Choosing Funeral Music - Nepean Valley Funerals

Funeral music is very personal and can often be what people remember most of the service. It can create moments of comfort, levity and healing. The music can convey feelings that words cannot. “Music is food for the soul” Even a simple tune can have a profound effect on the mood of a funeral. Some people can struggle with finding a significant and meaningful song to represent their loved one. There are so many different types of songs to choose from for the funeral and modern funerals have a broader range of music again. Personal song choices are a great way to feel connected to the deceased.

So before choosing a song it is important to read the lyrics. Some songs can have inappropriate language for the occasion or may not represent your loved one in the way you had hoped. Lyrics can be the most meaningful part of the song and we want to honor our loved ones. Use their favorite song or a song that had meaning to their life and family, people often have songs that are linked with special memories. To know what songs to pick you can look at the music collection of the deceased to see what they enjoyed, talk with family and friends to see if they have ideas to contribute. Once you have some ideas together create a possible playlist of the songs and review each song choice.

Make your choices based on the person you knew and loved. If a loved one was religious or spiritual choosing to include a requiem mass, hymns, prayers, healing sounds without music and poems in the funeral service can provide mourners with an opportunity to draw strength from their faith and find comfort in communal singing. Popular hymns include The Lord is My Shepard, How Great Thou Art and Here I am Lord to name a few.

Including Live music in a service or mass helps your loved ones celebrate the life of the departed perfectly and helps family and friends in reflection of the person’s life through music and song.

Most funeral services have at least two places for music, one for entering and one for the exit. These songs can set the tone for the ceremony. Think about how you want to make people feel. You can set two different tones with the music used at the start and end of a service and mourners can appreciate the contrast. Other music opportunities are with a slide show of photos or just a moment of reflection. Even funny songs can be used during the gathering if that’s what the deceased would have wanted to remember them by. Remember, a funeral is a celebration of life so the music you choose should reflect your loved one.

If you are struggling for ideas, we have some popular songs listed below to consider.

All I Have to Do is Dream – The Everly Brothers