Starting a Preschool Choir with Brenda from Little Jam Sessions

Have you ever thought about starting a preschool choir at your church? The benefits of choir for kids are huge! Brenda from Little Jam Sessions shares with us not only the benefits of kids' choir, but also about her choir curriculum. 

Find out more at: https://littlejamsessions.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to the Kidman Huddle, Amber Pipe. Where children as ministry leaders get equipped, encourage, and empower to disciple with intentionality. Growing God's kingdom one child at a time.

SPEAKER_02 0:16

Welcome back to the Kidman Huddle. I am joined by special friend Brenda, who has a really cool ministry we're going to tell you about in just a second. Welcome, Brenda. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. Absolutely. So we were talking before we hit record, just to make you all already not like her. She does not have snow right now. And if you're watching this at recording date, everybody else is covered in snow and ice, but not Brenda. So thanks for that. Okay. So your ministry is called Little Jam Sessions. So kind of newer, at least on the Instagram scene, you know, I've been seeing you pop up for like a year, year and a half. So a lot of our friends might not be familiar with you. So kick us off. Just tell us what is little jam sessions? What are you about? Why'd you what's your heartbeat behind it?

SPEAKER_01 1:04

Right, right. Yeah, so little jam sessions. Uh the J is for Jesus, A is for art, M is for music. So of the jam, Jesus art music, those are like my main passions. And with kids, um, with the littles, I love working with uh, you know, preschool age. And so the little jam sessions curriculum is for Kidman Choir. Um, and it is uh there's original music for the choirs. It comes in like six-week units. Um, there's a piece of music for the kids to learn, but then beyond that, there is art and Bible lessons so that the kids are actually learning about what they're singing about. So it's awesome to have a kids choir. I love it, love it, love it. Tons of reasons just have a kid's choir. Uh, but then uh I really want them to understand what they're singing about so that their singing is actual worship and actual learning. So that's pretty much pretty much what it's all about. I love that.

SPEAKER_02 2:01

So did you grow up with kids choir?

SPEAKER_01 2:03

I grew up with kids choir. Um, I grew up with music in church, it was pretty much what I did for many, many years. And yeah, and I just kept doing it. Yeah. I love it.

SPEAKER_02 2:16

So that's not super common right now. Like I'm seeing people, they're asking for music. Because I mean, like growing up back in the day, we we did it. Um, my claim to fame is we did you gotta be Josh and Us at my tiny church. Um, it was Josh in the Walls of Jericho. Yes. Okay. I'm tall. You see me in person. I'm like 5'10, so I'm tall for a girl. Um, I was this height at like 12. Okay. So I was I've always been tall. And in You Gotta Be Josh and Us, my dad, who wasn't big on church attendance growing up, he looked at my mom and he's like, Amber's not allowed to sing with the kids anymore because she looks ridiculous. Because you had me who's like basically grown-up size at like 10, and then like everybody else was like hip height for me. And I looked apparent, people at my church felt sorry for me because I looked so out of place. But we had a kids choir that I was told I couldn't be at anymore. Wow. I know it's it's tough. It's tough.

unknown 3:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:14

Oh, yeah, not something I've ever struggled with.

SPEAKER_02 3:19

Um, but I mean, I'm seeing I'm seeing so many people asking for for choir resources, musical things. Um, why do you think kids choir is such a big deal? I mean, you grew up with it, you have this passion for it, you made a ministry for it. So why convince me to have a preschool choir?

