Recording of Abide With Me

During the Winter 2008 semester, my friends Elise Rasmussen (Soprano 1), Kelsey Thomas (Alto 1), Haley Flanders (Alto 2), and I (Soprano 2) performed this arrangement of Abide With Me that our friend Joseph Sowa arranged. Mom, you will be happy to hear that I finally figured out how to post my recordings on my blog! Enjoy!

Take Time

The theme of General Conference for me today can be summed up in one of my favorite hymns, Take Time to be Holy:

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

Listen to it here.

Life Lessons I've Learned from Choir

1. It's not just what you sing, it's how you sing it.
2. Listen to your neighbor.
3. When you are trying to hear what your neighbor is singing so you can harmonize with her, you must sing more softly.
4. It's not all about me.
5. Sounding as one is more difficult with two singers than one.
6. Forte and piano are more powerful when sung by many singers.
7. You must learn music by heart and have it become a part of you to truly share it with others.
8. Admit when you make a mistake; you're usually not the only one and it's necessary for improvement.
9. Minor corrections can make big differences in sound.
10. Follow the director!
11. Practice makes perfect.
12. When you're completely committed to the music, your whole body, from your face to your feet, must be engaged.
13. I can sight read music I have never seen before.
14. Be patient when others are having an out-of-tune day.
15. There will always be someone out there who is better at singing than I am.

Come, Come Ye Saints

My first concert back in BYU Women's Chorus was this weekend. Our combined choir concert was held in the Provo Tabernacle on Friday and Saturday night. I thought I'd chronicle the behind-the-scenes concert preparation. We're asked to wear a lot of make-up, as you can see in the first picture. Notice the dinner of champions in the picture below: fish sticks, corn, rice and ketchup. The last picture is me with my neighbor (Sarah Huggard) and two of my rommates (Kelly Cook and Lynne Gabrielsen) who are also in choirs.

Before our Friday concert, Sister Applonie, our director, asked us to think of what we wanted to give at our concert and what we wanted to get from the concert. I admit that I didn't give it much thought for Friday, but Saturday I decided I wanted to give and receive the same message - the message of exaltation.

The idea of exaltation has been on my mind since we talked about it in my Doctrine and Covenants class a few weeks ago. I am grateful for the doctrine that was revealed to Joseph Smith that through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can not only be saved, but we can become like Christ, joint-heirs with Him. It gives me motivation to improve myself everyday until, as it says in section 93, verse 20, I can "receive of His fulness."

Our combined closing song was the LDS hymn "Come, Come Ye Saints." It was a unique
experience to sing a hymn that I've known and loved for many years in a tabernacle that was actually built by pioneers.

Singing the song reminded me of a thought I had while waiting for the concert to begin. I remember looking around at the other singers and thinking that I wondered if our ancestors had known each other. For all I knew, the girl sitting in the third row of Concert Choir could be the fourth great-granddaughter of a woman who loaned my fourth great-grandmother a pair of boots during the pioneer trek from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah.

Today we aren't asked to walk across the country, we're asked to love each other and live together (which some days is hard enough for me). When I think of the shared heritage we all have -- that we are sons and daughters of God -- I can be a little kinder, a little more forgiving. Just like the song, we really all are saints on a journey, trying to find our way to our place of rest and peace.

The last note of "Come, Come Ye Saints" - All is well! - rang throughout the tabernacle. If we can make such beautiful music here on earth, I can only imagine what it will be like in heaven.

Here are the lyrics of the hymn:

1. Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear;But with joy wend your
way.Though hard to you this journey may appear,Grace shall be as your day.’Tis
better far for us to striveOur useless cares from us to drive;Do this, and joy
your hearts will swell—All is well! All is well!

2. Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?’Tis not so; all is
right.Why should we think to earn a great rewardIf we now shun the fight?Gird up
your loins; fresh courage take.Our God will never us forsake;And soon we’ll have
this tale to tell—All is well! All is well!

3. We’ll find the place which God for us prepared,Far away in the
West,Where none shall come to hurt or make afraid;There the Saints will be
blessed.We’ll make the air with music ring,Shout praises to our God and
King;Above the rest these words we’ll tell—All is well! All is well!

4. And should we die before our journey’s through,Happy day! All is well!We
then are free from toil and sorrow, too;With the just we shall dwell!But if our
lives are spared againTo see the Saints their rest obtain,Oh, how we’ll make
this chorus swell—All is well! All is well!