The Music of Betsy Lee Bailey - My Musical Musings Blog | betsyleebaileymusic.com

Love Songs for Valentine's Day

2/13/2025

Valentine's Day is a time we celebrate with hearts and flowers and of course, love songs. During the COVID pandemic, I decided to write some arrangements of a few love songs for easy solo piano. The ones I chose were written by the Beatles. I have always loved some of the early love songs they wrote. I admired their simplicity.

Four of my favorites are "Here, There and Everywhere," "All You Need Is Love," "Yesterday," and "I Will." The words are sweet and uncomplicated. And the tunes are created with just such gentle syncopations. They are interesting without seeming too complicated. Very fun to play.

When one of my daughters was a young teenager, she discovered the music of the Beatles. I had an old book that included pop songs of the British Invasion of the 1960's. I don't know exactly how she came across these songs, I only know that she got after me to play them for her to learn. Then she had multiple opportunities to sing them for get togethers, parties, and weddings. She liked the keys they were written in. They suited her very low voice.

My dad used to say that he enjoyed Beatles music, especially when other people performed it. Some music tends to defy time. I think these particular songs gained lives of their own as more people sang them. They sure grew to have special meanings for us in our house.

Sometimes, and I don't even realize how it got there, but I will finally acknowledge the song that is going around and around in my head. Undoubtedly it will be a tenacious little melody like these Beatles tunes with their catchy syncopations that can get stuck inside my head like a worm! But I really don't mind. Perhaps it's just a way of my inner conscience telling me that I am happy.

So, on this Valentines's Day, may you spend a few moments immersed in tender love songs such as these.

Report on Music Workshop

2/6/2025

Darling Demonstration Dude

Whenever I teach at one of these Music Workshops, I wonder out of all the things I've prepared, which I will really get a chance to share.

This was a first ever music training in this small Pennsylvania stake. The people live hours away from each other and from the building we were using. We wondered who if anybody would show up. I had 10 people come to my Primary break out session. My 10-year-old grandson I coaxed into helping me out. He was my "Demonstration Dude." He helped me set up a display of visual aids and games and other stuff. Then we practiced a few interactive "routines" to demonstrate how the visual aids, games, singing skills, and simple instruments like chimes worked. We even did some straight up movements to show how actions can be used to teach or review a song.

The trouble always is trying to stick strictly to an outline. I did not know exactly what these Primary Music Leaders were interested in or needed help with. I am afraid I left some things out in favor of addressing their questions. Then we just ran out of time. Hopefully I gave them some good information and infused some energy into new things they might try in their own wards.

Then, one lady asked, "Where can I get transposed songs. The Primary songbook has songs that are too high for me to sing."

I found myself saying, "Oh, no, you mustn't lower the key just for your benefit. The children need to sing in the keys as they were written. Children naturally have light high voices with a singing range of roughly one octave Middle C up to Treble C. They need to sing in their head voices so they can learn to hear and match pitches."

Then we talked about how when children try to sing along with and imitate lower adult voices, they tend to match pitches only on the few notes in their speaking range and then they monotone croak the rest.

"And never ask them to 'Sing Louder" to the point that they just yell!"

I told them a story of when I jumped in to accompany in a Primary I was visiting. The song leader handed me a piece of music that I was unfamiliar with. She said the children had learned it, so I just needed to play the piano part. As I sight-read the 5-page song, I realized that I was naturally slipping into "rock-band" mode. It was clearly a rock power ballad in chord progression, rhythm, and style. I caught myself, and reigned back my pop inclinations when I realized that the kids were singing about the Atonement of the Savior. I wouldn't have known, though, from how they were singing. They were yelling loudly in mostly monotone.

Probably, the song leader had told the children to sing louder, but the song was too low. When the melody got down below Middle C (which was most of the song), all they could do was croak out a noise. Then when it got above an F4, they had not been encouraged to sing in their light head voices and couldn't match pitches, they just yelled in monotone. This hurt my heart. It was so hard to listen to such irreverent treatment of such a sacred message.

If no other instructions resonated with these Primary Song Leaders, I hope that did!

