Musical Loose Ends

I suddenly have all my musical loose ends on my mind.  Maybe it's musical "nesting" as I'm pregnant with number 9.  I wanted to make myself an accountability check list on here.  This will also give me a place to come see what I still have left to do.  In no particular order:

• Notate choral and solo version of original song "Homecoming" into Finale to share online.  (including key change before last verse)
• consider having Justin's family sing and record the choral version of this to have an mp3 of that version to share
• enter choral arrangement of "How Great Thou Art" into Finale (again....grrrr) to hopefully publish onto sheetmusicplus-green label website.
• start writing devotionals for each scripture song for kids
• find kids to learn, sing, and record scripture songs for CD or YouTube
• create actual book or PDF of Scripture Songs for Kids

Peace In Christ for Youth Choir

Well, there hasn't been much posting on this site from me for a while.  I've had a lot going on.  We homeschool and I changed curriculums about a month and a half ago.  I'm the Stake Music Chair and we had our Stake Conference in April, and I got to play some of my original music in a benefit concert this past Saturday.  In the mean time, we're 5 months pregnant and I keep working on painting various parts of the house, because that's just what I do when I'm pregnant.

I've been pretty excited about my most recent idea for my Stake music calling.  Every May there is a seminary graduation that they ask me to plan a special musical number for.  This year I thought it would be awesome if the youth were in charge of every part of the music for this graduation.  As part of that I decided to put together a youth choir, and assign a youth conductor and pianist.  They will be singing Peace In Christ-the youth theme song for 2018.  As you probably know if you're reading this, there is only a solo version available online.  I went ahead and wrote parts in for the chorus and re-entered everything into Finale and am making it available to you.  It's nothing super fancy or complicated, and I felt silly adding my name as arranger because I barely did anything--but it's still worth sharing and making your life easier!  We will be having the girls sing verse 1 unison and the boys sing verse 2 unison.  You could always cut each verse in half and go back and forth more, OR you could throw in a soloist or two.

As a side note--we are having our pianist play the piano part off of the original free PDF because it's more simple--only 2 pages versus 5 or 6.  She is just referencing my version for when she needs to plunk out the parts.

Hope you enjoy this! I would love to know if you use it and what you use it for!

Peace In Christ SAB

P.S.  It is now 2 months later.  I took this post down to get permission from the church to share this arrangement.  I now have official permission!  Yay!

Also, the youth choir ended up performing it a little different than I thought they would.  They had a soloist for verse one, then everyone sang verse 2 together unison.  It turned out so beautiful with all the youth and the parts.  I hope you are able to use it in your wards and stakes!

Sincerely,

Amber

The Close of a Project I've Loved

Well, I just shared the free sheet music for my final kids scripture song of the year.  For those of you who don't know, at the end of 2016 I wrote a song to help my kids memorize a scripture.  As one of my New Year's resolutions for 2017, I decided I would write a new Scripture Song for Kids every month this year.  Well, I pulled it off! (minus July when I worked long on hard on releasing free sheet music for a different original song)

I have totally mixed feelings now that the project is complete.  It has been such a great stretching experience.  Some months it was hard to choose a scripture.  Some scriptures had tons of words and were harder to make fit rhythmically, but in the end, my children learned more scriptures and I ended up with a lot more music I could share with YOU. 

I feel relieved that this is over, and excited to just print and enjoy all these songs when I feel like it.  I also look forward to maybe spending a little editing time on the music and creating a little spiral bound book of the Scripture Songs.

I'm also excited now to move on to one of my next little musical projects that have been on hold in my mind.  I want to choose a hymn to arrange for my Stake choir.  That is next.  Fun and exciting right!?  I love new projects!!  I also have some lyrics floating around for regular songs more the style of the songs on our first album, The Gurrs--but I think the hymn arrangement is coming first. (click on Soundcloud link on the side bar to hear practically the whole album) 

And um....yes, we have a first album!  I just picked up the CD's TODAY and I'm pretty excited about it.  We ran into two Sister missionaries at Taco Bell right after we got the CD's and gave them both a copy.  So fun!

