Learning a song so deeply that the message lives in your heart and soul. The difference between learning a song and LEARNING a song. It's pretty easy to "learn" a Primary song in a week or two, since they are written for children. They are usually rather short and pretty repetitive. However, have you ever felt frustrated that you taught them the song in January, but when you tried it in May they forgot it? Do you ever feel that all you can ever sing are the program songs, or they won't remember them? Do they remember the songs from last year? I set up my songs in such a way that we are gradually learning them throughout the year. We sing them enough that it almost seems like magic that they have them memorized for the program AND they retain them so I don't have to reteach them. Here are a few key elements: #1 Pre-teaching - singing the song with some sort of accompaniment that has voices singing with it. Usually You-Tube on my phone, but sometimes I have the music on a flash drive and put the flash drive into my speaker. I usually do this the 3-4 minutes before Primary starts as they are settling in. This helps because then:
#2 Use The Songs - I don't usually spend too much time teaching a specific song. I DO make sure that I put them in when they fit the Gospel message. I might only focus on teaching/reviewing the message from one or two lines from the new songs on a particular day. If those lines support the overall message they will learn that part of the song better because they will have a better understanding of it. It is sung within the context of other songs that they know with the same idea. With that being said sometimes in the plan is to sing those 1 or 2 lines 3 times in a row without stopping. (See my post about teaching new songs for ideas on how to do this.) #3 Review The Songs - For the program songs we use the same method as pre-teaching. It's our opener before Primary starts. We start this in about June. To review songs already learned we just make sure to include them a few times during the year. #4 Use Pictures & Words - the flip chart pictures are super important to help teach/reinforce the message. A picture does fill in some blanks and says sooo much more than words. Sometimes I point at the picture, or the words on the flip charts when we sing the part that I want to be emphasized that day as the way to emphasize those words. Instead of talking about it, we sing about it. #5 Use An AHA Activity - something that will help reinforce the message. Sometimes it's simply a set up for the rest of the time. Sometimes it's FULL immersion, like singing in a tent. #6 Use Other Songs - if you sing 6ish songs that all support the same message for the day, you will have a stronger chance that they will really get the message you are trying to help them get. Specific Example: Their Mother 's Knew for next year.
And just like that we have used the song to teach several Gospel messages throughout the year and in doing so they will have "learned" this song, but more importantly they will have learned the message, they will have seen the pictures with the words that are supporting other songs and they will have it in their hearts. They will have sung it a minimum of 14 times, but since we may sing it twice sometimes it will probably be closer to 20. I added a tab at the bottom of my 2020 plan that gives more of a timeline on a few more specific songs. (Like what I did with Their Mother's Knew on this page.) docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P76dgx2awsR_YHIg5KfF4UKBtqmLw6mgoApTjnXrGHs/edit?usp=sharing
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Here are my tried and true tips/tricks based upon my past experience, CFM, Preach My Gospel, and also using my teaching strategies/philosophies that I also use in my day job.
Most are simple directed listening (Focused Attention) based for easy memorization and then also focusing in on topics for internalization of the Gospel messages. Lot's of my different ideas on a few pages :) Archives
March 2021
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