Clinicians at a Church Music Workshop

1/27/2025

Bonnie Lee with one of the Choir's Emmy Awards

This weekend, my sister Bonnie Lee and I will be clinicians at a Church Music Workshop in Gettysburg, PA. My sister will be giving a keynote address, then we both will be teaching classes. My sister is somewhat of a celebrity due to the fact that she recently retired from the Tabernacle Choir after serving for 22 years. She will be speaking about "Music: the Heart of Worship" and will probably use some examples from her many years singing in the choir. Then she will be teaching a class on "Accessing the Power of the Hymns" with the focus on sharing backgrounds of some new hymns released last year for the new hymnbook. I have been asked to teach a class on Primary Music

Bonnie Lee and Betsy Lee Bailey on Temple Square about 2013

We have both been struggling to narrow our topics down to what can really be accomplished in a 40 minute class period. When you serve a long time doing something you love (22 years in TabChoir for her and six years in the TabChoir and 43 years leading Primary Music for me), you tend to have many, many inspirational stories and a lot of stored up information you could share.

So how to pare down your thoughts to essentials? We were told that the main purpose of this Workshop is to inspire other music leaders to get excited about serving in their callings.

Here are some other topics we are to address:
1. Just how Music is so important for worship.
2. Inviting the Spirit into the meetings through the music, teaching activities, and good preparation.
3. Be as polished as possible so that you don't do things that break the spirit of reverence and worship.
4. In Primary especially, talk about how reverence is so important in setting the tone for worship.
5. How to "work the room" during Primary Singing Time to be able to switch effortlessly between the fun stuff and more reverent moments.
6. Model the excitement of serving in music callings and how special music is to worship

Because I like art, I could easily bring examples of 43 years worth of collecting and using Visual Aids and Games. But I think that could overwhelm some people --- especially the newly called Primary Music Leaders. So, I've decided to stick to essentials like:

1. Memorizing the Primary Songs before teaching them
2. Modeling good singing techniques (posture, breathing, tone, diction, etc.)
3. Learning good PACING (packing a lot into limited time)
4. Striving for the Magic 7 Mark (teaching to the seven learning styles)
5. Assembling a Song Leader's Bag of Tricks
6. Teaching the Gospel through Music
7. Bearing personal testimony.

Dr. Randolph Lee, Trumpet

We also want to encourage people in music callings to expound their love of REHEARSING. "Nearly every true musician has a life made up of rehearsals. "We like rehearsals!"

Here is a quote about rehearsing from our nephew Randy Lee who currently teaches at BYU and plays in the Orchestra at Temple Square. "As musicians we rehearse until there is no possibility of making a mistake."

This is such a privilege to be able to do this Church Music Workshop. I hope and pray that we can encourage the attendees to find joy and excitement in their Music Callings.

Tensions and Resolutions

1/20/2025

Felix Mendelssohn, composer

"Was that song you sang by Mendelssohn?" the organist asked me yesterday after the meeting. I know he was just kidding, but it felt good to be complimented that way and have my work compared to such a great composer. My daughter Cami and I sang a duet in Church that I had written back when we lived in Maryland.

At that time I was singing with the Harford Choral Society. The conductor, Arlen Clarke, was also a composer and took an interest in helping me in my solo and choral writing. When he looked over my first draft of "Come Sing to the Lord," he said, "Here's an idea for you that could make this piece a lot more fun." Then he told me about his, at that time, current fascination with "unresolved ninths."

Most people will understand how when two notes are only a half or whole step apart, they rub together and provide tension. But usually, they resolve to a more stable interval such as a third. A pretty common example of this is at a cadence when the 4th of the major scale is rubbed up next to the 5th scale degree and it wants to resolve to the 3rd. That would be the F and G rubbing together in a G7 chord with a strong pull to resolve to the tonic chord C major.
Well, just know that there are other examples of "rubs" that provide tension. including 7ths, 9ths, and other juicy intervals and chords.

Well, Maestro Clarke noticed the places in my song that I put tension in between the singer's notes, but I always resolved them. He encouraged me to leave some of these partial cadences unresolved. He said that doing that would heighten the interest especially at the climax on the word "VICTORY." The resolution would come later during the piano interlude and/or modulation to the new key. So, with trepidation, I tried it.

When we sang yesterday, I wondered what kind of reactions I might get, especially from knowledgeable musicians in the congregation. Most people complimented us on the usual things like, "That music was so lovely!" "Your voices blended together in a way that only family can!" or "I loved how your voices wove above and below each other in such a fun way!"

