Book of Mormon Stories

My dad requested that my family write some new verses for the “Book of Mormon Stories” song in the Children’s Songbook.  This is what we came up with.

Alma heard the word of God from Abinidi.
In the waters of Mormon many were baptized.
As a father he prayed for his wayward son.
God heard him as he prayed, and salvation won.

Abish had a testimony, knew the church was true.
Served the queen but couldn't share the truths that she knew.
Ammon taught and people fought, she knew just what to do.
The Spirit spoke, the people woke knowing it was true.

Nephi was a prophet in the Book of Mormon times.
He was hunting animals, his bow of steel broke.
His brothers were mad at him, so he went and prayed.
Our Father helped him find food to eat.

Joseph Smith was a prophet and he saw a vision.
He translated the golden plates with the Urim and Thummim.
A mighty work had come forth, it was the Book of Mormon,
With a promise, if we read, we will know the truth.

After Nephi's family had left Jerusalem,
They went back to get the plates and said it would be done.
Laban tried to stop them but his efforts were in vain.
The plates of brass were saved for posterity.

Moroni was a warrior and a man of God,
war had come to the land, the people were in fear.
In memory of our God, our faith, our wives and children, too.
The Title of Liberty, over the land, flew.

Mahonri Moriancumer was faithful to the Lord,
He had to build eight barges to cross the mighty sea.
He went unto the mount to seek help from God above,
God touched the stones and they glowed brightly.

The Ammonites changed their name to Anti-Nephi-Lehites.
They buried all their weapons to make a covenant.
They would rather die than break their promise.
They never took their swords and killed after that.

Enos was a prophet who lived in Nephite times.
When he was down in both spirit and mind.
He went into the forest and prayed both day and night.
Forgiven, just because, he had faith.

Thankful #11

I am thankful for music.  I love how music can affect my mood.  It can make me happy, sad, angry, excited, melancholy, reverent, joyful, etc.  Music can lift me up and heal me. 

I play music on Sunday’s to bring the Spirit into our house.  I play music at work to keep me awake.  I play music in the car to sing to.  I play music at Christmas to feel the joy of the season.

I LOVE music!

More than a Melody–Education

Everyone knows that music influences people—that it holds a special power all its own.
But what are its "magical properties?

For years researchers have studied why and how music has such an enormous effect on people. Music has been found to boost athletic performance; soothe and heal injuries; help depression, autism, and Alzheimer's; and increase academic performance. It seems there is something more to those tunes that get our toes tapping and our fingers snapping.

Education and Music

"But Mom, I do better on my homework when I'm listening to music!" Most parents have heard this, possibly repeatedly, from their children. And your children may be right, depending on the type of music that is playing. While things like popular music, TV, and chatting online all distract from homework and increase the likelihood of making mistakes, non-vocal, calming music can sometimes help a child focus more on their studies.

But what really causes an increase in your child's academic performance is music education. Studies repeatedly show that learning to play and read music correlates with positive results in learning capabilities.

Think about it – getting an 89 percent on an essay is a pretty good grade. However, if your child plays 89 percent of the notes correctly in the end of the year concert, neither your child, the band teacher, or the other fifty kids in the band are going to be pleased with his or her performance. The unique discipline that comes from learning and performing music helps children in many areas of their lives.

In one study, two elementary schools were compared – one in which children studied piano formally for three consecutive years and one that required no formal musical training. Students from the "music-learning" school had significantly better vocabulary and verbal sequencing than the other group. Another study in Switzerland tested 1,200 children in 50 schools for various effects of music education, and found that children actively involved in music learned to read more quickly and acquired other languages more readily. These children also had lower stress levels and demonstrated more enjoyment in school then those not involved with music.

Using music in the classroom to teach math and reading is a new concept, but one that has proven to be very effective. Gregory Stevens, an algebra teacher from Elk Grove, California, has been using music in his classroom for several years now. To teach his students the quadratic formula, he has them sing the words of the formula to the chorus of "Jingle Bells." Because of this exercise, every one of his students is able to memorize this complicated formula.

Starlene Hansen, a student of his in 2000, says she still remembers the song (and, consequently, the formula), ten years later: "[The song] made an unfamiliar concept with an incredibly foreboding name into a simple and fun song." Hansen continues, "Mr. Stevens also used the 'Tomorrow' song from Annie and had us sing it the day before a major assignment was due, to increase our awareness and eliminate the excuse of not knowing when something was due." Hansen feels that singing made the mundane task of remembering due dates fun and created unique accountability.

