Worship Music in the Church

[bluebell]

I love a lot of our hymns, they have a familiar spirit, for lack of a better term, when you sing them after having sung them since you were little.

But changing things up can really help wake people up to the spirit sometimes.  Some people go through sacrament meeting on autopilot, kind of a 'I've done this so many times I can do it with my eyes closed' approach.  I'm not usually a fan of change for change's sake but sometimes you really do just need to do things differently so that people are forced (also for lack of a better term) to establish their relationship to what is going on around them.

The youth music is pretty awesome, for example, and some of the primary music will bring tears to my eyes every time.  There is nothing inappropriate about those songs; adding them to hymnbooks would be amazing.

[Tacenda]

6 hours ago, Stargazer said:

Is that because you can't carry a tune or the congregation whispers the hymns?  🙂 

My wife pretends to dread it when certain hymns are on the program, because I think they sound better in German (my mission language), and like to sing them out loudly in that language!  

Congregation whispers and I can carry a tune, but don't think I sound very good. 

[Stargazer]

7 hours ago, Tacenda said:

Congregation whispers and I can carry a tune, but don't think I sound very good. 

You may sound better than you think!  But rather than trying to blend in with them, you should probably sing right out.  I have attended meetings with whisper-singing congregations and it was always my goal to put them to shame.  Be enthusiastic!  If you sing well enough, perhaps you'll inspire them to raise their own volume -- and if you don't really sound very good, perhaps that will inspire them to sing louder to cover for you!  

Just belt them out, sister!

 

[Thinking]

Quote

Instruments with a prominent or less worshipful sound, such as most brass and percussion, are not appropriate for sacrament meeting. Link

Apparently Music & The Spoken Word has different guidelines.

I grew up in Southern California. Once in sacrament meeting a young adult member sang an original song while playing his acoustic guitar. The reaction was mixed. Some thought the guitar was inappropriate, even though they liked the song. Others loved it. Some time after that musical number my Mom told me that all future musical numbers had to be preapproved. My Mom was one of the music people in the ward so I'm sure that came up in a meeting. I don't know if anything was communicated to the acoustic guitar playing member, but I didn't see him at church very much after that.

 

[RevTestament]

14 minutes ago, Thinking said:

Apparently Music & The Spoken Word has different guidelines.

I grew up in Southern California. Once in sacrament meeting a young adult member sang an original song while playing his acoustic guitar. The reaction was mixed. Some thought the guitar was inappropriate, even though they liked the song. Others loved it. Some time after that musical number my Mom told me that all future musical numbers had to be preapproved. My Mom was one of the music people in the ward so I'm sure that came up in a meeting. I don't know if anything was communicated to the acoustic guitar playing member, but I didn't see him at church very much after that.

The organ can be louder than any trumpet, yet it is used in services and assemblies. No one thinks it is inappropriate. Guitar can be beautiful. I find it unfortunate that some LDS have this prejudice against certain instruments. I don't think there is anything wrong with an occasional joyful noise to the Lord. Not everything has to have a soft, solemn sound. One of my favorite classical pieces is the Concierto de Aranjuez which is written for guitar. If you like guitar, I think you will find it a sonic feast. Unfortunately, there is not much like it written for vocal soloists. 

[Thinking]

37 minutes ago, RevTestament said:

The organ can be louder than any trumpet, yet it is used in services and assemblies. No one thinks it is inappropriate. Guitar can be beautiful. I find it unfortunate that some LDS have this prejudice against certain instruments. I don't think there is anything wrong with an occasional joyful noise to the Lord. Not everything has to have a soft, solemn sound. One of my favorite classical pieces is the Concierto de Aranjuez which is written for guitar. If you like guitar, I think you will find it a sonic feast. Unfortunately, there is not much like it written for vocal soloists. 

Check out The Gift by Eric Tingstad & Nancy Rumbel.

 

[Bernard Gui]

On 6/11/2018 at 12:05 PM, Prof said:

I love MOTAB and I love African American spirituals. However, I have seen the choir perform such spirituals before. For me, it just doesn't work.

I would love to see a gospel choir imitate the Motab style.

[Thinking]

1 hour ago, Bernard Gui said:

I would love to see a gospel choir imitate the Motab style.

