Many years ago, shortly after I had my last child, a baby boy, (who was born on Dec. 13th), I was blessed with the privilege of playing the part of Mary in a stake Christmas production, while my husband played the part of Joseph. As I rocked my baby Jesus, (a doll wrapped in swathing bands), and sang to him a lullabye, as if I were Mary, the mother of Jesus, I experienced an outpouring of the Lord’s sweet spirit; and perhaps in a small sense, was given to know and feel Mary’s emotions and love for her own tiny child. A reverent hush came over the audience, and time seemed momentarily to stand still. ~ Blessed Am I captures these feelings. I have added a new link for the background accompaniment, one step lower, (in the key of C). Here it is, as my Christmas gift to you.
BLESSED AM I
December 15th, 2009I LOVE CHRISTMAS!
December 7th, 2009It’s hard to believe that today is December 7th! Christmas will be here, before we know it. Don’t you just love the sweet spirit you can feel this time of year, when you take the time to contemplate the true meaning of this celebration; the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? I bear witness that I know He came to earth as a babe in a humble manger and that He atoned for our sins and gave His life freely, in order to take up His body again ~ as the first fruits of the resurrection. Where is your heart this Christmas season? Is Jesus Christ at the center of your life and thoughts? What were you doing that first Christmas morn? What are you doing on this Christmas morn? Take a little time to listen to “Come Worship The Living Lord“, “Christmas Alleluia“, “Blessed Am I“, “Away In A Manger“, “Joy To The World“, and “Angels We Have Heard On High” and my other Christmas Arrangements. They will help get you into the true spirit of Christmas.
Volume Two: The Hope of His Glory
November 28th, 2009I am so excited to finally have volume two, “The Hope of His Glory“, now available. In this volume there are 16 original songs. Please take a minute to sample this volume and let me know what you think. This music has really impacted my life, because with the creation of nearly every song in this volume, I have experienced deep emotion and true inspiration; perhaps because my family is so dear to me. For instance, “Because of The Love”, was written in one day, after the death of my beloved and saintly father. My brother, Tom, asked me to write and perform a special song for my father’s funeral. After heartfelt prayer and serious contemplation and reflection, the melody and the words just began to flow out onto the music paper. I definitely felt ”guided” to be able to fine-tune this song, tied to such tender emotions and memories. It has never been changed, since the inspiration for it first came. I can’t wait to hear stories from you. If you have any questions or comments regarding my music, please feel free to post them on my blog, and I will respond to them.
CHRISTMAS PROGRAM MUSIC
November 20th, 2009Silent Night
November 19th, 2009Hello Everyone! I received an email today from a lady, who downloaded my SATB Christmas Arrangemnt of Silent Night and needed less pages, easier page turns, and the parts more accessable. I tried to email her back with the PDFs, but for some reason, my emails failed to go through; so I sent the new version, plus a new one with parts only to my Son in Law, (my fantastic Web Designer and Webmaster, Joe Billman), and asked him to take off the old Silent Night and replace it with the new, easier to read version. This should make singing this favorite Christmas Song much more enjoyable and reader friendly. So look for it really soon. Take a look and listen to my other new Christmas Arrangements also.
SONGS ABOUT HOME AND FAMILY
November 14th, 2009VOLUME TWO of The Songs of Holiness Series, THE HOPE OF HIS GLORY, is about to be put up on my website. Hurray!!! I am so excited about this, because for a long time, there have not been enough songs about home and family and because the Primary theme and program this year have been centered around the family.
Each song has mainly to do with these themes and with women’s roles, the importance of little children, motherhood, the blessings of the Priesthood and the temples and how they bless our families, and returning to our Heavenly Home: I Pray For A Home, Jesus Loves The Precious Little Children, Daughters of God Above, Music Sweeter (Than We’ve Ever Heard), Home Again, This Mother’s Prayer, While I May, Forever With My Family, Nowhere Else On Earth, Please Bless The Children, Priesthood Power, Of Such Precious Worth, Because of The Love, Young Women’s Mission, and Blessed Am I.
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 13th, 2009How grateful we should be, every day of our lives, for all of the tender mercies and blessings our kind Heavenly Father sends down to us. Feeling overwhelmed with gratitude, I wrote a new song the other day, entitled: “Thanks Giving“. It’s my FREE GIFT to you. Also, if you’ve always loved the little primary song, “I Have A Little Gospel Light“, and haven’t been able to find it anywhere, here is another FREE GIFT for you: a delightful, new arrangement to teach your little children.
CHRISTMAS ARRANGEMENTS
November 3rd, 2009Can you believe that it’s already November and that Christmas Programs are just a month away? New Christmas Arrangements are always so refreshing. Check out my Christmas and Easter Arrangements Album for eight lovely arrangements, as well as a new SATB CHOIR ARRANGEMENT for “Joy To The World“, an inspirational, new Christmas song for ward choirs, (entitled, “One Star)”, and a delightful new children’s Christmas song, “One Bright Star”, found in my Primary and Children’s album, as well as in the Christmas and Easter Album. In Mountain Green, Utah, our large, talented ward choir performed my arrangement of ”Silent Night“, with a guest flutist, and it was absolutely beautiful! “Away In A Manger” is always a joy to sing and listen to, but this is an especially nice arrangement. For a wonderful new SATB CHOIR ARRANGEMENT, listen to “Come And Worship The Living Lord!”, and hear my daughters singing the delightful “Christmas Alleluia”, which has been performed countless times for many Christmases, as well as the tender, “Blessed Am I” (Mary’s Song), which whether sung as a solo or women’s choir, has softened and touched every heart each time it has been performed.
Today My Heart Was Touched
October 20th, 2009Today we attended the funeral of a young friend and mother of five; just 31 years of age and who passed away from Inflammatory Breast Cancer. I was deeply moved, as her four oldest children, her brothers and sisters, and even her mother gave beautiful tributes to her. And then her strong, supportive husband spoke of her courage, faith, and gratitude and uplifted all of us with his unwavering testimony. Her blogspot is inspirational: amberchase.webly.com. Her mother told how Amber was strengthened by the hymns and comforted by the beauty of music. For the opening song, the congregation sang, “There Is Sunshine In My Soul Today”; which fit Amber’s personality perfectly. I’ve been inspired to do an arrangement of this hymn, because it’s also one of my favorites. Look for it soon in my Free LDS Sheet Music and Free Hymn Arrangements. This evening, in honor of Amber’s children, I recorded an arrangement of “I Have A Little Gospel Light”, which will be in my Primary and Children’s Album.