SOTA

November 26, 2017

A few years ago, someone asked a young man in our congregation if he would teach him to play guitar. Matt agreed, and with this small beginning, our School of the Arts, or SOTA was born. Today, we have a dozen teachers and forty-four students, youth and adults, learning guitar, bass, keyboards, trumpet, drums, sound system, drama, vocal music, and songwriting. Our instructors aren’t professionals; just ordinary people who are doing the best they can with what they have. Most of them can’t even read music, but they know how to read chord sheets and where to place their fingers.

For the past two years, I’ve taught bass, both electric and upright. God knows I don’t know much. When I watch accomplished musicians, I’m almost tempted to give it up, but as long as I’m one step ahead of the students, I can keep going. Most of those I’ve taught have breezed past me, but that’s the point: give them shoulders to stand on.

I was asked to teach the songwriting class this semester, a bit daunting since I don’t know music theory, know only basic guitar chords, and don’t know how to put a melody that’s in my head on staff paper. I’ve written a few songs; not much to brag about, but in reality, it’s the blind leading the blind on this one. I do know how to take a general theme and put it into logical form and orderly progression, but that’s about it. 

The class consists of four girls. They’ve worked hard since September, but for the past few weeks, they’ve been stuck. They’ve tried out melodies, worked on lyrics, all to little avail. Until tonight. Tonight, each one had at least a chorus and a melody to go with it. We had to tweak the melody lines a bit to make them fit the rhythm of their lyrics, but they did it! Before our session was done, each one had produced a melody and lyrics to be proud of, foundations of songs that I think are good enough to use in corporate worship.

Good things can happen when instead of waiting for the experts, ordinary people do what they can. Good things happen when ordinary kids are encouraged to keep pressing on even when they feel stuck. The Bible tells us that God bypassed the rich and powerful, the high and mighty, in favor of ordinary people, so that it could be evident to all that the result is by his grace and goodness rather than by our ability. I am so impressed by what these kids have accomplished! And I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with them, encourage them, and learn from them. From a simple request a few years ago, we are raising up a new generation of people who know not only how to worship, but how to be leaders in worship. God is good...all the time!