Psalm 147:1 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.
Part of our mission at St. Stephen Lutheran School is to create ambassadors for Christ! This really is at the heart of everything we say and do. I personally feel very blessed to be a part of this when I lead the students in Praise and Worship sessions. God wants us to sing praises to Him! These sessions allow us to express our love for Jesus. As their faith grows, so does their confidence to stand up for Jesus and not be ashamed of the Gospel. I pray these are small lessons they take with them throughout their lives!
Praise and Worship is a fun mix of upbeat contemporary Christian songs, and meditative classic hymns. As a Lutheran school, our praise book would not be complete without this classic hymn, A Mighty Fortress is our God, written by Martin Luther. ;)
My passion for music keeps me continually revamping songs through clapping, dancing or actions! I love coming up with new ideas to increase the fun factor! (It was a big hit when we did a "praise march" around the building!)
Additionally, the students have learned how to sing in a round, and they each get opportunities to volunteer to play percussion. You should see all the hands go up, and the excitement when the praise instruments come out! It is so encouraging to have so many happy hearts willing to volunteer, even if it's just to turn the pages for me while I play the piano!
I also feel compelled to say, that I have been SO impressed at how fast our students have learned and adapted to nearly every musical challenge I have thrown their way! When I thought one of my musical selections would be over their heads, nope! With just a few practice sessions, all students are singing the piece to near perfection! (Not that I demand musical perfection ha ha, it's really a matter of singing to the Lord, from the heart.) They have picked up on rhythm, sight reading, repeat signs, codas, and fortes, just to name a few things!
At our Mountain View private school, teaching students to be advocates for Christ, is at the heart of what we do!
The best way to find out more about our school is to schedule a tour. Feel free to email me, admin@ssls.org to set up your tour today!