Winter Jam 2014 Coming to Reading

Music is likely a huge part of your child’s life and as a parent of a middle and/or high school student, you may be looking for ideas of what musical acts might be positive influences in your child’s life.  There is a lot of music out there in the mainstream that your kids may be familiar with, but listening to some of this music might not be appropriate.  It is up to you as a parent to determine where that line is drawn; as a member of Ebenezer’s youth staff, I have experienced the musical tastes of students and parents to vary drastically and I didn’t come here to blur any lines or create any debates, though it is a serious topic and is a worthy discussion to have with your child at the appropriate time. 

If you are a parent looking to invest in where your child’s musical tastes lie, I want to recommend an event coming to the Santander Center in Reading, PA next Thursday night, January 16^th.  It is called Winter Jam 2014 and it is an event that has come to the area for several years, featuring some of the hottest and best up and coming Christian bands. 

I will be completely honest in saying that I have not heard of some of the artists featured at this year’s event and are only vaguely familiar with others, but the lineup boasts headliners such as The Newsboys and Christian Hip-Hop artist Lecrae.  Tenth Avenue North and Canadian Rock Band Thousand Foot Krutch will join the headliners and will share the stage with acts such as Plumb, NewSong, Colton Dixon, Love & the Outcome, Everfound, and Derek Minor.  Speaker Nick Hall will also deliver a message during the event. 

I want to encourage you as parents to consider going with your child to this event to experience some great Christian music and worship together.  It may give you a glimpse of what kind of music your kids enjoy or give you some alternatives to what they might be currently listening to regularly. 

The drawback to going might be the fact that the event is a little bit of a drive away from the Lehigh Valley, about an hour or so away in Reading and it falls on a weeknight, so it could be a late night and make school and work fun on Friday, but here is why this would be a great event for your whole family:  You don’t have to buy tickets in advance and the event only costs $10 per person!  That is a great price for the amount of music you will get to experience.  Plus, since there are so many musical acts performing that night, the sets are pretty short so if there is a particular act that isn’t for you, don’t worry, it won’t last too long!  If you do happen to hear a band that you really like, it can open doors for you to explore them further.  The ride home could give you a great opportunity to talk to your child about the event and other topics about their faith. 

For more info on this event, feel free to check out the following link:

http://www.jamtour.com/shows/reading-pa

Here is a link of an interview with the Lead Singer of co-headliner Thousand Foot Krutch from the Morning Call that may give a good glimpse into how the show works:

http://blogs.mcall.com/lehighvalleymusic/2014/01/thousand-foot-krutch-to-headline-winter-jam-tour-in-reading.html
 

 Blessings!

Todd