Category: Practicing

The Most Beautiful Songs from Broadway

8/8/2025

My dear friend had an Open House for her 80th Birthday the other day. She wanted some background music and asked me to play piano to fill one of the hour-long time slots. She was using this Open House to showcase her art pieces, which were fancy calligraphy and water color paintings. So I agreed and asked her what she wanted me to play. "Anything, you'll know what's right."

Well, I didn't know what was right. Also, I felt a little out of practice. Not that I couldn't play the piano well enough, I just wondered if I had the stamina to play for an hour straight. It's been a long time since I just sat and enjoyed playing the piano for that long on one stretch. Usually, my sessions of playing are broken up by composing and writing the music on manuscript paper, or interruptions of family matters.

Then, going through the books on my shelf, I picked out a collection called "The Most Beautiful Songs from Broadway." There were many, many songs, mostly love songs, but some others, too. I could tell that some had been simplified, but not so much that they sounded strange. Over the next few days, I played through enough songs to identify the ones that seemed right for the occasion. I made myself sit and play through these songs every day for a week so that I could build up my stamina.

By the day of the Open House, I felt ready and able. The party was well-attended. Background music is meant to set the mood. I'm sure most of the guests didn't really notice me playing at all because they were there to visit and view the art. That's okay. I got to play through songs that I knew and enjoyed. I sang along in my heart as I played. Now, had the room not been so hot that my fingers were sweaty and made the keys sticky, I would have been supremely happy.

You would probably recognized these songs by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Lowe, Jerry Herman, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart, Leslie Bricusse, Meredith Wilson, Stephen Sondheim, Alan Menken, and so many other famous composers. After my shift was over, my sister invited me to attend a community theater production of "My Fair Lady." Of course, I jumped in my car and quickly drove to join her. I couldn't miss a chance to extend my evening of enjoying more of the most beautiful songs from Broadway!

When the world was in COVID, I did a little project arranging some Disney Broadway songs for easy piano solo. I wrote them with some of my piano students in mind. "Arabian Nights" from Aladdin, "God Help the Outcasts" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast, and "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid. Enjoy!

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Playing By Ear on the Spot

9/18/2024

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In the last few days, I have had the opportunity to sit at the piano and accompany two different groups singing with no music. Once was at a wedding reception and the other was at a Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Camp meeting.

At the reception, I had brought my keyboard to play for my granddaughters to sing a funny song for their brother's wedding. This event was at a beautiful backyard of an upscale home in Salt Lake City. The girls pulled off a polished performance of "I Want a Little Bungalow," memorized, with three-part harmony and choreography. They were so cute! That is a song handed down for generations in our family, and we like to sing it for all of our family weddings -- always tailoring the words to fit the bride and groom. Only this time it was sung by a new generation of trio singers.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of them performing, but in this pic of my sister with many of my grandchildren at the wedding, the three girls circled are the ones who sang.

After the girls finished, the bride's cousins came up to sing another funny song all about her, completely unrehearsed. They asked me for a starting pitch. I had no idea what note to give them until someone said, "Oh it's just 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.'" They had rewritten the words to fit the life story of the bride. That helped me find a key for them and a starting pitch. And since I was right there, I just continued to "oom-pah" my way through their eight verses. That song wasn't very complicated, so it worked out.

Then at the DUP meeting, I had already taken a look at the key their song was printed in. It was in such a high key, only a very high tenor would have been comfortable singing it. So, knowing that these older ladies only felt comfortable singing in an alto range, I volunteered to play it in a lower key. Once again, it wasn't a very complicated song. "School Days" is a popular song from the early 1900s, and I knew it, so I could do it. The lady who led the singing was VERY grateful to sing it in a lower key. She was so afraid of those high Fs and E flats from the sheet music.

I was happy to be there and able to accompany them, but I have two comments about the situations.

The first is that I actually prefer rehearsed performances. I think that if a song is to be sung for a special occasion, it deserves to be PREPARED. The rewritten words to the cousin's song about the bride were clever and witty. But the audience would have enjoyed the song more had they been able to hear it more clearly to be able to understand the words better.

The other gripe is that whoever chose the music for the DUP Lesson this month could have transposed the music into a singable key for the DUP ladies throughout the world. That song is old enough to be in the Public Domain so no one would have complained if they had just adjusted it so that a pianist in each group could play it in a singable key for older ladies. What a shame and missed opportunity!