SPEAKER_01 3:35

Yes. So I could go on about the benefits of choir in general for for days. I mean, there's there's all of the the statistics with kids' choirs that show kids and choir do better in school, they are better with teamwork, they actually do their chores better at home. I mean, crazy statistics that that right there is how you get parenting right? Your kids are gonna do their chores, you know, and get good grades and have good friends, you know. I mean, so I could I could, you know, talk about that forever. But then there's also statistics uh about kids in church choir. And since you yourself were part of it, um there's statistics that say that kids who are in church choir uh they attend church more regularly, they attend church more often, and they attend longer in their lifetime than kids who are not in church choir. Uh so you know, those are some great things um with kids in in church choirs. But I I just I I think there's lots of good reasons for it beyond that, even. I mean, it's just so good for little, especially like preschoolers. Um, you know, it's good for their fine motor skills, their large motor skills, for their memorization, for um just their foundational learning of about Jesus in the Bible, um, and to be able to do these things together and to worship together. Um, I know from your book um that you just uh put out recently, I'm trying to remember, praise him, praise him, yes. Um, and you talk a lot about um, you know, the reasons we praise God and how the different ways we can do it. And music is definitely one of those ways that we can do it, and little children can do it, and especially if they're understanding, you know, why they're doing it. Like we have uh a unit on creation. I know you talk about creation in your book too, is one of the big reasons to praise God, and you know, um, so we have art projects about creation. We talk about each of the different days, and then we sing a little song, and it's just a simple song like God made the world, he made it in six days, God made the universe, and so we give him praise. You know, so they're not like you know, big deep choral sounding things. They're just perfect for little preschoolers to be singing these songs, simple things with simple thoughts um about ways to worship God and to love God and to love other people as well.

SPEAKER_02 6:06

So I love it. And music, I mean it it it cements it in your brain. Absolutely. And and those those foundational truths that we want kids to know. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 6:16

Right. We think back to what I learned. I mean, the songs that I learned, the B I B L E and Jesus Loves Me. And, you know, I learned those when I was probably in preschool, and I still know them to this day and can pull those out when needed, you know, when I'm having a really hard time, I can, you know, think about relying on Jesus because, you know, he is he does love me. That's a a foundational truth that everybody should, everybody should have. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02 6:43

I think if we were to sit back and try to think of the things that we sang as a kid, um, and and they were, you know, they were simpler. They weren't the you know, good good father, the the top praise thing, which are are wonderful, love it. I've always gone on music, but those simple things for kids, so key. Right. I'm gonna chase a rabbit. Um as a as a as a choir person. Do you remember from back in like the uh it was possible possibly made in the 80s and I'm watching things later? Do you remember a a musical thing, uh, like a I don't know, like an audio adventure, Solomon the Supersonic Salamander? Wow, no, I don't so I don't know how I had this cassette tape, but I did as a kid. And I recently, this past summer, found that it is all on YouTube. Like someone uploaded this whole thing, and I'm like, what? So I made my children, I'm like, we're doing this one day, and my oldest niece was coming over to get away from her sisters, and she's like 14, too cool for school. Right. And I made they're sitting and they're doing like grown-up coloring books while we listen to this like hour-long audio adventure. Like 25 years later, I can sing every song from Solomon the Supersonic Salamander. Oh my goodness. Yeah. Music is so big for littles. Um, I love, I love and and yes to like everything you're saying. Um, but then something that we didn't say is that they're already developing their giftedness. Right. Um, they might not be saved yet in the preschool age. I was saved at five. I started singing in worship at eight. My first solo was eight. I have was Miss a Matith. We have it on cassette, it's adorable. That's great. But they're they're beginning to develop giftedness. And the beautiful thing about preschoolers is they don't feel too cool for school. Absolutely. Your preteen boys often get absolutely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 8:28

That is one of the reasons I love to start with preschoolers and actually encourage churches to start with preschoolers uh because they they soak up information. And they just naturally love. Yeah, they love to sing, they're not too cool for school, they're super cute. So if you put them on stage, they're super cute, even if they don't remember some of the words. The little girl who just pulled her dress over her head. Every church has got one of those. Every time. They're also really good for reminding uh the congregation and the rest of the staff of what goes on uh in with the kids, because a lot of staff doesn't don't really pay attention maybe to what you know is happening in the kids' ministry, and you put them on stage, um, you know, for for Easter, for Christmas, and but for other times too, like for baby dedication, you know, have a little kids choir come out, or for, you know, just all different times of, you know, you got a church project, have the kids choir come out, remind people why you know why you're building the church, while why you're doing this, what that's for. And it's also great for inviting other people, you know, come see my kids sing. Oh, okay, I'll I'll do that. I'll come see your preschooler sing. I wouldn't come for church for any other reason, right? But I will come to hear your preschooler sing. Yes. So I love, I love doing the preschool group. I just think there's so many um benefits to having your preschooler sing.

