Sunday Gratitudes

Today was a culmination of 4 months of hard work. My choir was the program for Sacrament Meeting. The entire choir sang four numbers, the primary children sang two, a men's duet sang as well as a women's quartet. The service was beautiful. I am grateful for the choir's dedication. I hope they enjoy the next two Sundays off.

I truly believe that music is an integral part of our soul. It can strengthen testimonies as much as it can erode them, depending what we're listening to. When I teach group voice lessons to teens in a church group, I talk for a bit on how important it is to choose music that will uplift.

There is great music of all genres that can uplift and leave you the better for listening.
I have an experiment that I ask them to copy at home. I have them take the jacket from their favorite CDs that has the lyrics on it or get a copy of the lyrics from the Internet. Their parents are a part of the experiment. They are not allowed to comment in anyway - just their presence is required. I then instruct the teen to read the lyrics out loud to their mom and/or dad (or grandparents,they work just fine,too.) If the teen cannot finish the reading the lyrics out loud (or blushes doing so) then the song is inappropriate and should be eliminated.

It is amazing how effective that simple activity is.

Here is my gratitude for good music, especially during this Christmas season where music is such a large part of our celebrations.

Merry Christmas!