critical thinking and music

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• Prof. Emily Richmond Pollock

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• Music and Theater Arts

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• Music History

Learning Resource Types

Stravinsky to the present, teaching critical thinking through music.

In this section, Professor Emily Richmond Pollock shares how she uses music to help students think critically about their own value systems. She also points to ways in which the act of writing papers helped promote students’ critical thinking.

You Like a Particular Piece of Music? Figure Out Why.

"I ask students to articulate—using technical vocabulary—their values. The ability to communicate their values with authority and evidence is a skill that will be useful in many parts of their lives."

In 21M.260 Stravinsky to the Present , I want students to become better critical thinkers, and in particular, to learn to think critically about their own value systems and value judgments. Music is a great context for teaching this skill because it’s a space in which people usually have strongly held opinions, reactions, and values. I push students to explore those values, often saying something along the lines of, “So you like this piece of music and you don’t like that one. Figure out why.” I urge them to discern what in the music is making them feel or react in particular ways. In this context, it isn’t enough for them to say, “I just don’t care for this music.” I ask students to articulate—using technical vocabulary—their values. The ability to communicate their subjective reactions and personal values with authority and evidence is a skill that will be useful in many parts of their lives.

Writing Their Way into Critical Thinking

Writing papers for the course is another opportunity for students to develop critical thinking skills. The first paper asks students to engage in a listening-based analysis of a work of their choice, not covered in the course, composed between 1900 and 1945. In the second paper, students compare the sounds and techniques of two aesthetically related works of their choice, one composed between 1945 and 1990 and one composed between 1990 and the present. For both papers , the first step is for students to select a topic by deciding which readings, composers, and pieces they found most interesting and providing some justification for why the topics they select are worthy of exploring.

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Critical Thinking: Practical Music Teaching Strategies

Incorporating the socratic method and critical thinking in music education in schools involves creativity and a break from traditional classroom teaching strategies., what are the benefits of critical thinking.

Critical thinking also known as the Socratic Method is based on the question-and-answer style of teaching accredited to the philosopher Socrates. Critical thinking in music education takes the basic premise of debate and inquiry and applies it to music education in schools. This teaching strategy encourages students to question each other, and removes the instructor from all-knowing professor to a fellow seeker of knowledge.

From the University of Phoenix to California’s public school system, educators and students alike have found the benefits of critical thinking strategies in the classroom. As one student at California’s KIPP High School mentioned, “[Critical Thinking is] thinking beyond what you hear, what you know in your brain, in your heart, in your soul.” Critical thinking puts the power of influence in the hands of the student, giving students the tools they need to function in college and in society (Edutopia, Geert ten Dam).

Critical thinking strategies extend from private lessons to the public university setting. In the United States, where an emphasis on standardised testing has changed the music teacher’s role in music education in schools, critical thinking strategies aid music classrooms by providing a framework that incorporates reading and writing requirements within an artistic scope.

Music Critique Circle (Secondary)

A key component of critical thinking and the Socratic method involves students learning how to critique each other in a constructive way. In the Music Critique Circle, students present a music project (ex. a simple composition, music performance, or paper presentation) to the class. After the presentation, students take turns responding to the performance or project with thoughtful questions. For example, a student may ask a piano student, “Is there a reason why you performed the Moonlight Sonata in a sad way?” or “What would happen if you played Beethoven’s piece allegro?”

The key here is to emphasize critical thinking, engaging discussion, and constructive debate.

Music Listening Exercise (Primary & Secondary)

Music educators can encourage age appropriate discussions at both the primary and secondary levels using music listening activities. The music educator selects several recordings in different styles and moods. After playing an excerpt, the music instructor engages students in a discussion using critical thinking questions.

Some sample questions include: “Why do you think this song makes you happy?” “If the musician played a drum instead of a flute, what would happen?” “Does this type of music always have strings?” “What do the lyrics mean to you?”

As a variation to these music teaching strategies for older students, the instructor can divide students into several small groups and give each group a series of critical thinking questions. After fifteen minutes, each group shares their responses to the questions. The music educator follows up with challenging questions that encourage students to view their discussion from alternate viewpoints. Questions like “Why do you think that?” and “Group A stated the opposite view. How can you support your viewpoint?”