Music can make a huge difference in lives. Anyone who has listened to an inspired choir in a church meeting knows the effect that their simple harmonies have on people. Somehow music is able to connect with parts of us that speaking just can't reach. While research continues to be done, the whys behind the power of music have yet to be discovered. For now, the reason these joyful strains have such an effect on us will remain an amazing and wondrous mystery.

by Jamie Cline via LDS Living

More than a Melody–Exercise

Everyone knows that music influences people—that it holds a special power all its own.
But what are its "magical properties?

For years researchers have studied why and how music has such an enormous effect on people. Music has been found to boost athletic performance; soothe and heal injuries; help depression, autism, and Alzheimer's; and increase academic performance. It seems there is something more to those tunes that get our toes tapping and our fingers snapping.

Exercise and Music

It isn't surprising that music is a boon when it comes to working out. After all, walk into any gym – almost all the members are wearing earphones. But music doesn't only keep us entertained while exercising – it has been proven to increase performance. Even competitive athletes take advantage of its powers: track star Haile Gebrselassie set an indoor world record for the 2000 meters in 1999 by synchronizing his stride to the song Scatman. But why exactly is music so helpful in our quest for fitness?

Understanding how music affects exercising is dependent on grasping the entrainment (not entertainment) principle. Entrainment is when two or more unconnected rhythms synchronize, or begin to have the same beat. Scientist Christian Huygens discovered this principle in 1665, when he placed two pendulum clocks on a wall and found that they eventually began to swing at the same rate. This same principle explains why the footsteps of a jogger fall into the same rhythm as the music he or she is listening to.

Because of the entrainment principle, our bodies naturally push themselves to be in sync with the music that we are listening to. When exercising it's important to have several different music tracks, with varying beats, so that you can warm up to a slower beat and work your way up to a faster one, which will elevate your heart rate.

According to Dr. Costas Karageorghis, a researcher studying the relationship between music and exercise, the ideal tempo for a power walker is 137 to 139 BPM (beats per minute); for a runner, it would be around 147 to 160 BPM. The wonderful thing is, it doesn't matter what kind of music you use--if you can find a song with the right beat, whether it's classical, country, or rock, it will push you and motivate you just the same.

However, the entrainment principle isn't the only thing that makes music such a powerful motivator to exercise. Music also has the incredible power to boost positive feelings and block out bad ones. In fact, music can take away much of the body's awareness of aching lungs, beating heart, and lactic acid. It can reduce a person's perception of effort by 10 percent, which can make all the difference when you are pushing for those last minutes of a tough workout.

Music has also been proven to help with consistency in workouts. In 2005, Christopher Capuano, director of Fairleigh Dickinson University's School of Psychology, conducted a study which tracked a small group of overweight or obese women for twenty-four weeks while they dieted and exercised. Half of the women were told to listen to music of their choice while exercising. While all the participants lost weight, the women who listened to music were more consistent with their exercise routines (they adhered to the program 98 percent of the time), resulting in greater weight loss than the other group (who adhered only 68 percent of the time).

Music can make a huge difference in lives. Anyone who has listened to an inspired choir in a church meeting knows the effect that their simple harmonies have on people. Somehow music is able to connect with parts of us that speaking just can't reach. While research continues to be done, the whys behind the power of music have yet to be discovered. For now, the reason these joyful strains have such an effect on us will remain an amazing and wondrous mystery.

by Jamie Cline via LDS Living

More than a Melody–Healing

Everyone knows that music influences people—that it holds a special power all its own.
But what are its "magical properties?

For years researchers have studied why and how music has such an enormous effect on people. Music has been found to boost athletic performance; soothe and heal injuries; help depression, autism, and Alzheimer's; and increase academic performance. It seems there is something more to those tunes that get our toes tapping and our fingers snapping.

Healing and Music

We've all heard miraculous stories of healing, some involving music and some not. But, no one can disagree that music is effective in healing the mind and body alike.
One of the amazing properties of music is that it can reach parts of the brain and evoke memories that speech simply can't reach. Therapists frequently use music from a patient's past to connect with them, often with significant results.

Jennifer Birchell of Utah, who works as a music therapist at Sunshine Terrace Foundation, a facility that assists the elderly with rehabilitation and assisted living, sees miracles of music healing almost daily in her work. "[One] man that I once worked with had dementia," she says. "We found out that he loved baseball and used to play professionally. So we played 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame,' and it helped him connect a little bit. His family came in and played it with him, and they were able to reach him. They were thrilled."

