Adoration Music for Teens
  • KatelynW
    Posts: 3
    Many of our teens go away to a Catholic camp with a lot of Praise & Worship music that is much more contemporary than we allow in our Masses. We may have an hour during all-night Adoration that is designed for more contemporary music and singing that would appeal to this group of students.

    What suggestions of songs do you have? I want songs that keep the focus on God and the True Presence in first of us, not on ourselves, and many of the contemporary songs that I find online have a "me" focus, which is something that I want to avoid.
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 606
    Why not keep your contemporary P&W music separate from Adoration and show them that there’s a time and a place for everything?

    It’s not appropriate for the church proper, but if there’s a space like a hall or gymnasium, you could have a super awesome P&W punk rock concert al a The Thirsting. They have some great punk covers of traditional Catholic hymns, including Hail Holy Queen, For All the Saints, and Jesus Christ is Risen Today (this one needs an pipe organ solo and the slow boring middle section removed, but it has great potential).

    It’s way easier than you think. Power chords and distortion are your friends. Then just get a bass player to follow the root of the chords, and a drummer who understands weird time signatures enough to improvise a drum pattern and some well discerned cymbal crashes and drum fills. The best part is that you don’t even have to worry about copyright laws.

    You could also just write your own music. Here’s a helpful tutorial on how to write a worship song in 5 minutes or less.
    https://youtu.be/GhYuA0Cz8ls?si=T835CmRH_2Hlw7Og
  • davido
    Posts: 1,150
    Just teach them that jungle music is always a poor choice. Contemporary is a moniker that can apply to good music too.
  • monasteryliturgistmonasteryliturgist
    Posts: 508
    When I was in High School, I was actually annoyed by the music in adoration- believe it or not, teens do value some time of silence in adoration. You can fill other moments with things other than music like the chaplet, rosary (with a hymn in between decades), reading scripture, or even introducing them to the divine office would be a great experience for them. When we expect little from youth they give little, but when we expect big from them- they give everything. Another option is giving hand outs about how to pray, how to do mental prayer, stick with tradition you might be surprised at the response.
    Thanked by 6CHGiffen LauraKaz jporenchuk Abbysmum Gamba JacobFlaherty
  • PaxMelodious
    Posts: 469
    Bread of Life (our consolation) by Michael John Poirier

    Bread of Angels by Curtis Stephan

    Tantum Ergo - Adoration by Matt Maher (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8Sz0uFridc)
    Thanked by 1Gamba
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,210
    I also encourage silence.
    Thanked by 4monasteryliturgist ServiamScores CHGiffen Abbysmum
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 71
    Taizé songs are very appealing to teens. One reason over here in Europe for this is that many travel to Taizé for a week with their (catholic & protestant) religion course at school and are typically quite enthusiastic about the experience. Most song texts are literal bible verses or paraphrases therefrom. Moreover, the songs are also good from a didactic point of view, because they encourage a capella part singing and to sing short verses in different languages (Latin, French, Spanish, ...), and the 4part settings are of decent quality.

    Some random examples: Tu mecum es, Per crucem, Sanasi on Lamppu, Tu palabra Señor.
    Thanked by 1Abbysmum
  • AbbysmumAbbysmum
    Posts: 105
    Ironically enough, Sacred Silence https://youtu.be/LNZ62clakqQ?si=d5INlWvyJiBnM3a6

    That being said:

    In a culture which neither favors nor fosters meditative quiet, the art of interior listening is learned only with difficulty. [Address of the Holy Father Pope John Paul II to the Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of the United States of America, 9 October 1998]
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,210
    The Laudate omnes gentes from Taizé is admittedly nice for the reposition.
  • GambaGamba
    Posts: 641
    Paul Wilbur – In your presence https://youtu.be/aW6E8g-4Gx8

    I remember this song from my evangelical childhood. Full of biblical imagery, it always puzzled me as I wasn’t sure where exactly to find God’s presence or what it was. Now as a Catholic, it comes frequently to mind in times of adoration. From 1997, but it is not substantially different from today’s slower worship songs (except for dated synth patches and mix).
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