Hymns of the Season
Story: Danielle Luebbe
A new piano series is helping students learn and spend time in the Word.
Dr. Elizabeth Grimpo, professor of music at Concordia University, Nebraska, first met Rev. Nathan Sherrill from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Council Bluffs, Iowa, at a music and worship conference in 2017. Pastor Sherrill had an idea, and he needed Grimpo’s help.
Each year at St. Paul’s, they select one hymn for each season of the church year on which to focus. They learn and study each one throughout the season, spending time getting to know it intimately. “The people of the church grow to know each of these Hymns of the Season very well,” says Grimpo, “often memorizing the text and tune, keeping these dear truths of God in their hearts.”
Pastor Sherrill’s bold idea was to expand on that premise and create a resource for teaching music in the same immersive way corresponding to the Hymns of the Season. “Hymns out of the hymnal are not the easiest to play, especially for amateur musicians,” says Grimpo. “So his idea was to create a lesson book including four graded settings for each hymn. That way, people, specifically children, could not only sing the hymns, but learn to play them as well.”
Each book of the series contains hymns with 4 levels for each hymn. The level of the hymns progresses in difficulty, starting at level 1 which is a teacher/student duet, and leading up to level 4, which is a setting that is just slightly easier than playing directly out of the hymnal. Students can slowly increase in difficulty, learning each hymn more completely as their skills adapt and grow.
Grimpo was taken with Pastor Sherrill’s plan and agreed to compose the pedagogical hymn settings. Initially, the first volume of Hymns of the Season was used in piano lessons at St. Paul’s music conservatory. Now, the books are widely used by Lutheran churches across the country, as well as families and individuals who might be teaching to different levels of students at once, or those who wish to use the same book for a while, developing piano skills as the arrangements get more difficult.
Grimpo and Sherrill have worked on four volumes of Hymns of the Season so far. Recently, publication of the books was taken over by David’s Harp: A Center for Musical Development. David’s Harp has also begun distributing similar resources for guitar and organ.
“A piano book series like this is important because it puts the great hymns of our faith into a level that even beginners can play,” says Pastor Timothy Frank, resource director for David’s Harp and general editor and project manager for the Hymns of the Season series. “Not only are these players enriched musically, but they are strengthened spiritually by reflecting on the meaning of the hymns through the reflections and relevant Scripture passages. Moreover, our intent is that these settings be played within the context of worship, thus encouraging these beginning musicians toward current and future service in the church.”
Our hope and prayer is that these resources bless countless many.
“It has been my joy and honor to do this work,” says Grimpo. “It’s not always easy; in fact, the easiest levels are the hardest to write, simply because beginning pianists don’t know a whole lot of information about notes and rhythms yet, and their hands are often pretty small. I have had to think creatively, which has been a very rewarding challenge.”
Sometimes, Grimpo sees a video on social media of a child playing one of the hymn settings in church, at home or for a recital. “It truly warms my heart,” she says, “knowing that they can play and sing the most important thing they could ever know in this life, namely, that Jesus loves them with an everlasting love.”
Grimpo is kept busy with her work at Concordia. In addition to teaching aural skills and music appreciation classes, she also teaches private piano lessons and accompanies student and faculty performances, as well as giving solo recitals and advising students. But taking on this extra project has been a blessing.
“As I think about my role in Concordia’s music department, I know that I have a chance to teach and influence college students for the few years that they are here, and that is very important to me,” she says. “But, as I think about the larger picture, I am grateful that my colleagues and I also have an influence beyond this campus to all ages, specifically through the resources for church music, choral music, piano and organ music that we have been able to create. Our hope and prayer is that these resources bless countless many.”
The Hymns of the Season project has been a privilege for Grimpo to work on, and it’s clear that God led Pastor Sherrill to Grimpo. “It's exciting to be connected with a project whose goal is to reinvigorate the church with hymns that have long been a part of our heritage, by making them accessible for children to play. To me, the two most precious books in the world are the Bible and the hymnal; both contain the word of God and music is one of the greatest and most beautiful gifts that God has given us.”
Learn more about the Hymns of the Season at davidsharpmusic.org.