You would not know this, but Tuesday’s post marked one hundred. I am excited! To make it a real event, I am doing a “Whoooo Am I” give-away. Blog give-aways are so fun and I set a goal that for every one hundred posts I would think of a giveaway to match the hundredth post. In honor of the Who Am I? post, I used some felt cut-outs to make nine owl magnets. The magnets hold illustrated cards (blank on the back) on the board. You’ll need to write your own clues, or use the ones I posted. Choose an appropriate review song to go with each clue. Then, just post the owls and cards on the chalkboard and invite a child to choose one and read the clue. Sing the song. You can use the magnets again with variations like Who Said That?, Who Did That?, or Who Was Singing? (There are quite a few instances in the scriptures of people who sang!)
The time limit on the give-away is one week. Just leave a comment on this post answering one of the following questions: “What is the best piece of advice you could give a brand new chorister?” Or, if you are a new chorister, “What is the one thing you wish someone would explain or help you understand?” If you will leave your comment OR send me an email, I’ll put your name into a hat. Because I have readers all over the world, I'm willing to ship anywhere in the world. I will also try to check for comments quicker than usual, but please don’t worry if you don’t see your comment published right away, this is county fair time for us and I may be away from the computer. I’ll close the contest on August 12th, collect all the names and let my daughter draw a name. I'll announce the winner on the 14th. Since I've never done a blog give-away, I hope you'll be patient. Perhaps it is as easy as it seems. :)
Keeping in mind my reasons for creating this blog (see this post), by answering these questions you’ll be helping me with the blog. Plus, everyone else is interested in your comment. You could easily make the magnets yourself but please don’t let that divert you from leaving a comment. See if you can win them first!
46 comments:
My best piece of advice for a new chorister would be to KNOW the music inside and out. If you don't know it yourself, it's hard to teach it to someone else. And remember that while visuals are fun and are helpful and can even be great, YOU are your own best visual aid. Love those children!!
(can you tell I love this calling?!) Music + the gospel + children = wonderful.
I think the best advice to a new chorister, is to learn the songs! I know it sounds simple, and it really is, but in all my years in primary I have seen so many choristers that rely too heavily on the book. You can't expect the kids, especially the older ones, to learn the songs if you aren't willing to do it yourself. Plus, the easiest way to teach the songs is to get active and be excited about it. That is kind of hard to do if you are tied to the music stand.
Very cute owls! Love them, would love to win them. :) My advice to a new chorister would be to love the music. Learn the primary songs by heart and sing them with love in your heart and a smile on your face. Thanks for the fun giveaway!
My best piece of advice for a brand new chorister is that you set the stage. If you want the kids to sing out you need to be loud. If you talk in a tiny sweet voice to all the little dears you are not going to get satisfactory results.
I'm new to this calling. (I started in April.) I guess the one thing I wish someone would have given me advice on is how to stay organized. How do other's organize all the visuals and posters.
sueellenhafen@yahoo.com
p.s. Maybe after the giveaway you could post a tutorial with a templete on how you made the Owl magnets. They are so cute.
When I was a new chorister, I wish the old one would have explained at all at least some of the songs they knew. I was completely in the dark and it would have been nice to know! Thanks for doing this, those are super cute!
Valerie Stewart
valerie.stewart1@gmail.com
Those are so cute! I just got called in June and I wished someone wold have told me how hard Junior Primary is! :) But I'm not giving up. I've just got to try a different angle. :) I love your blog!
I have been the chorister for seven months now. With all the experience I have gained thus far, I would answer the question "What is the best piece of advice you could give a brand new chorister?" is this--Do your homework, brainstorm ton of ideas, look at what others have done or are doing. And THEN pray to know what your specific primary needs and in what way they will feel the spirit and learn the best. I have found that what works for others doesn't always go so well with my primary. When I follow the spirit and adapt to that, singing time can be wonderful.
