Bringing back the old hymns?

[ontosecondary]

I'm part of a music team in a large state primary. We do Singup which is good but does feature a fair number of songs about apostrophes and sentiments such as "it's you, it's me, it's us that makes community".

We are not church school and I'm an atheist.

I feel that, in this day and age, we ought to be able to re-introduce some of the old hymns on the grounds that they are (i) great music and (ii) have lyrics that hint at life not always being rosy

I'm thinking of suggesting it to my colleagues. Ironically they are Christians and so it would need to come from me so as not to seem like a church-school-by-the-back-door thing.

Hymns I remember and miss include:
He who would valliant be
When a Knight won his spurs
All Things Bright and Beautiful
Give me joy in my heart keep me singing (etc)

Hymns I remember and would not foist on the innocent include:
There is a Green Hill Far Away
and anything else that's massively into the whole crucifixion details....

anyway, I wondered what people thought, and if you could nominate some hymns you wish you still heard. It's odd that we keep the Christmas Carols but not the rest of the year hymns.

cheers.

My own children go to a non church school and sing many of the Come and Praise or Junior Praise hymns.

we may or may not have twee sing around the piano sessions at home when they sing something from school that I can play

We were singing that one just last week, Lynette.

Lend it, spend it, you'll have so many, they roll all over the floor...oh....

Love is something, if you give it away, give it away, give it away, love is something if you give it away, you end. up. having. more.

:)

I like this thread.

Oooh whats that one.. 'the jet planes meeting in the air to be refuelled...'??

well, they sure won't be worship when I sing them :)

Is the jet planes one for real?

If I were a butterfly

www.worshipworkshop.org.uk/songs-and-hymns/hymns/if-i-were-a-butterfly/

I think you have to leave in the references to God.

"Lord of all hopefulness" was a great solace to me. "Whose trust ever childlike no cares could destroy. Be there at our waking and give us we pray..." etc.

Vague non-specific thankyous just don't mean anything.

DH used to sing something with the words "cross over the road my friend" at school. When I first met him he sang that line every time we crossed a road and probably still would after a few drinks I've always presumed it was a traditional hymn.

Autumn days, when the grass is jewelled
And the silk inside the chestnut shell
Jetplanes meeting in the air to be refuelled
All the things I love so well
So I mustn't forget...
No I mustn't forget
To say a great big thankyou
I mustn't forget.

Are there even words to express how good it would feel to sing

"And if I were a fuzzy-wuzzy bear,
I'd thank you, Lord, for my fuzzy-wuzzy hair;"

again?

What fool took that out of schools and churches?

Cross over the road is in Come and Praise.

I love a good hymn. As do the children.

Although I had to pull the plug on one.

Join with us to sing God's praises
For his love and for his care
For the happiness he brings us.....

Became (to the cheeky y6 boys)
For the ha - penis he brings us..... and many smirks.

(Are you impressed that I'm typing all these from memory. 17 years of being the pianist in a church school will do that for you).

I'm typing from the memory of being a ten-year-old!

I was school pianist for all of my teaching career (36 years and still counting)and kept the trad hymns going along with the more modern ones. It was a lovely daily activity with young children.
Sadly, in the 3 years of supply teaching, I have now noticed that hardly any singing of any description goes on. Barely a piano to be spotted anywhere.
I often go "off plan" secretly and manage to get fun back in through singing.
Little ones obviously enjoy it as whenever I turn up on supply the first question is " have you brought that song/hymn/singing story?"
So much numeracy, literacy and topic work can be enhanced by a song.
My colleagues used to wait for me to say ". I know a song about that"

Shame more schools don't buy into Singup as that is an alternative option if there is no pianist on the staff.

My favourite childhood hymn is
"Thank you for waking me this morning"

Oh, you have to do the actions for the butterfly song too. It did my heart good in church at harvest, sitting behind the fellow who used to be Rector of the church once upon a time on Sunday when we sang this.

He has NO hair, and the line 'fuzzy wuzzy hair' was accompanied by the action of ruffling your hair. As rector he had to do that action in front of the school. Bless him. He did all the actions too on SUnday.

(Despite how it sounds, I'm not terribly religious and am too prayed out after 4 assemblies and a circle time to even consider going to church, but it was harvest festival and they were singing lots of lovely hymns - and my friend dragged me along)

I don't think someone 'took' them out. Just other easy lovely things came along to sing that were more 'modern' and they got squashed out. My dd's school has always sung it. A school will sing what the music teachers want to sing, unless someone over-rules them.

I went to several primary schools (Army kid) and all had the Come and Praise hymn books. Favourites from that include:

Who Put the Colours in the Rainbow
Carpenter, Carpenter
When a Knight Won His Spurs
(and the one about Jericho's walls coming tumbling down, loved that one but can't remember the name of it!)

Other primary school faves were:

Light Up the Fire
I'd Like to Paint a Perfect Picture
In an English Country Garden
Jerusalem
At the Name of Jesus
(another one I can't remember the name of but was about the 5 loaves and 3 fishes story)

Actual proper church hymns that I've always loved, and had at our wedding or DC's christenings:

Make Me a Channel of Your Peace
To Be a Pilgrim
Love Divines All Loves Excelling
Shine, Jesus, Shine
Lord of All Hopefulness
Guide Me, O Though Great Redeemer

it will be Friday week before we are together again but I will ask them how they feel about getting some more good stuff back in.

they are also organising staff singing sessions so I could sound people out that way.

Christians like "Imagine". I like hymns. It's all good :)

I do like Singup (they were in four parts this morning - cool) but really object to songs about the curriculum that are themselves examples of very poor usage.

We do the Butterfly hymn at DS's school. Everyone does the actions.

Praise My soul The King of Heaven and Jerusalem were my wedding hymns.

Love Vow to the my country and We Plough. Instant childhood.

Throw in the Christmas carols too though!

Lynette, I remember that one: cross over the road, my friend
Ask The Lord his strength to lend
His compassion has no end
Cross over the road....

Oh, this takes me back.....

The pianist used to thump away but I loved her because she gave me a housepoint for being the only child who could pronounce 'cherubim and seraphim' properly at a young age...

they sing all of these at my dc's CofE primary. especially now, around harvest Festival and then leading up to Christmas.

They also sing lots of modern songs and have a singing project in each class each year. Last year ds learned Bob Marley songs.

lovely thtead

we used to have hymns at school and choruses

go tell it on the mountain
tell out my soul
thank you
morning has broken
20th c thanksgiving?
the king of love my shepherd is

loads more

fisherman peter
new every morning is new

A sing does everyone good !

Dh does regular hymns at school.

I give you. cauliflowers fluffy and cabbages green as a brilliant seasonal treat. Not really a hymn but a great sing for everyone.

Lynette- Cross over the road my friend, ask The Lord his strength to lend, his compassion has no end, cross over the road.

You've got me going now. Had forgotten that one :-)

Great thread. I have the piano book for come and Praise, and we do twee at home singing. My kids like some if the songs I don't like though , Golden Cockeral anyone?!

Plop,

Presumably they do the praying thing too though?

That's the thing. I am an atheist and I am coming to steal your tunes.