How about a gospel choir performing African American spirituals in GC?

[RevTestament]

1 hour ago, Thinking said:

Check out The Gift by Eric Tingstad & Nancy Rumbel.

Thanks, now I have something to add to my Manheim Steamroller Christmas albums.  

Surprised to see it listed at $30 on Amazon...

[Bernard Gui]

3 hours ago, Thinking said:

How about a gospel choir performing African American spirituals in GC?

I would love to hear a Russian male chorus with the bassi profundi or a Polish mountain choir. Or a mariachi band. A Tuvan throat singing group would be awesome. Conference could be some kind of Mormons Got Talent  

 

Edited June 17, 2018 by Bernard Gui

[Spammer]

I would love to hear the Motab perform Rachmaninov’s Vespers. It incorporates melodies from the Russian Orthodox evening service and is stunningly beautiful. Imagine what it would sound like with the Motab singing it.

 

[Calm]

They have at least performed it once in 1993, it appears.  Will look to see if there has been a repeat with a video:

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1993/07/news-of-the-church/tabernacle-choir-sings-in-salt-lake-cathedral?lang=eng&clang=ben

And apparently they did it on tour in 2001

https://creativeloafing.com/content-159651-A-survivor

add-on:  Rejoice, O Virgin...

 

Edited June 17, 2018 by Calm

[Spammer]

2 minutes ago, Calm said:

They have at least performed it once in 1993, it appears.  Will look to see if there has been a repeat with a video:

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1993/07/news-of-the-church/tabernacle-choir-sings-in-salt-lake-cathedral?lang=eng&clang=ben

Oh wow, I would love to hear that.

[Calm]

I just added a link in the above post to what I assume is part of a longer piece since your Vespers is over an hour and the one song I posted is 3 minutes.

I am guessing the MTC did only part of Vespers on tour, so wondering if just this short piece or more.

Is there a section that is most associated with the name?

Edited June 17, 2018 by Calm

[Bernard Gui]

6 hours ago, Spammer said:

I would love to hear the Motab perform Rachmaninov’s Vespers. It incorporates melodies from the Russian Orthodox evening service and is stunningly beautiful. Imagine what it would sound like with the Motab singing it.

 

 

 

Do they have enough bassi profundi?

 

[Bernard Gui]

On 6/11/2018 at 10:25 AM, HappyJackWagon said:

It's totally just a personal preference for me. I recognize that.

 But I wonder how many others also feel a disconnect from worship music and they way we do music in the church. I suspect this survey is attempting to put some numbers to that. I'm curious, on a very basic level, are you satisfied with music as an extension of your worship experience on Sundays, or do you wish for more.

People defend their musical preferences with the same fervor they defend their sports teams and their religion....maybe even more. No matter what the Church does with music, large numbers will still be unhappy. Too slow, too fast. Too difficult, too easy. Too emotional, too restrained. Too secular, too loud, to boisterous, too bland. Too boring, too tedious, too energetic, too soft, less organ, more cowbell.

The problem is why and how to replace them. Taking some out will sadden many who loved the old ones. We have no mechanism in our meetings to learn new hymns. Assembling new music and publishing a new hymnal in multiple languages would be a massive and expensive endeavor.

Worship music is also a hot potato in other churches. I know a lot of Catholics who wish Gregorian chant was still in their services. A few actually seek out parishes where the old liturgy is performed. The great Protestant hymn traditions are being replaced by Christian pop praise bands. Neither is my cup of mint tea. Our tradition is based on the 18th and 19th century American Protestant practice and borrows many tunes and lyrics from their hymn writers. Our best corpus is our sacramental hymns...I think all of them are composed by LDS musicians.

There are some of our hymns that are outdated musically. For example, no one sang  “If You Could Hie to Kolob,” but after it was set to Ralph Vaughan-William’s English masterful folk tune it became very popular. Some hymn tunes and styles are from the bygone era of Protestant camp and revival songs, and even some old-timey dance tunes. Some hymn lyrics sound stilted, old-fashioned, or even offensive to our modern ears. How do we retire those? What do we replace them with?