SPEAKER_02 9:53

Yes to all of it. Okay, so like I'm sold, our kidman leaders are sold. Um, how could we get in the world where we have, as parents, there are millions of things competing with our time. We've got sports that no longer view like midweek as sacred, even Sundays as sacred anymore. Um, so how do we convince our parents that this is important enough for you to sign up and make that commitment? What kind of tips would you have for us as we're helping our parents to get on board with Kids Choir?

SPEAKER_01 10:23

Right. Uh, well, you could go back to that chore thing. Kids doing their chores. Um, you know, there are different people. There are some people whose sports is very important. Um, I grew up in a church where our youth pastor was very into sports. It was like God and then sports. Um, I was not a sports person. Um just I wasn't naturally, and then my family, you know, Wednesdays and Sundays were sacred, so we couldn't be involved in any sports. It's like, you know, um, so it wasn't my thing, but if if, you know, I I always wished that in our youth group there was something more artsy. Um, not just sports people, but something for the people who were artsy and you know, uh liked music and liked painting and liked other things like that. So for some, it would just be this draw of having an arts program that schools are no longer doing um that are different than the uh the athletes' um opportunities. So there's a little bit of that, but beyond that, I think there's just so many benefits to having a kids choir. And I know time is precious, and I don't um I mean family should needs to be important and needs to come first. And I don't think you should be scheduling something for every single day. Um, but I think one of the things that you should be scheduling is kids choir. I just think there's so many benefits to it, and it's just a really great way to um to build friendships, to learn about worship. I mean, I just I don't I could go on and on, and I think it's just really um just really a beneficial thing, especially to the more artsy-minded people, but really to anyone. Um but you know, I I realize people have to make their choices between a lot of different things. I just uh I just I really think that choir is a beneficial thing to I love it. I love it.

SPEAKER_02 12:26

Okay, so when you get a curriculum from Little Jam Sessions, it has the music, which I'm assuming. Do you write the music? I do. You do like it's like sheet music and everything. So you're not just like it's just kind of twinkle twinkle.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

Right. No, um there it's all original, just short, simple um, you know, piano or guitar accompaniment kind of thing. Just you know, it's not the big uh multimedia, lots of motions kind of thing. It's it's a much more uh scaled down, like acoustic version, um, just to really have the the words be more important um than the jumping around.

unknown 13:06

I love that.

SPEAKER_02 13:06

There's a place for both, but but this but this is that. Yeah. I love that. Okay, so we've got the music, we've got um the curriculum that goes with it, which is going to like here's what we're learning about in the song. Yes. We have an art project that goes with it. Yes. And then there's a take-home component too. I was on your website, I do my homework. Tell us about this take-home component.

