Music & You

Any filmmaker worth his salt knows the importance of a good soundtrack. Music can make or break a movie. Back in the era of silent films (1890s to 1920s), pianists, organists or small orchestral ensembles played live in theaters to convey the mood of a movie to an audience. The musicians were sometimes provided a cue sheet, or a list of pieces that would be suitable for scenes. Without it, viewers would have been presented with an awkward experience of sounds that did not match images—like a funeral march accompanying a comedy or a fast movement from a piano sonata behind a romantic scene!

We have come a long way from the days of silent movies. Today, film scoring is even a college degree. Famed composers, such as John Williams, who wrote film scores for Star Wars, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Superman and so much more, have become incredibly successful because of their effectiveness at creating music that fits each scene like a glove on a hand.

Doing so, however, takes hard work. Mr. Williams once told the British news outlet The Guardian, “I live with films every day—I have in my working room a copy of the films that I’m working on and I look at the scene I’m doing half a dozen times that day.”

Similar to movies, the music you listen to could be considered your life’s “soundtrack.” Music is a powerful force that can affect your life more than the effect it has on movies. It can change your temperament, pump up your heart rate, calm you down, inspire you, motivate you, put a smile on your face, make you dance, make you sing, help you remember, and put tears in your eyes.

Not too many other things can do all this!

Your music of choice should reflect and fit who you really are. And you are the way God made you. Have you ever asked yourself if your soundtrack matches your life as a youth in God’s hands? He is the author of all life and He allows you, as your own “film scorer,” to choose the right music that will enhance the story of your life.

As your Maker, there is no question God cares about what music you listen to. He made you in His likeness, and the Bible shows that He appreciates music too. He could have chosen to make us nonmusical, but our lives would feel bland.

We were all created unique, which means we will all enjoy and appreciate different types of music. No two people’s musical tastes will be the same—and each will match his or her personality.

On top of this, we have more music to choose from than ever before. Apple’s iTunes Store has over 30 million songs. If the average song length is four minutes, that comes to over 228 years of music if you listened straight through.

Consider what this all means. There is a lot of terrible and rotten music out there. But there is good too! With some work and determination, you can find songs and artists that can make it onto the soundtrack of your life.

A question: How can you be sure that God approves your choice of music? Using the following four filters, you can know the answer.

(1) What Emotions Does It Evoke?

God has emotions. King David wrote that in His presence there is “fullness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore” (Psa. 16:11). Our Creator made us capable of experiencing through our senses, including our ears.

Music does this in a incredibly sophisticated way. Musicians are trained to express emotions through sound. When a piece of music is recorded, the musician’s emotions, or the collective emotions of the group playing, are captured in a sort of snapshot. We can then tap into the same emotions and make a connection with the artists. Their music becomes an extension of their emotions, and we can begin to feel what they were feeling—even if a piece was recorded decades ago.

God gives us parameters for the kind of emotions that are safe for us to experience. A good place to start is in Galatians 5: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (vs. 22-23).

We read that the list ends with, “against such there is no law.” There is no limit to how much you can enjoy music that evokes similar feelings—and keeps you in a proper mindset.

Note that “down” emotions are not necessarily wrong. In the Bible, many of the psalms deal with themes of sadness, loneliness and distress. While these emotions are not wrong, be careful of only listening to such music. Also, songs or artists that focus on the sinful attitude of depression should be avoided.

Galatians 5:19-21 gives insight about other kinds of music we are to avoid—those that evoke the wrong types of thoughts and feelings: “Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God” (Revised Standard Version).

Avoid songs that include any of these “works of the flesh.” Most popular songs today are about fornication, jealousy, anger, selfishness and so on. Steer clear! There is plenty of other music to choose from.

Also be wary of songs in which the lyrics may be fine but the music produces negative emotions. Ask yourself, What emotions does this music evoke? Being honest with yourself about how a piece of music makes you feel enables you to choose music that helps complete your life’s soundtrack.

(2) What Inspired It?

In the book of Job, it says “there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding” (32:8). God gives us the inspiration to make music and the ability to understand it. Yet there is a being who twists that inspiration toward music that produces improper thoughts and behaviors.

