Preparing for the Program

In preparing for a sub (especially a sub who might not know all the songs we’re learning this year), I went back to the idea I had for “I Lived in Heaven” and a suggestion that another chorister on a blog had- to make a binder with all the songs for the year in it. I figure if I use the same pictures that I used to teach them with that when it comes time to review they will be quicker to their memories. Last year I was so stressed with re-teaching songs because it was as though they had forgotten all the songs they learned at the beginning of the year (I was put in this calling in Aug). This way I can pull it out throughout the year and remind them, and then use it to quickly re-teach when it comes time to review. I hope that having a game plan will make it less stressful. So while preparing for a sub while I’m out for maternity reasons, I’ve also been spending a great deal of time recollecting and printing all the pictures I have used to teach songs to put into this binder. I still have to not completed “My Eternal Family”, but I’ve put together my pages for April’s song- “My Redeemer Lives”. For “How Firm a Foundations” I gave up trying to find my own pictures since I hardly had any pictures anyway, but instead printed another chorister’s flip chart from her blog. So far the pages look really good. I kept this in mind also while I was making the pages for May’s song “Baptism”. I foresee this book being really handy to hand a sub, and throughout the year for relearning when needed. Also I copied/printed all the songs for the year out and placed in sleeves, into the front of the binder. I use them rather them rather than the primary book to learn the songs myself while preparing, and for leading the music in front of the children.