This topic is for Music Workshop lessons and idea for teaching Psalm 100, Make a Joyful Noise!
Psalm 100 “Joyful Noise”
Music Workshop
Summary of Lesson Activities:
The children will become familiar with Psalm 100 and then improvise with their own contemporary language to make a movie of a “Praise Chant.” They will use simple percussion instruments in the process of performing, and they may explore recyclable materials to form new rhythm instruments for making a joyful noise.
Scripture Reference:
Psalm 100
Key/Memory Verse: Psalm 100
King James Version (KJV)
1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Lesson Objectives:
After completing this Rotation, participants will be able to:
- relate the feelings of joy and praise expressed in the ancient psalms to those they may feel in their everyday lives.
Leader Preparation:
- Gather the materials.
- Read the scripture ahead of time.
Supplies List:
- Bibles
- a large poster of Psalm 100, KJV if possible
- A large surface to write on, such as a blackboard, whiteboard or large blank piece of paper taped to wall, plus the proper writing tool
- Percussion instruments, such as shakers, drums, tambourines, triangles, sandblocks, etc. Try to have a variety of rattle sounds, metal sounds, & wood sounds. These may be some that you already have,
but if time allows it is more fun to make them.
- They may be made from such items as rice in soda cans with the opening taped shut (shakers); and
- wooden spoons beating on empty detergent bottles (drums);
- old pan lids tapped with a metal spoon (rings like a triangle);or any “trash” or kitchen utensils that sound good when struck or beaten.
- If some can do it, blowing across the hole of a soda bottle is a fun sound to use, also.
Let the children choose and encourage them to come up with ideas to make instruments.
- A way to record the original chant the children improvise, such as a smart phone with camera or an old camcorder. Only recording the audio is OK, but children really like to watch themselves, too. (I used a MacBook laptop computer with Photo Booth to record and play.)
- Optional: A drum kit/sound track to keep a contemporary beat will help, but is not necessary
Advance Preparation Requirements
- Be prepared to lead singing of "Hallelu, Hallelu" (there are several examples on YouTube if you somehow escaped learning this as a child).
- Put post-it's in your Bible so you can quickly turn to the scripture selections in "setting the stage": Psalm 8, Psalm 9, Psalm 29, Psalm 47, Psalm 48, Psalm 98, and Psalm 103.
Presentation
Opening-Welcome and Lesson Introduction:
Invite children in to sit in chairs; quickly divide them into two groups. The children left side will be the “Hallelu”s and the ones on the right side will be the “Praise Ye the Lord”s. They must stand up when they hear their part sung, and sit down when the other part is sung. Sing it to them with gusto; melody is not the important factor here. It often helps the children out if you point to the group that should be standing as you are singing their part:
“Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah -- Praise Ye the Lord.
Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah -- Praise Ye the Lord.
Praise Ye the Lord – Hallelujah
Praise Ye the Lord – Hallelujah
Praise Ye the Lord -- Hallelujah
(everybody stand up here) PRAISE YE THE LORD!”
Sing it at least one more time, switching stand-up parts. Encourage the children to sing along with you. The words aren’t hard!
Dig-Main Content and Reflection:
Setting the stage:
SAY: We just praised God. The act of praising God and giving thanks for our world and our blessings is a very important part of worship.
- Who can tell me quickly how you are blessed?
- What are you thankful for?
- What has happened to you recently that makes you feel happy and joyful and ready to praise God because you feel so good? (call on children to share their ideas).
SAY: In the Bible there is one book that is made of poems and song verses. Many of them are songs of praise and thanksgiving.
- Does anyone know what the name of that book is called? Yes, it is the book of Psalms.
SAY: The Book of Psalms is in the Old Testament section of the Bible because it was written a long time before Jesus was born. As a boy, Jesus may have learned many psalms. You can find the Book of Psalms in the Bible fairly easily because it is in the middle. Let’s try to find it. (Give the children a chance to open their Bibles and find the book of Psalms.)
SAY: There are 150 poems or song verses in the Book of Psalms. Let me read the beginnings of some to you (see notes below on how to read psalms):
Psalm 8: “ O Lord, our Lord, your greatness is seen in all the world!”
Psalm 9: “I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the wonderful things you have done.”
Psalm 29: “Praise the Lord, You heavenly beings; praise his glory and power”
Psalm 47: “ Clap your hands for joy, all peoples! Praise God with loud songs!”
Psalm 48: “The Lord is great and is to be highly praised in the city of our God,”
Psalm 98: “Sing a new song to the Lord; he has done wonderful things!”
Psalm 103: “Praise the Lord, my soul!”
