No Practice Today 8-31-14

Just a quick reminder that due to this being Labor Day Weekend, there will be no practice this evening We will see you all next week, September 7, 2014.

Please remember to come dressed in the attire you want to have approved to wear to the Broadcast.  :)

Jewelry? Yes and No

Many have asked about jewelry and what will be or what will not be acceptable to be worn during the actual broadcast. Sister Crockett has come to our rescue (again!) and here it is...

Earrings, watches, and bracelets are not going to be allowed. Please be sure to make plans accordingly now.

Necklaces can be worn if it is either your Young Women's Medallion or your Relief Society Medallion. Any other necklace will not be allowed.

 

Please be sure to come to our next rehearsal on September 7 ready from head to toe. You will be signed off on by one of the members of the Wardrobe Committee. If you have any questions beforehand you can shoot me a text with your items for approval if you would like or with any other questions you might have.

Jennifer Eborn

801-651-3870

What to Wear UPDATE

Hi Ladies. I received a message from Sister Crockett this morning and it is GOOD NEWS! I am going to just type a repeat of the message I received so nothing is missed...

"Sister Hill mentioned to Sister Bastian the question about white buttons, and we totally don't want this to be frustrating especially for the young girls (and their Mothers), so we have decided to let the white buttons be ok!! We don't need the buttons to match the blouse exactly (but if they do that's wonderful), we just don't want shiny buttons"

Hopefully this will help make shopping for those tops a little easier and make it a tad easier to breathe. :) We love you and hope you are having a great week. See you in a couple of weeks!

New Sheet Music!!

Sister Tall emailed and said she finally has the Sheet Music and parts for "I Am a Child of God" and has asked that we get this on the blog asap for you ladies to start taking a look at it. Sister Tall is working on the rehearsal recording and will get that to me as soon as she is done so I can get it uploaded here for you. :) In the meantime, please get yourself familiar with this and continue to practice the other pieces as well.

Please Please Please do not wait until we meet again!!! If you need a CD of the music please call, text, or email me and I will get that to you. :)

The Link for Page 1 is here: I Am a Child of God Page 1

The Link for Page 2 is here: I Am a Child of God Page 2

The Link for Page 3 is here: I Am a Child of God Page 3

Downloadable Links for Rehearsal Pieces

Okay ladies so my sister came to our rescue! Blogger has changed what you can and cannot put on a blog and so let's cross our fingers that these links will work. You should be able to click right on it and then choose to download that file. :) Again, a HUGE thanks to my sister for making this happen!

 I Know Primary/YW Part
I Know RS Part
Let Zion High Part
Let Zion Middle Part
Let Zion Low
On This Day High Part
On This Day Middle Part
On This Day Low Part

Rehearsal Music is HERE!

Sister Tall has come through! She has delivered the rehearsal music as promised and I have officially got it uploaded onto the blog. I apologize it was not up earlier but I had to call in some recruits to make it all happen.

At the top of the blog underneath the picture you will see two (2) tabs. One is labeled 'Home' and the other 'Rehearsal Music'. Click on the Rehearsal Music tab and you will have the videos to play and sing along to practice with.

I didn't want these to get lost in the shuffle as more posts were being added so they will remain on their own tab for the purpose of being able to quickly access those pieces for you. If you cannot for whatever reason access these, PLEASE let me know as soon as possible. Also, if you or someone you know of does not have access to the internet on a regular basis, again, please let me know so we can get you a CD burned of the songs so you can continue to rehearse. My contact information is below:

Jennifer Eborn

801-651-3870

jennifereborn@gmail.com

A HUGE Thank You yet again to Sister Tall for getting us this music!!! Good luck as you each continue to rehearse. See you in a few weeks. :)

Ticket Update

Ladies!!! We literally got the best news ever tonight from Sister Hill minutes before our rehearsal started. For those of you who may have missed it or those of you who weren't quite in your seats yet, let me retell you the good news.

Each member of the choir will receive one (1) ticket. As a member of the choir you will not need a ticket to get into the Broadcast so that one ticket you have, you get to choose who you will give that to! If you are a Mom of a Primary aged girl, she may choose to give that ticket to you. If you have say four (4) members of your family in the choir, you will have four tickets to give to people to join you in the Conference Center. :) :) :) (There are not enough smiley faces for this!)

Sister Hill did remind us that the parking will be very limited so she encourages to please please PLEASE plan on carpooling. Reach out to those in your ward or even your Stake and try to start getting that arranged.

