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

When I Grow Up, I Want to Be Just Like You

4/4/2023

Lately, my 3-year-old granddaughter has been transitioning from taking afternoon naps to refusing to take naps. As most parents come to understand, this is a trying time. She ends up falling asleep if she is taken on a car ride, even it it is a short jaunt to pick up Mom at the train station just before dinner.

Yesterday I thought I would be helpful by letting her have quiet time in my room with me. I needed an afternoon nap. (I figured she might also nap.) CJ came up onto my bed, gently tucked the covers around me, and asked, "What do you want me to sing to you?" I told her, "Sing 'Baptism.'" So, she gently rubbed my forehead and started sweetly singing "Jesus came to John the Baptist in Judea long ago..." That song has some big words for a barely 3-year-old. But I knew she could sing it, because she had demonstrated that she already knew it when we sang it in Primary. (By the way, she can sing it with true pitch!)

After that, I was really sleepy, so I asked her if she wanted to listen to some Grandma's stories on You Tube. I showed her the playlist, and she picked the one she wanted. I guess the playlist went on and on through the picture book stories I wrote of my children -- her mom and aunts and uncles. (I was dosing, but apparently she was wide awake, quietly entertained.)

This morning when she woke up and came out to the family room. CJ hugged me as I sat in my favorite chair and she told me, "When I grow up, I want to be just like you." It came out of the blue, with absolutely no prompting. She said, "I want to be an artist." I asked her if she wanted to be a singer, too. At first she shook her head, "No," but then she thought about it and said, "I do."

My grandma heart was melting! Thank goodness for moments like this! They really help during the times when the "Hangry CJ Monster" (who won't take a needed afternoon nap) appears and has an hour long tantrum at dinner time!

"Spin Around Dresses and Click Shoes" is one of CJ's favorite picture books.

Changes in Primary Through The Years

2/6/2023

Time passes and every once in a while you need to stop and take stock of how things have changed. When I was a little girl in the late 1950s and early1960s, Primary was on a weekday. We just walked to Primary after school. I remember the teachers letting us play jumprope and kickball outside if we got there early. We lived in Utah where we could walk almost everywhere we needed to go, and we had to because Dad took our only car to go to work.

In 1960, we watched this chapel being built. We called our new meetinghouse the Rock Church because it had rocks on the walls both inside and out. My brother and I liked to look for shapes of the states in the rocks. We found Nevada, Ohio, Vermont, Tennessee and quite a few others. Our mother led the singing in Primary. She made sure we knew a lot of songs and could sing them well. Some of my favorites were "Reverently, Quietly," and "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" -- the original version that had a high F. My mother had a glorious soprano voice and I wanted to sound just like her!

Chapel in East Houston, Texas

We moved to Houston Texas when I was 8. The drive to get to Primary was much farther. We got a second car out of necessity with this move. My mother took all six of her children in "Susan" the station wagon, plus drove around picking up quite a few other kids to go to Primary. This was before seatbelt laws. We sometimes squeezed ten or more kids in old "Susan."

Once again my mother led the singing in Primary. She led the singing in all the meetings, I think. I remember after my brother Billy was born, I was old enough to babysit him during Church. I would take him to the cry room off the chapel where we could watch the meeting through the window. Sometimes three or four of my friends would come "help" me. My favorite songs during this period were "I Think the World Is Glorious" and "Lift Up Your Voice and Sing." (I really liked to sing.)

Our family moved a lot during my growing up years -- from Utah to California to other towns in Utah, then to Texas, then back to Utah, then back to Texas, then eventually on to Ohio. In all of those places, my mother led the singing in Primary. She wore a lot of other "hats," too. Her callings were varied from being Relief Society President to Activities Committee Chair to Primary Teacher. Usually she held up to six callings concurrently because she always served in Stake and Ward Music callings regardless. While we lived in Houston, "I am a Child of God" was introduced to the general Church population. My mother had me sing this song to introduce it to our Stake Primary Leadership. Soon after, we learned that Pres. Kimball requested that "Teach me all that I must know" be changed to "I must do."

