In funerals at funeral homes in Dayton, OH, one of the things that the funeral director will ask you about is what music you would like to include in the funeral service.
In times past, choosing music for funeral services was simply a matter of looking at a list provided by the funeral director and making selections from that list. Your music selections would then be played by an organist or, if it included lyrics, would be sung by the mourners as a hymn.
But things have changed. Music selections for funeral services can be infinitely diverse. You can choose your own songs and you can choose how to have them presented. You may want songs that are sung live by vocalists you know. You may want recorded songs. You may want instrumental songs played by, for example, guitar or violin soloists.
Because music selections for the funeral service can be so personalized, it can make actually choosing the songs and how you want them performed quite difficult. Here are a few guidelines to make choosing the music you want to include in the funeral service for your loved one who has died much easier.
The first guideline is to make sure that the music you select will pay tribute to them in a way that’s meaningful to you and your family and to the mourners who are listening. Many people make music selections that may not even talk about death or dying, but they had special significance for the deceased or for their family.
Funeral homes are able to accommodate live performances or play recorded music, so no matter music you choose for the funeral service, they will be able to make it happen. With streaming applications like Spotify, even music selections off the beaten path can be played during a funeral service if they had special meaning for your loved one or they have special meaning for you and your family.
If, for some reason, one of the songs that you want played during the funeral service isn’t available on a streaming service, there are software programs available that let you take the song and convert it to an MP3 file that the funeral home can play as part of the service. If you’re not tech savvy, the funeral home can help you with the conversion process.
Another guideline for selecting the music you want to be played during the funeral service is to decide what kind of tone you want to establish with the music. Some people choose an uplifting tone and select songs that evoke optimism and encouragement. Other people choose a reflective tone, so they select songs that are more philosophical in nature. Or you may want to recognize the sadness of your loved one’s death, and your songs will capture that. Finally, some people choose a more whimsical tone, and they choose songs that evoke that mood.
Whatever tone you choose, however, it is important to consider the mourners who will be attending the funeral service. While you and your family, for example, may see nothing wrong with taking a slightly off-kilter take on the death of your loved one with your music selections, those songs may seem disrespectful or inappropriate to the other people who will be attending the funeral. The inclusion of music in the funeral service is to bind the mourners together emotionally, so it’s important, at least in public funeral services, to take the rest of those who will be attending into consideration and make sure that the songs you choose could not be considered offensive to them.
If you’d like guidance about funeral music at funeral homes in Dayton, OH, our compassionate and experienced staff at Glickler Funeral Home & Cremation Service can help. You can come by our funeral home at 1849 Salem Ave., Dayton, OH 45406, or you can contact us today at (937) 278-4287.