Worship, Faith, Grace, and Music Making) and Chapter 8 (The World of Christian Popular Music)  

Application:  Prayerfully consider these concepts:

·         Being emotionally moved by music is not the same as being spiritually or morally shaped by it.

·         All true acts of worship are linked to, and supportive of, further acts of worship.

·         Aesthetic excitement, at whatever level and from whatever source is as much a part of being human as loving is.

·         There is a dramatic difference between doing ‘secular’ things in a Christian way and becoming ‘secularized.’ 

Choose a popular contemporary Christian music (CCM) song that you enjoy and select a ‘secular’ popular song that you enjoy as well.  Examine the similarities and differences between the two, particularly the content and context of the lyrics.  When you have decided on your two songs, write the titles of your pieces down and carefully listen to them.  Provide a comparison between the two and be as detailed as possible in your observations.  Then submit a copy of your observations and comparisons. Even though this assignment will not be a formal essay per se, please still express your ideas completely and adhere to MLA writing standards. 

Assignment #5 

Text:  Read Chapter 9 (The Practice of Church Music I:  Music and the Worshipping

Church and Chapter 10 (The Practice of Church Music II:  Music and the Witnessing

Church) 

Application:  Prayerfully consider these concepts:

·         The integration of mind and spirit makes for the best music.

·         When all Scripture references to music making are combined, we learn that we are to make music in every conceivable condition:  joy, triumph, imprisonment, solitude, grief, peace, war, sickness, merriment, abundance, and deprivation.

·         True artistic creativity should remind humanity that the Christian imagination is not satisfied with imitation, but seeks to be the confronter and reformer of cultural dissonance. 

In a short reflection response of at least 2 pages, why do you believe it is important or not important that the creation of music must be an integrated experience?  Consider the above concepts for your response and cite scriptural passages to support your viewpoint.  Also, please remember to follow MLA writing standards. 

Comments for the Final Paper 

The Final Paper for this course acts as your final exam.  It is worth 25% of your total grade.  Instead of administering the traditional, objective, short answer/short essay exam format, the concept of a formal research essay will allow you to integrate the knowledge you gained from this course as well as refine your writing skills.  In my personal experience both as a student and as an educator, excellent written and oral communication skills are essential to success in any human endeavor.  Whether your desire is to serve in a church or church-related vocation, in various other ministry capacities, or in public and commercial sectors, your ability to effectively communicate will ensure your opportunities to excel and fulfill God’s purpose for your life.  God is a communicator and He also created us to be communicators.  Therefore, I encourage you to see this project as one of exploration and growth where you can joyfully discover new ways that God may be revealing His purpose for you.  I pray you gain the greatest benefit from your time with the Lord and what He will show you as you investigate your area of particular interest for the Final Paper. 

Research:  During this course, you learned various aspects of understanding music from a Christian perspective.  In addition, you might have found a subject within this course that is of particular interest to you.  Therefore, choose a subject that you are interested in from this course and conduct research on your subject.  You may utilize any resources such as books, journal articles and periodicals.  Do not use information on websites since websites can provide erroneous information.  I would suggest you use Questia.com because it provides a numerous amount of information.  Also, if you have any college or university libraries close to your location, you may be able to get access to them as well.  Contact your local colleges or universities for more information about access to their libraries.   

FINAL PAPER 

Develop a paper that addresses a particular issue or viewpoint that you want prove about your chosen subject and then support it with various sources from your research.  You want to make sure that you have a clear thesis as this is the main point that you want argue in your paper.  Along with support from your research sources, you also want to support your issue or viewpoint with scriptural references to show how your subject is evaluated from a biblical perspective.  Your paper should be well documented in MLA style and 7-8 pages in length.  If there are any questions regarding the Final paper, please feel free to contact me and I will assist you. 

For review on MLA writing standards, go to the following link:

MLA FORMATTING AND STYLE GUIDE (From Purdue University)