In Hinduism, a mantra is sacred and spiritually beneficial. It is said that by chanting a mantra repeatedly with love and devotion a person can become spiritually illumined. He develops a pure mind which enables him to see God.  Native Americans drum, dance and chant at sacred ceremonies.  Ancient Greek oracles went into trances while chanting or listening to music.  In many Christian churches music, singing and chanting is common.  Sacred chanting or singing is part of almost all religions.  There are several reasons why:

• Chanting, dancing or singing can calm the mind which is important to open up and listen to God
• Certain sounds in the correct sequence can stimulate the energy centers (chakras)
• The sound vibrations can have a healing effect.

    One area of sacred sound that is often overlooked is in the speeches of Jesus, Buddha, and many of the great prophets.  Sometimes phrases they said didn't seem to make much sense.  That is because they were not said for their language meaning, but for the series of sounds they produced.  Unfortunately, when they are translated into other languages based on dictionary meaning they become nonsense.  Many scholars translating various scripture seem to be unaware of this.
    For Christians, a simple way to start chanting is simple to say amen several times very slowly:

AAAAAAMMMMMEEEEEEEEEENNNNNN

You can do that everyday when you first get up.  It will help clear the mind and bring energy into the energy centers.  Don't confuse this with meditating.  It's not meditating.