There you have it.  One door closes, and others open.

The Least of These

This has been one of my favorite scripture song to write.  I love it.  It feels good to my heart.  I love that the chorus is Christ's words and that the words are the essence of Christianity, and Christmas, and the goal we all have to become more Christ-like.

I hope that this song can help your family come closer to Christ and that it can help keep a beautiful spirit of service in your homes and hearts even when the Christmas season passes.

December Scripture Song Matthew 25:40

November Scripture Song: Helaman 5:12

Hi everyone!  I'm excited to share the sheet music with you for the November scripture song.  This scripture is super powerful.  When we focus on Christ and go to Him for our strength, we can withstand the storms that the devil sends our way.  The scripture promises that if our foundation is built on Christ we CAN NOT FALL!  That's a pretty amazing promise. 

I look forward to making these scripture songs available to you in a spiral bound book in the next several months.  May you all be uplifted by the power of this music and these scriptures in your homes!  Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families.

Helaman 5:12 Free Scripture Song

October Scripture Song

The October Scripture Song is here.  This one was extra fun because during General Conference the spirit gave me a little nudge so I knew that we needed a scripture song for this verse!  We have actually had part of this verse in our unofficial, seldom recited family mission statement for a couple of years and it's about time we memorize the whole verse!  While this verse was first given about a temple, it is a model for what we want our home to be. 

What are your goals to make your home more of a safe haven from the world?  Are there ways that the adversaries influence is leaking into your home?  Would it be worth the sacrifice (and possible initial resistance from children or even your own natural man) if it would make your home feel like more of a place of spiritual renewal? 

Here are some ideas of ways you could improve the spirit of your home.  Trust me, these are areas that can always be improved upon and that WE always have to revisit.

• adults media choices
• children's media choices            (including commercial content that comes up during either)
• adult and children's music choices

Are these uplifting?  Do they help me become better?  Am I rationalizing something that is lowering my vibration and my ability to feel the spirit?

• family scripture study
• family prayer
• and all of the things listed in this scripture song/verse

I promise that every sacrifice you make, and every step you take closer to God, he will take leaps toward you.  He's just waiting for you to be ready for more blessings that He has in store when you're ready!

 D&C 88:119 Click the verse to access the scripture song

September Scripture Song

September's scripture song is short and sweet and feels like a camp song.  We taught it to our backyard visitors a few days ago and took a video to share with you.  We sing through it lots of times so that you and your kids can learn it easily!  This song should be catchy enough to help you apply the counsel it contains because it will get stuck in your head and will be easy to pull back up in your memory any time you want or need it.

One of my favorite things about General Conference this time around has been hearing several scripture songs quoted and my kids lighting up because they know them! 

                                                   Here's the video for D&C 6:36

August Scripture Song for Kids

Here is a simple song to teach your family about the gifts of the spirit found in Galations 5:22-23.  It's short and sweet.  I hope it blesses your family.  I'm considering putting together a little book next year with all of these scripture songs with lessons for introducing them.  If there is interest that would be motivating to know. :)  Bless you guys!  Thanks for sharing in these songs with my kiddos and I.

Galatians 5:22-23 Scripture Song

Sheet Music For "Would I Give Everything"

I am so excited, humbled, and grateful to share this song with you all.  This is one of the most moving songs I've been inspired to write and it was a complicated one to get the sheet music for.  I intended to get this song to you at the beginning of July, and here it is the 17th.  The counting on the melody is not the most straight forward thing ever, and even still it's not perfect, so I advise listening to the recording HERE to get a feel for the song when you are learning it.

I wrote this song a few years ago when my husband and I had the opportunity to be a ma and pa on trek with our ward.  Click HERE to see my blog post about trek.  It was so, so moving and I'm grateful that I took time to blog about at least a tiny portion of the experience when it was fresh in my spirit.

I hope this song moves and inspires you all and that you enjoy singing and playing it.  I would love to hear if you play it, and if you sing it in your home, or for anyone else.

