People frequently believe that a children’s choir’s primary function is to occasionally sing during worship. The purpose of a children’s chorus is performance (or celebration), but the real heart of a children’s choir is in the weekly community-building and skill development that takes place.

To practice a song with a group of kids is a straightforward way to create a children’s choir. Practice it for four or five weeks straight (or more, if you have children who attend on alternate weeks). The group should learn the song by heart and then discuss its meaning while retelling the song’s tales. Then ask the kids to sing the song aloud to the congregation or to other kids.

I suggest that the kids in each chorus be around the same age for this straightforward plan. Older vocalists frequently dislike performing with younger singers. They want to be pushed; they don’t want to sing “children’s music.” Although it is feasible to combine older and younger vocalists for special events, I advise having the youth act as elder siblings or brothers for the smaller kids. Give them real duties rather than only paper positions.

A few willing parent volunteers and one or more experienced conductors are needed to manage the myriad complexities involved in more sophisticated children’s choir models. This model should ideally include three age ranges approximately separated by grade levels (grades 2–5, 6–8, and 9–12) or level of singing proficiency.

I advise that your choir(s) be repertoire-based, which simply means that you play numerous songs in a repertoire for years at a time, regardless of whether you select a basic or sophisticated model. These tunes might potentially be used as themes. The more times the kids sing the songs aloud to others—during worship or coffee hour, at church potlucks, at other places of worship, at church bazaars, or at official community events—the better they’ll get at it and the more cohesive their community will be. To effectively convey the song’s message, encourage the choirs to move their bodies—whether by swaying or through basic hand motions. Most kids are capable of learning more difficult routines. Without a doubt, line and circle dances can be wonderful. Few things are more lovely than a kids’ choir performing a processional or recessional. Candles and low lighting at night create an incredibly heavenly atmosphere.

Children’s musicals/operas, choir tours, and camp retreats are three incentives that will draw participants to your children’s chorus. All of them demand a significant amount of parental volunteer time, but they also greatly aid in keeping singers in the choir program.

The best singing congregations are those where the music director regards the congregation as a whole, with smaller choirs and ensembles within it, as the major chorus. Your entire children’s and youth program can be thought of as one big choir, with smaller sub-choirs arranged according to grade levels.

Two wriggling rows of children emerged from their seats and stood in front of the assembly. The choir director took her position in front of the audience as the pianist pounded out the opening notes while holding a stack of enormous white text cards.

Parents waited with anticipation as the director gave the signal. The congregation, however, could only hear the choir director’s trilling voice and nervous chuckles as the opening bars of the intricate anthem filled the cathedral. The kids stumbled through a song that they weren’t ready to sing and perhaps couldn’t with downcast eyes and ashamed grins as quietly as they could.

A children’s choir program requires a lot of meticulous thought and organization, as well as research into what children are like and capable of. It takes a director who enjoys working with kids and music, as well as supportive parents.

Therefore, it’s crucial to consider your purposes and goals in order to keep your planning fresh and dynamic, whether you’re launching a new program or continuing to expand an existing one. It’s crucial to get to know the kids you’re working with and learn about their interests. You might find the questions and advice that come next helpful in that process.

Why should congregational worship and church life include a children’s choir program?

Spend some time talking with your church leaders about the goals of the program before starting a children’s choir program. They need to be aware of the ministry that a program like this may provide for the congregation, the kids, and their families. You could want to emphasize a few of the following advantages:

Children’s choirs first and foremost offer kids a chance to work with their church. Children are ministered to through Sunday school, Vacation Bible school, and other programs, but joining a chorus allows kids the ability to use music to minister to others.

Children who join choirs get the chance to lead the service, which is benefit number two. Third, children’s choirs offer chances to develop Christian character. It gives them a sense of responsibility for the church ministry and helps them identify with the traditional form of worship as they mature into adulthood. A choir is a team with a common objective; in order for the group to succeed in worshiping the Lord, members must learn the virtues of promptness, self-control, teamwork, and commitment.

Fourth, youth choirs are a component of education. Children who sing Scripture do so for the rest of their lives. They gain knowledge of spiritual principles and of God through thinking about the song’s message as they sing.

And last, by having their kids participate in church services, non-churched families can be persuaded to join. Sometimes, unchurched youngsters make up 20% of my choir; by the end of the year, half of their families had joined our church.