SPEAKER_01 13:29

Yeah, so it's just an easy, uh, you know, print out little booklet that goes home each week. Um, it has um there's three like kind of guides along the way for the J A M. Um, there's Josiah, Abigail, and Micah, which happen to be my three kids' names. Oh. Uh, but they're also the jam. And uh Josiah teaches a little bit about the Bible. So um, so in the little worksheets, you know, he might have a question for the family to talk about, or might have uh, you know, a thought or a verse or something, and that will be in the the little booklet. And then um Abigail will have a little art project, so it might be something to color related to it, or it might be a little, you know, a little maze, or a little um, you know, different little matching or something, a little, something a little artsy. Uh, and then Micah with the music will have sometimes it'll have the lyrics to the song they're learning, or it might have a little thing um with a little bit of music theory thrown in, you know, about fast and slow or high and low, you know, some of the music term antonyms that, you know, that preschoolers are learning anyway. And so it just kind of throws, you know, some of that in. And then on the back there are QR codes so the parents can get um back to my website, um, and there's actually more information on there uh for parents. There's a like a blog style website where parents can interact and ask questions or talk about um, you know, what their kids are learning. And then there's also a QR code that links to my Spotify playlist. So each unit, I have a Spotify playlist that is related to the music and the lesson that we're learning. So it's not just that music. It's, you know, if it's a unit about friendship, it has all, you know, sorts of friendship music and it has other fun things, and it's something that the adults would like too. So they could put it on in the car. It's not all children's music. There is some children's music thrown in, um, but it's just a lot of other fun music just to kind of keep that in the forefront of their mind. Okay, we're learning about friendship right now. You know, this, hey, do you remember what we learned in this? And you know, they can take a day and do the little worksheets and do the, you know, the little booklet worksheets, um, just to kind of keep them engaged throughout the week. So it's not just like what you learn on Sunday or whenever just goes out the window the minute you go home, but something to just keep the the whole family engaged.

SPEAKER_02 16:01

And it's that as-you-go discipleship where you're helping put mom and dad in the driver's seat. 100% even using choir. So this is kind of a I don't know if I want to say unconventional approach, but I'm gonna say it's kind of an unconventional approach to help mom and dad be the primary disciple makers. Right. Absolutely. Absolutely. Love it.

unknown 16:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:21

Okay, so let's walk through how would this look in our church setting? Like, is this is if we use the curriculum, is this my my midweek service? Are we using the same song? Do we learn a new song every week? Um, when would performance be? Kind of walk me through. Do I need to have musical talent to lead this? How many helpers do you think I might need? All of that kind of stuff logistically.

SPEAKER_01 16:44

Right. Right. Uh, great question. Uh so yes, they are in six-week units, and uh I have a plan where you could do the whole year and it has it, you know, lined up so that Christmas hits at Christmas and all that sort of thing. Um, but otherwise, some people like to just do it seasonally. Uh for seasonal, that would probably be uh, you know, a midweek or you know, yeah, a midweek Sunday night type of thing. Uh I do have a church that uses it as their Sunday morning curriculum. And then uh they learn the song, and if the kids want to be in the choir, then they are. And if they don't want to be, then that's fine too. They're that option. But there's that kid who's like, no, I cannot get up in front of people. I will not get up in front of people. Absolutely, absolutely, and that is that is totally fine. Um, but most of them actually at that church do it, so that's fun. Um, but yeah, mostly a week, I mean, you know, a weekday, midweek kind of thing. Uh it's about an hour lesson if you do the whole thing. Um, I also have, I know that not everybody uh is big on the whole glitter and glue. I personally love it, but not everybody is, so I do have um alternative uh like coloring pages and then also coloring pages with like you color, but you add you know, stickers or you add, you know, this little yarn right here, whatever. So it's kind of a modified thing so that um a little bit cooler than just a regular coloring sheet. Yeah, yeah, exactly. But yes, so depending on how much glitter you have involved would affect how many teachers you need. I mean helpers you need. Uh if you're just coloring, you can probably do it less. But uh if you have a huge group and you're doing full-on crafts, then you you know you're gonna want some definite help. You don't need to be super musical to do it because it is pretty simple. Um and I'm working on recording the songs so that people can just hear them, but I haven't done that yet. Um, but it's it's sheet music. So if somebody can read music, if you know, if you can get your church organist or church pianist or worship leader to sing it for you once or twice, you probably have it down. Um so you'll want to be able to sing a little bit, but it doesn't take like, you know, a huge range, which is important, it's in a kid's range. A lot of music is not. Um so that's you know good for them. But yeah, it's so it's it's about an hour. They it's divided up about, you know, 2020 20 with you know, time for moving around into different chairs or whatever with that. Um it doesn't, yeah, it doesn't take huge musical lessons, but a little is helpful, at least be able to sing a little bit. Yeah, I think I hope I answered your question. I got a little sidetracked there, so I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_02 19:38

No, that's great. Okay, so we need we need someone who can at least play it for us if we can't sight read the tune.