My advice would be HAVE FUN and be true to yourself. When I started this calling I was so worried about what everyone else thought and taking their advice that I wasn't doing what made me happy. I can't believe the inspiration that I now get by not worrying about others. A marshmallow shooter may not be the most conventional activity but the 11 year old boys have never behaved themselves better or sang louder than they did that week!! SO FUN! Tiffany Neilson, Mtn. View WY
Very cute! I am a new chorister, and I love it. I think the best advice I have received is to just have fun with it and listen to the spirit. tspendlove@hotmail.com
My advice is to not be scared of the kids. Go into the calling expecting that the kids will be exciting to sing and learn new things and will be happy to be there. If you think of them as your adversaries, little people that you are going to have to wrangle into their chairs and force to sing, neither you nor the kiddos will have any fun. I've discovered that if I give them the chance, they are so smart and happy and want to get into the activities with me, plus they have the most beautiful little spirits; it's such an honor to be teaching them!
Advice for a brand new chorister: Spiritual preparation is more important than preparation of visual aids, games, etc. The Spirit is the best teacher.
“What is the best piece of advice you could give a brand new chorister?”
Involve the children. Learn their names. Help them feel like they are important by involving them and by knowing who they are individually.
These are so cute! What a great idea.
And my advice for a new chorister...just let go of your insecurities and don't be afraid to be a little silly and have fun. I was so nervous at first, which made me rigid and awkward. Once I was able to get over that initial fear, it became so much more fun. I have to just forget about all the teachers and adults in the room and just focus on the kids. Makes it so much easier!!!
Hope I win!
Those are very cute magnets! I still feel fairly new at this {called in January =)}, but I think the best advice I would give a brand new chorister is:
Use the great resources out there {blogs, yahoo Primusic group, etc} for ideas, but remember that YOU were called for YOUR Primary at THIS time, so don't feel pressured to do what others are doing. Pray about your calling, do your best, and trust that the Lord will help you teach the children to build and share their testimony through music.
This being my third week as a new choriter. I love and appreciate your blog. If there is one thing that someone could do... it would be to help give me all kinds of ideas on how to teach a NEW song and keep my senior primary's attention. I love ideas.. and appreciate them.. more than you woiuld ever know!! If you have any ideas for me... I would love suggestions.. shawntegan@msn.com! Thanks!!
First off, I would like to say that I love the ideas on your blog! I was just recently introduced to your blog and I have already used 2 of your ideas! To answer the question, the best piece of advice I could give (which is the advice my mother gave me) is to be enthusiastic! Kids respond to your mood! If you act enthusiastic about what you are doing, the kids will be much more willing to listen and learn!
Oh my, those are SOOO cute! I love your blog...love your ideas.
I really have only been primary chorister for about 6 months, but one thing I have learned, that I feel is good advice is....no matter what, the most important thing is to help your primary kids feel the spirit through music. So just have fun, and make sure and follow the spirit as you prepare every week.
Thanks for the chance for an awesome Give away!
Look at those darling owls! Here's hoping my name gets pulled out.
The best advice I can give is to keep the kids MOVING as much as possible. The less time the children spend sitting, the better off everyone will be and the more they'll remember the songs. I learned a ton from the woman behind this site at a stake music workshop: http://www.toteachachildasong.com/index.html. And here is a fun exercise she introduced: http://www.toteachachildasong.com/videos.html. We had a blast with paper plate primary!
I LOVE your blog... very helpful! I've been a chorister now only 3 months and I remember feeling incredibly out of my league when I was first called. I have very little music background, but I graduated in Elementary Education, and I enjoy working with kids. I remember crying because I didn't think I could do this with limited music knowledge. The best advice I could give a new chorister is to be confident... the kids can sense when you don't know what you're doing. And don't worry if you're not "musical"... it will come! Trust me! Enjoy the best calling in the church!!
My piece(s) of advice is (are) this: Sing as much as you can during singing time, 20 minutes is not much time, make the most of it. Never underestimate the number of songs the kids can learn (really a new song or verse every week is totally doable). Share your testimony about the truths of the songs and when you feel the Spirit during a song, let the children know.
