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

Why We Need Variety in Design

9/29/2022

A popular song from long ago went "Little boxes on the hillside, little boxes made of ticky-tacky. Little boxes on the hillside and they all look just the same..." While on my walk the other day, I really took a look at the houses in my neighborhood. Apparently my house was the first built in our section of the area and it was constructed in 1947. That means it is 75 years old now.

Not all of the houses were built by the same builder, but it is obvious that many were. So many are ranchers made of red brick with the same low profile. The few windows are trimmed in white and the nondescript front door opens out to a few steps down to a narrow cement walkway through an indifferent patch of lawn. Some poor houses really show their age due to lack of upkeep. However, some have fared better and show a surprising amount of pride of ownership.

What is more interesting, though, is seeing how many of these little brick homes (that remind me of the story of the "Three Little Pigs"), have been renovated over the years. The brick has been painted or lime-washed and porches have been added in various styles from old English Cottage to Mid-century Modern. Others have been totally transformed into styles more fashionable (like mine which is now a classy craftsman bungalow). So, 75 years later, the little houses made of "ticky-tacky" that started out looking all the same, over the years have been modified. They now provide quite the show as I take my morning walks around the neighborhood.

In music, as in architecture, variety is key. Just like taking an enjoyable walk about the neighborhood, a composition or a show or program should provide an interesting adventure. It's all about good design.

Christmas shows are fun to plan, but there are a lot of parameters that must be understood and planned around ahead of time. Who will be performing (ages, experience)? When and Where will the performance be held? What are the limitations of the venue (stage, piano, power, lighting, access to the stage, sound, technology)? Budget (for music, costumes, sets, props, seating, posters, handbills, tickets, refreshments, sound or lighting technician, etc.)? Will you need rehearsal space and how much time will you need in the venue?

With all of these questions you may also be asking yourself "WHY would I even try to do a Christmas performance!"

For musicians, the WHY is the easy part -- it is a chance to perform! It's as simple as that. And Christmas music is the best! So get your theme song picked and start planning!

Here is a fun theme song for an Elementary School Holiday Program. "Under the Christmas Tree" for 2-Part Children's Chorus.

Planning the Christmas Program

9/19/2022

'Tis the season...the season for preparing the Ward Sacrament Meeting Christmas Program. Or at least, most Ward Choir Directors are in the process of deciding which selections they want their choirs to sing for Christmas. After all, Christmas is on Sunday this year (although many choirs need to sing on the 18th before everybody leaves town to visit family out of state).

My sister volunteered my services to help out her ward choir this year. The director and her daughter have been writing the program ever since Easter. They really wanted to center the messages on prophecies from the Old Testament, have a variety of songs, and close with the Bishop's remarks. They also planned to use only hymns from our current hymnal. But they did not want to use the normal Christmas carols (at least not the ones that are already in our hymnal).

Well, it seems that there are some issues with using only the Old Testament and our Hymnal for the resources for their program. There are not many hymns that are Messianic from Old Testament texts. I could find just one, "Come, O Thou King of Kings." (And by the way, the last time I checked, Christ's birth signaled the beginning of the New Testament. Just sayin'.)

Another issue is that the Congregation really likes being included in the singing on Christmas and they really like their old favorites like "Joy to the World," "O Little Town of Bethlehem," and "Away in the Manger."

After a lot of discussion, we finally came up with a compromise. They wanted to use "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" (very basic, mostly 2-Part) with Cello, an Alto/Tenor duet of "What Child Is This?" (with some choir "oohs"), a Primary children's song, and end with a medley of "Rejoice the Lord Is King/Joy to the World" SATB where the congregation joins in for one verse. (I think they were also having the Youth do a number and are also including the congregation on a hymn that is actually used as a Sacrament hymn. But I don't have to arrange those.)

They really wanted a new (not in the Children's Songbook) Christmas song for the children. They actually decided on "Lord of All," a song I wrote that won an Award of Distinction as a solo. Recently, I wrote a simplified version for children.

So, I am finishing up the arrangements I promised for them. Hope it all works out.

Enjoy "Lord of All" sung by my granddaughter Megan Rock.

Taking Time to Prepare

5/27/2022

"I need something I can do with no preparation." "Doing Primary Music takes so much time to prepare!" "I can't make visual aids. I'm no artist!"