"Would I Give Everything" free sheet music

P.S. This may or may not replace the July scripture song for kids, as it was A LOT of work.  I'll see what I can do.

June Scripture Song For Kids

I broke into D&C for a scripture song this month.  It was just the thing to do.  This is a great scripture.  The world tells kids (and adults) that Sunday is the day for worship, that school, work, and play are separate from church.  This is a good scripture to reinforce that we serve the Lord and think about the Lord ALL the time and we serve Him with all our heart, might, mind, and strength.  ALL of it!  That's not a part time thing.  Do ye have desires to serve God?


 D&C 4:2 

Free Come Thou Fount SATB

Guys, I added additional parts to my Come Thou Fount duet a few years ago, sang it with my ward choir, and never made it available to others!  So FINALLY, here you have it!  Let me know if you have your choir sing it!

Come Thou Fount free choral arrangement

May Scripture Song: Alma 33:21

Writing these little scripture songs has been a wonderful thing.  I love the spirit that the scriptures bring and the important truths that they teach.  This month's song is about faith, that faith is not a perfect knowledge, but a hope of things that we can't see.  There is a talk from many conferences ago that I love, that says that "faith has a short shelf life."  We have to continue to learn and grow and apply the teachings of Jesus Christ and continually benefit from the fruits that come.  How do you nourish your faith?  What experiences have you had in your life that have built your faith in Jesus Christ?  In the scriptures?  In latter-day prophecy?  In personal revelation and the Holy Ghost?  Why do YOU have faith?

Here is the song to help us learn and remember this scripture.

ALMA 32:21

April Scripture Song for Kids--Mosiah 3:19

The scripture song for April is for Mosiah 3:19.  It's kind of a long verse, but so doctrinally dense with great principles to teach.  When we are guided by the spirit, we get to become better every day because of the atonement of Jesus Christ.  We can be perfected in Christ daily, let go of our imperfections, our driftings toward the natural man, and start fresh.  As parents of little ones, we have the sacred opportunity to learn to direct our children toward Christ.

Click HERE to view and print the sheet music.  The tempo marking is wrong and I still don't know how to change it.....it should be more like 85.

March Scripture Song for Kids--Isaiah 53:3-4

This song barely got finished by the end of March, just in time for Easter.  It is a very solemn scripture.  You CAN add the 5th verse of the chapter in a second verse to the song.  I chose to not officially add it because it makes it very long and extra challenging for teaching to children.

Click HERE to see the free music.

And this one was weird....so HERE is page 2.

Video of Scripture Song for 2 Ne 32:3

Hope you use this song to help your family learn the scripture.  

February Free Scripture Song for Kids

The scripture song for February is James 1:5.  It's a short scripture with a powerful truth.  I hope to share a lesson on it next week.  The song is simple and upbeat.  The tempo is around 95.  I hope your kids like it and that it opens a good door of discussion and teaching eternal truths.  

James 1:5 Song

Personal note:  I have recently become the Stake Music Chair and our first Stake Conference since is approaching.  For the rest of this month all of my music focus will be into getting to know and connecting with all of the pieces the choir will be singing.  Our first choir practice is in 4 days!  I still actually even need to choose one more song for a special number during Priesthood session.  Off to free zoo day, then it's time to study!!

2 Ne 32:3 Lesson

There is such wonderful doctrine in 2 Nephi chapter 32.  I want to give you some ideas on teaching your children some of that doctrine during the weeks you are learning the song together.  It would probably be best to break it into two different lessons, maybe as you teach the first and second half of the song.

In preparation read 2 Nephi 32:1-5.  In verse 1 Nephi says that the people have been wondering what they are to do after they are baptized and receive the Holy Ghost.  In verse 2 he says, "remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels?  And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?"

After you read this, paraphrase it to the children.  "Wow!  Nephi says when we have the Holy Ghost, we can speak like angels!  I wonder what he means!  Do you have any guesses?"

Going on to verse 3, "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ."  Wow, so when we say what the Holy Ghost wants us to say, we are speaking the words of Christ!  We are saying what He wants us to say, and what He would say in that moment, in fact we ARE saying what He IS saying in that moment!  When we say what the Holy Ghost says, we are speaking the words of Christ.  Could there be anything more special?

