10th Article of Faith Song

This is one of the more difficult songs.  So we are going to make it a lot of fun!  Don't forget to help them understand what the words mean.

We know that movement makes it a lot more fun and helps to learn the words.  Isn't it funny that you give them MORE to learn, and it makes it EASIER!

I would start by teaching first the two most difficult parts.

1.  Start with the duet where one group sings "That Zion" and holds that last note while the other group sings "the New Jerusalem".  Then the same with "will be built upon" which is held while the second group sings "the American continent".  Make a game of it.  Change parts.  Let the first group freeze while they sing their long notes while group two dances or claps while they sing theirs.

2.  Then teach the final phrase:  "its paradisiacal glory".  Teach them what the word means and then chant it.  Clap it.  Stamp it with your feet.  Repeat the word paradisiacal over and over until there is no question but what they get it!

Now you are ready to teach the song with the movement.  This song needs to move.  It is in cut time but needs to be felt as if there were two beats per measure.

SENIOR PRIMARY:  For these kids the song will be done with partners - standing in a circle. The partners are facing each other one facing inward and the other outward.

The movement has four actions.  1.  Clap legs 2.  Clap your own hands  3.  Clap partners two hands  4.  Clap your own hands.  I would cue it as Down Clap Partner Clap.

Using this action sing the whole song.  Practice until the children can sing and clap the pattern without thinking.

Now change the Zion section to this:  The partner on the outside raises hands high above head and freezes as they sing "That Zion" while the inside person claps the rhythm of the words and sings "the New Jerusalem".  Then outside person brings hands down and pushed them right back up on "will be built upon" while the inside person claps the rhythm of the words and sings  "the American continent".

Then the original pattern resumes on the word "Christ" and continues to the end of the song.  They will end with "Down Clap" on the final word "glory".  It would be fun to make that last clap loud!

Now the inside circle moves one person to their right and everyone has a new partner.

JUNIOR PRIMARY:  The older class in Junior Primary may be able to do the same movement as Senior Primary but your little guys won't be able to do that.  So I would just use this pattern for the whole Jr. Primary:  Clap their own hands twice.  Clap their partner's hands twice. I would then do this pattern with a song they children know very well.  This would work well with the song "Fun to Do".  Teach this while the children are in their seats looking at you so you are actually clapping your own hands twice and then touching the air twice "pretending to be touching your hands" :)

The first week I would make a game of this.  Get the kids in a circle with the partners facing each other and sing "Fun to Do" while doing this action.  "Clapping our hands is fun to do, fun to do, to do, to do.  Clapping our hands is fun to do. To do, to do, to do."  Now the inside circle moves one person to their right and everyone has a new partner.  Begin again.  Make sure you are doing this with a nice fast tempo and you can even speed up if they are getting it and challenge them more.

Week two teach get into the circle formation and repeat what you learned last week.  Now tell the kids they are going to do the same thing with their hands while you sing them the new article of Faith song.  Then ask everyone to sing also with you as they clap their hands.  This is a time when the teachers and leaders can really be a help to you.

Week three review the clapping with the article of faith song and then teach them to do the Zion section the same as you did with senior Primary.

9th Article of Faith Song

This song has only two actions which can be taught to the children before you teach the song.  The first action is a clapping on the off beat.  To do this the hands move outward on the beat and then clap on the off beat.  I tell the kids they have to feel the beat by "hitting the air" as their hands go outward.  Then the clap has a softer feel than the outward movement.  Cue this by saying "Out clap, out clap, etc" while the music plays so they can feel this movement with the beat of the song.

Action number two is a simple rolling of the hands to the right and then to the left in front of the body. You feel the beat of this movement as you step on the foot in the direction you are rolling the hands.  As you model this for the children they will easily pick it up.

So now you alternated those two actions with each musical phrase.

Action 1 - We believe all that God has revealed.
Action 2 - all that He does not reveal and we believe that
Action 1 - He will yet reveal many great and important things
Action 2 - pertaining to the kingdom of God.

Once the kids can do the actions then sing the song with them as they do the movement.  Then invite them to sing along.

At this point you can add a simple addition to make it even more fun.  On action 2 they can turn around in a full circle as they roll their hands.

Note:  even though these are hand actions the whole body really need to get into the feel of the song.  I find that I am just bouncing as I do this.  The more fun the movement is, the easier it will be for the children to learn the song!

8th Article of Faith Song

1.  This song begins with the children all standing in a very formal choir stance, hands joined in front of them, fingers interlaced, hands tight against chest, with elbows out to the sides. In this position they sing "We believe the Bible to be the word of God".