To learn more about how to create K-6 lessons including critical thinking questions, check out our video blog here : Fun Music Company Curriculum Video  Series  for Grade 6

Exit Tickets (Primary & Secondary)

Writer and educator Maria Stefanova encourages the use of “Exit Tickets” in her article “Developing Critical Thinking and Assessment in Music Classrooms”. The “Exit Ticket” teaching strategy requires every child to answer a critical thinking question before leaving the class. This strategy encourages the concept of “Asking a question instead of giving the answer,” a key component in another popular teaching method – the Suzuki Method (Stefanova, pg 30).

Incorporating Critical Thinking Strategies in The Music Classroom

Incorporating critical thinking strategies in the music classroom promotes higher order thinking and engaging discussion and by involving your students in the discussion process, you will prepare students for future success. This article outlines some beginning ideas for the music classroom, at the Fun Music Company we aim to include critical thinking questions and discussions in every step of our approach from playing instruments to through to connecting with cultural music and composition. In fact, you can start implementing some of these strategies into your lessons TODAY. 

You can get started with seven FREE k-6 music teaching ideas , one for each grade delivered to your email inbox over the next 7 days here:

SOURCES: Edutopia. (2011, August 17). Critical Thinking Wins the Day at a KIPP High School [Video file]. Retrieved from YouTube.com website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dazO9o2aJU4 Stefanova, M. (2011). Developing Critical Thinking and Assessment in the Music Classrooms. American String Teacher, 61(2), 29-31. Nobori, M. (2011). Ten Takeaway Tips for Teaching Critical Thinking. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/stw-kipp-critical-thinking-10-tips-for-teaching Fisher, C. (2008). The Socratic Medthod. Socratic Method–Research Startes Education, 1. Geert ten Dam, (., & Monique, V. (2004). Critical Thinking as a citizenship competence: teaching strategies. Learning and Instruction, 14 359-379.doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2004.01.005

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I am a performer and educator. Very happy to read this news. Thanks for sharing !

I also enjoyed this article. After each lesson I have the student tell me what I want them to work on and why. I will now begin to ask questions about the actual songs with which they are choosing work.

I like it!!! I’ve always been a proponent of open discussion, Q &A, and the like as opposed to the conventional method of teacher talks all the time – even when I was in high school. The initial effect on students, I believe, is that it makes them feel special instead of feeling like they’re being talked down to. I am a one on one teacher, but seeing this article and video has inspired me to take this approach even further with each student. Thanks for turning me on to this!!!

Nathan Smith

Been wanting something for a more engaging experience for my violin students, to get them enthused & thinking. Need to revise often with them…maybe this will encourage the information to stay in their heads…LOL.

I have done this masterclass type setting where I have students perform for each other and then we would critique each other.

It was not negative at all. In fact, I found it to be very exciting for the students involved!

So basically, instead of asking “How does this piece make you feel?” we could ask “Why does this piece make you feel…?” This makes then makes sense of the rather dry, technical question in the ABRSM aural tests “What in the music gives the piece it’s character?”

Thank you very much!!! Please continue with these questions and maybe even teacher lessons! Gail

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• DOI: 10.18848/1447-9508/CGP/V02/41267
• Corpus ID: 20364100

Music listening and critical thinking: Teaching using a constructivist paradigm

• Daniel C. Johnson
• Published 2006
• Education, Art
• The International Journal of the Humanities: Annual Review

5 Citations

Critical thinking and school music education: literature review, research findings, and perspectives., teachers' beliefs, confidence and practice and students' achievement in cultivating critical thinking in primary music education in hong kong, critical listening in the ensemble rehearsal: a community of learners, the relationship between upper intermediate efl learners’ critical thinking and their listening comprehension ability, listening to music with the aim of developing high-school students’ musical culture.

• Highly Influenced

67 References

Principles and processes of music education: new perspectives, the art of creative critical thinking, a theoretical model of the musical problem solving and decision making of performers, arrangers, conductors, and composers, a philosophy of music education, the role of listening, developing critical thinkers: challenging adults to explore alternative ways of thinking and acting., levels of cognitive complexity: an approach to the measurement of thinking, a systematic investigation of listening activities in the elementary general music classroom, a philosophy of music education: advancing the vision, related papers.

