Conversation with Choir Director

This is part of a conversation with Sabrina Clasen, Snohomish Ward Choir Director, who has helped inspire me (John) to want to sing better. After 60 some odd years of not doing much singing I have grown to like the choir. She is somewhat reluctant, but I am arguing that the choir could sing most every week if given an email link to the hymn we would sing, and choir members could use the music on www.lds.org/muic to practice at home following the tones on the computer. Her job would be to meet with the choir before church for a couple of run-throughs. This would be in addition to the special numbers we prepare once a month. You can eliminate or diminish the parts others sing and just rehearse your notes (I sing bass). Perhaps she thinks I'm off base.

Sabrina,

Unfortunately, the sheet music doesn't really help me or people of my ilk who don't read music, except that as the note go higher on the score, you sing higher. I look forward to when we do numbers (from the hymn book) where you just give a link (eg. http://www.lds.org/music/library/hymns/how-gentle-gods-commands?lang=eng) and we can sing along with our computer.

 

By the way, some years ago when Brett was off his mission and going to school in Bellingham, I devised this potential business which I was going to call "Church Choir" that would do exactly what you get from LDS.org/music but would be done on cassette tapes. It's amazing how great minds think alike! Brett could have helped me on the project but didn't have time. I had no musical or technical skills to pull it off, just business and financial (at least in those days) capabilities. I think, with the tools the church provides, a ward choir doesn't have any reason not to be able to put a bunch of harmonizing, competent singers, up in front of the congregation every week.

 

Could I have the list of hymns that will be sung in Sacrament over the next few months along with the theme for each week's talks? I would like to see what hymns could be sung by the choir that would complement the Sacrament Meeting talks. With a minimum of group effort, choir members could individually practice their parts and be ready for weekly or semi-monthly choir numbers. Wouldn't that be fun?