I play music in a lot of non-LDS church services. I like to thumb through their hymnals. I don’t see a whole lot of stuff any better than what we have. In many cases it is inferior. I don’t think praise bands is the answer. Effective instrumental performance requires a very high level of musicianship. Is that what we are after? A lot of pop LDS religious music is about on a par with Christian pop. I don’t think any of it would endure the test of time required to be entrenched in an official worldwide hymnal for the next 50 years.

The question for me is what is the purpose for singing hymns in sacrament meetings?

To appeal to emotions? To make us feel good? To praise God? To bind us together in tradition? To entertain? To bore some to death? To provide an outlet for church musicians? Should we applaud a performance in sacrament meeting?

Perhaps the greatest and most profound religious composer of all time, the immortal JS Bach’s only desire was to write music that glorified God. I would wager that most modern Christians would be quite put off to have to perform or listen to his music in Church, and would prefer to hear a praise band-style piece. Any Bach in our hymnal? Anybody want some?

The American Christian composer and educator Lowell Mason once said something like, “If after a Church service someone comes to me and says they enjoyed my music, then I have failed my purpose.” Why would he say that?

 

Edited June 18, 2018 by Bernard Gui

[Bernard Gui]

My son Abogadissimo copied this out of the hymnal when we were at his son’s violin recital in a Methodist Church. Good advice even today. This would solve a lot of the problems we are discussing here.

Quote

That this part of Divine Worship may be the more acceptable to God, as well as the more profitable to yourself and others, be careful to observe the following directions.

I. Learn these Tunes before you learn any others; afterwards learn as many as you please.

II. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can.

III. Sing All. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up and you will find a blessing.

IV. Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of Satan.

V. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.

VI. Sing in Time: whatever time is sung, be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it; but attend closely to the leading voices, and move therewith as exactly as you can. And take care you sing not too slow. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from among us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first.

VII. Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your Heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve of here, and reward when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.

John Wesley, 1761

 

 

Edited June 18, 2018 by Bernard Gui

[HappyJackWagon]

7 hours ago, Bernard Gui said:

People defend their musical preferences with the same fervor they defend their sports teams and their religion....maybe even more. No matter what the Church does with music, large numbers will still be unhappy. Too slow, too fast. Too difficult, too easy. Too emotional, too restrained. Too secular, too loud, to boisterous, too bland. Too boring, too tedious, too energetic, too soft, less organ, more cowbell.

The problem is why and how to replace them. Taking some out will sadden many who loved the old ones. We have no mechanism in our meetings to learn new hymns. Assembling new music and publishing a new hymnal in multiple languages would be a massive and expensive endeavor.

Worship music is also a hot potato in other churches. I know a lot of Catholics who wish Gregorian chant was still in their services. A few actually seek out parishes where the old liturgy is performed. The great Protestant hymn traditions are being replaced by Christian pop praise bands. Neither is my cup of mint tea. Our tradition is based on the 18th and 19th century American Protestant practice and borrows many tunes and lyrics from their hymn writers. Our best corpus is our sacramental hymns...I think all of them are composed by LDS musicians.

There are some of our hymns that are outdated musically. For example, no one sang  “If You Could Hie to Kolob,” but after it was set to Ralph Vaughan-William’s English masterful folk tune it became very popular. Some hymn tunes and styles are from the bygone era of Protestant camp and revival songs, and even some old-timey dance tunes. Some hymn lyrics sound stilted, old-fashioned, or even offensive to our modern ears. How do we retire those? What do we replace them with?

I play music in a lot of non-LDS church services. I like to thumb through their hymnals. I don’t see a whole lot of stuff any better than what we have. In many cases it is inferior. I don’t think praise bands is the answer. Effective instrumental performance requires a very high level of musicianship. Is that what we are after? A lot of pop LDS religious music is about on a par with Christian pop. I don’t think any of it would endure the test of time required to be entrenched in an official worldwide hymnal for the next 50 years.

The question for me is what is the purpose for singing hymns in sacrament meetings?

To appeal to emotions? To make us feel good? To praise God? To bind us together in tradition? To entertain? To bore some to death? To provide an outlet for church musicians? Should we applaud a performance in sacrament meeting?

