So we know there are a gazillion things you can do with your Ward Choir, but what else can we do to vary the musical items in our wards?
- Team up a couple of families each month, and have each ‘team’ of families present a different musical item each month (ie two families present their item together in January, then the next two families present theirs in February etc). There are lots of great songs on the church website from the church magazines. All are appropriate for Sacrament Meeting. Check out http://www.lds.org/cm/display/0,17631,6497-1,00.html and go to the ‘Music Published in Church Magazines’ section for some great pieces.
- Assign a piano solo.
- Ask the Primary to sing.
- Ask Priesthood to sing.
- Ask Relief Society to sing.
- Ask the Youth to sing.
- Are there any string players in the ward? Ask them to play an instrumental item.
- Are there any primary children learning instruments (within church guidelines…no percussion, brass or guitar instruments). Ask them to do an item, but give them plenty of notice.
- Assign a primary child to sing a solo and have the congregation join in (is always cute for ‘I Am A Child of God’ providing it isn’t a repeated musical item in your ward). Piano accompaniment of course otherwise the poor child will be drowned out by the organ.
- For a special event (ie the closing hymn in the Primary Presentation), have an instrumentalist play a descant over the top of the congregation on the last verse.
- How about a piano/organ duet?
- In a couple of weeks, my ward will have a piano trio with three 9 year old boys. Will be so exciting to watch 😀 They can tick it off in their Faith in God books too.
- Any woodwind players? Careful here, as the clarinet is generally a B flat instrument, and they will need their part transposed. Flutes and oboes will be fine as they are C instruments.
- Violin/piano duets are usually a big hit. I especially love the books called ‘Celebration of Hymns’ and ‘Celebration of Children’s Hymns’ both by A Laurence Lyon, published by Jackman Music Corporation. They are Hymn settings for one or two violins and piano. Very nicely arranged.