But having my music be compared to Mendelssohn ... that was a highlight! Now I just have to figure out a time when Cami and I can record it before she moves to Albany...

Johnny in the Moon Score

1/16/2025

The picture book, "Johnny in the Moon," that I've been working on through this past fall is finally completed. Now, I am ready to publish the video reading I did to put on YouTube. My niece Amy's son, Robert Gabbitas, created a magical score based on this story. He gave me permission to use pieces of that music to underscore the video. The music is so good! It's worth watching the video just to hear bits of his music.

Actually, this whole project came about because of the music. Amy Gabbitas is the oldest grandchild of my dad Thomas W. Lee. She is a very talented clarinetist who is a founding member of the Aspen Winds. She remembered hearing Grandpa Tom tell this one story back when she was a kid. Grandpa used to take the older grandkids (ages 6 and older) up to the canyon to have cousins' camp outs in the summer. All the kids loved hearing Grandpa tell bedtime stories to get them to go to sleep.

That was precisely the problem. My dad could talk and talk and talk embellishing his stories until he heard heavy breathing. Then he would just stop. Even to his best stories, nobody could remember the endings.

"Johnny in the Moon" was everyone's favorite story. We learned this when all of us in the family were to contribute something to a Memory Book for Tom and Carolyn's 50th Wedding Anniversary in 2001 (A Space Odyssey). All of the older grandchildren submitted the same "memory" about going on campouts and hearing Grandpa tell the story of "Johnny in the Moon." BUT NOBODY ACTUALLY REMEMBERED THE ENDING! We finally convinced Dad to write it down for posterity. (And he did write it out --- 18 pages worth of 12 point font, single-spaced! No wonder none of us actually read it as a bedtime story to our kids.)

When the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing was soon approaching in 2019, Amy wanted to commission a concert piece for the Aspen Winds based on Grandpa Tom's story in honor of the Moon Landing. But a copy of his story was nowhere to be found. By then, my Dad had died, so we thought we were just out of luck and the story was lost forever.

Then a couple of years later, my brother Bob found a copy. Even though the anniversary date had passed, Amy went ahead and commissioned the concert piece. By then, her son Robert Gabbitas was well on his way to graduating with a Music degree with an emphasis in composition and conducting. The score he produced based on Grandpa's story is magical.

Amy then told me that I needed to create some illustrations that she could take with her when they played concerts for the kids at Elementary Schools. I decided that if I was going to do any illustrations, I would go ahead and create a picture book --- one that we would be able to read to our kids and grandkids!

So here it is --- Johnny in the Moon, picture book. You can hear it read using some of the musical score on YouTube.

Picking Music for Stake Conference

1/15/2025

At rehearsal for a Stake Conference Choir the other night I was asked by a friend, "So, is it fun or boring to sing songs that you know so well and could probably sing in your sleep?" This friend knew I had sung in the Tabernacle Choir and that we were singing one of Mack Wilberg's arrangements that we had sung regularly in that choral organization. All I could answer was "yes."

The trouble with singing the Wilberg arrangement of "The Spirit of God" is that small choirs can't really do it justice. It starts with one male voice, then goes to two, then a trio, then 4-part men, then finally SSAATTBB when the women are added at the end. It keeps building and building, or it should, but our group of less than fifty voices just can't seem to make that happen. But we will do our best.

I just feel bad when a group of singers are all trying so hard but they run out of gas before the climax. Mack Wilberg wrote for large college choirs and then an even larger group with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square plus rather powerful organs in the Tabernacle and Conference Center with equally powerful organists. No wonder that particular arrangement is so masterful.

But then there is reality.

Personally, I would rather listen to a choral group that sings music that plays to their strengths such as sticking with solid SATB with possible splits with a descant or high note for the soprani at the very end. I love when the group sounds balanced, blended, and powerful --- not when they fizzle out before the climax.

Another problem with singing a song you have memorized and your part doesn't even come in until the last few pages is that you have to wait through everyone else's learning time. Now, generally, I like rehearsals, but even for me, I start to lose patience when the other women in the choir just can't keep from whispering and talking amongst themselves during their down time. It seems to me that the choir director would take that into account and at least choose music that everybody gets equal time to sing.

On a more positive note, however, I was told at rehearsal that the other song that will be sung during this January Stake Conference will be one of my duet arrangements. "Lead Kindly Light" will be sung by two competent singers. So, though I don't know if they will sing the higher or lower version, I am sure they will do a good job. I am excited to hear them sing.