(Suggestions for reading these—read each line with enthusiasm, facing a slightly different direction for each one. Try to read each line with a different volume, even whispering one or two. Use a higher or a lower pitched voice for different ones. This makes them more “musical” and interesting for the children to hear; they will pay more attention. I have quoted the Good News Bible above; other translations work just as well.)
SAY: What were those psalms all about? Yes, they were all about praising God. And those are not all of the praising psalms. Today we are going to learn about one in particular.
SAY: Psalm 100 is one of the shortest psalm in the Bible. It goes like this: (read the entire Psalm 100 to them. Show them the large poster with the words of Psalm 100 on it. I like to use the KJV for this example because the contrast between the old language and the children’s new version is greatest.) Let’s all read it aloud together.
King James Version (KJV)
1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations .
- Is this a rhyming poem? (No)
- Do we know what tune or melody was used when they were singing it? (No)
- Are these words that we would usually use to talk or sing when we are feeling happy and blessed and want to thank God? (Not really!)
- So how would you tell the world the same idea in verse 1 with just a few short words? (sample ideas in italicized print after each verse)
King James Version (KJV)
1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
Everybody cheer Hip hip hooray!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Help God; sing la la la la laa laa.
3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
God is great. He takes care of us.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
Thank you, God. You’re awesome.
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
You will always be there, forever
SAY: Let’s write a chant-a song with a beat but no melody-that says the same thing. We need to have at least 2 different phrases for our chant.
(Start a beat by snapping fingers or clapping.) Someone tell me some short phrases or words for making a joyful noise! (accept all answers, write them on the board, then quickly focus on the short phrases that appeal to the most children and you. Hopefully one will have just a few long sounds in its rhythm and the other will have more shorter sounds with a more complex rhythm.)
(Examples my students came up with: Shout joy! Shout yay! Hip Hip Hooray! Peace – yo, bro! Yummy Thanksgiving food! Ha cha cha cha cha – cha! Yay for God!)
SAY: Now let’s perform it. Repetition is good in music, so let’s say each phrase several times. How many times do you think we should say this? (Write the number of times on the board. Have everyone stand so natural movement is facilitated. Start a beat by snapping fingers or clapping, have children do the same.)
SAY: 1, 2, ready, go:
verse 1: “Shout Yay! Hip hip hooray! Shout yay! Hip hip hooray! Shout yay! Hip hip hooray! Shout Yay! Hip hip hooray!”
verse 2: “Sing La la la la laa, we’re helping God.
SAY: Now let’s add some movement, such as hands around your mouth on “shout,” a clap on “yay.” Pat your hips on “hip hip hooray” and let’s perform it again.
(Write what you have decided to say and do in order on a blackboard or white board so everyone can see it. The end result should have some repetition as well as contrasting verses. Decide as a group if any parts should be repeated, be spoken in a soft or loud voice, or go from soft to louder, etc. Write notes on the board so everyone will remember what to do.)
SAY: What about adding some instruments to our chant? What instrument would sound great with “Shout yay!”? Maybe shakers on the word “shout” and a drum beat on “Yay”? Who will play them? What instrument will sound good on “hip hip hooray”? Make the rhythm of the words sound on your instrument.
(Give out instruments and allow children to “play” with their instruments for a minute or two; it will be noisy and chaotic, but that’s OK. They need to experiment with making the sounds. Then establish a rule that no one plays until the appropriate time or they lose the privilege of playing an instrument if the class is unruly.)
SAY: Let’s try saying our whole psalm, then saying and playing the rhythm on the instruments, then just the instruments only. I will be the “conductor” this time, pointing to the parts as we perform them. 1,2, feel the beat and here we go:
(Perform the entire piece as written on the board. Practice as many times as you and the children feel the need to get it to sound good. Try making some parts loud, others soft.
Ask a student to be the conductor.
When ready, do a ‘final performance’ and record it using whatever device is convenient for you. Be sure to allow the students to hear and watch themselves.
If you wish and have the time, you may record at different stages to allow the children to evaluate their own performance and decide if they like it or want to improve it.)
Review/closure:
SAY: What were we really doing as we were performing and then watching our “Praise Chant?” What was our purpose? Yes, it was to praise God.
That is a kind of prayer, isn’t it? Often we think of prayer as being a quiet thing to do, but we can be noisy when we praise God.
Now, let’s have a quiet prayer. Take a moment right now to think of times when you are feeling happy and excited. Remember to think of God during those times, too, and praise God!
“Dear God, thanks for all those times when I am feeling so happy and excited I could just burst. Thanks for giving me joyful moments in my life. Remind me to always think of you even when I am so excited. You are wonderful! Amen.”
[This lesson was used in conjunction with a group of lessons about Praise and Thanksgiving, but I also believe it would work well with a group of lessons about David, the Psalm writer with a different background orientation. ]
A lesson written by rotation.org member Barbara Burdick
A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.
