Ship of Fools: VBS music for an age range of kids?

Thread: VBS music for an age range of kids? Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Belle Ringer (# 13379) on :

My good deed for the month, I signed up to "help" at Vacation Bible School which is two weeks from now. I'd heard it's a help just to have extra adults hanging around. Except they make you sign a list of which activity you'd like to lead or help with.

So I signed up to help but not lead crafts or music. I know nothing about kids.

One person has signed up to lead crafts, one other to help crafts. NO ONE has signed up for music. I'm sure there will be a push to get people to sign up, but there's a danger they'll decided I should lead music since "Belle is musical" and no one else (so far) has offered. (Some of the other activity rosters are already full - kitchen duty for example.)

Just in case, I'd like to NOT be asking for ideas barely 3 days ahead!

What are some songs a range of ages can do and enjoy? Not stuff that is fun for 4 year old but boring for 8 year old.

Or maybe just pick out some of the contemporary Christian pop songs like Awesome God?

Posted by greenhouse (# 4027) on :

There are some DVDs from Hillsongs Kids and Doug Horley that are fairly good, and either have simple actions or they can be made up.

Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on :

Is your church rolling its own VBS, or using a published program? Most of the published schemes come with their own music, so it would be chosen for you.

Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Belle Ringer:

What are some songs a range of ages can do and enjoy? Not stuff that is fun for 4 year old but boring for 8 year old.

Or maybe just pick out some of the contemporary Christian pop songs like Awesome God?

I have always thought it a shame that we don't spend more time teaching the children things that they might actually encounter in church rather than special VBS songs. So if you're doing your own thing, I'd start by looking at what child-friendly songs are used in your regular Sunday worship, and seeing whether you can get a couple of those in there (which might well include Awesome God.)

Posted by cliffdweller (# 13338) on :

To reach the older kids, just keep the tempo upbeat and have lots of movement, whether it's dancing, hand motions, whatever. Younger kids will love whatever the older kids love, as long as the words are simple enough for non-readers to remember. Words with an echo work particularly well since they don't need to be able to read the lyrics to sing the echoed line.

You probably know this already, but it's useful to have really up-tempo, loud, jump-and-down songs at the beginning to get them excited and moving and engaged. INHO, these songs don't even have to be particularly religious since they're not paying that much attn to the lyrics-- it's just about fun and movement and getting them engaged. Things like "head shoulders knees and toes" or a rousing competition of "halle-lu, halle-lu, hallelujah" works as well as anything. End with a couple of quieter worship songs-- simple hymns, Godly Play songs, etc.-- to help them calm down and focus for the lesson or whatever is coming next.

Posted by Mamacita (# 3659) on :

Much wisdom here already. Let me second a few of the suggestions above:

See if they are using a published curriculum (e.g. from Group Publishing, Cokesbury, etc. These programs often have a music CD available.
That said, it's good (I would say better) to find upbeat songs that are "standards" as well as songs they are likely to encounter during worship at their own churches.
Kids LOVE songs with hand motions. See if you can find simple sign-language motions for simple worship songs. Even older kids, who sometimes feel "too cool" to sing, will join in if there are hand motions.
The approach posted above by cliffdweller is a good one. Start lively, to get the wiggles out, and wrap up with a quieter one. See if you can borrow a CD from a church that uses Godly Play or Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. A song like "I See the Love of God in You" can get them settled down and focused.
Finally, be aware that VBS is a balancing act. The timing of the different activities or stations (art, music, games) is very important. Be sure you understand how the music program fits in with the overall plan. For example, are they planning on music as a separate activity or is it part of the opening or closing programs? If the former, you could add fun stuff like rhythm instruments etc. If the latter, be sure you find out who is running the opening/closing (is it you or someone else?) and how much time they want to allocate to music/singing.

Belle Ringer, if you want to contact me via PM, I'd be happy to help you with any of the above.