These are complaints I hear a lot from Primary Song Leaders. Hence the cottage businesses that offer insta-print FLIP CHARTS and PICTURES for use in Primary. There is absolutely nothing wrong with using pre-prepared visual aids and teaching ideas, but what about the Song Leader's own EFFORT?

How do you expect success without putting forth EFFORT?

Over the years, I have found that making my own visual aids, charts, games, and so forth only helped me be more PREPARED as a Song Leader. Through my pondering about the lyrics, writing them out, searching for pictures that would best suit the text, and mulling over and practicing various teaching methods, I MEMORIZED THE SONGS. In fact those songs were indelibly imprinted in my heart and soul. I also became comfortable using a variety of TEACHING STRATEGIES. The EFFORT I put in at the beginning certainly made the the calling easier as the years went on (over 40+ years).

Anyone who has ever been a Teacher knows that the first year is the hardest. That's when you really have to put in EFFORT. You have to learn your CURRICULUM. You need to figure out TEACHING STRATEGIES to best reach your students. You need to set up your room and prioritize your BUDGET needs. You need to figure out all of the administration's PROTOCOLS. You need to memorize the names and faces of your STUDENTS. There is a LOT to learn.

Why would teaching in Primary be any different?

A Primary Song Leader needs to put in the EFFORT to learn all of those same things. The curriculum consists of the SONGS and TEACHING METHODS. Setting up the room may be using VISUAL AIDS or the chalkboard. Learning about protocols, budgeting and working within time constraints isn't fun, but is very necessary. And learning all of the children's names and faces is CRUCIAL.

Even if you use IDEAS and VISUAL AIDS created by other people, you still should put in the EFFORT to learn how to use them, memorize the songs, and connect with the children. You too can be successful if you put in the EFFORT!

Teaching to the “Why”

5/23/2022

When we understand the “why” we are doing something it helps us understand the “how” to go about doing it.

In Primary Singing Time, the Song Leaders are given the charge to teach the Gospel through music, more especially through singing songs specifically written for children.

Teaching the Gospel through Music is the “why,” but how does that translate into the “how” of doing?

Because any learning happens due to a lot of REPETITION, teaching methods become ways to keep things interesting while doing a lot of reviews. Therefore, teaching songs may be accomplished in many ways and combinations of these ways.

1. Probably the most common method I have observed is displaying the WORDS on a poster or flip chart. Where displaying words are great for older children and adults, they are practically worthless for 5-7 year olds.

2. The next most common device for teaching songs is displaying PICTURES to represent the meaning of the lyrics.

But because Sacred Art pictures can rarely denote specific words (with the exception of a person’s name such as Jesus, Moses, Adam, Eve, etc.), some picture clues have been reduced to ICONS.

The trouble with using ICONS on posters to represent words (such as the numeral 2 in place of the word “to” or a picture of a bumblebee for the word “be”) can be very confusing for young children. The actual word meaning can be missed because of the distraction of visual clues that mean something very different than what they sound like. Often young children are very LITERAL. They may receive unintentional but very muddled messages.

3. Combinations of AURAL and VISUAL teaching methods may include:
“ROTE” - the teacher demonstrates singing a line or verse of the song and expects the students to sing it back just from LISTENING. The teacher may also demonstrate MELODIC INTERVALS by moving her hand up and down an invisible “ladder.”
”Lead / Echo” - similar to ROTE TEACHING, but deliberately uses only short phrases.

”MELODY MAPS” - the teacher writes a representation of the notes of the melody onto the chalkboard or poster. She then sings the melodic line with words and points to the notes as she goes along. She may ask the children to listen for certain KEYWORDS such as which word was on the highest note or which word was held out the longest or which words climbed up the melodic shape.

These are just a few of hundreds of teaching methods. Others include relating lyrics to scriptural stories, using object lessons, using attention grabbers, building puzzles, clapping or marching rhythm patterns, finding rhyme patterns, incorporating musical dynamics, singing exercises, playing games, and so forth.

But how do you match the TEACHING METHOD to the song you need to teach?

PRAY FOR INSPIRATION for which method would best suit the MESSAGE of the song (Gospel doctrine, stories of Jesus, stories of friends or family, seasons, missionary, wiggle song, etc.), fit the STYLE of the Music (contemplative, robust, lyrical, whimsical, etc.), or supports the LEARNING STYLES of the students (visual/spatial, aural/musical, physical/kinesthetic, solitary/intrapersonal, verbal/linguistic, logical/mathematical, and social/interpersonal).