Perhaps the greatest and most profound religious composer of all time, the immortal JS Bach’s only desire was to write music that glorified God. I would wager that most modern Christians would be quite put off to have to perform or listen to his music in Church, and would prefer to hear a praise band-style piece. Any Bach in our hymnal? Anybody want some?

The American Christian composer and educator Lowell Mason once said something like, “If after a Church service someone comes to me and says they enjoyed my music, then I have failed my purpose.” Why would he say that?

 

Good post, and I think you win Monday with the More Cowbell comment  

Quote

Duncan- Something that our stake tried was this idea of a "insta choir" basically  those flash choir or flash dancing or whatever you used to see in malls, restaurants, doctor offices, etc. It was really dumb and distracting TBH. Someone would be giving a talk or reading the announcements and then someone would give a signal and like 15 people would stand up and sing some song, it died out though🤩

Our ward actually did this yesterday. To celebrate fathers they invited an instant choir (males only) to sing Praise to the Man. It was kind of weird.

[Amulek]

7 hours ago, Bernard Gui said:

We have no mechanism in our meetings to learn new hymns.

Not an official mechanism specifically designed for this purpose, but it's something that can be done within the existing framework.

In the ward I grew up in, we would take a couple of months out of the year and learn new hymns. One week, the ward choir director would give a little bit of information about the song and then would play through it on the organ for the closing hymn (no singing). The next week, the ward choir would then perform the song as a special musical number. The following week, the song would be included as one of the congregational hymns during the service. 

It seemed to work pretty well. Much better than what I have seen in other wards where they just pick a hymn that nobody has ever heard before and then let everyone just struggle through it. That can be painful.

 

[HappyJackWagon]

8 minutes ago, Amulek said:

Not an official mechanism specifically designed for this purpose, but it's something that can be done within the existing framework.

In the ward I grew up in, we would take a couple of months out of the year and learn new hymns. One week, the ward choir director would give a little bit of information about the song and then would play through it on the organ for the closing hymn (no singing). The next week, the ward choir would then perform the song as a special musical number. The following week, the song would be included as one of the congregational hymns during the service. 

It seemed to work pretty well. Much better than what I have seen in other wards where they just pick a hymn that nobody has ever heard before and then let everyone just struggle through it. That can be painful.

 

I've seen this done numerous times to varying degrees of success.

The vast majority of hymns in the hymnal are never sung. I'd guess that there are probably 75-100 hymns that get 99% of the play in church. The hymnal could be thinned out for the best of the best, and then add a few other goodies. The hymnals are available electronically so it would be easy to at least update things in that way, even while keeping the existing hymnals in circulation until they become too thread worn to be useful (like most hymnals in our building).

[RevTestament]

7 hours ago, Bernard Gui said:

People defend their musical preferences with the same fervor they defend their sports teams and their religion....maybe even more. No matter what the Church does with music, large numbers will still be unhappy. Too slow, too fast. Too difficult, too easy. Too emotional, too restrained. Too secular, too loud, to boisterous, too bland. Too boring, too tedious, too energetic, too soft, less organ, more cowbell.

***

Worship music is also a hot potato in other churches. I know a lot of Catholics who wish Gregorian chant was still in their services. A few actually seek out parishes where the old liturgy is performed. The great Protestant hymn traditions are being replaced by Christian pop praise bands. Neither is my cup of mint tea. Our tradition is based on the 18th and 19th century American Protestant practice and borrows many tunes and lyrics from their hymn writers. Our best corpus is our sacramental hymns...I think all of them are composed by LDS musicians.

I want to respond to you because you bring up some thoughtful questions. The preferences of individuals is a good reason to provide more variety in the Hymnal. A ward doesn't have to sing all the songs in the Hymnal, but is kinda stuck with what is in the Hymnal. I've seen churches which use two hymnals to gain a broader selection.

Quote

The problem is why and how to replace them. Taking some out will sadden many who loved the old ones. We have no mechanism in our meetings to learn new hymns. Assembling new music and publishing a new hymnal in multiple languages would be a massive and expensive endeavor.

