New and Old

Thanks to those who made it out to choir practice yesterday.   We were able to make some good headway on "If the Savior Stood Beside Me."  This song has a special spirit about it.  It is a gorgeous arrangement and I know as you learn it, you will have an extra measure of the spirit in your life.

Thank you for making "I Feel My Savior's Love" such a beautiful and touching piece!  I had several comments yesterday, but one stood out to me.  Sister Brooks said it is so beautiful that we have the children sing with the choir and she was astounded at how talented they are.  I agree!  It is a remarkable and beautiful thing we have going and people are taking notice.

I spoke to you yesterday about plans for next month and going forward, but for those who were not there, I will recap.  The Bishopric has asked us to prepare something for February 19th for Maddie's Mission farewell  (I said the 12th before, but I was wrong).  I really wanted to do something special, but I don't think we will have "I Feel My Savior's Love" ready by then.  It will be a stretch for us.  In sacrament meeting yesterday, I had the impression that it would be a good idea to bring some previous songs back to sing again.

"A Place in His Arms" is such a gorgeous song, and the children remember it and love it.  As the missionaries seem to get younger and younger to me, I see them as children.  In a way, I feel that the Lord calls children as missionaries because they have a unique ability to come when they are called and do as they are asked.  So, again, as he did with the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord calls the children to come unto him.

Anyway, this post is getting long winded, but I wanted to update you all on my plans to have us sing "A Place in His Arms" on February 12th.  I am reposting the practice files for us to brush up on this piece.  Love you all!

Sheet Music and old audio practice files.  (Warning, they are bad!)

New Music for a New Year

Happy New Year everyone!  I can't begin to tell you how pleased I was with the Christmas Program.  It came off so beautifully.  I had people tell me that it was the best Christmas program they had ever seen.  Many were brought to tears!  That is the reason we do this.  We really do make a huge impact on the spirit of the meetings and the ward.  Pat yourselves on the back!!

I have some ideas for this year and I really hope that everyone will make the effort to be there bright and early tomorrow morning.  I understand the sacrifice you are making, and I promise to make it worth your time.

We will be starting "If the Savior Stood Beside Me," a duet piece from Sally DeFord.  It sounds really beautiful.  We will be singing with the children's choir, and they know this song as a simple version is in the Children's Songbook.

To get a look at this piece, check out this link.

To listen to the song, click here.

Here is an accompaniment track.

See you tomorrow morning!

Piano Recordings

Linda was willing to let me record her playing the accompaniment to our three songs for next week.  Please use these files to practice.

Jesus, Lord Audio Files

I don't have all the files for this song made yet.  Here are the ones I have and I will include the rest as I get them completed.




Starting at measure 45, we have a section of SATB.

Shepherds Kept Their Lonely Vigil Audio Files

Starting on measure 32, all voices sing in unison until measure 42 where we split into parts.  We repeat this section a second time at the end of the piece.
 
At measure 56, we split into a duet. Sopranos and Tenors sing a descant part while altos and basses sing the melody.
 

Peace, Peace, Peace Audio Files

Hi Everyone, I apologize for the delay in getting these out. My computer's audio port broke and it took a while to figure out how to get Ben's laptop to work and get the files created. I hope they are helpful to you as you prepare for our upcoming Christmas program.

 Peace, Peace, Peace

 Measure 28 starts the duet with men and women.
 
Measure 47 starts the third verse that has four part harmony. The audio files go until measure 64. After that, the last line is repeated again with a slightly different rhythm at on the last three notes.

Missionary Homecomings

It was so amazing to be a part of Justin Bresee's homecoming last week!  Nice job to everyone who sang.  This week Brother Bassett will be reporting his mission, and the children's choir will be singing "We'll Bring the World His Truth," from the primary songbook.  We had a practice at my house today.  We will have another on Friday.  If you can't make it, we will practice before sacrament meeting at the usual time.  Linda and I made this recording today as well, so you can have your kids practice with it.
Also, here is a link to the music on the church website.