If the Savior Stood Beside Me, Would I Do the Things I Do?

I love this song: If the Savior Stood Beside Me.  The song poses some perfect questions for all of us.

“If the Savior stood beside me, would I do the things I do?”

“Would I think of his commandments and try harder to be true?”

“Would my words be true and kind if He were never far away?”

I wish I could always answer these questions with a resounding yes!  Unfortunately, I often come to the end of my day and realize my behavior was less than stellar.  Songs like this help me remember why I want to choose the right.

Well, I’m looking forward to practicing this song throughout the year in Primary.  I love to do basic American Sign Language (ASL) signs {see a video here} to teach this song or use a flip chart of pictures and words*.  Whichever way you do it in your Primary, make sure and sing your heart out!.  Singing Time is such a perfect time for gospel teaching and testimony sharing.  Happy singing!

~Michelle

*This flip chart was downloaded from the blog Primary To Go which has since been terminated.

Communicating Spirit to Spirit-Sign Language and Music

There was an amazing outpouring of the Spirit when we started singing our first song, I Love to See the Temple.  Sitting in the front row only a couple feet from me was a darling little girl with Down Syndrome.  When I started to sing I Love to See the Temple, I also did some basic American Sign Language signs to accompany the words (see our Music Videos page to learn these signs).  I looked down at this little girl and she was right there with me, eyes glued on me, doing every sign right along with me.  When I looked into her eyes I felt a special connection to her as if our spirits were communicating. When I looked around, almost all of the children were singing and signing as well.  It was beautiful!  I was amazed at how engaged they were and how adept they were with the signs they had never seen before.  I could barely sing the end of the song as tears rolled down my cheeks.  When the song ended I took a moment to testify of the Spirit in that room (and to explain my happy tears).  Primary songs teach beautiful, simple truths.

I will always remember that moment.  The beautiful song.  The smiling children. And the Spirit’s presence there with us uniting us as children of God.

~Michelle

Why Sign Language?

“Our job is to make learning interesting.  We each learn differently, and catering to the different ages and developmental stages of the children can be a challenge.  With ASL you naturally reach children with varied learning styles.”

What’s your goal for music in Primary?

You’ve probably noticed that we advocate for teaching Primary songs with ASL (American Sign Language).  And maybe you’ve also wondered why.

My goal is to teach important gospel principles, have fun, and help children learn to feel and recognize the Spirit.  When I’ve used ASL to teach Primary songs I have been impressed at the level of participation and excitement. I have noticed that even the children who seemed uninterested are suddenly engaged.  ASL is easy enough for the youngest Sunbeams and yet challenging enough to pique the interest of those too-cool-for-singing 10 and 11 year olds!

Using ASL helps keep those fidgety hands busy making it possible to stay more focused (by keeping them too busy to get off-task).  When children are focused they have a greater potential to learn.  The mere act of hearing simple gospel truths gives the children an opportunity to feel the Spirit testify of its truthfulness.  And hearing (and seeing) these teachings through music makes it more memorable.

Using ASL enhances a child’s vocabulary; teaching gospel principles certainly requires the need to learn new vocabulary.  Children feel good about themselves when they gain a new skill.

When children are focused, happy, and having fun they are learning without even realizing it!  New knowledge is exciting and rewarding for children; they are so eager to learn.  Our job is to make learning interesting.  We each learn differently and catering to the different ages and developmental stages of the children can be a challenge.  With ASL you naturally reach children with varied learning styles.

With ASL, children are learning visually, verbally and kinesthetically all at the same time!  This will increase memory retention–and of course, when we go to all the work of teaching something we hope it will be remembered.

Using ASL is a great way to include all children in all aspects of Primary.  You may or may not have children with special needs in your Primary; the beauty of ASL is that it’s beneficial for all children!

Below find a few online articles about the benefits of ASL for all children.  Also, check our Links & Lessons page for a wonderful ASL Browser that you can search alphabetically to learn basic signs to use.  And don’t forget about our Music Videos page which contains video of many Primary songs with basic ASL signs to accompany (including this year’s new song: “As a Child of God”).

“You may or may not have children with special needs in your Primary; the beauty of ASL is that it’s beneficial for all children!”

~Michelle

Hearing Students, Sign Language, and Music: A Valuable Combination

The Benefits of Sign Language for ALL Children

The Benefits of Teaching Sign Language to a Verbal Child

Children’s Choir, 60 strong

The idea to form a Stake Children’s choir was born and the result was beautiful!  Like waiting for the birth of a new little one there are details to take care of, issues to resolve, and bumps along the way, but in the end, the result was a beautiful coming together of heavenly voices singing with power and spirit.  It was a memorable day!

“We are as the army of Helaman, we have been taught in our youth.  And we will be the Lord’s missionaries to bring the world His truth!”  Their voices were like a beacon on a foggy night directing us to the clear and simple truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was obvious by the smiles on their faces that the children felt the joy of it all, and the Primary leaders, well,  we were grinning from ear to ear (when we weren’t holding back tears from the beautiful spirit those children shared).

We began early with the planning stages about 9 months before we wanted to perform.  First we wrote up all the details like what age groups would be invited to join the choir, the date we would be performing, and the songs we would choose from in the final performance (choosing songs they would already be learning for their fall Primary program) and presented this information to all the Primary presidencies at our January leadership meeting.  We also included a music workshop during this training meeting to teach the Primary leaders the new song with American Sign Language (ASL) signs to help them hit the road running.  Since we were including the new song in our plans for the choir performance we wanted to be a resource in making it possible to teach the children the song in the individual wards; and let’s admit it, we love using ASL signs to teach music!

Once this part of the planning was all set we got to sit back and relax a little bit and wait.  The idea was that the children throughout the whole stake would be learning the songs in their regular ward singing time and there would be no unecessary rehearsals; instead we would just come together the morning of the stake conference and unite our voices in praise!

About 2 months before the performance date we sent out a poll to the ward Primary presidencies asking them how well they knew the songs (how many verses etc.) we had chosen.  We also asked the individual wards to find out how many children from their ward would be participating as well as which adult from their ward would be sitting with the children on the stand throughout the meeting (we suggested that the music leaders sit with the kids when possible and if not then a member of the presidency).  This information was very helpful to us in determining what our final musical numbers would be and how many seats we would fill on the stand.  It turned out that the majority of the children had learned the first verses of these five songs really well and less so on subsequent verses.  In thinking about this we decided that we wanted the children to feel comfortable on the stand and not worry about whether they knew all the verses to any particular song.  Therefore, we put together a medley of the first verses of a few songs and connected each with a simple interlude played on the piano.  It turned out beautifully and the children were comfortable with these verses. They knew which song came next because they simply listened to the piano playing the introduction.

There was an inclination to make things more complex than necessary.  A few times we found ourselves getting carried away with our good intentions and had to pull back on the reigns.  We considered making treats for the kids or a card to give them at the end of the performance, as well as creating a page or packet of diversions to keep them occupied on the stand during the meeting.  In the end we decided that the experience of being part of a great culminating achievement would be all the reward they needed.  The simplicity of it allowed the children and leaders to enjoy the feeling of the spirit that was present without worrying about other less important details.

“But as I search the scriptures I can hear His words of peace, And if I listen with my heart I hear the Savior’s voice.”

~Michelle