Archives for: December 2007

From Utah:

I truly appreciate this site! As a newly called choir director, this is exactly what I need. Thank you!

From Idaho:

“you came up on my google search – YEAH!”

One of the songs for next year’s Primary presentation is “I Am a Child of God.” This is such a popular song that we want to do something special with it. I am trying to learn the sign language from the church web site. They have a wonderful link with many songs from the Children’s Songbook demonstrated in sign.

I noticed that I misspelled “Prayer is the Soul’s Sincere Desire,” in the hymn arrangement listings. Did anyone else notice that I had posted that arrangement as “Prayer is the Soul’s Sincerest Desire?” It’s so easy to punch a couple of wrong letters on the keyboard!

Starting to work on our Ward Easter Program. We’ll have scriptures plus an arrangement of “How Great The Wisdom and the Love” and “I Stand All Amazed.” Plus some other hymns.

From Arizona:

“Thank you so much for being willing to share your talents!”

From California:

“My daughter is in our ward choir, so when I saw the link…I knew our choir director would appreciate your hard work. Thank you.”

Merry Christmas from the Pratts to Ward Choirs and LDS Choir Directors everywhere!

Our Ward Choir did a great job with our Christmas program this year. Then our wonderful choir members sang the program two more times at a nursing home near us. It was heartwarming to see smiles on the faces of people who don’t have much to look forward to during the holidays.

Tomorrow, ward choirs all over the world will perform their Christmas program in their Sacrament meeting. May angels join us as we sing praises to Him whose church this is, and may the Lord’s Spirit be with all choirs, accompanists, and choir directors everywhere!

Is everyone ready for their Christmas program this Sunday? Our Ward Choir is reading the Christmas story from Luke and singing traditional Christmas Carols. It’s hard to go wrong with great material like that!

Last Saturday at our Ward Christmas Party, I tripped over a chair with a glass of milk in my hand. The milk went up and I went down. Milk went every where – on the people around me, the chairs, the floor, but somehow not a drop ended up on me. Since I landed on my most padded part, the only thing hurt was my pride.

I found you through a Yahoo search! I can\’t wait to hear your arrangements. Thank you SO much,and God bless you for your generosity. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

I believe part of the reason hymn arrangements are so effective in worship services is that when we hear the same thing over and over again, we begin to tune it out. It is expected, we know what is coming next so our brains turn to other thoughts. When the ward choir sings, a special arrangement gives our ear a chance to focus on a slightly different rhythm, or harmony. It makes us pay attention and to focus more on the message.

I would be interested to know how all those ward choir Christmas presentations are coming. Does your choir sing several songs? Do you perform only one special musical number the Sunday before Christmas? My friend’s ward doesn’t have a ward choir at all. Every few weeks their Bishop gets up and announces that they will now sing a special hymn and anyone who would like to participate may come up and sing with the group. I think I would miss all the fun we have at practices if we did that.

“Prayer is the Soul’s Sincere Desire” is my next project. The message is one of the most beautiful and poetic in our hymnal. So far, I am starting with a close four-part harmony, which would be very effective if sung accapella. The rhythm will be a rubato style. Of course, some ward choirs have difficulty singing without the piano, so if that is that case for your choir, you could just have the piano play along.

“I would be so grateful to receive this as soon as possible. We are trying to sing this for our christmas program and the arrangement we have now is much too difficult for me to play. Thank you so much!”

Last Monday my 18-year-old daughter was four hours late coming home from school. Naturally, I panicked. I called her cell phone and left several threatening messages. I texted her and told her if she didn’t call home she would never see daylight again. I called all of her friends and asked if she was with them. No one knew where she was.
I decided that when she got home I would check to make sure she was all right, and then I was going to kill her.
At last she walked through the door. I had the grenade launcher ready. “Where have you been!”
She looked surprised, “At work.” She answered, shrugging her shoulders.
“Oh. Right.” I forgot she goes to work on Mondays. Why hadn’t she answered her phone? Because she forgot to take it with her that morning.
“Well, there might be several messages you will want to delete.” I said sheepishly.

The handbells we use in Primary came in individual plastic bags. Those were noisy and started to fall apart. I bought a couple of dozen knee-hi nylons to wrap them in. Now they are well protected, are quiet, and I have a five year supply of knee hi stockings if there is ever a nylon emergency.

Today I’m sending out Christmas cards to all my choir members. I want them to feel appreciated, because they are! Perhaps I’ll even double their salaries.

Our power went out for four hours last Saturday, so my daughter and I went out to dinner and a movie. Then we went to the mall. By the time we got home the power was back on. I hope the power goes out again next month.

My son, Eric, who is currently at the MTC in Provo, was assigned a companion from California who has never seen snow. He recently included this in a letter:

“You know you’re from California when –
1. You are surprised to see real icicles.
2. You wear snow boots to class so you can walk through snow on the way.
3. You take pictures of everything with snow on it.
4. You are surprised to see the snow still there the next day.

I spent yesterday morning with my Mom. She was interested in my choir music and listened for hours as I talked excitedly about what I am doing now. She unabashedly thinks I am capable and wonderful and that’s just the way I like it. I don’t want her to be objective. If anyone doesn’t have a Mom like this, they should get one.

The top three things ward choir directors dread the most:

1 People who come up to sing with the choir who haven’t been to even one rehearsal.
2 Bishops who schedule council meetings during practice time.
3 Being told that choir director is a “left over calling” for those with weak testimonies.

I have heard it said, and I agree that singing with the ward choir is a worthwhile, spiritually enriching experience, even if we never performed.

Though she is astonishingly busy, Sally DeFord recently consented to do an interview for an article I am writing for yourLDSneighborhood. Due to her groundbreaking efforts in the world of LDS church music, she has paved the way for many others including www.freewardchoirmusic.com to share their music and talents with others. Watch for it to be posted in the next couple of months.

Hurray for email! The days of spending hours on the phone calling to remind choir members about rehearsals and performances are over. Just a click of the mouse and immediately twenty people know who, what time, and where.

In our ward, in addition to being choir director, I am also the Primary chorister. In Primary, we are learning to play Silent Night and Away in a Manger with handbells. Last week I thought to myself, “I must be completely out of my mind. I’m handing out bells to three and four years olds.”