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Journal for Learning through the Arts

Critical Thinking and School Music Education: Literature Review, Research Findings, and Perspectives

• Kokkidou, May

Published Web Location

The most up-to-date validations of educational praxis propose that teachers and learners should engage together in a process of understanding life and the world, should share their anxieties and their problematic issues, look for solutions, make plans for action, express themselves creatively and take a critical stance toward every new datum before accepting it as knowledge. For many years, the dominant view was that the study of certain subject areas--and nothing else--was sufficient to promote students’ critical thinking skills. This conviction was overturned by John Dewey, who pointed out that any school subject may promote critical thinking if teachers base their teaching on challenges and issues presented for investigation, as well as encouraging reflection. As music offers the repeated challenge of situations in which there is no standard or approved answer, it can promote critical thinking. This article presents a review of the literature on the definition of critical thinking, points out the importance of the promotion of critical thinking in general education as well as in art and music education, and, finally, proposes for the teaching and learning of music a framework of applications within which critical thinking skills may be developed.

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Thoughts from a PYP music teacher

Using Music to Develop Critical Thinking

For many teachers, making the change to PYP can be overwhelming, not only with all the jargon, but the complete shift in thinking. It’s not that the concepts are strange—it’s not even that we weren’t already doing these things. The change is in the focus, and one of the big focus points is in developing critical thinking .

Music is wonderful fodder for critical thinking because it speaks to us in ways that we can’t always explain or even understand. Instrumental music requires some level of critical thinking simply to translate it into words! Even the youngest students can do this successfully.

Any kind of music can be a starting point for thoughtful discussion: any genre, any language, any culture, solo or ensemble… You might choose music that speaks to you as the teacher. You might let students offer suggestions. Choose something familiar or unfamiliar, tonal or atonal, composed or improvised, recorded or live. Use some of the questions below (or see this post for more) to start your discussion, and off you go!

• Why do you think the composer wrote this piece? (Perspective, Function)
• How does the music make you feel? (Reflection, Connection)
• How would it change if the performer played a trumpet instead of a violin? (Change, Connection)
• How does the mood of the instrumental music support (or contrast) the mood of the lyrics? (Function, Connection)
• What do the lyrics mean to you? (Reflection, Connection)
• What does it make you think of from your own life? (Connection, Reflection)
• What other music does it remind you of? (Connection, Perspective)
• Why is this music memorable? Why has it stood the test of time? (Form, Causation, Perspective)

Once students have shared their initial thoughts, follow up with questions that encourage them to support their ideas (“What makes you say that?”) or think from different perspectives (“Why might ___ think differently?”). Older students might discuss in groups first, then share their already-developed thoughts with the class. You can take these discussions as far and as deep as you wish. No matter how far you go, simply modelling this kind of questioning and encouraging new ways of thinking will help your students to become better thinkers and learners.

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Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

How Music Helps Us Be More Creative

In today’s world, creative thinking is needed more than ever. Not only do many businesses seek creative minds to fill their ranks, but the kinds of complex social problems we face could also use a good dose of creativity.

Luckily, creativity is not reserved for artists and geniuses alone. Modern science suggests that we all have the cognitive capacity to come up with original ideas—something researchers call “divergent thinking.” And we can all select from a series of ideas the one most likely to be successful, which researchers call “convergent thinking.”

Though we may not all be equally accomplished at these kinds of thinking, we can all become more skillful in creative problem-solving—whether the problems we face involve figuring out technological challenges at work or the next steps to take in creating a new painting. The question is how.

One new study explores music as a source of creativity. Since music has been shown to improve cognition and enhance learning and memory in other studies, it makes sense that perhaps it has an impact on creative thinking, too. 

In the experiment, participants tried creativity exercises that measured divergent or convergent thinking while being exposed to either silence (the control scenario) or classical music that evoked four distinct emotional states: happy, calm, sad, or anxious.

After comparing participant performance on divergent and convergent thinking in the five scenarios, the researchers found that participants who’d listened to happy music had significantly higher scores on divergent thinking than those who’d performed in silence. In other words, they came up with more total ideas, and more creative and innovative ideas (as rated by people who were unfamiliar with the study’s aim). The other types of music did not have this impact.