P.S. Your owls are really cute!
I found your blog recently and love it. I am a new primary chorister myself but have helped my mom and others when they were primary chorister. I would have to say one piece of advice I would give to new choristers is to remember it is children you are working with. :) I know obvious, but it is easy to forget that you have to really work at keeping their attention and sometimes what you have planned for a certain Sunday might not be what the children need or have the attention span for that day. So have other ideas ready at a moments notice.
My best piece of advice for a new chorister is to rely on the spirit to teach. Singing time can be such a magical fun time, but at times a chorister can feel alot of pressure to "entertain." When I start to feel overwhelmed I try to remember to simplify and rely on the spirit to guide me in how to teach the children. I'm glad it's not all up to me!
My best advice for a new chorister would be to rely on the spirit to do the teaching. Singing time can be such a fun magical time. Sometimes the chorister feels pressure to entertain the kids--this can get overwhelming. When planning singing time I always try to keep things pretty simple and always say a prayer to let the spirit do the teaching. This has helped me maintain the proper perspective and not allow myself to get sidetracked on games that detract from the spirit.
My best advice would be to get council from someone who has 'been there, done that'! Also to buy yourselfthe book entitled, "A Children's Songbook Companion". Cute Giveaway!!!
Love all your post! The best advice I could give is to be organized. I plan my songs 1 month at a time.I give the songs to my piano player and the primary presidency. This has been very benificial, especially during the summer when I am gone on vacation. Thanks for all your suggestions!
The best piece of advice I could give a new chorister is to have fun with the calling. It really is a fun calling that requires alot of work to be successful! I think that the internet is a wonderful resource and take help from all the many blogs and ideas you can find! And breathe and good luck!
The best advice I could give a new chorister is to have fun and love what you do. The children will love singing time if they see that you love singing time. Also, no matter what, love the children that you are teaching. They are so very precious!
ps. these owls are so adorable!
Andrea
I just moved to a brand new branch and was promptly called as Primary Chorister. I haven't even done my first week yet. I bookmarked this site awhile ago from a friend's blog - good thing! Looking for ideas and have been so motivated and uplifted by all of the comments left so far. I'm really excited about my new calling but I don't know any of their names and the Sacrament program is 10 weeks away and I don't know how prepared they are yet. Thank you for the owl magnet giveaway - cute idea! Thanks for the advice and reminding me it's not about the visual aids it's about teaching with the Spirit!
My advice would be: 1.) Be enthusiastic! 2.) Don't be afraid to sing the songs for the kids instead of just saying the words - they don't care if you have a wonderful voice, and it's a lot easier for them to learn this way. 3.) Pray for inspiration 4.) Don't think every week has to be something super exciting with all kinds of bells and whistles - sometimes the simplest things turn out to be the best!
The owl magnets are so cute!
I've been the Primary Chorister for about a year and a half. I had never done anything musical before, besides singing to my own children, so I was nervous. My best advice for someone who is new to this calling is 1)pray, 2)plan ahead, and 3)practice in the mirror. I find that if I do these things, I feel more calm and open to inspiration. Kathleen, thank you for this wonderful resource.
I am fairly new to this calling and the first week I was absolutely terrified! I really am not musical at all! Not a great singer. Can't read music. Never had a primary calling... etc. I very quickly learned that you need no musical talent to teach music to children!! You need to have fun and be energetic. You need to know them and love them. And you can not be shy or embaressed while your up there! Thanks for your blog! I love all the ideas, and it really helps get my creative juices flowing as well :)
I've been the chorister for a few months now so I still feel pretty new. I would like more ideas for teaching a new song. I seem to always find ways to review things or fun ways for song selections but I have a really hard time teaching a song for the first time. (Those owls are so dang cute!)