***

There are some of our hymns that are outdated musically. For example, no one sang  “If You Could Hie to Kolob,” but after it was set to Ralph Vaughan-William’s English masterful folk tune it became very popular. Some hymn tunes and styles are from the bygone era of Protestant camp and revival songs, and even some old-timey dance tunes. Some hymn lyrics sound stilted, old-fashioned, or even offensive to our modern ears. How do we retire those? What do we replace them with?

One way to select what songs to retire is to go through the Hymnal and note what songs are not getting sung, and there are a fair number of them. Some are just kind of bland. They don't do anything for me, and my guess is that others feel the same way. When is the last time you sang 235, "Should you feel inclined to censure?"

How to pick what to include? How about songs that pluck the heart strings of the soul? MTAB sings some songs which are not in our Hymnal like "Simple Gifts." As you note, no one sang "If you could Hie to Kolob" before it was written to a traditional folk melody. BTW it wasn't really Ralph Vaghn WIlliam's tune. It was an old folk melody which he wrote into some of his music. I have suggested including a few well loved classics such as Amazing Grace. I think the Church is cautious of the message, but there is nothing wrong with being saved by grace. Even the Book of Mormon teaches we are saved by grace "after all we can do." It is by grace that we are forgiven - not by our works. Maybe someone could write another verse for the song to make it more "LDS," but MTAB sings this song in its present form too. Unfortunately, there are not really any new "hymns" being composed. but there are certainly still some classics worthy of being included in our hymnal. If it is good enough for MTAB, why not our hymnal?:

If the Church remains resistant to including new hymns in the hymnal, composers are not going to write anything new. I have considered re-composing a song, but I am not really a composer, and my hope that it will get included in the Hymnal in my lifetime is nil. 

I think we do have a mechanism to learn new songs. We have MTAB which sings a wider repertoire, and introduces otherwise unknown songs to the LDS congregations. We also have ward and stake choirs which can introduce new hymns and gain feedback from LDS congregations. 

As for the expense, I have proposed including new hymns in the electronic hymnal available through google play, etc. This would present almost no expense to the Church, unless it includes new hymns subject to royalties. Once a new hymnal is "solidified" a printed version could be done. Yes, that would involve a significant expense, but I think the Church can afford it, and new ones have to get printed anyway to replace old worn out hymnals. 

Quote

I play music in a lot of non-LDS church services. I like to thumb through their hymnals. I don’t see a whole lot of stuff any better than what we have. In many cases it is inferior. I don’t think praise bands is the answer. Effective instrumental performance requires a very high level of musicianship. Is that what we are after? A lot of pop LDS religious music is about on a par with Christian pop. I don’t think any of it would endure the test of time required to be entrenched in an official worldwide hymnal for the next 50 years.

See above. There are a good number of well-liked songs in other hymnals which get sung by even our own MTAB, but are not in our Hymnal. I agree that the modern praise stuff won't stand the test of time, but there is the occasional new melody which a composer might could work with. 

Quote

The question for me is what is the purpose for singing hymns in sacrament meetings?

To appeal to emotions? To make us feel good? To praise God? To bind us together in tradition? To entertain? To bore some to death? To provide an outlet for church musicians? Should we applaud a performance in sacrament meeting?

I think that music should have multiple purposes: to lift up the soul, to remind us of our solemn commitments to our Lord, to tug at our heart strings, and yes to praise and thank the Lord. Not all LDS Hymns need to be solemn. We need a variety to fit the occasion. 

Quote

Perhaps the greatest and most profound religious composer of all time, the immortal JS Bach’s only desire was to write music that glorified God. I would wager that most modern Christians would be quite put off to have to perform or listen to his music in Church, and would prefer to hear a praise band-style piece. Any Bach in our hymnal? Anybody want some?

The American Christian composer and educator Lowell Mason once said something like, “If after a Church service someone comes to me and says they enjoyed my music, then I have failed my purpose.” Why would he say that?

Most of Bach's music was not written in Hymn form. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring does get sung at Christmas services. Ultimately, we should sing to the Lord. When I sing I sing to praise and honor the Lord. I do not sing to gain attention or to increase my own significance. It is not to entertain an audience. I want to convey my feelings of honor and praise to the congregation. The purpose of clapping is to praise the singer/performer. I don't believe this should be the goal of the singer. He or she should not be trying to bring praise to themselves. If they are like me, they are trying to convey a message, to bring the spirit of worship and praise to the heart. I don''t think clapping conveys the right message, but some congregations give a hearty Amen, which I do feel is appropriate. After all, hymns are often sung in a prayerful manner, and can be compared to prayer.