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Rewards of Good Stress

4/14/2024

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Rehearsals make me happy.

Some people just don't get that statement. Why would anyone enjoy and even get a thrill out of doing the same things over and over again? Well, it is a process to make music the best it can be or for the performer to learn how to give his best performance possible. It can be a tiring process, but it can also be so joyful.

When I went to the Tabernacle Choir rehearsal the other night, fond memories came flooding back. I actually felt nostalgic about getting yelled at by conductor Mack Wilberg to "Shape it!" At that rehearsal he was asking the choir to shape a musical phrase a certain way like he demonstrated. When they then sang the phrase over again, they sounded so much better. Shaping makes such a difference.

How can a group of performers figure that out without a director showing them what to do and demanding that they rehearse it until they've got it right?

My daughter Ms. Workman could almost pass for a student!

My daughter teaches at a Middle School in SLC. She was asked to host a district Honor Band Festival this past weekend. (She even ended up filling in for a Tuba spot.) Selected students came from five different schools to join in this concert, but first they had to rehearse most of the day. They got to learn and later perform three challenging pieces. They practiced with an excellent and somewhat formidable guest conductor. They began at 10:00 am on Saturday morning and worked towards the concert that started at 5:00 pm.

Dr. David Fullmer, now Director of Bands at Snow College in Utah, had been my daughter Cami's High School Band director. As the host of the event, she invited Dr. Fullmer to come. He was still as demanding as ever, trying to coax the very best out of these students in their first ever Honor Band experience.

Some of Cami's students said they were very stressed out during rehearsal. One kid actually left and didn't come back to play in the concert. Cami had spent time during the week trying to prepare her students for this event. She said it would be taxing and that they might feel the pressure and stress of working very hard. As a teacher, she wanted them to know that some STRESS is good. Without it, you wouldn't see any GROWTH.

After the concert, her students who stayed through it all reported that they really felt so good afterwards. They recognized that they had learned a lot and all in all, had fun.

Isn't that great? Those are the rewards of working hard through demanding rehearsals.

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Playing By Ear

2/23/2024

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Dad had the Easy Listening Radio station on while he and Mom were trying to go to sleep one night. Finally my mother asked if he could listen to something else... perhaps an all-talk station? She explained that hearing the music compelled her to analyze the chords in every song. That made it hard for her to get to sleep.

My mother was a terrific accompanist. She had a special gift. She could play by ear. That means she could remember the chord progressions to many songs and just make up the piano part on the spot.

When she was busy accompanying Handel's "Messiah" with a community choir in Ohio in about 1972, she slid down our icy walkway on the way to the performance. She broke three fingers on her left hand. She had my dad tape up those fingers, took an aspirin, then she got in the car saying, "The show must go on."

I asked her later, "How in the world did you do it?"

She shrugged and said, "Well, once I realized that Handel was a chords guy, I just played the fundamental bass notes with my thumb and first finger. It worked okay."

Silly picture of Janie and Carolyn singing in their Christmas nightgowns

My Mom and Aunt Janie were my idols growing up. They could sing, entertain, teach and play the piano like nobody else I knew. I always wanted to be able to do what they could do. But I never quite measured up. Maybe it was because I really didn't get the chance to play the piano much growing up, I don't know. It's probably because I was blessed with different talents.

Playing by Ear is not something I was gifted to do. Perhaps it was because I didn't apply myself enough in Ear Training class in college or just didn't lie awake at night listening to the radio and analyzing chord progressions. Oh well, (sigh).

Anyway, I know that some of the ear training took. I decided that because I am a singer first, I listen melodically instead of harmonically. I can actually figure out chord progressions, albeit slowly, and not quickly enough to play by ear on the spot... unless it's just a 3-chord song like an old folk song.

But there is a silver lining to not relying upon being able to play by ear. I learned early on to notate music so that I could play it. Even before I studied at college, if I wanted to be able to play a song on the piano, I found that if I wrote it out, I could. And then, somebody else could come along and play it, too. Yeah, I may have to resort to the "hunt and peck" method of composition, but I can still get it done!

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Pacing is Like Juggling

4/30/2023

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The art of PACING is such an important skill to learn! Whether in a Choir Practice or Primary Music Time, good PACING is crucial for success!