For best results, these three areas need to match! It can be done!

The Quodlibet Game

4/18/2022

Quodlibet, (Latin: “what you will”) is a musical composition in which several well-known melodies are combined, either simultaneously or, less frequently, sequentially, for humorous effect.

This definition of "quodlibet" is for singers who like to show off their vast knowledge of songs..

I like the idea of putting several well-known melodies together "sequentially for humorous effect." My family used to play The Quodlibet Game as we would take long car rides together. One person would start singing a song. Then another person would change the song by cuing off one of the words in the previous song. Then another person would start a new thread with another song cuing off a word, and then another, and another. (You had to be thinking ahead so that you could seamlessly cut in and start a new song tangent.) However, you were allowed to begin the new thread with a second or third verse or chorus or even a random word in a phrase. The first person has to keep singing until someone else comes in, and no one can repeat a song during a single round. It is not an easy game.

For example, we might play The Quodlibet Game using just Broadway show tunes, Christmas Carols, Disney songs, Folk songs or Pop songs. etc. The hardest part is staying in the theme category. If you use a song that is not in the approved category or you just blow the words, you stop the round and get a negative point. If everybody else is stumped, the ending singer gets a positive point. (Of course you could always play it without a specific category where any song is fair game. That's for amateurs, though.)

Category: Christmas Songs

1. "While by my sheep I watched at night, Glad tidings brought an angel bright, How great my joy___"
2. "Joy to the world the Lord is come Let earth receive her king___"
3. "King of Kings __(Hallelujah, Hallelujah) and Lord of Lords __(Hallelujah, Hallelujah) And He shall___"
4. "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd___"
5. "Shepherds shake off your drowsy sleep, Come___"
6. "Come all ye children good tidings for us___"
7. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a child is given,___"

Category: Folk Songs

1. "Oh Shenandoah, I long to see you, away you rolling river, Oh Shenandoah, I long to see you away___"
2. "Away down south in the land of cotton, old times there are not forgotten look away, look away, look away Dixie land___"
3. "(This) land is your land, this land is my land, from California___"
4. "California here I come, right back where I started from. With bowers of flowers bloom in the spring___"
5. "(When it's) Spring time in the Rockies, I'll be coming back to you, Little sweetheart ___"
6. "(Let me call you) Sweetheart, I'm in love with you, Let me hear you whisper that you love me too___"

And so on. Have fun playing The Quodlibet Game. (Yeah...It might be a game just for singing nerds...)

Another type of Quodlibet is using songs that have the same length, chord progression and can be sung simultaneously. Here is group of Nursery Rhymes that can be sung together. Try singing this! "Nursery Rhymes Quodlibet" from The Adventures of Dick Whittington.

Why a Music Leader in Primary?

2/27/2022

More often than not, the Music Leader in Primary is considered just a fun job, anyone can do it. "All that is required is someone who can wave their arms in time to the music and sing with the kids." But, that perception is entirely FALSE! Few people are equipped to do it well.

The Music Leader in Primary is IMMENSELY important. Through devoted teaching of the gospel through Primary Songs and singing, the Music Leader can influence the children for good in so many ways.

1. Finding joy through singing the songs of the Gospel. A dedicated music leader will use many teaching strategies and visual aids to make learning the songs fun. When Singing Time in Primary is joyful, the kids will respond favorably to learning the music.

2. Learning to love singing and doing it well. The Primary Music Leader should be able model good singing and help the children learn to match pitches and rhythms. These skills are important for ensuring Singing Time is enjoyable for all. This may be the only place some children get to practice singing.

3. Feeling the Spirit. Singing Primary Songs as a group is a wonderful way to invite the Spirit into the meeting. It may be in Primary where the children first learn to feel the Spirit, and probably while singing a song.

4. Incorporating the simple Gospel truths into their lives through memorization of the Primary Songs. If the children memorize the Primary songs and have a spiritual experience while singing, it is likely that years later these songs will come back to their minds during times of trouble and give them comfort.

5. Reaching out in love and testimony. The Music Leader should invest time into learning each child by name and something about them. Making the children each feel loved and valued can be life changing for them. By doing this, the Music Leader is extending the Savior's love. It is vital for the children to know that the Music Leader knows them, loves them, and has a testimony of the Savior and his Gospel.