SPEAKER_01 19:44

Right.

SPEAKER_02 19:45

Um, but they could do it without the accompaniment and in like if they're singing it. They absolutely could.

SPEAKER_01 19:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:51

Okay, great. And so it's the same song, so we would work on the same song for six weeks, which gives kids plenty of time to really learn it and be able to belt it out up there all cute. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 20:02

Six weeks is what I found is pretty good for uh the difference between learning the song and getting bored with a song. Um six weeks is is, you know, if it's a simple song and you're only singing one song, then six weeks is is perfect. If you're you know doubling up, adding more songs to it, then you might want a little longer. Uh, but for for most, six weeks seems to be about the the sweet spot there.

SPEAKER_02 20:28

And these are low-key, like we don't need to build a huge backdrop and all get all these little costumes.

SPEAKER_01 20:34

They are it's it's fun, but it's it is, it's absolutely fun, and I loved growing up doing that kind of thing. But no, this is you show up, maybe have shorts under your dress, so you if you're pulling it up, you don't. But besides that, you know, whatever your church uh, you know, usually does. I know some churches do choirs with little robes and some do fancy dresses, and some do, you know, t-shirts and flip-flops. And so um, it doesn't really matter to me which of those you're doing. But no, no costumes, no sets, no big graphics. Um, it's just very streamlined to be, it's kind of a back to basics kind of thing. That's focusing on the heart of worship and then what we're learning.

SPEAKER_02 21:21

I love it. Absolutely, absolutely. So, to my knowledge, and I've been in children's ministry since I was 15. Um, you are the only ministry of this kind that I know of that is providing like the curriculum, like, let's learn about these words that we're singing.

SPEAKER_01 21:36

Right. It it's yeah, yeah, it's pretty niche. Um, not I'm not sure anybody else does it. I actually I started it because I I was working at a church. They asked me to do the choir, and they're like, Yes, and we need, you know, you should do a Bible story and you should, you know, do a craft too. And it was like, okay, here's our closet with our supplies. It was like, okay. Yeah, exactly. And Like, I love doing those things, so I feel comfortable doing that. But I thought, you know, a lot of people would not feel comfortable doing that without, you know, a little help. Um, and so that's kind of when I started writing it up, and then I realized, oh, because maybe nobody does that exactly like that. Um, but I I feel like it's very helpful.

SPEAKER_02 22:22

It is, because I mean they need to know what they're singing and and learn, and then that becomes your programming. So side suggestion, um, my boss, Dr. Josh Mulvahill, talks about they are very big on kids being in worship with mom and dad. So their Sunday morning, one of their Sunday morning options is kids' choir.

SPEAKER_01 22:39

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 22:39

So you go to kids' choir, which you're still learning and you're developing gifts, and it has the Bible study component, but then they go to worship with mom and dad.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:47

Yeah. That's very cool. Okay, so I'm gonna put you on the spot. Can you tell us do you ever have plans to make a big ol' musical full of sets and props and backdrops and all of that?

SPEAKER_01 23:01

Oh, that is on the spot. Um you can plead the fifth if you would like. Yeah, right. I that's not in an immediate plan. No. Um someday that might be fun. I don't know. I've you know, I grew up with musical theater kid, so you know, I love that kind of stuff. Uh, but it's not something that I've ever felt called to do. Yeah. Yeah, I kind of know what they'll say about telling God never.

unknown 23:31

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 23:34

That is very true. But I feel like there's a lot of people who really have a good handle on doing that kind of thing already.