Chapel in Fairborn, Ohio

When I was 12 and graduated from Primary, my mother decided that I should learn to lead the music in Primary. I was her unofficial assistant, especially when my Mom accompanied because we had no one else who could play the piano. She really liked having me create her visual aids, too. When we moved to Ohio, I was officially called to lead the music in Primary. I was just 13. Primary was still on a weekday, so serving in Primary did not interfere with Young Women's (MIA) meetings. My mother also encouraged me to learn to play all of the Primary songs on piano. It was a good thing she trained me so well.

After college we moved into our first newlywed ward and it wasn't long before I was called to lead the music in Primary. However, that was the 1980s and and the schedule changed to having the three hour block on Sundays. That was also when we got the new Children's Songbook!

Wow! So many changes over the years! And now we are eagerly awaiting the news of the NEXT new Children's Songbook.

Here's one of the songs I submitted for the new CSB "Put on the Whole Armor of God." It ought to come in handy when we study the teachings of Paul in the New Testament.

Why Tempo Matters

5/24/2022

At the top left hand part of the score, just above the staff of the first measure there is usually a TEMPO MARKING. It may say something like “andante,” or “adagio,” or “presto.” These are Italian musical terms that tell the performer to play in walking speed, or very slowly, or very quickly. There could also be a metronome indication of what kind of note gets one beat as a division of one minute. For example, at 88 beats per minute, the quarter note would be at a medium or walking tempo.

Obviously, people performing a piece will feel the music their way. They might need to take it slowly at first while they are practicing. Their skills might not be at a level where they can go at the TEMPO marked. They might not be aware of how to judge TEMPO and do not have access to a metronome. They might just get used to playing it at their TEMPO and feel that it suits the music. There are so many reasons why performers do what they do, including ignoring the TEMPO MARKINGS.

As a composer, I attempt to give the performers all the clues they need to understand how to perform my music. However, sometimes I am surprised to hear a group performance of one of my pieces where they chose to go much faster or much slower than I imagined. Occasionally, their interpretation goes very well and breathes new life into the song. Other times, the group encounters difficulties that I could have predicted due to going faster or slower than marked.

GOING TOO FAST — Taking a piece marked “andante” too fast changes its character. Just like taking a piece marked “presto” too slowly changes its character. Other problems creep up, too. Phrases may become impossible to play or sing because there is no time to take adequate breaths.

GOING TOO SLOW — The most obvious problems with going too slow for singers or wind instruments is SUSTAINING LONG HELD NOTES or carrying over a PHRASE. The next most obvious problem is the tendency to go FLAT, (or LOSE PITCH) because of lacking breath support. The right TEMPO usually helps with being able to sustain pitches and stay in tune. (Pianists don’t have to breathe every few beats to sustain a note, so they sometimes don't understand the tempo problem.)

PRACTICAL EXAMPLES: In Primary, unfortunately, some accompanists do not have much training or skill. There always seems to be that lady at the piano who can play in just one TEMPO. And whether that TEMPO is FAST or SLOW, it is still not right for every song.

Singing a song like “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus” too quickly turns it into a galloping horseback-ride and doesn’t maintain a reverent attitude. Singing “Love One Another” too slowly makes it sound like a funeral dirge and the long phrases become impossible to sing.

The proper TEMPO really does matter. Always try to practice at the METRONOME MARKING. I promise, composers do try to think through what would be best for their pieces.

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!

Sing, Sing, Sing!

2/8/2022

My little 2-year-old granddaughter loves "The Little Mermaid." She particularly loves singing Ariel's song "Part of Your World." The first few notes she was able to sing recognizably were the "ahs" on "re-mi-fa, mi-fa-sol." She was able to sing that at 24 months. Now at 26 months, she is singing more and more of the words and getting pretty close to matching the pitches and rhythms accurately. From my understanding of child development, these abilities only come because of much LISTENING and REPETITION.

The training and experience I have gained from teaching Primary Music over the years has proved again and again the "MAGIC 7" principle. Young children (and really, even older children and adults) need to hear and experience the song at least seven times before they start recognizing its PATTERNS in RHYTHM, MELODY, and WORDS. Understanding messages and meaning come about much later. These seven first exposures can be simply listening, but even better would include rhythmic movement and something visual to help them with absorption. Only after these seven experiences will they then begin to start participating in the singing. (Just assume that every song is brand new to a young child.)