Birchell describes another man who had a stroke, which caused him to lose brain and muscle function on one side of his body. Like many other stroke patients, he also lost the ability to speak. "When someone has a stroke, . . . we've found that [sometimes] they can't speak, but they can sing," she says. This man was particularly angry about his lack of success when Birchell was asked to visit him. "When I asked him to sing with me, he got really angry. He knew he couldn't sing. But I told him to just try, and I started singing 'You Are My Sunshine.' His eyes got really big and excited because the words were coming out of his mouth and getting clearer and clearer. From there, we took bits of the song and turned them into phrases he could use. His wife came in and he was able to sing to her, 'I love you.' I worked with him for only three weeks and then he was able to go home and live with his wife."

Music helps people learn and develop because there are so many different elements to it--voices, rhythm, harmony, all which are processed in different areas of the brain. "Exercising" the different parts of the brain by using music helps encourage growth and stimulates parts of the brain that may be damaged.

Often, when music therapists work with groups who have some kind of brain disease, such as Alzheimer's, many of the participants seem almost asleep and uninterested at the beginning. The therapists start with slow music, and then they gradually increase the beat. The body entrains itself with the rhythm and gradually increases in responsiveness. Eventually, the previously unresponsive patients are clapping and interacting in a way that they couldn't do without musical encouragement.

Music can make a huge difference in lives. Anyone who has listened to an inspired choir in a church meeting knows the effect that their simple harmonies have on people. Somehow music is able to connect with parts of us that speaking just can't reach. While research continues to be done, the whys behind the power of music have yet to be discovered. For now, the reason these joyful strains have such an effect on us will remain an amazing and wondrous mystery.

What an Amazing Experience

Singing in the choir for the General Relief Society Meeting was so amazing.  To sing for our prophet and for all the women of the world.  It was so emotional and spiritual. I wish everyone could have that experience.  I know it took a lot of time for the practices (every Sunday night from 6:30-9:00 for 6 weeks).  But it was so worth it!

This is a panoramic shot of the choir.  360 women strong.  What an inspiring group!

Now a couple of gratuitous shots of me.  LOL  I am humbled to be numbered among these women.  Starting from the top row, count down 4 rows and I am the second person to the left.

See the woman with the orange hair?  I am right above her head.  I loved the variety of women that were represented in the choir: young and old, fat and thin, blonde, brunette, red, orange and black hair.  But we are all Sisters in Zion.

This is Sister Jolley, our amazing director.  She is so funny and inspiring.  I love her.

During the broadcast, I tried to keep smiling because you never know when the cameras will be on you.  There were some women who counted and were bragging that they were shown more than others, but it wasn't about how many times we were shown on TV.  It was about sharing our testimonies through song.  And to me, that is the best way to share it!

I hope you were able to watch and hear the messages of hope and inspiration.  If not, go HERE and you can read the talks or watch the meeting.  I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for allowing me this experience. 

Choir

Saturday night, I have the privilege of singing in the Women's Choir for the General Relief Society Meeting for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I am so thrilled to be a part of this choir.  Not many people get to sing in the Conference Center for our prophet.  What a blessing.

If you have cable, you can watch it live on BYU-TV.  You can also watch it HERE.  You can watch it live, or watch it later. 

So, how are you going to know where to find me?  I could say that I will be the one in the white shirt, but so will all the other 339 women!  LOL 

This is a picture of the Mormon Tabernacle choir.  I have circled the spot where I will be sitting.

I hope you will be watching Saturday night.  Not just for me, but hear messages of inspiration and to have your cup filled.  I know mine is getting low, and this will be just what I need. 

General Relief Society Meeting

I just ironed.

Gasp!  I know!  Me?  Ironing?  Will wonders never cease?

I hate to iron.  I think it stems back 12 years ago when I was putting the iron away on a shelf and it fell and landed on my pinky toe and broke it.  Ever since then, I have had a hate/hate relationship with the iron.  I don’t buy 100% cotton shirts.  #1, they shrink in the wash, even if you are careful.  And #2, they have to ironed.  So I just avoid them.

But…(and here’s the really cool news, the whole reason why you are reading this post)…

I get to sing in the choir for the General Relief Society Meeting in the Conference Center on September 25th!  I am so excited!  We have to wear a white, button up shirt for the choir.  So I had to go buy one.  Now, I know I am going to get a lot of you saying, “You could have borrowed one from me,” and my mom has already offered and I know I would fit in hers.  But I was thinking about it and I came to the conclusion that I need to have one.  It is a little dressier than what I have been wearing and I guess, I just felt like it was time to own one.  I know, it sounds stupid.  Let’s move on.

