Remember this song?
It's called "True to Their Song." It's a combination of 3 pioneer hymns: Come, Come, Ye Saints, True to the Faith, and Carry On.
Here's its life story:
I originally wrote it last year for a Stake Youth Fireside in Indianapolis, where they announced the upcoming pioneer trek the youth would be going on. I sang and played it as a solo as part of the fireside.
This past summer, I found a BYU-Idaho communications student who was willing to video me singing and explaining the arrangement. We put a few slides as part of the video and put it up on youtube to celebrate pioneer day!
Then, a month or so ago, a woman from Indianapolis saw the video and felt that she really wanted her Stake Youth Choir to sing it. She contacted me and asked if I would be willing to arrange it for her choir. I felt really good about doing it so I said yes.
Then I...
-went to sleep each night hearing in my head the possibilities of what the different voice parts would sing
-concocted the new vocal parts
-entered the piano part into my computer (using FINALE) through my keyboard
-tediously edited the piano part on my computer (which takes FOR-EV-ER)
-entered in the vocal parts, made some changes
-had my husband sing it with me and give me feedback
-made some more changes
-made about 100 mistakes trying to enter all of the lyrics, (which hopefully is a foundation I have now laid for future arrangements and won't have to make them all again)
-had my husband and good friend sing through the rough draft
-entered in dynamics, breath marks, and other particulars
-agonized over the page layout, changed things, changed them back, made a few irreversible mistakes,
-prayed hard,
-and ultimately ended up with a final draft!
Then, miraculously, I figured out how to
-make a pdf of my finale file
-upload it to my file server on my web site
-and link it to my website.
Whew!
So what that means is that you can now download and freely copy this arrangement by going to my homepage and clicking on the link. (well, I hope so, at least. I'm crossing my fingers that it will actually work. In fact, let me know if it doesnt.)
Sally Deford calls notating music "a chore rather akin to cultivating your garden with a teaspoon." I think she's right. And yet, it has been exhilarating to get this song into a medium that I can share! I am thrilled to be heading to Indianapolis in January to hear this arrangement come to life as I direct the Indianapolis North Stake Youth Choir in singing it.
Exciting stuff. And yes, I'm already plotting future projects. Now that I have the technological groundwork laid, I'm hoping it will only get easier from here!
stay tuned for more?!...
