The Importance of Songs

Do you know this song?

Chorus:
I cannot come to the banquet, I cannot come to the banquet,
don't trouble me now.
I have married a wife; I have bought me a cow.
I have fields and commitments that cost a pretty sum.
Pray, hold me excused, I cannot come.

1. A certain man held a feast on his fine estate in town.
He laid a festive table and wore a wedding gown.
He sent invitations to his neighbours far and wide
but when the meal was ready, each of them replied:

2. The master rose up in anger, called his servant by name,
said: "Go into the town, fetch the blind and the lame,
fetch the peasant and the pauper, for this I have willed,
my banquet seem so crowded, and my table must be filled.

3. When all the poor had assembled, there was still room to spare,
so the master demanded: "Go search every where,
to the highways and the byways and force them to come in.
My table must be filled before the banquet can begin.

4. Now God has written a lesson for the rest of the mankind;
If we're slow a responding, he may leave us behind.
He's preparing a banquet for that great and glorious day
when the Lord and Master calls us, be certain not to say:

Mind you.. I also learned this difference in the song

Now God has written a lesson for the rest of the mankind;
If we're slow a responding, he may leave us behind.
He's preparing a banquet for that great and glorious day
when the Lord and Master calls us, be certain then to say:

Yes I will come, yes I will come to the banquet
no trouble at all
My wife will come with the cows in the stall
My fields and commitments that cost a pretty sum
I'll leave them behind I'll surely come.

I grew up singing this song. I like this song. I don't like it quite as much now.....

BUT when you know this song, and you read the words from which it came, you'll notice some differences.

Here is the passage from Matthew 22.

1And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.' 5But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.' 10And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11"But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. 13Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14For many are called, but few are chosen."

Do you see where they take the servants of the king and treat them shamefully, even killing some of them? I had this song in my brain before I started reading this passage, and my first thought was...the passage is wrong! EEK!!!! What a brain shocker! How could I think that the word of God is wrong, simply because of a song?

Makes the point that my hubbie like to make to me really hit home. People learn a lot of their doctrine and bible from the songs that they sing. So making sure that we choose good music, that says and teaches something is important.

All I can say to that now is ... AMEN.

The Importance of Songs, Poems, and Rhymes in the Classroom

f any of you have searched the websites of teachers or teaching websites (especially those of preschool, kindergarten, or primary grades) you have probably noticed that most of these sites feature renditions of popular chants, rhymes, and songs.

These writings add new words to old favorites to fit a particular theme or time of year. For example you may see "The Ten Little Indians" changed to "The Ten Little Turkeys". For each unit or thematic focus, I try to have at least two or three of these remakes. The key is to have a tune that children already know and can easily recognize and spice it up with new words and movements.

Children absolutely love them! The funnier they are or the movement they have, the more the children like them. They especially enjoy it when the poem or rhyme contains words that can be shouted or said in a different voice.

So why do teachers spend time rewriting verses for their students?

Singing songs and reading poems with children helps expose students to various types of genre. Most children have books at home. Many parents, thankfully, read to their children. However, rhymes, poems, and songs are not as common at home.

In addition to reading these with children, it is also important to write them down. I use a large piece of chart paper and copy each poem that I plan to use with my students.

The purpose of not only saying the words but also having them writing down is to help children relate spoken words to written text. Children can learn a lot by how a verse is written and where the poem is divided.

Children can hear and see the rhyme patterns, rhyming words, and rhythms. Children an also hear these as the poem is read.

How to Download Free Music

Introduction

• Far from putting your favorite musician out of work, downloading free music can help you discover new artists and give you a better idea of which albums you actually want to go out and buy. But be wary. Just because a song is available online, doesn't mean it's legal. Try to make sure that the music you download is being offered legally by the band's record company, or the artist themselves. Here are some tips on how to find and download free music online.

Step 1: Figure Out What You Want To Download

1. Make a list of artists you may want to listen to.
2. View lists of upcoming CD releases on sites like Billboard.com and Metacritic. Does your favorite artist have a new album coming out? If so, they may have some free songs available.
3. Listen to the radio (whether it be online, digital or terrestrial). Are there any songs that have caught your attention lately? Didn't catch the name of the band or song? Many radio stations will keep a record of recently played songs on their website.

Step 2: Search MP3 Blogs

• Music fans from all over the world have begun to keep logs of some of their favorite music and post MP3s for their readers to download and listen to. These are called MP3 Blogs. Here are a few of the most popular music blogs:

• Indie: Stereogum | Gorilla vs. Bear | You Ain't No Picasso | Brooklyn Vegan | I Guess I'm Floating
• Pop/Rock: My Old Kentucky Blog | Aquarium Drunkard | Emo Freak's Delight | I Am Fuel, You Are Friends
• Hip Hop/Soul: So Much Silence | Soul Sides | Hip Hop Ruckus | The Rap Up | Biff Hop
• Electronica/Dance: Digital Eargasm | Discobelle | Acid Girls | Missing Toof

MP3 Blog Aggregators

• MP3 Blog aggregators scan the most popular music blogs and filter them into a searchable MP3 database. Aggregators allow you to search for music by artist or song, as well as explore some of the most popular MP3 blogs online. Here is how to use a few of the most popular:

How to Find Music Using The Hype-Machine

1. Go to the Music Blog aggregator The Hype-Machine.
2. Type the name of an artist or song into the HypeMachine search box. This will pull up a list of blog posts that match your query.
3. Click on the name of the song in order to view the original blog post, where you will usually find the link to the song in question.
4. MP3 blogs will usually only host specific MP3s for a week or two. Since The HypeMachine lists blog posts in chronological order, you will have a better chance of finding available songs at the top of the list.
5. If you just want to listen to the tracks on the results page, click on the button that says "Pop-up Flash Player." This will launch a stand-alone music player that will stream the available songs on the list.