I am a brand new chorister. I have lots to learn, I read lots of those comments, very helpful. I have appreciated you wisdom and knowledge a lot, it is fantastic getting new idea's to help with my calling. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
I think the most difficult parts of the calling are the Sundays when we are introducing a new song - especially to Jr. primary because most of them don't read yet. So I would want to help new choristers with this. My favorite way to teach new songs is with ASL signs or actions. Kids need to move!
The owl magnets are so cute!
I think it's hard for me to just give one piece of advice. I talk too much. Something really important I would say is to keep singing the old songs. Don't stop just because they were last years songs, keep singing them!!!
I think a new chorister should learn to follow the promptings of the Spirit and leave the rest to the Lord. It's easy to feel like you're not doing a good job, but with His help the children will somehow learn all the songs. The music will become a permanent part of the kids' (and choristers') testimonies, and that is the wonderful blessing of this calling.
I just found your blog! Lucky me! I've been the chorister for almost 2 years now and the one thing that I'm really good at is testifying to the children. I forget words, names, game rules, tunes, etc. all the time. I'm not a talented chorister. But I always testify of the truths we learn in the songs, and I know the children feel the Spirit.
My advice would be to get down on the kids level. I like to walk out into the primary to be closer to them. When you are doing a song and some aren't singing or paying attention I like to make a point to go up to them and smile big while singing this usually encourages them to sing with me. If nothing else it lets them know that I care about them participating. (I do this more with junior primary, but it can be especially useful with the back row boys in senior).
My advice to a brand new Music Leader would be to bear your testimony as often as possible. The songs we sing offer the children a chance to bear THEIR testimony through song, but they always love to hear ours. And...stay true to your own style of teaching. Previous music leaders may have done things differently, but change is always good! =)
Those Owls are sooo cute! thanks for the chance to win them!!!
I am pretty new (I have been in for about 3 or 4 months). I would love advice on how to tech jr primary new songs. they get so rowdy, and since they cant read, it is hard to think of creative ways to teach them. I would love any advice! thanks again for this chance to win!!!
This is the first time I have left a comment on your blog. I am new to this calling. While I know a lot about music, and have been in primary forever I struggle with teaching the older primary kids!! They get bored. Your blog has so many ideas that have worked well for them and I really appreciate it.
I guess I can leave a successful singing time that I do, we do it alot because the kids love it. I made a big thinking bubble out of poster board and wrote across the top "What do you think about during singing time?" then in a bag I put pictures that go along with some of the primary songs (Example: bucket of popcorn - popcorn popping, Book of Mormon - Book of mormon stories the possibilities are endless and I add to it all the time.) I call a child to come to the front and stand in front of the bubble and let all the other kids try to decide what he/she is thinking. The child infront of the bubble doesn't know what he/she is thinking until we start singing the song that was drawn out of the bag.
Jessica J.
Ogden, Utah
I would have to say the best advice would be to first know the music that you're teaching and make it fun for the kids so that they'll be excited to learn a new song or review old ones.
These are darling! Thank you for your willingness to share your talent!
jjensen1109@yahoo.com
I was just called as chorister 2 weeks ago, and yesterday was my first Sunday in primary. I've been having a hard time wrapping my head (and heart) around this call, and after a very prayerful evening I found your blog. I read your post titled "An Invitation to Sing" and was instantly impressed that this is the right calling for me. Thank you so much for not only the wonderful and creative ideas, but the spiritual thoughts as well. Like many of the other commenters, I would really love to read your ideas on teaching new songs, particularly what you're doing on the current program songs (when we start them in January). Thank you again - you are an answer to prayers!
Best advice I have ever received was to plan at least a month in advance but aim for 6 months. If the General Board can plan for a year we can plan for 6 months. Then be flexible. If you are prepared you will be more open to the promptings of the spirit.
I'm the chorister of our small branch with only 2 children. Ages 6 and 10. My advice would be to plan ahead and work hard to give the children a GREAT singing time no matter what the situation. And when you get discouraged, don't forget to pray.
Thanks for all you do!
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