A good Music Leader can put the Primary children on a solid foundation of Gospel learning and growth in testimony. They may even develop good singing skills in the process.

The Primary Music Leader is a VERY IMPORTANT CALLING!

Writing Prompts for Songwriting

1/6/2022

Sometimes songwriters get writer's block like any other writer. All the songwriter thinks he needs is a little INSPIRATION. Or maybe a SONG TITLE? Or a little help with a MELODY? Maybe some WRITING PROMPTS could help get him started.

I actually googled the idea of writing prompts for songwriters and got some funny ideas. They may be helpful to that solo singer/songwriter who expects to perform his own songs, but not very useful to me. One of the ideas was to write about a bad break-up. A sad love song always seems to sell well. (A lot of people can relate.) Or write about a relationship you look forward to. (A lot of people can relate to that, too.) Or take any noun and try to write a song about it. (Really?) Or do a Public Service Announcement about some important subject and write a song about that. (Interesting) Of the 100+ ideas, I really did not find any that were prompting me to write a song.

Then there is the melodic side of songwriting. What can you do to get a melodic prompt? Which comes first anyway --- the words or the tune? For some songs, the beat, groove, or rhythm obviously needs to come first.

I sometimes like to play the "scribble game" with my granddaughters. We draw a silly scribble onto a blank piece of paper and challenge the other person to draw something incorporating that scribble. I sometimes wish melodic nuggets would just be given to me as prompts to write songs --- just like the scribble game.

Then I remember, that inspiration can come in so many different ways, providing you are open to them.

Knowing the type of song you want to write helps.

Beethoven taking a walk

If you wish to write a SACRED SONG, studying the scriptures or talks on gospel topics is definitely the place to start. I find "borrowing" snippets of melodic ideas from great composers is another good starting point. And taking walks while thinking of just a tiny starting idea helps me isolate and develop that idea and prompts more ideas. Sometimes the basics of the song are filled out by the time I get home.

If you are writing for CHILDREN, definitely don't succumb to waxing eloquent. Remember that simple is best for kids. Think about a child's singing range and the intervals such as a descending minor third that little children sing naturally early on. They like songs that explore the things they encounter in their world. Definitely NO romantic LOVE songs.

When writing for Children's Theater, the story comes first. It also helps to follow other tried and true conventions such as writing an Opening Production Number, or writing a Message Song that also becomes the Finale, a few Solo Songs for the lead characters enlightening the audience about their motivations, a couple of Small Ensemble Songs that move the plot along, and the occasional Comic or Dance Songs just for fun. I find that researching historic musical styles is very insightful. Obviously, finding or developing a great subject is key when writing Children's theater or any theatrical piece for that matter.

Though writing prompts can be useful, they might not be what is really lacking. Desire. Drive. Determination. Those are the real tools you need. You definitely need to have a DESIRE to get started, then you must summon the DRIVE to keep going and the DETERMINATION to finish.

Challenge issued.

Singing in Nursery

9/27/2021

For many years, I worked in Primary --- occasionally as the President, but for a cumulative 37 years as the Song Leader. Most of my Primaries had enough children that we split for Junior and Senior Singing Times and I also spent a few minutes in the Nursery. I had never been the Nursery Leader before, but as of three weeks ago, I am now. And thank goodness, I already know a LOT of songs and have a bunch of VISUAL AIDS!

We have one very young boy who is our sole regular, plus a handicapped older boy who sometimes comes into the Nursery. However, this ward has a lot of Grandparents who often have visiting grandchildren. I was told to plan for at least five children every week because of visitors. I was also told that the previous leaders basically gave up on giving lessons, even short ones, because the children just wanted to play with the toys.

Well, the first day we had no manual yet, so we just let the children play. But after talking around to previous Nursery Leaders "par excellence," I learned that we had to do more than just allow the kids to play. So we came up with a schedule to fill our 50 minutes that starts with a Gathering Time (tactile) activity at our small table, a short Lesson with visual aids, Singing Time with all sorts of manipulatives, and then Play Time with the toys.

After two weeks, I can report that having a schedule works so much better than just letting the kids play with toys. We find that the children like how we sing nearly the entire time. We sing when we bounce balloons, twirl with scarves, shake our little shakers, drop falling Autumn leaves, dance with finger puppets, and share smiles with the silly paper plate frowny/smiley faces.

