Sharing God's beauty
By Anna Moore · Aug 16, 2024
Member Spotlight: Katelyn Baas—musician, arranger
Why SMI? The concept is biblical
Learning how to play an instrument well takes time, patience, discipline, and effort.
Hammered-dulcimer player Katelyn Baas made the decision years ago that since music is an investment, she would focus on what honors the Lord, hoping the music she plays and teaches reflects His beauty, just as He created it to.
“My first thing in music is that it should just be beautiful because God created everything beautiful,” she said. “In studying music, you realize all the nuances and patterns and things He’s built into it. It’s odd because music is very mathematical, but it’s very much like a language, and at the same time, it’s very scientific and so I don’t think music could have happened on its own. It’s something God puts in us, and if He’s a God of beauty, which we see in His creation, I think music should reflect that.”
As the writer of Hebrews reminds us, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Katelyn hopes her music ministry shines light into the darkness of today’s ever-changing world and reminds people of something truly good.
“I think music shines more as our world gets colder and darker,” she said.
The sound of beautiful notes and melodies carefully strung together can point people to their Creator. After a concert where Katelyn performed a particular hymn, someone approached her, saying, “I haven’t heard ‘Higher Ground’ in ages. That was so nice to hear it again.” She is pleased if she can trigger a memory from Sunday school or church through music because it takes people back to what is important.
“It’s not like I can be really blunt and say, ‘You should get saved,’ but I can remind them of the Kingdom and remind them that there is Somebody out there who cares even when it doesn’t seem like there is,” she said.
Katelyn will often explain to listeners why she picked a particular hymn to play and will remind them that the hymn writer experienced trials or doubts similar to what they are experiencing.
“I share how with the hymn they show that they found peace and comfort in Christ and that we can have the same thing,” she said.