The exploration of music and the other arts can be a profoundly meaningful and enjoyable pathway into the endless imagination and beauty of our Creator. At their richest, the arts have such a transcendent quality that they can usher us into awe, worship, and delight.
In the opening passages of Scripture, found in the Old Testament book of Genesis, God reveals Himself as the master Creator, speaking all of creation into being, and consummating that creation with the forming of the first human beings, described, incredibly, as bearing His image. This wondrous idea informs all creativity, art, and acts of human imagination. Arts in the Key of Musical Joy seeks to explore the wonder of creativity as found in music and the various arts.
The mountain top vista we hope you will arrive at includes understanding, appreciation, creation, and sharing. We will take a journey first through the elements of music, and then explore the elements of all the arts, seeking to understand the various components and features unique to each art. You will discover music as a unique doorway into all human creativity, as found in the arts-thus the title, Arts in the Key of Musical Joy. As your understanding of the arts grows, and your awareness of aesthetic craftsmanship gains vocabulary and knowledge, we believe your appreciation of the various arts will also grow. Actual creation of and sharing the various arts will bring them to life in personal and group application that will take you out of the realm of the theoretical. When all of this comes together, we are convinced that the outcome will be joyful, emotionally powerful, satisfying, and even transforming for both you and your community.
Unlike many texts, this one embraces both an academic, knowledge-based approach as well as a hands-on experiential component. At your instructor's discretion, this could include listening, viewing, creating, and doing. This will become clear as you dig into the book, and as you work through some, or even all, of the "For Further Exploration" sections at the end of each chapter.
Many of us have had experiences during which we were transfixed by a painting or photograph, moved to tears by a song, or inspired to be better people by a beautifully told story. Or, perhaps the narrative of your own life has inspired you to write, sing, compose, rhyme, or dance! As you study this text and patiently explore the accompanying art, music, and words, it is our hope that you will be inspired to go further with all of the arts, to see God's creativity in every act of human creativity, to enjoy it all, and to share it with great delight.
