Music Lessons as Worship | Why Take Piano Lessons with Makayla?
Music lessons can be worship unto Jesus, and this is one of the aspects that makes Adoration Music Academy unique. We know from the Scripture that worship is our highest calling, and it is what we were created for. In Jeremiah 32:39, God says, “I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship Me forever.” So if the purpose of life is to know Jesus and worship Him, then everything we do must flow from this heart of worship.
Traditional Music Lessons
Traditionally, the purpose of music lessons has been to learn to play an instrument so we can become more skilled. Those who are the most skilled win competitions and become performers, while those who are less skilled teach or compose music, or play as a hobby or in church. And then there are the stories of those left behind… those who had a traumatic experience playing at a recital, or those who quit lessons because they just didn’t enjoy it and didn’t find purpose in it.
This is the philosophy that the musicians of the world have adopted. But if worship if the foundation of everything we do, that entire system crumbles and we have to build a new foundation.
Music Lessons from the Heart of Worship
If Jesus is the center and if worship is our highest calling, then the purpose of music lessons can be only one thing: to worship. Even if we’re learning classical music, we know that God is the author of music and that everything we do can be done unto Him; so whether we’re playing a worship song or classical music, our hearts can be worshipping, and we can be playing those melodies unto Jesus.
As a teacher, this understanding reshapes everything I do at a lesson; and as a student, it reshapes everything you experience at a lesson.
First, the heart of worship is more important than skill at an instrument. That means that if learning new skills at the piano is more difficult for you but your love for Jesus is growing, then we are both succeeding. It also means that if you need a week off from practicing new material in order to realign with that heart of worship, then we do that. The goal is not to become the next Beethoven; the goal is to minister to the heart of Jesus. This is how our lessons are different from traditional music lessons.
Secondly, my goal for you each week is that you leave your lesson inspired and excited to practice and worship, without being overwhelmed. To accomplish that, I pray for each of my students and ask the Lord what specifically we should focus on in our lessons. It is also important as a teacher that I sequence content well, presenting it in a way that naturally builds upon what you have already learned. Sometimes the Holy Spirit redirects me or us in that process, and that is how we partner with Him and how music lessons become worship unto Jesus.
1 Corinthians 13 says that without love, we are nothing. Without first love for Jesus, our musical skill is useless from an eternal perspective because it isn’t rooted in worship. But when we learn first to worship and secondly to play with excellence, then our skills have become ministry unto Jesus.
Worship Piano and Classical-Worship Lessons
If this approach intrigues you, I offer two tracks for pianists:
The first is worship piano lessons, in which we focus on the skills needed to play contemporary worship music and/or traditional hymns, depending on your preference. We learn chording, ear training, improvising, accompaniment patterns, chord inversions, playing in various keys, reading chord charts, adding the melody, etc.
The second is classical-worship lessons, where we learn classical piano from the heart of worship. We learn the skills to play beautiful pieces by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, and others – all unto Jesus, from hearts to worship and love Him.
Feel free to sign up or reach out if you have any questions. It would be an honor to partner with the Lord in guiding you as you learn to worship Him in this way.
Want to learn more?
Worship is the highest calling and what we were created for. If you would like to learn how to play worship piano with this heart of worship as the foundation, check out my online lessons or the Worship Essentials courses. This unique approach combines a simple, easy-to-follow method of learning the piano along with teachings on the heart of worship - and it has proven successful for people of all ages and levels.