Passing Our Music Values on to the Next Generation – Part 6

Passing Our Music Values on to the Next Generation – Part 6 

            The nitty-gritty of making musical choices will many times be difficult for teenagers.  They will explore and they push the limits set by the home, church, and the Christian school.  The lines of communication between parents and teenagers must be kept open.  There must be no name-calling, no unwarranted accusations, no anger, and no rancor in parent-teenager musical discussions.  Parents should remember that if a young person’s musical choices do not involve extreme musical styles that are associated with anti-Christ living and if the music is clean morally, teenagers have a right to likes and dislikes in music.  Just because a parent doesn’t like a particular style of music is not sufficient reason to deny a child or teenager access to that music.  I want to make it very clear that I am not referring to rock music or popular music that is of an offensive nature.

            Parents have the responsibility to set limits concerning both the secular and sacred music that their children purchase, perform and listen to in and out of the home.  However, an overbearing parental approach that makes all the decisions all the time for children thwarts a child’s ability to make wise choices of sacred and secular music.  The ultimate musical wish of parents for children should be that as adults the next generation will make wise choices of both sacred and secular music.  In order for this to happen, our children must be catechized, educated, mentored and prepared to accept the role of adulthood.  If they develop a Christocentric music philosophy, it will largely be the result of parental guidance that was also Christ-centered and Bible based.