PACING is "reading the room" to discern when to change the activity to keep things interesting and to move things along. A good speaker, entertainer, or teacher will keep watching for signs from the audience or class members for what is working and what is NOT. If there are noticeable squirms, yawns, agitation, talking, or general inattention, the savvy leader will take note and try something new to get the attention back.

For Choir Practice, the smart director will have a plan of certain songs to rehearse, but will work intentionally for short periods and then change to a new tactic before the singers lose interest. For example, when "woodshedding parts," the director will not dwell very long on any one section while neglecting the other parts. It is rather like juggling and trying to keep all of the balls in the air at the same time.

In Primary, the song leader should be aware of the children's collective ATTENTION SPAN -- a few minutes at a time is all you've got! Remember that teaching the Gospel through Music does not mean that the children have to master singing an entire song (all 3 verses plus a chorus) in one Music Period! Singing one song for the entire 20 minutes almost always signals that song's untimely death.

It is better to introduce part of a song, sing it a couple of times using good modeling, then go on to something different. Work on several songs each week using a mixture of teaching and reviewing methods. VARIETY is the key to securing proper interest in the songs and moving along towards memorization.

Good PACING brings success!

Varying the TEMPO and STYLE of the songs can also be a great way to keep interest up in Choir Practice and Primary Singing Time. For instance, nobody likes to sing a program of just SLOW songs even if they each are lovely.

Here's an upbeat song for Primary "Put on the Whole Armor of God."

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Choral Warm-Ups --- Too Little or Too Much?

6/8/2022

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Even the experienced group of choir singers can benefit from WARM-UPS. I have been to so many rehearsals where the group had a hard time pulling together. In those cases, the choir singers were just not ready to sing. Let's face it, we all come from different physical places, emotional states, and psychological tangents when we come into a choir rehearsal. Warm-ups do more than just get the voice ready to sing. Warm-ups can help ready the voices, certainly, but can also help ready the emotional, physical and psychological state of the singers. WARM-UPS help singers get FOCUSED.

The big trick for the conductor is to DO JUST ENOUGH in a warm-up period and NOT TOO MUCH. I once attended a rehearsal for a Stake Conference Choir where the conductor was new and did not know many of the people. She had planned on separating the men and women for section rehearsals at the beginning so that the woodshedding could be more efficient. The unfortunate part was that the person she had asked to work with the men did not come at the beginning. Her whole plan had been upset.

So, I offered to take the men to rehearse their parts. She took a chance, not knowing me either, and let me take the men off to another space to rehearse. She told us when to return. We did a few warm-ups and proceeded to go over the Tenor and Bass parts. Then, in walked the guy who had been invited to work with the men. He was a full half hour late! We were actually just getting ready to go back into the main rehearsal.

Without even considering the time, this man proceeded to start from "his" beginning. He took these men through a grand College lecture about preparing to sing and had them do many vocal warm-ups. (He asked me to stay to play the piano, so I witnessed it all.) He never actually got to the practicing of parts before the Conductor sent a runner to beg the men to return to the main rehearsal. This man was rather put out. (He had not even considered that the rehearsal I had already done with the men was valid.)

The concepts the man was lecturing about were useful, but were just too many and took up too much time. He taught about POSTURE, BREATHING, LIFTING THE SOFT PALATE, VOWEL PLACEMENT, SUPPORTING THE TONE, and was ready to launch into so much more. Had he come on time, perhaps what he was teaching may have been appreciated. But as it was, the men were just annoyed. Better to come on time and to do a very focused WARM-UP lesson on just a few concepts.

I had already been working with the men on practicing the INCEPTION OF THE SOUND or LIFTING THE SOFT PALATE while taking the initial breath. We practiced setting the abdominal wall muscles to support the tone, correcting posture, and breathing in the shape of the vowel all from that one concept. It seemed to be working well, too. Anyway, at least we had gotten some woodshedding of the parts done before that man came!

Here are some Warm-ups I have collected over the years.
Fun and Easy Warm-up Songs for Choir

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Recruiting for Ward Choir

4/23/2022

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Hallelujah! In most areas, the green light has been given to start having choirs sing again in Church meetings. But that doesn't exactly translate into people wanting to come back to choir practices. How then do you start up a choir from scratch?