This has to be one of the most overlooked pieces of the Primary Music Teaching Puzzle. As I have visited many different Primary Music Times across the country, I have noticed the Music Leaders tend to assume that the younger children (mostly nonreaders) will jump right in and start singing as they hold up the flip chart and sing through the song. They think they should. After all, they have already spent 15 of their 20 minutes explaining and going over the words (sometimes to multiple verses in one whack and with no attempts at teaching the notes). "Why don't the kids sing? I taught them the words." Unfortunately, with only five minutes left, the kids may only hear the song played or try to sing it through once or twice. Definitely not the Magic 7 times.

Singing Time ideally should be just that --- a time for mostly SINGING. The song or verses of the songs themselves take mere seconds to actually sing. As a Music Leader, you should be able to sing a song many times through in your 20 minutes. In fact, without a lot of talking, you should be able to sing several songs several times through in 20 minutes!

Talking should be limited to GUIDING THEIR LISTENING. What does that mean? Give short specific demonstrations of how to sing, what words to sing, and possibly provide brief fun activities to keep them interested. These shouldn't be lectures on multiple tasks, just laser-focused pointers --- then SING and do it again with other brief pointers. Keep things moving.

In thinking about all of the things you would like to teach, break those ideas down into tiny parts to fit in between SINGING the verses. REPETITION is the most important thing. That's why well thought out VISUAL AIDS, SINGING GAMES, RHYTHM ACTIVITIES and giving kids TURNS in an organic way (growing seamlessly out of the singing) are so important.

Unfortunately, many complicated games and elaborate visual aids become a distraction away from the real goals of SINGING TIME. If explaining the games, setting up the visual aids, and using "methods" for choosing helpers take up more time than actually singing the songs, they are not worth the effort and expense. Keep to a healthy ratio. SINGING 80% vs. TALKING 20%. Have someone time you sometime to see what you actually do.

Keep to the basics. Having a Bag of Tricks, simple to use and set up Visual Aids and Games, cultivating your own "stage presence," and knowing each child by name are your best tools to find success as a Primary Music Leader. Remember to SING, SING, SING! Watching the children learn many songs by heart AND to love singing is such a joy!

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!

Primary Music Time - Make It Sing!

4/21/2021

Over the past 13 months, I have heard of almost every conceivable form of Primary Music time activity I thought possible. I admire the Ward Primary song leaders who have worked so creatively to come up with ideas to teach music virtually. They really know the value of teaching the Primary Songs and Hymns although so much has been shifted to the shoulders of the parents.

I have seen everything from interesting word charts, to virtual games, to giving out bags of rhythm props, to playing sing-along videos.

I have even heard complaints that these valiant song leaders are supposed to teach music SILENTLY. (What is that exactly?!!!)

I suppose that some wards are beginning to have in-person Primary Music Time, but are not yet allowed to sing. I guess the only choices have been to play rhythmic games or to teach sign language to the songs on video. NOT REALLY SINGING TIME, is it.

These valiant song leaders have been scrambling to share ideas with each other. They say they are hoping that their efforts are helping the kids learn the songs. I sure hope so!

My experience tells me, though, that only a small percentage of children actually gain the ability to LISTEN and MATCH PITCHES without learning from someone who will give them FEEDBACK. Usually, parents are the first and best teachers. But when the parents don't or won't sing, the children lose out on their earliest instruction. I admit that some children are just born with musical ears, but most need close-up and personal training.

Movies, virtual presentation videos, and recordings may not be the best instructors. They are too impersonal and cannot give FEEDBACK. Most young children are not aware of their own sounds. Most need help learning to listen to and match the model. Also, when they are left to follow an adult voice singing in a range much bigger than the child can produce or has "affected" timbres, they get confused about pitch and appropriate vocal quality.

As a voice teacher, I have had first hand experience trying to help struggling singers overcome issues begun in their youth.

Primary Song Leaders get it. They want desperately to sing in person with the children. They want to help them learn the melodies and words properly. Most of all they want to inspire the children to feel the Spirit by internalizing the simple Gospel truths taught in the Primary Songs.

In-Person Primary Music Time can't come soon enough for me!

Virtual Musical Numbers for Ward Conference

3/7/2021

My daughter was given the responsibility and challenge of providing two musical numbers for her Ward Conference next week. She was given the theme and asked to provide videos that would be shown during the meeting to the few people in attendance as well as the virtual ZOOM congregation. While she would much prefer live music in a meeting attended by many live people, she willingly accepted this opportunity. (Providing any singing is better than NO SINGING!)