Hmmmmm, now it says, ANGELS speak by the power of the Holy Ghost.  Have you ever had an angel speak to you? (they will likely say no, right?)  Did you know that sometimes when you hear or feel the Holy Ghost speak to you, sometimes it is actually an angel speaking to you using the power of the Holy Ghost?  You have so many people who love you who are angels and they help you every day.  They can be messengers for Heavenly Father.  When they speak to us with the Holy Ghost, they are speaking the words of Christ, the same way YOU speak the words of Christ when YOU use the Holy Ghost.  Did you know that every time you hear the Holy Ghost, CHRIST is speaking to YOU?  Wow!  Do you think it is super important for us to learn how to listen to the Holy Ghost?  It is actually THE most important thing for you to learn when you are young.

  The verse goes on, "Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."  What are the words of Christ?  Yes, scriptures, words of prophets from General Conference AND the words and feelings from the Holy Ghost.  The scripture says that the Holy Ghost will teach us ALL things what we should do.  We can get guidance on ALL things in our lives from Christ.

In verse 5, Nephi tells us again, "receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you ALL THINGS what ye should do."  When we do the things that help us have the Holy Ghost more, we can receive this blessing.  That is how we RECEIVE the Holy Ghost.  We pray, we read our scriptures, we go to church, we help other people, and we ASK for guidance with the plan to follow it as we receive it.

Knock- Free Sheet Music

The other day I noticed that I have some sheet music already prepared that I haven't shared yet!  AND it's one of my favorite pieces that I've written.  I have 2 versions, one is more contemporary with piano, guitar, and drums, and the other is perfect for Sacrament Meeting with just piano and violin.  My husband and I sang it one year in the adult session of our Stake Conference.  It was SO nice.  I really, really love it both ways.  It could be sung by a male as a solo.  You can listen to how my husband and I do it HERE on Soundcloud.  I don't have the violin version recorded anywhere, so you'll just have to hear that if you're lucky enough to know a violinist.  :)  A flute usually works nice in place of a violin in most pieces, though I haven't tried a flute on this specific song.  Just trying to give you some options.  :)  Enjoy!!  I would love to hear about it if you perform this piece!

Free sheet music: Knock

Scripture Song 2 Ne 32:3 (Free sheet music!)

One of my music goals for 2017 is to write one scripture song a month.  The current plan is to alternate between the King James Version Bible verses, and Book of Mormon verses.  Most of these songs (if not all) will just have the words to a particular verse or two verbatim for the purpose of memorization.  I hope you use these in your homes to help your children and yourselves memorize scriptures.  I have loved memorizing this particular verse while working on this song.  Such a beautiful, powerful verse.

I know that angels are real.  Tonight when I was tucking my 7 year old into bed we were getting ready to say his prayer and he said, "Mom, Jesus never talks to us."  I told him that he does!  He speaks to us through the Holy Ghost sometimes in our minds and sometimes in our hearts and through the scriptures and that sometimes when he talks to us, we think it's our own thoughts.  I testified that sometimes angels speak to us in our minds and that they are messengers of Heavenly Father, and then I sang the beginning of this song, "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost...."  I should have kept going: "wherefore they speak the words of Christ."  Such powerful words.

Thank you to all the angels that bless and watch over my family and children. 

2 Ne 32:3 (click the scripture to access the free sheet music!)

(The tempo marking of 80 is a little quicker than I like it, but I don't know how to go back and change it without starting over.)

See the LESSON PLAN for ideas to discuss as you teach the song.

Here is the VIDEO of my kids singing the song.

Blessed to Love You

It's my very first music video!  I had to have a project I really believed in to want to be the center of attention like this ;).  It had to NOT be about me.  The Lord knows me and gave me an inspired desire and amazing, talented friends who could help me make this happen.  I look forward to sharing more of the story of this song in the near future.  I hope you enjoy it!  You can listen to the song on Sound Cloud as well.