Referring to Lucifer, before he corrupted himself and became Satan, the prophet Ezekiel recorded: “the workmanship of your tabrets and of your pipes was prepared in you in the day that you were created” (28:13).

Satan the devil has musical ability. As “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2), he influences the many wrong kinds of music we hear today.

As with the right kinds of feelings, God also gives us the right sources of inspiration we are to seek in selecting music. The list is found in Philippians 4: “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (vs. 8). These eight qualities should guide your choices.

With some diligence on your part, asking yourself, “What inspired this music?” you can find songs that were driven by positive thinking.

(3) Does It Edify?

In I Corinthians 10:23, the apostle Paul provided another musical filter: “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.”

Good music can edify—build you up and make you smarter. Bad music can stupefy—tear you down and make you stupid. The Bible is plain about this. Proverbs 23:7 says that as someone “thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Music enters our ears and is unconsciously processed inside. It becomes part of our thoughts. If we expose ourselves to the right kinds of music, we will become better thinkers. The wrong kinds of music, especially songs with wrong messages, result in wrong thinking.

Asking yourself, “Does this music edify me as a youth in God’s Church?” can help you steer clear of songs that should not be part of your life’s soundtrack.

(4) Will It Be in God’s Kingdom?

We know that God will establish His Kingdom on Earth. We are advantaged to know it ahead of billions of other human beings alive today. When the Kingdom arrives, it will be a real government, with a real King, a real law, real territory, and real people in it. We saw in Galatians 5:21 that those that participate in wrong behaviors “shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Obviously, any type of music that promotes wrong behavior will be gone.

Just as countries have national anthems, there will be music associated with the Kingdom. Part of our task as we prepare for it is to eliminate from our lives the things that will not belong in it. When we come across music that interests us, we should ask ourselves, “Will this kind of music be in God’s Kingdom?” If it does not pass the test, it should not be part of our soundtrack.

Create Your Soundtrack!

Thankfully, there is plenty of good music out there that meets God’s approval. And it is easier than ever to find.

When I was younger, I had to wait for good music to be played on the radio and catch the name of the artist, or go to a record store and “test” newly released albums at a listening station to find something I liked. I remember once hearing a song on a TV commercial, then hearing it on the radio before I decided, “I really like this song!” But the radio show would not announce who performed it. I had a primitive cellphone (I believe it was a Nokia) at the time and was able to leave myself a voicemail with an excerpt of the song as it played on the radio.

By the time the beep sound came and the phone began recording, the singer had finished singing, and there was just instrumental music. I went to a local record store and had the clerk listen to my voicemail. Thankfully, the person recognized it and told me who the artist was. I bought the CD and ended up liking all the songs on it.

Today, the music selection process does not have to be such a mission! In many instances, you can go online, listen to an excerpt of a piece of music—or the entire track—and determine if you want to buy it. Another option is using a music streaming app such as Spotify, with parental approval. These services allow you to try out a wide variety of music for free (with commercials) or for a monthly fee.

Realize that it will take a little work to find music that fits God’s standards. The songs that top the charts almost always contain sinful subject matters or have edgy, brash, chaotic music. So you have to dig deeper.

A good rule of thumb: if you feel guilty listening to something—don’t! If you are uncertain about a genre or artist, discuss it with your parents. They can help steer you in the right direction.

Do not be afraid to branch out to different types or eras of music. Just because something is older, does not make it bad.

In addition, there may be artists who have some songs or tracks that are acceptable while others are not. Be ready to remove or avoid the ones that do not fit God’s standards.

Overall, know that you will not have the same music tastes as the vast majority of other teens. Yet that does not mean you need to listen to subpar music. There are musicians out there who make tasteful music that is also high-quality and interesting.

Whichever method you use to vet your music, it is well worth the effort. In the end, ask yourself: What kinds of emotions does it evoke? What inspired it? Does it edify? Also, would this kind of music be in God’s Kingdom? Doing so will help you be confident of God’s approval and in control of your life’s soundtrack.