The notes carried strong and clear to the second balcony. Voices of all ages united in the song. There were tears in the eyes of several members of the worship committee. Now, after a year of talking with people, practising the use of inclusive language in various parts of worship, including anthems and new music, and organizing two congregational workshops on inclusive language, they could hear the openness in the singing voices. Background Music has been central to the life of worshipping communities for much of the Christian history.
Music seems to be able to touch our lives in ways that the spoken word alone is less likely to do.
Recent studies on the function of the brain show that the right side of the brain is active in listening to and creating musical sounds, while the left side of the brain is more involved in the spoken word. The right side of the brain is also linked to our experience and expression of feelings. This connection between our feelings and music can create a strong bond to specific music. Just as our life experiences are unique to each of us, so too are our memories associated with certain music This music may evoke memories of joyful occasions, or significant occasions of loss, or memories of people who are no longer with us. In addition to the deep emotional attachment people have to specific music, there is also the concern of being faithful to the principles of copyright law.