"Lead Kindly Light" is available in 2-part chorus or duets of equal voices in both higher and lower versions.

Agreeing on Choral Vocabulary

1/11/2025

Like our guest conductor said today at our workshop, teaching vocal technique is a dark art. It requires a lot of black magic to get it right. Whenever a choir gets together to sing, they bring all sorts of variations in singing experience. A conductor usually spends a good amount of effort making sure that the singers in his choir can agree on the sounds he wants them to make.

Blending, vowel formation, breathing, articulations, and many other techniques cannot be taught the same way a stringed or brass instrument is taught. A person's individual vocal instrument doesn't have buttons or strings that can be pushed a certain way to produce particular sounds the same way every time. And each personal instrument can sound different.

Voice teachers and conductors may resort to telling some abstract visualizations to help. The vocal mechanism is basically a tube from the lungs to the mouth where the sound is controlled by the vocal folds in the larynx and modified by the tongue, teeth and mouth shapes to created tones and words. In order get the students to produce good breath and tone quality, he may use instructions like "breathe from your diaphragm," use a "sky hook" to maintain good posture, or "imagine focusing the tone from your raised soft palate", etc. They may never use the actual anatomical terms because most people don't remember difficult words like that.

Dr. Brent Wells who currently teaches choral music and directs two choirs at BYU, gave a lot of good advice today in our workshop. I appreciated how he wanted our choral group to learn to agree on vocabulary so that we could more easily adjust our tone production during rehearsals.

For example, he wanted us to learn five different positions to be able to produce our blended choral sounds. For instance, #1 would be a very bright, nasal sound. He demonstrated this by touching the tip of his nose and singing like "Ado Annie" from the musical "Oklahoma." That character's sound was not a good choral sound because it cannot easily blend with other voices. He had us try to replicate that sound. (Not pleasant.)

#5 sound is created by singing deep in the throat (or lowering the Adam's apple). This is too dark of a sound and not easily blended.

He had us also practice singing in the other more pleasing positions. #2 would be imagining the sound focusing forward by touching either side of the nose. It is a bright, forward tone, ringing but not nasally. Position #3 is a high-cheek position or what some teachers call "singing from the mask," still with a bright buzzing ring. #4 is focused more from the soft palate in the back of the mouth. Most choral singing ranges from #3 and #4 positions.

He worked with us to do a better job of pulling air into our lungs using the muscle of the diaphragm. (Incidentally, the diaphragm is a flat muscle like a pancake that only has one job -- to pull air into the lungs. It cannot help support the tone.) We worked on keeping our breastbones high and still, and supporting the tone with our abdominal wall muscles.

Getting a blended beautiful sound from a choir takes a lot of effort from everybody and it starts with having all the singers agree on choral vocabulary and how to use it.

Singing Children's Songs in Church

1/6/2025

Sunday was the first week of using a new slate of songs for Sacrament Meetings. Each quarter, I try to take the time to ask the Primary Song Leader which songs she has taught or intends to teach so that I can be sure to include some songs the kids know. This time I didn't. However, having my 5-year-old granddaughter living with me for the next five months helps.

Yesterday, I had decided to include "I Will Walk with Jesus" for the closing hymn. I asked C.J. to sing nice and strong for me. She has sung this one around the house, so I knew she knew at least the first verse and chorus. She had learned it, however, in her old ward. I told her that I would look at her while I was leading the singing so she could help me sing the right words. (I told her I needed help because I didn't know it very well yet.)

Lo and behold, she took that request literally. Whenever I looked at her, she was singing her heart out. She was sitting in the second row just below where I stood on the podium. She sat up straight and tall, and I could even hear her. She knew the words to all three verses plus the chorus! I bet she sang that song better than anyone else in the entire room!

This only goes to show that if the Primary Song Leader does a good job of teaching the songs, the children will be happy to sing them in other meetings.

The problem just seems to be coordinating and using songs that the children have learned. I don't think our Ward Primary Song Leader had taught that song yet. I didn't see any of the kids singing. Later, when I spoke with the song leader, she told me that she would be following the list as outlined in "Come, Follow Me" this year. At least I can follow that outline for the future song selections.

