Music to Build Community

In 1999, Daniel Barenboim (formerly of the Chicago Symphony) set out to prove the power of music by forming the West-Eastern Divan orchestra. The project united musicians from both Israel and Palestine in an effort to demonstrate music’s ability to build community in a place where all diplomacy and politics had failed. The orchestra was an unprecedented success, and over twenty years later still stands as a testament to the power of music to create connections and build community.

This community-building power is founded on a deep tie between music and humanity. Music is deeply engrained in our biology--seemingly programmed into our DNA--and it has a profound effect on how we experience the world around us. It is an intrinsic and universal language that allows us to communicate more effectively and to understand each other more deeply, and so to develop deeper connections with our community.

Through group music, we enter a community built on comradery and collaboration that helps us to learn trust, empathy, patience, and understanding for ourselves and our neighbors. Studies show again and again that, through this work, individuals develop a deep sense of connection with their peers and a feeling of belonging within the community--and the positive effects ripple out! Regular participation in communal singing has been shown to extend average life expectancies by up to ten years. Participants are shown to be less susceptible to respiratory illness and neurological conditions. They demonstrate healthier heart rates and blood pressure. They build better posture and body usage habits. They find greater confidence and develop better coping skills for stress, depression, anxiety, and loneliness. The benefits are endless!

Music further helps develop community and belonging through its ability to define a sense of group culture and identity--perhaps nowhere more than in faith traditions. Since the start of recorded history, music has had a central place in religious life as a unifying act of prayer and praise and worship. From the Israelites’ song praising God’s victory at the Red Sea, to David composing and chanting the psalms, to Paul and Silas comforting the imprisoned believers with prayer songs, to the chanting and singing of the mass, to the congregational singing of hymns; music has been a constant pillar in our expression of faith and community. Music has also served an important function in defining, maintaining, and passing on our faith and traditions: it has been used throughout history to assist in the memorization and preservation of scripture and sacred texts, to pass forward traditions and values, and it was Martin Luther who introduced hymns as a means of teaching theology to his congregations.

We continue to draw on these traditions of community building every week in our own church music. We unite as a community whenever we join to sing our hymns, psalms, and service music. Through the exploration of diverse hymns and anthems, we learn more about the history, traditions, and theology of our faith. Through the choir, we build community through weekly gatherings and collaborative efforts towards a common purpose of elevating our worship. Music continues to draw us together in communal expressions of faith, while helping to define and celebrate our identity as a community.

I always like to end with a call to action, so I’ll close with this invitation: look for the ways music gathers us into community and common purpose, and fully step into it. Silently meditate through the prelude and the postlude and allow the music to draw you into a spirit of reverent reflection. Sing strongly and confidently through the congregational music, feeling the voices of the congregation joining in unison with yours. Attend a choir rehearsal and begin developing your own musical skills while connecting with others who find community through music. Participate however you feel comfortable, and when you do I guarantee you will find an even more meaningful worship experience that will draw you into deeper connection with your church community. And as always, if you have any questions or thoughts, or are looking for ways to deepen your participation in the community through music – feel free to find me on Sunday or send me a note; I’d love to chat with you!

Sincerely,

Walter Aldrich