About Me
First of all, my mother said I was born singing. Music has always been a big part of my life. When I was in 3rd Grade, we had to write our goals for what we wanted to be when we grew up. I wrote that I wanted to be a singer. And I liked to play the piano, so I wanted to be a "pianoist." Also, "my teacher says I write nice poems, so I want to be a 'poemist.'" I also took dancing lessons, so, of course I had to be a ballerina. And then I added that I needed to be a wife and mother, but I didn't know how I would work all of this into my schedule. My teacher responded that maybe I should concentrate on just one of these areas. Well, little did she know, that I was able to work out putting all of these things into the schedule of my life. I found that by being a performer I could do the singing, dancing and acting. By being a songwriter and musical director I could do the rest. And being a wife and mother guaranteed that I would always have someone to sing to, write for, accompany, and dance through life with.
My musical training began in my family. My mother was a talented singer and pianist. She had her children singing on programs practically from the moment of birth. I really didn't have any formal music lessons in my youth. But because my mother taught piano and voice lessons, I second-handedly benefitted by listening to hundreds, maybe thousands, of lessons every year. My mother figured if I couldn't pick up musical training by "osmosis" then I was no daughter of hers. The difficulty was getting practice time on the piano. And to add insult to injury, when I would sit down at the piano to try to accompany myself to sing, my mother would hear me struggling and come in and say, "I play better than you." Then she would sit down at the keyboard and command, "You just sing." I don't know if she was practicing reverse psychology or what, but that just made me more determined to find secret times to practice whenever she was away.
Eventually, after getting my degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from BYU, and after getting married, I finally received my own piano! It became my beloved friend and confidant. We were great companions. My children cut their teeth literally all around the piano bench. My husband had to repair the delicate wood in the music holder many, many times because I tried to hold too many books against it at the same time and I pressed too hard when I wrote on the manuscript paper. With that piano as my muse, I felt confident that I could take all kinds of musical adventures. I've had many opportunities to sing professionally, conduct church, school, youth and community choirs, write and direct and accompany children's shows, high school Musicals and community theater, teach piano and voice lessons, teach general music, chorus and drama in both elementary and middle schools, and compose in many styles of music. I've also served for more than 40 years leading the music in Primary and teaching workshops and inservice training in Wards and Stakes all over America.
Although, I have had lead roles in Musical Theater, sung Opera, was the token girl singer in a rock band, sung for radio, recordings, and television with audiences worldwide, and recently retired after singing for 6 years with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, I have found my joy in writing Sacred Music. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the anchor of my soul. Writing sacred songs and choral arrangements has been a way for me to show my love for my Heavenly Father and the Savior.
May you also feel this joy as you look through, listen to, and perform these musical offerings.
----- Betsy Lee Bailey 2016
My musical training began in my family. My mother was a talented singer and pianist. She had her children singing on programs practically from the moment of birth. I really didn't have any formal music lessons in my youth. But because my mother taught piano and voice lessons, I second-handedly benefitted by listening to hundreds, maybe thousands, of lessons every year. My mother figured if I couldn't pick up musical training by "osmosis" then I was no daughter of hers. The difficulty was getting practice time on the piano. And to add insult to injury, when I would sit down at the piano to try to accompany myself to sing, my mother would hear me struggling and come in and say, "I play better than you." Then she would sit down at the keyboard and command, "You just sing." I don't know if she was practicing reverse psychology or what, but that just made me more determined to find secret times to practice whenever she was away.
Eventually, after getting my degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from BYU, and after getting married, I finally received my own piano! It became my beloved friend and confidant. We were great companions. My children cut their teeth literally all around the piano bench. My husband had to repair the delicate wood in the music holder many, many times because I tried to hold too many books against it at the same time and I pressed too hard when I wrote on the manuscript paper. With that piano as my muse, I felt confident that I could take all kinds of musical adventures. I've had many opportunities to sing professionally, conduct church, school, youth and community choirs, write and direct and accompany children's shows, high school Musicals and community theater, teach piano and voice lessons, teach general music, chorus and drama in both elementary and middle schools, and compose in many styles of music. I've also served for more than 40 years leading the music in Primary and teaching workshops and inservice training in Wards and Stakes all over America.
Although, I have had lead roles in Musical Theater, sung Opera, was the token girl singer in a rock band, sung for radio, recordings, and television with audiences worldwide, and recently retired after singing for 6 years with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, I have found my joy in writing Sacred Music. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the anchor of my soul. Writing sacred songs and choral arrangements has been a way for me to show my love for my Heavenly Father and the Savior.
May you also feel this joy as you look through, listen to, and perform these musical offerings.
----- Betsy Lee Bailey 2016