2.  As you sing the next phrase "as far as it is translated correctly" you lean forward as if you had something very special you needed to say.  Using your pointer finger you wave that finger on the phrases "far, la, rect, ly".  

3.  Now the fun begins.  With knees bent and hands down beside them the whole body bounces to the beat while singing "We also believe the Book of Mormon" and then hands swoop downward and as the music moves upward on the next phrase the hands reach up high "to be the word of God".

4.  Now hands are in the air and first the right hand bounces upward and then the left, etc as you sing "Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah".  End with both hands shaking as they move downward as the music also moves downward on "It is the word of God!"  I like to add a feeling of finality by having the hands clap against the legs right after the word "God".  So it would sound like "It is the word of God. Clap".

7th Article of Faith Song

My Primary always sits in two sections with a walking space or row dividing the two sides.  I am going to assume you all do this.  For this song it is important that there are two distinct "sections".  I will call them the A and B sections.

The song is in 6/8 time but it is duple time or two beats per measure.  This gives the effect of "rocking" and it will be very easy for the children to pick up this movement.  Have them stand with their feet apart so they are balanced and as you sing the song everyone will lean first to their right and then to their left to the beat of the music.  BUT when you get to the repeated words "visions and healing" then the groups become independent of each other and move only when they sing.  So the A section will sing first and the B section will be the echo.  So B freezes while A sings "visions" and leans to their right.  A now freezes as B sings the echo and leans to their right.  Now everyone is leaning right.  The opposite now takes place and the A section leans to the left on "healing' while B is frozen and then A freezes while B sings the echo and leans to the left.  Then everyone leans right/left as in the beginning while they finish the song up to the word "tongues".

At this point with legs still spread apart everyone stands upright and does the clapping rhythm (short long short long).  The song ends with a bow (one hand across body in front and the other across body in back) as they sing "and so forth".

6th Article of Faith Song

This is one of my very favorites.  I can hardly wait to do this with the children.  The hardest part of the song is learning and remembering the words "apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists and so forth"  so I made this the fastest part of the song.  You may have to start slowly to learn the rhythm of those words but by having to learn it really fast, the children will have those words embedded in their brains.

Start by reminding the children what a scale is.  Sing the C scale.  Then show them how the melody begins by climbing up that scale.  Then demonstrate the actions by walking your hands on your lap.  As they sing the first line they will "walk" their hands on their laps,  keeping the beat with the "half note", ie; we - lieve - same - za - ist - prim - church.  By going upward very slowly you accentuate the fun of going downward quickly. On the word "namely" you do a drum roll on your lap.  Then you sing that last sentence by patting your lap as if you were running with the words.  You are actually keeping the beat with the eighth notes as you do this.  This is the part that eventually you want to be able to do as quickly as you can.

The optional way to do this is to just stand as you sing the first line.  Slowly walk the half notes as you sing the first line.  Then do a drum roll on their legs as they sing "namely".  Then on the last line they lightly "jog" along with the eight notes as they sing that last line.  You can do an ending on "and so forth" just like you did in the Fifth Article of Faith Song.

5th Article of Faith Song

As we did on the Second Article of Faith song, we are going to dance a little with this catchy tune.  I don't want to do the same thing.  I want a different movement to be associated with each song to help the memory process.  So this time we are going to learn a simple bounce step that even the little kiddies can do.

Start with the right foot and the right hand, the arm straight down at the side with the palm of the hand facing the floor.  Bounce twice on the right side and then do the same on the left side.  Do this from the beginning until the words "laying on of hands".  Then on the words "by those who are in authority" raise the right hand in the air as if twirling a rope and walk around in one complete circle.  Then go back to the bounce through the end of the word ordinances.  On that final word "thereof" - jump landing with left foot and left hand reaching forward and the right foot and hand reaching backwards! 

4th Article of Faith Song

Can't miss out on using 1,2,3,and 4 as the central theme of this song.  We are going to use the following movement:

We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are:  Stand Still

First:  Extend 1 finger

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ:  Point heavenward on the phrase beginning "Lord"

Second:  Extend 2 fingers

Repentance:  Since repentance is a change or turning around we will extend both hand palms forward on the second syllable "pent" and then turn the hands around, palms facing yourself on the "ance".

Third:  Extend 3 fingers

Baptism by immersion:  arm is brought forward bent at elbow with hand pointing upward, palm facing sideways (the other hand is under the elbow giving support).  Then on the word immersion the arm rotates sideways at the elbow downward and then upward to represent immersion.

for the remission of sins:  since remission wipes away our sins, both arms are crossed and sweep outward to designate the wiping away of sins

Fourth:  Extend 4 fingers

Laying on of hands:  both hands are set on head

for the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Just keep hands on head the whole time.