The theme has something to do with how to survive life's TESTS. Seems quite appropriate due to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. She thought and thought about what songs to do, and then she asked me for ideas. I suggested a song sung by the Tabernacle Choir at Pres. Thomas S. Monson's 85th Birthday Celebration Concert, Golden Years, "If the Way Be Full of Trial, Weary Not." (I know I was there in the video, but I couldn't find me. sigh)

I had been visiting their family in Pennsylvania for the week doing some recording of songs for my website. Kathryn has five daughters between the ages of 9-17. They have lovely voices, good musicianship, and are always willing to do Grandma big favors by learning and singing some of my songs. One song Kathryn heard Megan practicing, "My Baptism Covenant." She asked us if Megan could be filmed singing that song as the second number. Megan was willing, and so we stayed after the meeting at Church and filmed her singing in the chapel.

When I got home to Utah, I rendered Megan's video in iMovie. I think she did such a beautiful performance. Here is the video. Enjoy!

"My Baptism Covenant" video - sung by Megan Rock, age 10

Being Childlike or Childish

1/11/2021

The new Primary Music Leader opened the Zoom meeting by greeting the children and their families. Then she told them they would be learning a new song. She had made various screens of the words and visual aids. Then she proceeded to teach the song. Unfortunately, she had no musical training and did not understand how to follow music notation. For example, she did not know about this little thing called the FIRST AND SECOND ENDING.

In short, she got the words wrong. Some of the older kids pointed out her mistake, and she proceeded to inform them that they were wrong and she was right. She insisted that the last line was "these are the things that I'm taught." Tempers flared and the Music Leader had to quickly switch to another activity.

Sometimes we find ourselves in positions that are unfamiliar and uncomfortable. We may be thrust into a situation where we don't feel prepared or we feel out of our comfort zones. Or we may be asked to function in an assignment that doesn't match our talents or training. In any case, there will be times in life when we get to choose whether to be childlike or childish. In other words, will we be teachable or stubborn?

Nothing is worse than finding yourself in the position of acting on information that you think is right, then finding out that it isn't. Do you stubbornly continue on that outdated or simply wrong tangent, or allow yourself to stumble then pick yourself up and change directions? For most of us, life is a series of stumbles and changing paths.

During this Covid pandemic, Church Musicians have had to be very creative to find ways to fulfill their callings. In the best of times, new Music Leaders rarely get any training, and with all of the shut downs, in-person training from Church Authorities has simply been non-existent. Many creative people have figured out interesting ways to use the internet to provide Music Time for their Primary families. They have even offered help for other leaders who may need a leg up. However, when the person called has absolutely no previous experience, that new music leader may also need a crash course in piano or singing lessons!

In the end, though, the responsibility is still on the individual. Each person must choose whether to be childlike and willing to learn, or to be childish and refuse help.

Primary Music Time over Zoom

6/9/2020

For the past few months, during this time of global pandemic, my daughter has been holding Primary Music Time over Zoom. Several families in her Ward have joined the group every Sunday morning to have a brief lesson and sing songs together. They even answer questions and play little games. The families have been very appreciative of her efforts.

They gather together as children with at least one parent in front of their computer monitors. The Primary President usually moderates and controls who can be heard at any one time. The individual computer monitors stay muted unless that family is called on to speak. If every mute button was left on, the cacophony of noises would be such a mess!

My daughter has done a great job figuring out little games to help teach the music and memorize the words. She creates word charts with beautiful artwork curtesy of online sources. She always gives beautiful lessons that tie the songs to the Gospel topic being discussed from "Come Follow Me."

I have been able to support her efforts by playing the piano for her. This has been a good situation for us. But many other song leaders throughout the world have not had musical accompaniment, They might use their use guitars, or perhaps sing along with pre-recorded backgrounds. That can hamper the flow of teaching by being awkward and cumbersome.

As nice as it is to stay connected through technology, it is still a bit disappointing not to be able to sing together in a way that the teacher can actually hear the children. They do their best in this difficult situation and try to find things to be grateful for.

I am sure they all look forward to the time when they can meet together and sing together and hear each other in the same space again!

The Music of Betsy Lee Bailey copyright 2020