Martin Luther, the great Reformer, once said, “Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.” Others have echoed his high appraisal of the value of music in our lives. Before him, Plato noted that, “Music is the movement of sound to reach the soul for the education of its virtue.” Perhaps my favorite quote about the beauty and intent of music came from Johann Sebastian Bach. He said, “The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.”

Music is one of the eight learning approaches. It is an important method by which some people learn. Sadly, it’s one that most of us teachers use too sparingly, if at all. Many of the people in our groups learn best through music, so here are some ways you can incorporate music into your upcoming Bible studies:

• Sing a hymn together
• Read a hymn out loud in unison
• Play background music that relates to your study as people arrive
• Play a recorded piece of music as the group is instructed to listen to the words and identify how it connects to your Bible study lesson
• Invite someone with musical talent to play a song on their instrument
• Invite someone with musical talent to sing a song for your group
• Show a video clip of an artist playing or singing a song that relates to your study
• Write new words to familiar tunes or hymns based on your Bible study topic
• Read a hymn and identify the theological teaching contained in it

This list isn’t exhaustive, but it is representative of the many ways you can easily incorporate music into your Bible studies. Take a chance and use one of these methods in an upcoming study, and see how it speaks to the souls of your musical learners!