“The results suggest that listening to happy music increases performance on overall divergent thinking,” write the authors, suggesting that it enhances the cognitive flexibility needed to come up with innovative solutions—the ability to switch between different concepts and perspectives, rather than seeing the problem from a rigid point of view.

Interestingly, whether or not the participants “liked” the music had no impact on their performance, suggesting that the benefits don’t come from simply enjoying music. And none of the types of music had an impact on convergent thinking, which requires coming up with a right answer rather than opening your mind to many potential ideas.

“The increase in divergent but not convergent thinking after listening to happy music may be explained by the fact that the convergent tasks rely less on fluency and flexibility, but on finding one correct answer,” write the authors.

It may also have to do with the mood created by the happy music. After all, happiness is considered to be a positive emotion that, according to researcher Barbara Fredrickson, broadens our mindset and enhances our desire to explore and play. Though the researchers didn’t actually analyze mood changes, research suggests a link between positive mood and creativity , suggesting that this may be the underlying mechanism behind the benefits of happy music.

Whatever the case, the results suggest that people may want to listen to happy music while they work—particularly if they need to come up with new ways of looking at a particular problem. As the authors conclude, “music listening may be useful to promote creative thinking in inexpensive and efficient ways in various scientific, educational, and organizational settings when creative thinking is needed.”

About the Author

Jill Suttie

Jill Suttie, Psy.D. , is Greater Good ’s former book review editor and now serves as a staff writer and contributing editor for the magazine. She received her doctorate of psychology from the University of San Francisco in 1998 and was a psychologist in private practice before coming to Greater Good .

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Does Listening to Music Stimulate Creative Thinking, or Stifle It?

L istening to music while you work “significantly impairs” creativity. That was the conclusion of a study published earlier this year in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology that examined the effect of different types of background music on creative problem solving.

For the study, UK researchers presented people with a series of word puzzles designed to measure creativity and “insight-based” processes. The study participants completed the puzzles either in a quiet space or in one with music playing in the background. Whether that music was familiar or unfamiliar, vocal or strictly instrumental, people’s scores on average fell on the creativity test compared to their scores in the quiet condition. “The findings challenge the view that background music enhances creativity,” the study authors wrote.

But don’t pitch your headphones or desk speaker just yet. More research on music and creativity has found that, depending on the kind of creative task a person is grappling with, certain types of music may be helpful.

A 2017 study in the journal PLOS ONE found that listening to “happy” music—defined as classical tunes that were upbeat and stimulating—helped people perform better on tasks that involved “divergent” thinking, which is a core component of creativity. Divergent thinking involves “making unexpected combinations, recognizing links among remote associates, or transforming information into unexpected forms,” the authors of that study wrote. Basically, divergent thinking is coming up with new, outside-the-box ideas or strategies.

“We can only speculate why happy music stimulates divergent thinking,” says Simone Ritter, coauthor of the PLOS ONE study and an assistant professor at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. One theory put forward in her study is that the stimulating nature of lively music somehow energizes the brain in ways that promote a “flexible thinking style,” which leads to unconventional or innovative ideas.

There are other theories. Research has shown that listening to music can lower anxiety and improve mood , and these shifts could facilitate creative insights. “For breakthrough moments of creativity, positive mood is generally helpful,” says Mark Beeman, chair of psychology at Northwestern University and principal investigator at NU’s Creative Brain Lab. Meanwhile, if someone is anxious, “this [anxiety] tends to cause them to focus more, which is not helpful,” he says.

How could focusing on a creative problem be a bad thing? Beeman has spent two decades studying the brain and its creative processes, which he explores in his 2015 book The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight, and the Brain . He explains that the process of creative problem solving tends to unfold in predictable stages.

The first stage, he says, involves studying a problem or dilemma, assessing the obvious solutions, and realizing that none of them works. “At this point, if you keep focusing too hard on a problem, that tends to make it more difficult for the brain to come up with different or novel ideas,” he says. He likens it to a dim star that disappears when you stare straight at it. “To see the star, you have to look at it out of the corner of your eye, and creative ideas may be like that too,” he says. “You need to take your focus off the strong, obvious ideas to avoid squashing the others.”