Keeping track of the songs the Primary kids know is quite difficult. Primary song leaders tend to choose songs without regard to following the proscribed list, or even reviewing very many songs throughout the year. Therefore, the songs the children know will vary greatly from ward to ward.

Guess I'm lucky, though. We have a rather musical ward. The congregation members seem to be able and willing to sight sing the new hymns without much difficulty. Just wish the kids would sing, though!

New Year, New Goals

1/4/2025

New Years 2025 Goals

Almost everywhere you turn, you see posts and reminders admonishing people to set their goals for the new year. Well, I actually do have a few goals, not really goals, but more like necessities.

The music notation software I had closed up shop, so I need to find and learn a new one. That needs to happen very soon, but I am having a hard time getting up the gumption to do it!

In February, I have been asked to prepare a class for a Music Workshop. So I am in the planning stages of that. My topic is "How to Teach the Gospel Through Music in Primary." My notion is to try to do much of the class without overwhelming everyone with visual aids. (Wonder if I can...)

Cami gave me some ideas about a story to write a new Children's Theater Musical for my Summer Theater Camp 2025. Since she gave me the outline complete with character names and song titles, I am practically duty-bound to do something with it. (Don't know how I'll mount it without her, though...)

In June, I am also helping Cami and kids drive cross country to Albany, New York. Morgan, her husband, is already there working at his new job. They also should close soon on their new house. Clearly it will be a grand adventure for the Workman Family. (A little sad for Grandma, though...)

C.J, Peter, and little Margot playing with mini Jenga blocks

Our basement renovation, we hope, will get finished soon. It will be nice to have the big room in the basement for the kids' expansion-run-around area. But right now, we are all cooped up in the family room on the main floor. Winter has begun in earnest, so the kids can't go outside much anymore. I sure wish we could spread out in the basement.

I may end up going on another trip to the east coast for a summer vacation with Kathryn's Family. They are talking about taking a house for a week in Maine, then taking short day trips all over New England from there. (Hmm, that would be my third trip out that way in 2025...)

And then, I need to come up with an idea about a picture book to write for next Christmas. By rights, the book for 2025 should be about my mother. I just haven't settled on a story yet.

They say that once you commit your goals to writing, you need to follow through. Other goals will probably come up, too, but thank goodness there are 361 days left in the year to worry about all that. (Hmm... Maybe, I'll go take a nap first...)

Putting Away Christmas for Another Year

12/28/2024

Morgan with Peter and new baseball batting gloves

So we went out Christmas caroling with family and friends comfortably this year with warm weather and no wind. Cami's daughter, five-year-old Camilla Joy, was impressive as she led us in the singing. Three-year-old grandson Peter has been able to play baseball outside for most of this vacation time with his dad. Potty training has begun in earnest with 18 month old Margot. Suffice it to say, we have a very busy household right now.

The rain has washed away any bits of snow we had lingering around. We definitely didn't have a white Christmas. However, we have enjoyed ourselves being rather relaxed and playing with the boxes the toys came in. (You can tell that I live with little kids around me all the time right now.)

We asked the children when we should take down the Christmas tree and other decorations. The agreed response was to leave them up until Valentine's Day. (I really don't think they understand TIME.) As much as I love the lights, I am feeling the need to get my house back to pre-Christmas normalcy.

At the end of each year, people usually look back and take stock. Many friends sent me Christmas cards and letters giving me the highlights of their past year. I actually love reading their family highlights letters. I found myself quite disappointed when friends only sent a picture with a brief "Merry Christmas" message. And then again, I only sent out a card with a brief letter, no picture, this year.

As a composer, I try to be responsible and track how my compositions have fared over the year. There were some clear favorites at Christmas for sure, "King of Kings" and "Jingle Bells." There were also some surprises. I was especially happy to see that some of my Children's Musicals did so well in 2024. Can't help wonder what's in store for the coming year.

One hard thing that I simply have to address is to get another music writing software program. The one I had been using and was very happy with closed up shop. So those of us who used it are all left trying to fill the void. So far I have been frustrated with previewing other programs and needing to learn new protocols with different ways of working. I have not settled on a program yet.

The last few days we haven't seen the sun. I suppose my mood reflects that. Having the moisture is good for our desert area, but I confess I feel better seeing the sun at least a little every day. So, here is a sunshine song to chase the blues away.

The Music of Betsy Lee Bailey copyright 2020