1. Make a plan. If possible, get a Choir President called to help you do recruiting. Make a list of all of the former singers you can remember. Approach them personally to invite them to come to rehearsals. Send out emails or text message reminders weekly. Prepare choir folders. Keep a roll. Be open for alternative choir options: unison, 2-Part, SA, SAB, SATB, Family Choir, choir "seasons" only (Easter or Christmas), etc.

2. In setting rehearsals, be sensible about scheduling. Talking to potential choir members and finding out their situations and needs may help you find an appropriate time and place for rehearsals.

3. Deliberately sit in different parts of the chapel to listen for potential singers. If you find candidates, including youth and possibly older children, personally invite them to be part of the choir. You may have to convince them that they do not necessarily need to read music. They can learn the parts during rehearsals. (Non-threatening!)

4. Choose music that suits the group. Few small Ward Choirs these days have seasoned singers who already know how to read music, have had choral experiences, and perhaps even have trained voices. (Be sensitive to the abilities of your accompanist, too.) In that case, better not choose full-out 4-6 part choral Master works to start with. Assess your strengths. If you have mostly melody singers, begin with unison or 2-part pieces. (They can be learned fairly quickly so you can get up and running.) Introduce more sophisticated pieces as skills progress. Occasionally pick a "challenge" piece or Master Work for a special occasion that the singers can take their time learning. They will feel so accomplished!

5. Manage rehearsals and performance schedules sensibly. Do a few targeted warm-ups every time. Plan a teaching strategy for teaching/learning the music. Always have two or three songs in rotation. Make a long-term schedule so the singers (and you as the Director) know when they can expect to sing. There is nothing worse than finding everyone on vacation when you planned for them to perform!

Sing! Sing! Sing! It feels so good to be back!

Here are a few pieces that are good for various levels of learning:
"Abide with Me 'tis Eventide 2-Part Mixed Chorus and Piano
"Faith Hymn Montage" SAB and Piano (good for Family Choir)
"Come We that Love the Lord" SATB with Piano or Organ

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The Short Spinet

4/10/2022

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Similar to our short spinet

Most piano keyboards have 88 chromatic keys. But in my house growing up, my mother's little piano only had 77. Even though it was minus basically an octave, this little spinet served its use and was well-loved. It was also well-traveled. My parents moved 36 times over the course of their marriage, and always, their short spinet moved with them. But if anyone deserved and knew how to use all 88 keys, it was my mother!

When I was very young, my mother enjoyed teaching me how to sing. She had a beautiful high soprano voice, and she spent a lot of time grooming me to be able to sing the high notes with her. In fact, she used to test my range. When I was 4 or 5, I remember singing the scale up to the top note of our little piano. Then Mom would say, "If there was another note, what would it sound like?" Then I would sing the next, and the next, and the next right off the end of our piano.

She often got frustrated by not having enough notes, especially in the bass. Mom practiced some pieces that really needed the doubled bass. And sometimes when she and her students played duets, they would run out of notes up high, too. At that point, she had to make arrangements to continue lessons or rehearsals at the Church or someone else's house that had a full-sized piano.

We loved that little piano, though... when we got a chance to play it. Mom taught or rehearsed using it so often, my brothers and sisters and I rarely got the chance to use it. Until one day...

My brother turned 12 and started going to Priesthood meetings. He came home and reported that the singing was dismal. Nobody could play the piano, so they just sang a cappella, badly out of tune. Then he announced that he was going to learn to play some hymns for Priesthood meeting. Bob was very smart and had already learned how to play the trombone, so he figured he could surely learn one new hymn a week on the piano. He made a list of a few hymns to learn.

Bob decided that since he could already read Bass clef, he would work on the left hand first. He also decided that I should help him out by playing the right hand part in Treble clef. Then, once he learned the left hand, we would switch so he could work on the right hand. Later in the week he was ready to put both hands together. But while he played both parts in the mid register of the piano, I went ahead and played 8va. Little by little, he accomplished his goal.

I guess we impressed Mom by our efforts. She actually set aside time for us to play on our little piano. But that didn't last that long. After Bob got good enough, she was back to using the piano for herself and her students most of the available time. We actually had to beg for time at the piano! (Yeah, that's a musical family thing...)

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The Most Beautiful Songs from Broadway

Playing By Ear on the Spot

Rewards of Good Stress

Playing By Ear

Pacing is Like Juggling

Choral Warm-Ups --- Too Little or Too Much?

Recruiting for Ward Choir

The Short Spinet

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