This is where music comes into play. Once a person has closely examined a problem and hit a roadblock, the next creative stage is one Beeman calls “incubation.” During this stage, “there’s some kind of continuing process in the mind where you’re still mulling the problem at an unconscious level,” he says. This incubation period often produces “aha!” insights or realizations—like when you can’t recall a word, but then it pops into your head later in the day, after you’ve thought you’d stopped thinking about it.

But not all activities foster incubation, Beeman says. “If you’re reading email or doing other demanding tasks, there aren’t enough background resources to do any work on the problem.”

Listening to music, on the other hand, may be just the kind of mild diversion that relaxes the brain’s focus while still allowing it to do its fruitful new-idea incubating, he says. And indeed, there’s evidence that listening to music can stimulate the brain’s default mode network, which is a collection of connected brain regions that research has linked to creative insight.

Beeman doesn’t dispute the results of the new study that found music impairs creative problem solving. He says music might not help people solve the type of verbal puzzle the study employed—which he himself helped design and validate years ago in an effort to better measure some aspects of creative thinking. This specific type of puzzle requires “multiple cognitive processes,” he says, some of which require “focused attention.” And all types of distraction—music included—may impair focused attention.

So if a person is in the midst of the first stage of creativity, the one that involves analyzing a problem and eliminating the obvious choices or solutions, background music probably isn’t helpful. “It’s either a distraction or you just block it out,” he says.

But if you’re stuck on a problem and you’re looking for creative inspiration, taking a break to listen to music or engage in idle “mind wandering” may allow the brain the freedom it needs to “dredge up” new ideas or insights, he says. He also cites research linking mind-wandering to creative inspiration.

In those cases, what type of music should you turn on? “I think that will vary a lot depending on the individual,” Beeman says. “For most, I think something that’s pleasant and familiar—not so novel that it’s distracting—would be helpful.”

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Developing Critical Thinking Skills Through Music

Critical thinking skills are not restricted to a particular subject area. Whatever we choose to do, being able to think clearly and solve problems systematically is important. It enhances language and presentation skills, promotes creativity, and is the foundation for scientific thought.

Is there a connection between music education and developing critical thinking skills?

Absolutely! Music study teaches children skills that are applicable to their entire future. They learn ways to come up with multiple solutions to problems; how to evaluate their results and make adjustments to their ideas; they get to experience the excitement of achievement; and, even more importantly, they experience discomfort of not succeeding on the first try. A quality music education provides guidance, but not answers. This allows the students to develop those ever-important critical thinking skills by processing the information given, and coming up with their own solution.

Read more about how music helps develop critical thinking skills in the article: “Everything I Need to Know, I Learned in Music Class.”

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Composition for creative and critical thinking, michele kaschub and janice p. smith - foreword by bennett reimer, also available.

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“Yesterday”: Using Music for Critical Thinking, Perspective Taking and Inference

July 12, 2019 4 min read

For Summer School, Tutoring, or Back to School – using music and songs is always a great way to engage students. It can be used to teach narrative structure, critical thinking, perspective-taking, problem-solving, conflict resolution and for improving inference skills and working on social-emotional growth! I wanted to share an example of this using the song “Yesterday” by The Beatles.

This song is fresh in my mind because in movie theaters now is Universal Studio’s movie “Yesterday” starring Himesh Patel, Lily James, Kate McKinnon, and Ed Sheeran. I love British films and have heard this one is so sweet and has a feel-good story—I can’t wait to see it!

Also, this past weekend at MGMSpringfield, I went to see a Beatles tribute band in an outdoor concert setting. The band, called The Fab Four ( http://thefabfour.com /), was incredible, talented and authentic! I have always loved The Beatles music and this band makes you think you are really watching them. This band’s sound, costumes, and voices take you through the evolution of The Beatles’ musical style and influence. Since going to the concert and reading reviews of this movie, I have been listening to more Beatles music than usual.

With renewed interest, I read an article about the song “Yesterday” that was written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. The article analyzes the song in many ways, but quotes Paul McCartney as saying that this song “doesn’t resolve into any sense,” and that “you don’t know what happened. She left and he wishes it were yesterday—that much you get—but it doesn’t really resolve.” The song is made up of thoughts and emotions about a breakup. Perfect for analysis with the Critical Thinking Triangle ® of the Story Grammar Marker ® !

