Interview:

The spiritual significance of music lies in its capacity to engage but also transcend human consciousness. People in every culture, now and throughout history, have discovered music is appropriate for almost every aspect of their lives: celebration, mourning, romance, worship, and so much more. People respond to music with their whole being – bodies, hearts, souls, and minds. Music unites individuals with a common bond that enables them to sing in unison, dance in rhythm, or simply experience a common surge of emotion and power. But music does not just express human potential – it stretches it, such that musicians and audiences alike often attest to the ways that music takes them beyond themselves. How do we explain this? Psychologically, we might say that music taps into the subconscious aspect of our being. Anthropologically, we might say that music connects us with something fundamental to life that we share it with the animals, for example, the songs of birds or whales. Theologically, we might say that music draws us to God. Whatever the explanation, the reality of the phenomenon is undeniable: through music we can experience and express what it means to be human, and in so doing, become acutely aware that there is more to being human than we normally take into account.

“Music unites individuals with a common bond that enables them to sing in unison, dance in rhythm, or simply experience a common surge of emotion and power.”
– Dr. Mark Allan Powell, author of “Encyclopedia Of Contemporary Christian Music”