WHY DO WE SING?

Did you ever wonder what life would be like without singing or music? Imagine going into a doctor's office or grocery store and hot hearing anything over the PA system except someone talking. Or going to Church or worship service and not hearing music... nothing but talking, talking, talking. How empty life would be. How Boring!

Once we understand how important music is, not only to our culture, but all others cultures as well, we can better appreciate our role as members of that elite group of people who record the emotions of the era in which we live. A group of people you may or may not be part of! That is why these articles became part of this website, to give you a chance to become one of those people if you chose to do so.

There have been several articles before this one, each one trying to help you decide if you could write words that could be turned into a song. How have you done so far? Have you tried? Become discouraged? Lost interest? Now is the time to make yourself known and let your concerns become part of these articles.

If you are having trouble in a certain area, we can address those concerns in these articles. Once you accept the fact that you can indeed be part of the Christian songwriting family, there are other learning tools at your disposal. Certain books, for example, give you insight into the crafting of songs and/or lyrics. One of the best I have heard of is called, The Craft of Lyric Writing, by Sheila Davis.

There are many more books out there to help the aspiring writer. You might be good enough with words to want to do something a little different from the traditional songwriter, such as trying your hand at jingle writing. You know, those cute little songs that help product producers put their product out to the public in an attempt to "sell" them the product. That is called Commercial music. Get it?? Commercials!

I have a book called, JINGLES, How To Write, Produce & Sell Commercial Music. It is by a man named Al Stone. He takes you step by step through the jingle writing process, covering everything you'll need to know to succeed, including: Where jingles fit into the big picture, how to sell jingles, how to collect customer information to write a jingle, and then how to write that jingle – verse, chorus, hook, etc., with exercises for you to practice writing. So no matter what type of songs you try writing, they all take practice and focus.

Never lose sight of your Christian roots, but don't be afraid to practice on something "safe" that will help pay the bills as you perfect your craft of Christian songwriting. I say safe because you wouldn't want to use your talents to promote something you do not believe in. So use discretion about what you become involved with as you hone your skills as a Christian songwriter.

By the way... there are also Christian jingles because Christians have products to sell also. Check it out and e-mail me if you need additional information.

Be Blessed!

Jackie Hand, President,
NFCMWA