As I do with most stories, songs, TV shows, movies, and life experiences, in listening to Yesterday over the weekend, I began to “Story Grammar Marker-ize” (to analyze in my head using Story Grammar Marker ® elements or narrative structure), the song as I watched/listened to it on Youtube (below).

Knowing the intent of the song was to express thoughts and emotions, I built a little Critical Thinking Triangle ® in my head. I fit the lyrics into it—with the kick off, feelings, cohesion words, mental states, and plans. Before we get into sharing that "Yesterday"-inspired Critical Thinking Triangle ® , here is a reminder of the lyrics to what has been called one of the Beatles best songs ever:

Yesterday All my troubles seemed so far away Now it looks as though they're here to stay Oh, I believe in yesterday

Suddenly I'm not half the man I used to be There's a shadow hanging over me Oh, yesterday came suddenly

Why she had to go, I don't know She wouldn't say I said something wrong Now I long for yesterday

Yesterday Love was such an easy game to play Now I need a place to hide away Oh, I believe in yesterday

Source: Musixmatch Songwriters: JOHN LENNON / PAUL MCCARTNEY Yesterday lyrics ©1965 Sony/ATV Tunes LLC, Sony Atv Tunes LLC, Sony Atv Music Publishing France, SONY/ATV TUNES LLC DBA ATV OBO ATV (NORTHERN SONGS CATALOG)

Here, using the Story Grammar Marker ® Approach, specifically the Critical Thinking Triangle ® In Action! Set 's Student Thinking Mat (pictured here), I analyzed and inferred the feelings and thoughts of the main character “He.” I may have gone a bit overboard (as it is my personality to do so) in the inference and analysis of “his” feelings, but the ability to do this is an essential part of perspective-taking, problem-solving, and resolving conflicts.

Here is a video of how to use the Critical Thinking Triangle in Action!  to visualize and kinesthetically “think through” the kick-off, feelings, thoughts/mental states and plans of the character in the song:

Below is how we could put this into sentence/paragraph form with some microstructure elements of feeling words, mental state (thinking) verbs, planning words, as well as cohesive ties (such as suddenly, because, and, so- in purple text). The macrostructure elements of character, setting, kick-off, feeling, mental state (thinking verbs) and plan are identified by the Story Grammar Marker ® Icons.

Since I had The Beatles on my mind, “Yesterday” was what I chose to share with you. However, narrative analysis can be done with any song out there! Use Story Grammar Marker ® as you listen, Google the lyrics and use the Critical Thinking Triangle in Action! Set with your students for a deep analysis.

Genres like Country, Musicals, ’80s Rock, and Rap in particular, often have real “stories” to tell. I think of songs like “Parents Just Don’t Understand” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, “Livin’ On a Prayer” by Bon Jovi, “A Boy Named Sue” by Johnny Cash, “Copacabana” by Barry Manilow, “Jolene” by Dolly Parton, “Alexander Hamilton” from Hamilton, “Hotel California” by The Eagles, “One Day More” from Les Miserables, to name several. There are thousands of good narrative/storytelling songs out there—a Google search of “songs that tell a story” will yield 781,000,000 results! Enjoy!

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by Vincent Herring

In this book, saxophone master Vincent Herring has created a unique and logical way to approach improvising — one which will give your musical development a solid footing you won't find anywhere else! It contains detailed explanations of crucial improvisation concepts, and then demonstrates them with transcriptions of recorded phrases, as well as complete solos (including C, Bb, Eb and bass clef versions), showing how these concepts are utilized in real-time musical settings.

Contents include:

• In-depth look at Pentatonics - see first video below
• Dissecting the Diminished Scale
• Formulating Bebop Language - a new and more effective approach
• A comprehensive collection of idiomatic cells, lines and patterns over all chord qualities
• Over 100 transcribed phrases from Vincent and other master musicians demonstrating the various concepts of the book
• Videos of Vincent playing ideas from the book, along with 7 transcription videos of Vincent's solos (see second video below)
• For musicians of any skill level, on any instrument
• Spiral-bound, 302 pages, $37 list price, $19 for full-color PDF version

Sample Pages

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For Europe and UK Orders Buy from all-sheetmusic

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Christmas in July – Sing Joy to the World!

