If you are a Christian who loves the Bible, you have probably struggled with consistent Scripture memory. You have probably started a hundred times, then got discouraged and soon quit. Yes, it is hard work, but method also plays a part.
Now consider the universal language, music. The three parts of good music are these: melody, harmony, and rhythm. When the rhythm of a verse is locked into the rhythm of a song, the Bible songs for kids will help you learn it, help you remember it, and help you remember it correctly.
Here’s an example. Acts 4:28 in the KJV reads, “For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done,” speaking of the sovereign plan of God in His death on the cross. If you read this verse in ? time, stressing every third syllable (do, ev, hand, coun, etc.) you might notice something interesting. You will notice that the words of the verse match the downbeat of each measure.
Here is an easy way to remember the verse: match the words to a ? melody such as a Strauss waltz, or the verse of “Oh How I Love Jesus”. Adjust the words so that the accent of the first word (“do”) matches the downbeat of the first full measure.
Or, how about writing your own tune to the verse, once you have determined a rhythm. I know that I can remember a verse best when the melody is unique for that verse.
Obviously most verses don’t fit a perfect meter as in the above example. When this is true, it is necessary to fit two words or syllables into one beat, to repeat words or phrases, or to hold some words longer. Let’s examine the first section of the song, “I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live”. Notice the accent for the first measure is on ‘I’ and all the words up to life must fit into the next three beats. Thus ‘resurrection’ is compressed with shorter notes and ‘life’ is held for a whole note. These two measures contain 10 syllables. The next two measures have 11 syllables and again several syllables are given with each beat. The phrase ‘yet shall he live’ is repeated and the words given longer notes.
It is best if you don’t change the accent on a multi-syllable word to fit the song. The accent of the words would fall on the first beat of every measure. Work at making the song emphasize the words you feel are key in the verse. In other words, make the music submit to the verse as much as possible.
A rule I try to follow for my Scripture songs is to use the words of Scripture as they are in the Bible. This doesn’t mean repetition of words or phrases is not used. But when we paraphrase part of a verse in order to fit it into a song, then the music is the master and the Scripture is submitting. For example, consider the song, “Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us”. Changing the KJV ‘bestowed’ to ‘given’, the accents fit better but the word is changed. It would have been possible to hold Father for two beats and then ‘bestowed’ would fit with the correct accent on the second syllable.
I’d be grateful if you would visit KJV Bible Songs today and let me know how these techniques have helped you, or if you have more questions.
