Music for Funerals
Whether you are planning a memorial service for a concert
pianist, an opera buff or someone who loves rock-and-roll, music is
an essential element of a personal, meaningful service. Like
fingerprints, musical preferences are unique to each individual.
Different types of music mark each phase of our lives. Listening to
specific songs has the power to trigger a flood of memories.
Obviously, music is more important to some people than others,
and the significance of music at services varies accordingly. But
regardless of whether a service includes one song or ten, every
musical piece should have relevance to the honoree.
You can share favorite music and/or lyrics in your honoree's Heart2Soul Community .
Below are some tips for choosing meaningful music:
- Choose songs that best represent the honoree
- If you would like people to sing along, have experienced
singers lead the group and make sure everyone has the music and
words
- Make sure your organist or other musical accompanist has
rehearsed the music for every song
- Don't feel you have to sing songs in their entirety, two or
three verses might be sufficient
- Make sure you read all of the verses of the song and choose
only the appropriate ones
- Playing prerecorded music as celebrants arrive or exit is
perfectly acceptable
- For someone who has expressed no musical preferences, you may
still be able to find songs that speak to the person's character,
personality or name
