Turn Your Testimony Into Song

One of the new songs published in the new selections, "I Will Walk with Jesus," is a beautiful tune with a beautiful meaning and message that the kids love to sing. And there are some very clever, well-written moments throughout. Yet, there are some moments that could have been crafted a little more cleanly. This presents a perfect opportunity. Not to slander the writer of this fine song. Not at all. That is not my intention in the slightest. I wish to praise them for their excellent work....

"O fools, they shall have Songs; and they shall proceed forth from the covenant people." "Thou fool, that shall say: A Song, we have got a Song, and we need no more Songs." "Know ye not that there are more songwriters than one?" "Know ye not that I, the Lord, have created all songwriters, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea, and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yeah, even upon all the nations of the earth?" "Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall...

It's true. Without taking some time to pick apart what makes other good primary songs work so well... You'll never write primary songs as powerful as you could have. Which is why I'm so keen to share emails like this one. To help you develop the best skills you can, to be a better instrument in the hands of the Lord. Today, let's look at a primary song that has a pretty cool palindrome... the last shall be first, and the first shall be last. Ok, so it's not a perfect palindrome. But if you...

It's a tough one. Because when I'm composing... even a Primary song or basic arrangement... I too often get overly ambitious. I want to flex my composer muscles. It's probably because of some... "hey, look at me, look what I can do" nonsense. Maybe I need a composer version of Pres. Benson's "pride" talk? Certainly wouldn't hurt. It's also my super big hands. I tend to rely on my own personal reach on the piano to create certain sounds. Sounds you need large hands to create. I absolutely LOVE...

Large in stature, you say, Mr. Nephi? Hmmm... Most would probably think that means he's a bass. But, come on. Basses are bad guys... Tenors are the HEROES! And is there a greater hero in the Book of Mormon? I mean, come on! A massive sword? Armor? Smelting his own metal from rock to fashion tools? Building a massive ship? Full-body tackling Zoram? Thrashing the chords his brothers tied him us with to shreds? The dude was so buffed he broke his bow made of steel? Now THAT sounds like a tenor...

Let's bust a few myths about the process of writing Primary Songs. Because I see too many people not having the opportunity to express their testimonies in song simply because they believe some of these myths. Okay, here we go... Myth #1 "I can't write an original Primary Song because I don't have any ideas of what my song should be about." Okay, fair enough. Here's a quick way to fix this. Ask yourself... "What is the 1 thing--if I could only have 1 thing--that I want to make sure my...

Worried to sobs, he shook me awake... Christmas Eve 2012... About 5:30am... My 5-year-old son's little voice begged me to get up and help him. He was clearly terrified of something... I figured a nightmare... evil little elves stealing his Christmas presents or something... "I can't go away for 2 years, Dad! I just can't! That's so long! I'll miss you and Mom too much!" "What are you talking about, bud?" I responded. "On a mission, Dad! 2 years is so long!" Wow, I wasn't expecting my...

It's so easy to slip into this trap. Even for first-time Primary Songwriters. Imagine all the hard work of writing your primary song... ...all the energy of pouring out your testimony into little black dots on the page... ...writing, re-writing, adjusting, re-voicing, re-harmonizing, re-melodizing, lyricizing, and finally overcoming all the challenges of writing your testimony time capsule song... ...and then when you finally convince the Primary President in your ward to allow you to teach...

Writing a primary song that gets the kids WANTING to sing... EXCITED to sing... a song that STICKS in their heads... We ALL want that. But how can we get it? Is it just magic? Or good luck? I won't say there aren't magical moments when writing... because I've experienced them. But they are rare. What you want to turn to are the 3 governments of music. Melody. Harmony. Rhythm. The most ignored of the 3 is... Rhythm. But all it takes sometimes to turn an okay song into something better... or a...

This morning I had a blast hosting a new mini-workshop, Picking the Right Chords for Your Primary Song. If you weren't able to attend, no worries. You can watch the recording here: This free mini-workshop is in preparation for our next 8-week LIVE Primary Songwriting School Workshop, which begins THIS coming Monday. If you'd like to consider joining us, you can read all about it and hear about the experiences of others who've enjoyed it. You can even hear many of their songs, all on this page...