These children are COVID Kids. The youngest ones were actually born during the pandemic quarantine. Most of them have never had play dates with other children or even been tended by anyone outside of their own households. It may take time for them to get used to our ways of doing things, but one thing we know for sure, they enjoy dancing, twirling and moving to our SINGING!

Elementary School Chorus Songs

8/28/2021

Apparently some people are fascinated with the backstories of how songs come into being. I keep being asked to share how I get the inspiration to write songs, especially songs for shows. Some of these songs from my Children's Theater Productions have also been requested as stand alone songs for Elementary School Chorus. Enjoy

Cover illustration for "Stone Soup"

"Over Yonder" is a song about the opening up of the West in America during the 1800's. It comes from my version of the Children's Musical "Stone Soup." I thought that folk tale could work well in an early American setting. This was one of my first attempts at writing Children's Theater. I tried to write a Musical simple enough for a very young cast, but it still had five songs (plus reprises and dances).

"Over Yonder" wasn't even in the first version of the show. During the second production, my music director suggested on the first day of rehearsal that we needed a rousing Opener. She was so right. Where I had thought the 5-8 year-olds didn't need yet another song to learn in our short rehearsal schedule, the show really NEEDED a rousing Opening production number. So I went home that night and wrote "Over Yonder." As it turned out, this song became the favorite of all the songs in the show.

It pays to listen to your helpers!

Coloring page handout

"Why Is Grass Always Greener on the Other Side?" is a song about questions. Kids ask a lot of questions. These are just a few. This song is the Opener to my mini classroom musical "The Tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff." When I was little, my very talented mother helped me and my brothers find creative solutions to times when we were bored and couldn't figure out what to do with ourselves. My mother was the inspiration for my retelling of this folk-tale. She made us little puppets to act out this story. So, this mini-musical is told using paper puppets. I had also studied Edvard Grieg and his music in college, and had even visited Norway. (Yeah, I admit that I borrowed freely from Grieg's music for the songs in this 15 minute mini-musical.)

Finale of "Let Kindness Begin with Me" with audience sing-along

In 2016 I was tasked with writing a new Musical for a local school. I determined to use the Old English story about "The Adventures of Dick Whittington." All of the entertaining aspects of Pantomime circa 1600 were already there in the story, but I needed a message song to pull the piece together. Finally, I realized that every time the main character Dick got into trouble, someone reached out to him in kindness. He eventually decided to pledge his life to giving back. "Let Kindness Begin with Me" is just that Finale song. Kindness is a message that is just as valuable today as it was back in 1600.

These and other songs are available on the Tab: Fun Songs for Kids

To Let Them Sing or Not to Sing -- Along -- That Is the Question

12/23/2019

Apparently, it is quite popular these days for the Elementary Schools to have a "Christmas Sing" presentation for the last day of school before the Holidays. I have been to three such "concerts" this year and have come away with quite the validation of what I have always held dear. LET THE CHILDREN SING BY THEMSELVES! If I wanted to listen to pop Christmas artists on a recording, I would have turned on the radio in my car, thank you very much. For goodness sake! I drove an hour one way to hear my grandchild sing, and was disappointed that I only heard the professional BARITONE pop vocal artist and his backup band. (I didn't see one of those 8 year olds who looked like his voice had changed!)

I get it that the teachers per grade level were in charge of choosing the songs for their classes to sing. I understand that they probably don't have the musical expertise to play the accompaniment or even look for suitable music, but come on! We parents, grandparents, and interested others deserve to hear the kids do their own work, don't you think?

In comparison, the few grade levels' performances where the teachers had the children singing by themselves (whether to a prerecorded accompaniment or just the piano) were so much more enjoyable than the ones where the kids were drowned out by the over produced pop artist recordings. And instead of just yelling to try to be heard, they were actually matching pitches and making music.

Once again, the case is made that the young students in the Elementary Schools really need and deserve music education and vocal training by trained music educators. I saw a meme being circulated recently that said something to the effect that:

   When we want to make an event more exciting, we add music.
   When we want to get people moving, we add music.
When we want to heighten the suspense of a movie we add music.
BUT, when we want our children to do better academically, we take away
   music.

It doesn't make sense!

Music actually helps students develop their brain power and cultural refinement in so many ways. Don't they know that it is always the band, orchestra and choral kids who pull up the academic statistics of the entire school?

Just think about it...

The Music of Betsy Lee Bailey copyright 2020