So I bought one and I ironed it.  It looks nice.  But my biggest gripe with white shirts is that they generally aren’t made with the thickest of fabrics.  Which means you can see more through them than I am EVER comfortable with.  So in addition to buying the shirt, I also had to buy a camisole to go under it to hide my, well, you know, goodies.

But it’s frustrating to buy something that won’t even be fully seen.  Yes, I can wear it with other outfits, those that are just a little too low in the front.  But even then you will see about 1 square inch of this cami that cost $9!  And that was at 50% off.  But if that’s what it takes to make me feel comfortable in the white shirt, I will do it.

Now, if learning my alto part for the songs was as easy! 

In Love Again

I am loving my church calling again. 
I have been in Primary for over 3 years now.  I was the pianist for about 14 months, and then I have been the chorister for the last 2 years. 
Last year, I was really struggling by the time the program was over.  I just was really annoyed with the children and they were bugging me a lot.  Even some of the teachers were starting to bug me. 
I had talked to our Primary President about midway through the year and told her that I was getting burned out.  I wanted to finish out the year, but after that I was done.
Well, I never heard anything in December about being released.  I finally talked to the Primary President and she told me the Bishop had no intention of releasing me. 
I’ll be honest with you.  I went home and cried.  I didn’t want to be in there anymore.  I was a little bitter for a couple of weeks.  And then I decided that I needed an attitude change.  I wasn’t getting released, so I could either have a bad attitude and be miserable, or I could change my attitude.
I chose to change my attitude, and I am so glad that I did.  I am having so much fun again!  The children are responding really well and have learned the song so good.  And have I mentioned how much I love the song we have been learning this month?  :-)

Pandora

Have you heard about Pandora Internet Radio?  I love this site!  I can play music that I like and don't have to listen to junk. 
LDS Media Talk did an article on it yesterday.  They describe so much better than I can. 
Here are my stations:

Judy Garland Radio

David Archuleta Radio

Bette Midler Radio

Bon Jovi Radio

The Lettermen Radio

Doris Day Radio

All I Ask of You Radio

Mormon Tabernacle Choir Radio

The Bangles Radio

Teen Angel Radio

You can play music just from one station, but they also have a quick mix button, so it mixes it up.  Where else can you hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing, and then the next song is by Bon Jovi, followed by The Lettermen? 
So I thought it would be fun to compare everyone's stations.  If you have Pandora, or go over to create it for the first time, come back and tell me your stations!

It's sinking in

Last night for Family Home Evening, we were reading “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.”
We got to the point where we were talking about the duties of the father and the mother. We talked about how the duties of the father is to preside over his family and provide for them. The Princess piped up and said, “Just like that song.” She was referring to “My Eternal Family” that we learned last year in Primary.
We then talked about how a mother’s job is to nurture the children and take care of them. She piped up again and said, “That’s in the other verse!” She remembered what she had been taught and was able to pull from that. I totally started crying.
It makes me feel so good as both her mother and as her Primary chorister to know that she is listening and applying it.

Tomorrow in Primary, I will be teaching a new song. "I Know That My Savior Loves Me"

I am so in love with this song. However, there is something wrong.

I have yet to be able to sing this song without crying. Falling into a blubbery mess would be more accurate. It is so beautiful and fills me with hope.


A long time ago in a beautiful place,
Children were gathered 'round Jesus.
He blessed and taught as they felt of His love.
Each saw the tears on His face.
The love that He felt for His little ones
I know He feels for me.
I did not touch Him or sit on His knee,
Yet, Jesus is real to me.

I know He lives!
I will follow faithfully.
My heart I give to Him.
I know that my Savior loves me.

Now I am here in a beautiful place,
Learning the teachings of Jesus.
Parents and teachers will help guide the way,
Lighting my path ev'ry day.
Wrapped in the arms of my Savior's love,
I feel His gentle touch.
Living each day, I will follow His way,
Home to my Father above.

I know He lives!
I will follow faithfully.
My heart I give to Him.
I know that my Savior loves me.
I know that my Savior loves me.


Here is a link to the music if you want to hear it. I Know That My Savior Loves Me

Isn't that beautiful? Now imagine 75 children singing that out with all their hearts. I will never make it through!

