~Sing Out Joyfully

The Sing to Jehovah songbook came out in 2009, a few years before our Chinese Group was formed. I grew up with the Sing Praises to Jehovah songbook, so learning the new songs were a bit of a challenge at first. Some songs had changed only slightly and some completely new songs were added. I remember our CO, Brother Campbell, encouraging us to practice at home after butchering one of the songs at the Sunday meeting. It didn't take long for us to get used to the new lyrics, some we were even able to memorize.

When I stepped over into Chinadonia music became my gateway into the language. I downloaded many songs in Chinese and would play them over and over. Whoever rode in my car was forced to listen to Chinese music. My favorites were Leehom Wang, EXO-M, Jolin Tsai, and Khalil Fong. For anyone looking to learn a language, one suggestion that I would recommend is to listen to music in that language as much as possible. It's an easy and fun way to pick up phrases. Repetition is key to learning any language. Singing along to your favorite songs will definitely help with pronunciation. (Although, you will have to practice tones without the music in Chinese)

Following along in the Pinyin songbook at the meeting was difficult. We had to be able to speak the words correctly while following along to fast-paced songs. (Even slow songs are fast when you are learning a new language! 😅) One song I had trouble with in particular was 75- Our Reasons for Joy 喜乐的理由。After a while I finally mastered the song. I would get so excited when we got to sing it at the meetings. 

Eventually, I was able to memorize a lot of our Kingdom Songs. It was thrilling to not have to look at the songbook while singing in Chinese. I actually knew the songs better in Mandarin than I did in English. 

Sing Out Joyfully

In 2016 the Governing Body released a brand new songbook called Sing Out Joyfully. The new songbook kept most of the old songs, just made minor changes to the lyrics. However, all the song numbers had changed. This made it very difficult for us in the Chinese Group. We would have to scramble to find the correct song if we attended the meeting in English. Some friends chose to just sing in their mother tongue. I have always been adamant about singing in Chinese.

I also encourage anyone who is learning to try to sing in your target language no matter what meeting you attend. Even if you are the only one. It's great practice to train your brain to sing what you are reading, even though your ears are hearing words that you are naturally drawn to. With time, you will be able to comprehend both languages simultaneously, and singing in the foreign language will be a lot easier for you.

We finally received the new songbook in Chinese a few months ago. We were so excited! (Digital, we are still waiting on the printed copy) A new struggle then presented itself. As we began to sing from the new songbook, I began to notice the changes immediately. The changes in the new English songbook were subtle and were easy to get used to. In Chinese, the songs have changed completely! 😱

The biggest struggle is for the songs I have memorized. I want to sing the old lyrics, but my brain is reading the new lyrics. I get the two confused and end up having dyslexia of the mouth. In other words, I feel like a beginner, starting all over with Chinese. It has been humbling.

It has taught me that I should not get comfortable with how things are. Jehovah's organization is always on the move, and we are constantly getting new information, and updates to our literature. I am positive that the new changes are for the better, and will touch the heart of the native speakers more than ever. Cameron and I will just have to work hard to practice the new songs together. 😀