[ 29. June 2013, 00:48: Message edited by: Mamacita ]

Posted by Belle Ringer (# 13379) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Mamacita:

Belle Ringer, if you want to contact me via PM, I'd be happy to help you with any of the above.

Thanks so much! With any luck someone else will sign up to lead and half a dozen others to help and I won't have to do anything except escort a stray kid to the bathroom.

Some good thoughts here. Last time I did VBS was 3 decades ago, I had the 12 year old kids (I love that age) and we did do some action songs like "I'm upright inright outright downright happy all the time" reaching arms each named direction including touching toes. I'm not sure the Episcopal church is comfortable with the middle phrase "Since Jesus Christ came in and saved me from my sin" but I could re-phrase. [Smile]

I'd forgotten there are big kid action songs. I see so many little kid action songs, overly cutesy.

Hopefully I'm worried about nothing.

Posted by the giant cheeseburger (# 10942) on :

Belle, how about resurrect the previous thread you started on this subject? Many shipmates gave you good advice, and I can't be arsed repeating all the posts I made, especially if you're just starting this thread because you didn't like what people said in the last one and you're hoping for different answers this time around.

For what it's worth, Awesome God is not a contemporary song either.

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :

BR--

What kind of church, if I may ask? Fund/Evo? Or...?

I grew up in a fund. Protestant church. Spent a lot of time in VBS, both as an attendee and a teacher. The "Countdown" song was a huge hit, and lots of fun. Prepare for everyone to get *very* loud and *very* rowdy. It was also a good way for the kids to work off energy. [Biased]

Only problem is that it's about a very literal Second Coming. If that fits with the teachings of the particular church, great.

I noticed in my initial search results that there are YouTube renditions available.

YMMV.

Posted by Ricardus (# 8757) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Mamacita:
Kids LOVE songs with hand motions.

Do they? Lots of adults seem to assume they do. I'm not sure I did when I was little.

On the other hand I was probably that kid that Terry Pratchett describes as 'aged 7, going on 45'.

ETA:

quote:
Originally posted by Belle Ringer:
I had the 12 year old kids (I love that age) and we did do some action songs like "I'm upright inright outright downright happy all the time" reaching arms each named direction including touching toes.

I definitely wouldn't have enjoyed that aged 12.

[ 29. June 2013, 11:04: Message edited by: Ricardus ]

Posted by Belle Ringer (# 13379) on :

quote:
Originally posted by the giant cheeseburger:
Belle, how about resurrect the previous thread you started on this subject?

For what it's worth, Awesome God is not a contemporary song either.

Sorry, in my panic I forgot about that thread, maybe because that time I had a different church in mind. (I'm somewhat involved in 2 churches.) That one buys a package, this one I think does their own materials.

Awesome God is a lot more contemporary than Rock of Ages. [Smile]

But yes as someone suggested this church (Episcopal) has a "contemporary" hymnal, great suggestion to find songs there. In fact, that's something I could start on now and not be wasted because eventually the songs will be useful.

I was hoping to learn guitar well enough to be "useful" at a VBS but I'm not that good yet; but practicing on some potential songs, I might be able to get them good enough that if "recruited" I can say "These few I can do with guitar, anything else no instrument." The music pro who recently did all the youth music recently decided he's done enough of it and is moving on to other (non-church) music. People are used to him doing it all. But you never know who might step up now that there's new opportunity.

I don't want to go asking any questions officially because that would make me look interested in leading the activity!

Thanks for the suggestions, all, I'm much happier.

Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :

I think you should ask some questions officially in case you are at cross purposes. At our church there is no way that the choice of music would still be undecided two weeks beforehand. We usually buy in packages, with the main songs on those, but someone would have a CD chosen for other music.

Does your VBC have a theme? That's relevant, too.

Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :

Sorry - missed edit window. Is it possible that the overall leader has this well in hand, and whoever volunteers to lead the music will be handed a program / CD and told "this is the music you'll be leading?"

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