Music resources

Launched at Music and Creative Arts Leaders Councils in 2019, Join the Crescendo is an educational resource with video supplements designed for any leader or future leader in The Salvation Army involved in Music and Creative Arts. Going from brass and drama groups to photography and flower arranging teams, this is the place to visit for advice on spiritual enrichment, pastoral skills, leadership skills, artistic priorities and rehearsal delivery.

Designed by our Regional Music and Creative Arts Specialists inspired by front line need, this latest resource from the Music and Creative Arts team is the first in a comprehensive series looking at many different expressions of Music and Creative Arts in The Salvation Army today.

In a contemporary paraphrase of the Bible we find these words in Psalm 150:6,

'Let everyone everywhere join in the crescendo of ecstatic praise to Yahweh! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!' (The Passion Translation 2017)

In whatever group we are leading, or activity we are involved in, there is always this tremendous invitation to join the crescendo; to join those who are already embracing opportunities to praise God wherever they are and in a way that choose to do so. In attempting to summarise Psalm 150, we can consider the ‘Where, Why, How and Who of praise within the Psalm. 

• The where of praise: everywhere (150:1)
• The why of praise: every act and attribute of God (150:2)
• The how of praise: with everything you’ve got (150:305)
• The who of praise: everything that breathes (150:6)

These are astounding statements to consider, to meditate on, and a helpful foundation on which to use the Join the Crescendo resource that has been prepared for you. 

A Leaders Guide For All 

These handy tips and suggestions will hopefully prove valuable in your ministry as a brass teacher within The Salvation Army.  The brass banding scene across the United Kingdom is highly active with hundreds of bands performing and contesting regularly. Within our own movement, brass bands have played a vital role in evangelism, worship and affirmed discipleship. So it seems right that we should continue to educate and encourage brass playing to the glory of God and the sharing of the gospel. 

Brass Tutor Guide

Download your copy - Contemporary Worship Guide

As contemporary worship leaders it can be easy to focus solely on facilitating corporate worship within our churches. As leaders it is our responsibility to be creative in considering ways that worship teams can use contemporary music to bring the message of God’s love into our communities and beyond. Are there performance opportunities in your local area that you could use? Could video and audio recordings on social media help to make an impact on your community? Download your copy to find out more.

As a Salvation Army vocal group, we are called to worship and spread God’s word through song. William Booth understood the power of utilising corporate singing in worship and even encouraged the use of popular songs with alternative Christian lyrics. We continue to promote and endorse the value of worshipping through song as a way of communicating and sharing the gospel.

Download the Vocal Guide

This project offers songs written by composers and lyricists who are part of, or committed friends of, The Salvation Army. Worship bands are increasingly becoming a part of our music offering and in response to that, 'Grace' has come to life.   

We trust that you will find these songs to be a fresh and vibrant expression of faith and an opportunity to worship in a new way.

Music & Creative Arts has partnered with Older Peoples’ Ministries to create Singing By Heart; a simple, free resource which will enable your corps to begin its own dementia friendly singing group.

Dementia is a growing concern in the UK and being able to provide a distinctive Christian singing group can be a great opportunity to witness to people in our communities who need support.

SINGING BY HEART: One of our singing programmes designed specifically for people living with dementia

Available now from SP&S - Tune Book Backing Tracks USB

The Music and Creative Arts team has recorded all 958 tunes in the tunebook. These are a piano backing, with generally 3 verses of each song (Songs will have a specific number where shorter, or if popular may have 4).

We hope that this will be a valuable resource to the territory.