Vision

Maybe my best choir experience was in Primary as a child. I cried as we sang “Did Jesus really live again? Yes! And so will I!” I liked the jazzy rhythm of “I love you, and you love me”. It didn’t matter whether we ever performed the pieces for anyone: the purifying power of the music was that I was finding my testimony. I suppose that I memorized the words because I couldn’t be trusted to be able to read them under pressure, but the result was that I could go home and sing them by myself. Primary music (and other music since) has became a strong spiritual reserve for me.

I want our choir to be similar in many ways. I would like it to happen predictably: every Sunday, if at all possible, so people can plan on it and schedule it in, no matter what else is happening. I would like it to be more of a worship service and less of a rehearsal (i.e. little to no focus on performance), less technical (I want people to focus on the spiritual impressions they received while singing rather than “Dang! I missed that note/entrance!”) and more open to anyone and everyone in the ward. I want this to be a family activity, a continuation of singing time for those graduated from Primary, and a strengthening experience for converts who never had the chance to participate in Primary. I will be looking for ways to improve participation from everyone because I want more people to have the soul-enlarging experience of singing their testimonies. I will also be looking for creative ways (more like Primary) to teach the music.

Today's rehearsal

I think somewhere between this being Daylight Savings day and not having it announced via email, and not being in the bulletin until this afternoon, only a determined few attended today: a choir of 6.

We sang almost until we passed out. It was fabulous to feel the spirit of the music.

The homework assignment for the week is to memorize the verses of "Press Forward Saints", which we will be singing in church next week (Mar. 15th).

If you haven't taken the chance yet, get acquainted with the church interactive player. Follow the link above. Select the parts you want played (check boxes) or adjust the volume on the parts so that your part is loud and the other parts are soft. Adjust the tempo by typing a speed: 160 is my target tempo, then click play. There is a glitch, so after it starts you have to click the up arrow before the new tempo takes effect.

Some memorization cues for the verses linclude:

Verse 1: Faith, Hope, Love

Verse 2: feasting on the word of Christ: His name: Come unto God.

Verse 3: Enduring ways, love proclaim, thus saith

Alleluia mp3

Here is an mp3 of the BYU Men's Chorus singing Alleluia (Ralph Manuel) in 1999.

My Goals

1) Sing beautiful music

2) memorized, so we can take it with us, and so we can testify to the audience, looking them in the eye as we sing

3) in a way that is accessible for people who haven't sung much before.

New Music

New music came this afternoon! Hurray!

I sang this peice in 1999-2000 with BYU Men's Chorus: gorgeous, moving, and a joy to sing. We liked it so well as singers that we pulled it together from memory (even though it had been 3 months since we sang it in concert) to sing at the Albequerque Temple Open House: not because anyone was listening (we were there before it had officially opened for the day), but because it completed the moment for us.

Come sing!

Changing hearts

I love singing: it’s an important way of changing my heart. When I sing, I know what I should be feeling, and I have the chance to feel that way with my whole heart.

Singing Loud

I like to sing loud. Maybe some of you have noticed. Singing is my chance to "shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel." (2 Ne. 31: 13, emphasis added)