Joy to the World

It may surprise you to know that the famous Christmas carol, “Joy to the World,” was not intended as a Christmas song. It was written by Isaac Watts, who, in addition to becoming one of England’s best-known preachers, was also an educator and author. He wrote books on astronomy and philosophy that were used in universities but is best remembered for his hymns.

The words- Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts was born in 1674, in Southampton, England, while his father was in prison for going against the teachings of the Church of England and those of the scholars of his time. Isaac Watts was highly intelligent and learned French, Greek, Latin and Hebrew by the age of thirteen. He might have been sent to Cambridge or Oxford for his education if he had been a member of the Church of England, but instead, he was sent to the Independent Academy (otherwise known as the Dissenters’ Academy) at Stoke Newington.

Isaac attended Above Bar Congregational Church and found church music to be rather boring. He didn’t sense any joy in the songs that were sung in that setting and complained to his father, who challenged him to come up with better alternatives. Isaac took up this challenge and his first song was met with enthusiasm by his father’s church. In fact, they asked for a new hymn each week, and Isaac wrote several hymns over the next two years, after which he moved to London.

There he joined the Mark Lane Independent Church, and became the Senior Pastor in 1702, a position which he would hold for the rest of his life.

An unintended Christmas song

The words of the song “Joy to the World” were inspired by Psalm 98. Watts set out to paraphrase most of the 150 psalms and compiled “The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament and Applied to the Christian State and Worship,” a project that was published in 1719 and garnered mixed reactions. Despite the popularity of the hymns, some people opposed their use in church services. Some even went as far as referring to Watts as an agent of the devil. At the time, people were used to singing metrical psalms, and they believed that singing anything other than words from the Bible would be offensive to God.

In America, Benjamin Franklin published Watt’s hymns in 1729, and the controversies continued. Forty years after Watts’ death, someone reportedly petitioned the General Assembly of the Presbyterian church in Philadelphia to refuse the use of Watts’ hymns in public worship.

 A prolific hymn writer

Over the course of his lifetime, Isaac Watts composed over six hundred hymns and poems. The famous hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” was published in Hymns and Spiritual Songs, in 1707, as part of Watts’ second collection of hymns, the first having been published the previous year. Another well-known hymn that was composed by Isaac Watts is “We’re Marching to Zion.” In 1715, Watts published “Divine Songs for the Use of Children,” a collection of songs for children. Watts died on November 25, 1748, in Stoke Newington, London.

The music – Lowell Mason   

Lowell Mason was born in 1792, forty-four years after Isaac Newton’s death. Although he was musically gifted, he didn’t think he could make a living as a musician and pursued a career in banking. He wrote musical melodies and studied the music of the German composer, Handel. His first attempt to get his musical arrangements published was met with rejection. The publisher felt that Americans would not be interested in classical music but would rather prefer new folk music. After this initial disappointment, Mason continued playing the organ in a local church. Eventually, the Handel and Hayden Society of Massachusetts offered to publish his work in 1822, even though Mason requested that his name be omitted from the title page. He was still working as a banker and didn’t want to be known as a musician. It was only after thousands of copies of his work had been sold and used by schools and church choirs that he decided to devote his efforts to music.

In 1836, Mason published Isaac Watts’ Psalm 98-inspired poem together with a tune he attributed to George Handel in a booklet titled “Occasional Psalm and Hymn Tunes.” The tune is believed to have been inspired by Handel’s Messiah and was originally titled “Antioch.”

The work of two “fathers” combined

Isaac Watts was known as the “Father of English Hymnody” and Lowell Mason was known as the “father of American church music.” How appropriate that, together they would produce this most beloved Christmas carol, announcing the birth of Christ!

How “Joy to the World” became associated with Christmas remains a mystery. It was inspired by a passage from the Old Testament, and except for the phrase “The Lord is Come,” doesn’t address the birth of Christ. Regardless, it is not only a Christmas favorite, but also worthy of being sung all year round.

Mosteller, Angie. Christmas Songs- Stories behind the classic songs of Christmas, 2010.

Bradley, Ian (Ed.) The Penguin Book of Carols, Penguin Books, 1999.

Collins, Ace. Stories Behind the Best – loved Songs of Christmas, Zondervan, 2001.

Stay tuned for my upcoming book on the stories behind our favorite Christmas songs! In the meantime, check out my Amazon author page!

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