These days the term Children's Music can mean anything from ditties from Victorian hymnals through to rap and rock with Scripture lyrics. Who are the intrepid musos answering the call to communicate spiritual truth to Britain's pre-teens? Mary Brows set out to talk to Britain's children's musicianaries. This is her report.

If Sammy Homer's background is theological, Roger Jones first identified children's needs while working as a teacher in Birmingham. Today he is well known as a composer of contemporary Christian music including several children's musicals. In fact, all his 14 musicals involve children. "There is no doubt that involving children in a musical has great value in that it engages not only their musical talents, but enables them to respond long term to working alongside adults in a church worship context," Roger said. He was writing stories and songs at an early age and became a Christian while at music college (he plays the piano). "It was as a teacher that I started writing for children, out of necessity - there were so few suitable children's songs. Simple words and melodies with strong rhythms got the children going."

1973 saw Roger in a TV studio with a Songs Of Praise/Pebble Mill type of programme. 'Jerusalem Joy' appeared on radio and on BBC's Songs Of Praise (with Roy Castle). In 1979 Roger and his wife Mary set up a mail order service, Christian Music Ministries, to provide Christian resources for churches and schools. In 1984 Roger left his teaching job for full time Christian music ministry. He was responsible for the music when Archbishop Desmond Tutu visited Birmingham in 1989. "Desmond turned out to be quite an evangelist," Roger recalled. 'Jairus' Daughter', commissioned by the Girls' Brigade in 1992 for their centenary celebrations, has had great evangelistic response. Taking his inspiration from the Bible, Roger's output continues to grow with hymns, psalms, worship songs and musicals using drama and dance. In 1981 he flew a teenage school choir to Israel to perform three musicals, and now visits that country regularly. In spring 1995 he is taking a team of 80 to perform his latest musical 'Angel Voices' in Jerusalem and Nazareth. His programme is booked well into 1996: introducing his new collection 'More Ways To Praise', touring with his musicals, ministering at Lee Abbey and presenting his new work 'Precious And Honoured'.

Another children's music pioneer with a teaching background is Helen Johnson. In fact Mark and Helen Johnson have been welcomed into many local schools, who allow them to 'borrow' the children to record their songs. Scoring a hit with their Nativity work 'Off To Bethlehem' in 1989, Mark and Helen work closely together to write songs for primary school children with modern melodies and simple words. "Children are often given second-hand material 'just because they're children' - we want to produce quality music," said Helen. A primary school teacher, Helen has been writing for 10 years. When she met Mark he had a plastic carrier bag full of scraps of paper, ideas for songs he had jotted down. (The bag now has pride of place in their Surrey studio.) Mark led the worship at his church, with Helen singing in the team. After their marriage someone financed them for a year to write and produce their own songs as Out Of The Ark Music. The name came to Helen while thinking about Noah's Ark - how all life was contained in that one vessel. Mark and Helen believe that God works through ordinary songs as well as overtly Christian music. Their music books are teacher-friendly, with full stage instructions and ideas for costumes. On one occasion they were asked to run a music workshop in a primary school; by the end of the session every child had composed something. The Johnson's plans for 1995 include two albums in their Every series, more singing engagements and further workshops - all fitted in somehow around two-year-oId Samuel's routine. (NB, Samuel Johnson loves his folks' music!)

Of all the musicianaries involved in children's music Scottish praise and worship pioneer Ian White is among the best known. Ian began composing for children in 1980, when he was invited to write some songs for a local primary school and two Sunday Schools in Aberdeen. Two children's cassettes were produced by his company Little Misty Music Ltd. (a third album is planned for 1995). "Although my main work is for adults, I do take the children's work very seriously and get many letters encouraging me to keep going with it. I try to make the songs modern, musically interesting but also scriptural. There's no formula (other than keeping it simple) - like all Christian music, it's all to do with whether God 'touches' what you do, or whether it's just another 'ditty'. You just have to trust in God with all your heart and lean not on your own composition!" Next spring Ian has been invited to participate in a Scottish prayer day for children (with Scripture Union and others) and commissioned to write a special song for the event.

If Ian White is a CCM household name, Pauline Wills is not. Yet Pauline, a head teacher from Peterborough, has been asked to lead the children's prayer worship at Living Water in May. Pauline is the inspiration behind some successful children's cassettes in her Church Of England primary school. She explained, "Five years ago I noticed a good guitarist in my church - Lionel Brown. I suggested that Lionel came along to the school to take Hymn Practice one afternoon. The children love him and he now visits regularly." Lionel grew up in the Anglican church and played the guitar as a small boy. A local government officer, he enjoyed taking Hymn Practice at Pauline's school. Scraps of song kept running through his mind. He wrote a simple chorus for the children. It went so well that he wrote seven or eight more songs. In 1991 the children made a cassette, 'Jesus The Living Lord'; Word Music included it in an educational tape. Meanwhile, a Christian recording firm moved into the village. They recorded Isn't God Good' with more of Lionel's songs sung by the children, to give away to parents - the demand was such that extra copies had to be made." The best thing was a remark by one of the parents," Lionel said. "The locals used to rib me a lot, calling me The Preacher and stuff. The worst sceptic was a parent from the school. I expected more hassle after the new tape, but he came up to me with tears in his eyes and said, That was a brilliant tape, Lionel.' The tapes give us opportunities to talk about Jesus." Pauline plans another cassette for next Christmas.

Amongst the most intriguing tapes for kids are those on the Sticky Music label by the Sticky Kids. This series of activity cassettes for the under sevens was devised by Anne Butler, drawing on her experience as an infant teacher and mother of three small children. A mixture of traditional tunes and newly composed songs, professional musicians and performers, together with the Sticky Kids themselves, create tapes which children enjoy and learn from. Although 'Praise God With The Sticky Kids', released in 1993, is the only overtly Christian cassette in the range, the workouts, country songs, games, rhymes and stories are all good fun and are selling world wide. Anne's husband Steve, a professional musician whose band Lies Damned Lies are Greenbelt favourites, produces the tapes in his Heaven Studio.

There has already been criticism that far too little children's Christian music shows much originality. Certainly, tapes of kids choirs assembled from local churches who do squeaky-voiced renditions of praise choruses over perfunctory backing tracks put together in a day in the keyboard player's bedroom, still seemingly get released. But Sammy Homer is hopeful that the new wave of Christian workers will meet the challenge of newer musics. Sammy, whose soon to be recorded children's album is 'Rhythm And Blues Beatitudes', feels this is a pivotal issue. "In the same way that it's ridiculous to expect kids to get excited today by Victorian ditties like "Jesus Wants Me As A Sunbeam" isn't it short sighted to expect our kids to enjoy the same kind of music we like? My wee girl was into pop music when she was eight. We need children's workers who can work in the musical framework of Take That and "Cotton Eyed Joe". That's why World Wide Message Tribe are so important. They're appealing to children as well as teenagers because dance culture is THE youth culture today."

Is Sammy optimistic that children's workers can meet the challenges of an increasingly sophisticated children's culture? "God is raising up some gifted people with new, creative ideas. Yes, I'm optimistic." And the situation in local churches? "We've got a lot to do in the church to resource children's work properly so that children are being communicated to effectively. There are a lot of good people beavering away in local churches working with children. The churches need to give them more support. What they're doing is utterly essential".