SPEAKER_02 23:40

Um I'm gonna I'm gonna push back and just kind of I don't know. This is the maybe maybe the spirit speaking through me, Brenda. Um there's not a lot of current out there. Okay, okay. I don't I don't see publishers make I know Worship House Kids does some. I think I know Yancey had one with like Lillian, something, something with Lily in it.

SPEAKER_01 24:03

Oh, Lil Lilinus.

SPEAKER_02 24:04

Yes, yes, that one. But um I see people asking for kids' musicals. Yes, yes. But when um what was it, Brent what Brentwood that went went down like it's no more or it was no more?

SPEAKER_01 24:16

I don't know if it's uh Brentwood Benson. So maybe they combine to something.

SPEAKER_02 24:20

Yeah, I feel like it it stopped doing the kids stuff. I could be wrong. Don't quote me on this as you're right.

SPEAKER_01 24:26

Um so hey, they were at CPC.

SPEAKER_02 24:29

Okay, maybe they are anymore. At some point they were no more. Um I don't know who's doing kids' musicals. Do you do you know of anyone that I don't?

SPEAKER_01 24:38

No, I guess I don't really. See? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:41

So you know, putting this on there. Yeah, I will discuss maybe maybe needs to make a cute little preschool musical. Oh, be so sweet. I have a lot of nieces uh that would love to be singing a little musical.

SPEAKER_01 24:53

Yeah, okay, okay, okay. Well, you know.

SPEAKER_02 24:57

So if you all want this, you need to start like bombarding Brenda with messages and emails. Just really hardcore. I demand a preschool musical. Because I mean they learn their lines perfectly in every they learn some lines perfectly sometimes.

SPEAKER_01 25:19

I love it. I love it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh no, I grew up I grew up salty. That was my era, was the salty era.

SPEAKER_02 25:26

I wish I knew about him when I was a kid, but I think my church is so like small town, Kentucky. We didn't know there that there were things there. Okay. Because that would have been right up my alley, like theater kid here. I mean. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:39

It's good fun.

SPEAKER_02 25:44

So I love, I love what you're doing. I love the heart behind it. Um, where can people, if they're listening to this and they're like, you know, I would love to do a kids choir. I see the benefits. Um this is, you know, it's got the family discipleship, it's got the lesson component. So where do they go to learn more about little jam sessions?

SPEAKER_01 26:02

Yeah, so uh pretty simple. It's littlejamsessions.com, uh, is where most of the information is. Or uh I'm on Instagram, Facebook, uh, Spotify, a lot of, you know, those sort of things, and it's all under Little Jam Sessions. So that's the easiest, easiest way is the website, of course. Um, but you can you can follow me or look for me on those other media platforms as well.

SPEAKER_02 26:26

Love it. So go look through look through the curriculum options. Hey, it's six weeks, so maybe that's a perfect summer or in-between, right? You know, like a post-Easter before summer section. What's the word I'm looking for? Um it's not section quarter, it's not quarter. I don't know. Season, unit, thing. Section work. Um, go check it out. You're you're hitting a lot of buckets. You are teaching kids um the truth of God's word. You are cementing it in their heads and their hearts, you are helping them develop some of their gifts that God, I mean, he begins the work in us before we become Christians. And you might have preschoolers who who are already saved and and learning their giftedness. You are working on just all the all the great things developmentally that choir does. It helps them in future things when you're in front of people and stage fright and all that. Yes. Public speaking, yes. Um, you have the family discipleship component, the arts. So if you are a lover of arts and music, you're getting to learn in that way. Friends, go check out little jam sessions, go see what they have to offer. Brenda, thank you so much just for your heart and your obedience. You know, you were, it sounds like you were maybe voluntold that you were starting this ministry, and then you're like, hey, I'm starting this.

SPEAKER_01 27:44

Yeah, and I love it.

SPEAKER_02 27:47

I love that that's um a lifetime of just your heart behind it. So, yes, thank you. Yep, thank you. All right, well, friends, go check out our website, go follow her, Instagram, Facebook, and remember, kidman leaders, what you do matters.