My dirty little secret

I am going to let you in on a secret. 
First, it's no big secret that  when I am leading the music in Primary, I forget the words.  A lot.  I know the words, I just blank out when I am in front of all those people! 
However, sometimes I like to stop singing to see if the children know the words.  I will stop and listen to them singing.
Except...
...that is usually because I have forgotten the words again, and I am trying to cover.  I am so ashamed! 
And now you all know.

Fa-la-la-la-la, La-la-la-la!

I love Christmas music. It just makes my heart glad. Everything about it makes me happy. I have left my list of my favorite albums on several blogs, so I decided I had better make it official.

My favorite Christmas albums:

• "A Christmas Album" by Barbara Streisand (1967) - My mom had this album and this is what we listened to every year as we put up the tree. I LOVE how she sings "Jingle Bells!" And the song, "The Best Gift" is why my mom bought the album. She heard it the year she was pregnant with me. Several years ago I discovered that it had been released on CD and all my siblings now have a copy. It is THE BEST CHRISTMAS ALBUM EVER!

• "Christmas Interpretations" by Boyz II Men (1993) - I love their rendition of "Silent Night."

• "A Crocker Christmas" by The Crocker Sisters - These are LDS girls and have amazing harmony. We heard them sing at a CD signing at Deseret Book and immediately bought their CD.

• "Christmas at Home" by Donny Osmond (1998) - I gotta have me my Donny. I love his voice. I also happen to think he is really cute! The Doctor took me to a concert once and I was in heaven!

• "What if Mozart Wrote 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus'" by The Hampton String Quartet (1989) - They have taken Christmas songs and "made" them classical. It is fun to listen to, and perfect for Sunday afternoons.

• "Joy: A Holiday Collection" by Jewel (1999) - My sister introduced me to this album because of the song "Hands." I think Jewel has an awesome voice, and I love her singing with herself on "Rudolph." So cool!

• "The Forgotten Carols" by Michael McLean (1991) - This came out the Christmas I was away at college for the first time. I know, I'm that old! I have the book and I had the cassette tape it came with until I bought the CD several years later. I love everything about The Forgotten Carols.

• 
  
  "Brand New Year" by SHeDAISY (2000) - I don't care for country music at all, but my husband loved this album so much, he bought it two years in a row, forgetting he had already bought it! And it has really grown on me.

• "Mary's Lullaby - Christmas Songs for Bedtime" (2007) - I love how they have taken Christmas songs and made lullaby's out of them. This will put you to sleep and give you wonderful dreams!

So there you go. I have ton more Christmas albums, but these are my absolute favorites!

12 Days of Christmas

I wish you were here right now. We have a childrens book about The 12 Days of Christmas, and The Princess adores it. She is sitting here reading it. She is singing each verse correctly, and it is so cute! She is up to 11 pipers piping. We sing it in the car all the time, and she sings the whole thing with me. I am in heaven!

Snow

I love snow.  Well, I love the first snow.  And yesterday was perfect.  I didn't have to leave the house (I work at home on Wednesday's), so I cranked up the Christmas music and enjoyed looking outside.  I worked, I did laundry, I cleaned, I put away the Halloween decorations, I made chicken noodle soup for supper, and just had a good day.
And I got to wear sweats.  It doesn't get any better than that!

This is the house we lived in 5 years ago, just after a huge snow storm.  I just needed to put a picture in, so here you go.

Music

I love music.

I usually have music playing while I am working here at home, and while I am on the computer. I have put every CD we own on Windows Media Player and love the eclectic collection I have.

However, I have a pretty strict taste in the songs I like. I dislike country because they either make me cry, or they are talking about sleeping around. I am very careful about the songs I listen to so I don't hear any profanity.

That being said, I usually don't care for other people's taste in music. I never have.

So, with that all out there, please don't be angry with me for what I have to say next.

Please.

It's not personal.

Here we go.



I HATE THE MUSIC PLAYERS THAT EVERYONE HAS ON THEIR BLOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!



Whew, that feels good to get that out.

I hate clicking on someone's blog and suddenly over my music comes their music. So I either have to quickly scroll down and find their music player and shut it off, or mute my speakers, but that means I can't hear my music either. It's very frustrating. I guess that is another reason why I like Google Reader so well.

I'm not pointing fingers at anyone in particular, I am pointing my finger at everyone.

I know I am going to get a lot of people who say, "Sorry, it's my blog I can do what I want."

I agree you can, but that doesn't mean I am going to enjoy it, or spend very much time on your blog.

Read and move on. That's what I do.