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by Ivor Bosanko –
Territorial Music Secretary
Our unswerving commitment will be to maintain a standard of excellence in our work and our service…
The supreme purpose of any Salvation Army music is to proclaim the Army’s message–salvation from sin through Jesus Christ; and to accomplish the Army’s purposes–the glorification of God and the salvation of souls.
From the early days of the Army, we have used every instrument available from strings to reeds. Our association with brass bands is for this reason: brass instruments have the advantage of being loud and portable. The Army has always gone out of its buildings to communicate the Gospel.”The church bell says come to church, the Army drum says fetch ’em,” (Booth, I think) and we could say the same of trombones and cornets.
Salvationist musicians have been recruited by the professional music world because of their gifts. However, they freely use them in the Army in teaching children, writing and playing, not for their own glory or financial reward, but for the glory of God and outreach to mankind.
This highest standard of musicianship should never be allowed to fall. There are children all around whose families would love them to have music tuition. We can do that. The one thing we should be held accountable for is that everything we do is of the highest standard. Whatever group participates they should rehearse regularly and use quality material, words and music.
As we enter into the new millennium, we must ensure our music is relevant to the multicultural world in which we live. We must continue to value the dedicated talents and time of our musicians. Our musical groups should be an outreach ministry, offering fellowship and deeper understanding of the tenets of our faith and commitment to Christ.