[Tacenda]

8 hours ago, Bernard Gui said:

My son Abogadissimo copied this out of the hymnal when we were at his son’s violin recital in a Methodist Church. Good advice even today. This would solve a lot of the problems we are discussing here.

 

Thanks for sharing, I think I'm going to have to find a different venue or church to be able to follow these rules. 

[RevTestament]

38 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

Thanks for sharing, I think I'm going to have to find a different venue or church to be able to follow these rules. 

LOL. I hear ya Tacenda. I have been to too many LDS services that have a certain dolefulness to the singing. I would certainly like to see that improved. I think a lot of it just comes from improper singing technique. I know some churches have their congregations stand when they sing. This serves two main purposes. It tends to wake up people, and it tends to open up their diaphragms for better support to their voices without them even realizing it. Choir directors will always have their choirs stand to sing, so their lungs can fully fill, and they can provide better natural support from the diaphragm. 

Quote

Wesley: II. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can.

I am "guilty" of not doing this. Sometimes I like to sing in a high third, or make other personal amendments to a hymn. Despite Mr Wesley's advice I will probably not change. i would like to see more gusto in the congregational singing though. This doesn't necessarily mean louder, but just to sing with feeling and intent. All too often hymns come across as to mechanical, and just going through the motions so to speak. After a lifetime of singing this way, It will be hard to get many congregations to change. They just don't know any different. However, there is nothing inappropriate about the way MTAB sings for instance. That is basically what congregations should strive for imho.  It would do a lot to help local services.

[HappyJackWagon]

Well, this is interesting...

Quote

The Church has announced plans to publish new, unified editions of both Hymns and the Children’s Songbook. And members are invited to participate in the revision process in unprecedented ways.

Why the new editions?

“We recognize the power that sacred music has to unify the members of the Church throughout the world,” said Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “We desire to offer a consistent core collection of hymns and songs in every language that reflects the diverse needs of the global Church in our day.”

https://www.lds.org/church/news/church-announces-plans-for-new-hymnbook-and-childrens-songbook?lang=eng

[Tacenda]

55 minutes ago, RevTestament said:

LOL. I hear ya Tacenda. I have been to too many LDS services that have a certain dolefulness to the singing. I would certainly like to see that improved. I think a lot of it just comes from improper singing technique. I know some churches have their congregations stand when they sing. This serves two main purposes. It tends to wake up people, and it tends to open up their diaphragms for better support to their voices without them even realizing it. Choir directors will always have their choirs stand to sing, so their lungs can fully fill, and they can provide better natural support from the diaphragm. 

I am "guilty" of not doing this. Sometimes I like to sing in a high third, or make other personal amendments to a hymn. Despite Mr Wesley's advice I will probably not change. i would like to see more gusto in the congregational singing though. This doesn't necessarily mean louder, but just to sing with feeling and intent. All too often hymns come across as to mechanical, and just going through the motions so to speak. After a lifetime of singing this way, It will be hard to get many congregations to change. They just don't know any different. However, there is nothing inappropriate about the way MTAB sings for instance. That is basically what congregations should strive for imho.  It would do a lot to help local services.

In my LDS life of singing in Sacrament no one wanted to be that person that is singing louder or more robust than the others. If only the cool thing was to sing loud or sing joyously not like we're half asleep. In my old ward the choir directer could be heard over everyone else. I always sat in the hard seats, so usually in the cultural hall or gym and he always sat nearer to the pulpit. And he was never afraid to share his love of the Saviour and seemed to have such a close personal relationship. I believe he knew we were all missing the mark by not worshipping through song well enough. He urged us to all sing during church service, because we were that lame. I've not been in any ward yet that worships or praises enough through song, everyone is afraid to be that person. In my experience here in the most LDS populated areas in Utah, it's more a popularity contest, I'm afraid, and very cliquish and reminds me of high school. The cool kids don't sing out loud and strong and joyously.