From The Editor

MUSIC plays a powerful part in our lives. Every major occasion from cradle to grave takes place to a backdrop of music. Experience means that our reaction to some pieces of music changes as time goes by. What was meaningless to a child can provoke a range of reactions from an adult.

Playlist for Life, the charity founded by the broadcaster and journalist Sally Magnusson, has demonstrated the powerful link between music and memory, thanks to its amazing work in developing personal playlists on donated iPods for those living with dementia. The musical memories evoked by the playlists have demonstrated a profound improvement in the daily lives of those dealing with dementia and the charity has called for everyone to develop their own personal playlists for the future. A recent BBC documentary, Our Dementia Choir, provided further evidence of the importance of music, when a choir of a group of people living with dementia-linked conditions was formed and improvements in their daily lives were experienced and measured.

Impairment of this important sense is not always a barrier to enjoyment: Dame Evelyn Glennie is just one example of someone who has succeeded beyond the odds, using other senses to compensate for hearing impairment. I know from my husband (who has been deaf since childhood) that certain sounds resonate more with him than others and vibrations can be felt or sensed.

Church music will likely form a backdrop to the personal playlists of many readers of this magazine. It can come in many shapes and forms: from unaccompanied psalm singing to modern praise bands. The key has always been maintaining quality – and ensuring the powerful message of faith is retained.

Great music and hymns that can be easily sung by a crowd will play an important part in the life of the Church as it moves forward.

On a personal note, I well remember the first hymn I sang in church as a child, the psalm and hymn of my marriage, my daughter’s baptism and the hymns of family funerals. Another is the hymn that prompted my call to faith and another which first heard at a Guild annual gathering. Both are perfectly matched with profound thoughtful words and quality music that can be easily picked up. This will be critical for the future, particularly as opportunities to access music are diminishing for new generations, or come with a price tag.

Great music and hymns that can be easily sung by a crowd will play an important part in the life of the Church as it moves forward into the future, but will require investment in those gifted with musical ability to ensure the message of faith is transmitted to a new generation through relevant vibrant and vital worship.

Read more about Playlist for Life at www.playlistforlife.org.uk

Lynne McNeil