YAY for Sister Hill and YAY for good news!

Week 2...You guys ROCKED it!

Week #2 is down and you guys totally nailed it! I honestly wasn't sure what to expect as far as 'better' is concerned because last week was so phenomenal, however, this week you guys went above and beyond and delivered a ROCKSTAR performance.

I have to agree with President Harman's remarks as he opened our rehearsal. He stated that there is a Spirit that you all bring in that is unquestionable and that as you warm up your voices in song, that Spirit radiates and becomes essentially untouchable.

Our special visitor this evening was changed at last minute and so we were blessed tonight with Sister Carol McConkie who is currently serving as the 1st Counselor in the Young Women's General Presidency. She gave us an incredible spiritual thought this evening.

In 2 Nephi 31: 14 she quoted "After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghoast, and an speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels." She told us that as we prepare for this very special and important Broadcast that you will be able to be attended to by angels and that your voices will be as tongues of angels singing. This gave me chills to my toes! Again, as a non-singing member of the choir, the sounds that come out of you as a choir are already angelic so imagine what is yet to come. I can hardly wait!

She spent her morning with the Sister missionaries at the MTC and shared with us that the Spirit that she felt while being with them was as equal to the Spirit that you all brought with you tonight as you were warming up your voices.

She also then reached into the D&C Section 25: 12 "For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart, yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads". Sisters, we were reminded that as long as we remain true to who we are and we are willing to continue our commitment and dedication to this amazing choir, that blessings will come to us.  Sister McConkie closed her thought by letting each of us know individually that our Heavenly Father is mindful of each one of us as individuals but also a choir. He will not us down as long as we continue to have Faith in Him.

Our 'What to Wear' was touched on again as well. Although your packet states 'nude' pantyhose, the choir will need the following:

Primary Aged Girls (8-12): Black tights
Young Women Aged Girls (12-18): Off Black Pantyhose
Relief Society Aged Women (18+): Off Black Pantyhose

Nylons are not an option when you perform in the Conference Center. Please be prepared to come to our next rehearsal, September 7, in the clothes you want to have approved for the Broadcast. Once approved we are asking that you continue to wear your Broadcast clothes to each rehearsal from that point on. That will allow for those that are seeing you all from the pulpit to help determine where colors will need to be dispersed.

Sister Tall proved yet again that there are many reasons to love her. This beautiful young gal, Ainsley, missed her own birthday party last Sunday to make it to rehearsal. When Sister Tall heard this she knew we all needed to recognize the determination and sacrifice this young lady made so...you all sang Happy Birthday to her! How awesome and an experience this young woman will not soon forget.

 

 

I have to tell you that tonight what took me back most was as I caught glimpses of Mothers helping their Daughters with different parts of the music. It made my heart just melt! I couldn't help but think how incredibly awesome this experience would be to share with your Mother or your Daughter.

You could just see how they wanted it to be the best for their daughters and I loved being able to sit back and watch as it all unfolded. Thank you for allowing those of us 'behind the scenes' to take in what you are working so hard to pull together!

Last but certainly not least, let us continue to remember that for many of us this will be a once in a lifetime experience and one that we won't ever forget. We recognize the sacrifice that you are making to be here each week and the work and sacrifice that those at your homes are making to ensure you being able to be with us. We know the time commitment this takes but as Sister Burton said last week and as Sister McConkie reiterated tonight, blessings will come to those of you that are willing to make this sacrifice for your Heavenly Father. :)

Skirt Shopping Help

I have spoken with many of you this past week about your concerns/frustrations in shopping for your younger girls (Primary aged) and also a few for the older girls (YW and up). I have done a little online research and have found some options that may work. You will just need to do the follow up leg work and make sure length will work for you or your daughter on the skirt you are considering. The other thing to remember is that this is online shopping so you will need to place your order ASAP to ensure you have it here before the third rehearsal on September 7.

Amazon has presented some great skirts! I will include the link to those that I have found below:

Primary Aged Girls:
- Amazon French Toast Paneled Skirt
- Amazon Long Pleated Skirt
- Amazon 3 Layer Skirt

YW and Up:
- Panel Skirt with Ribbon Belt
- Extender Slip in Black
- H&M Crinkled Skirt
- Full Circle Midi Skirt
- Amazon Pencil Skirt


I hope this helps some of you. :) I am sorry I don't have a specific place to send you for each of your needs. Let me also recommend that you talk amongst those within your ward family or perhaps your neighbors or own family. Maybe someone has a sewing talent that they would be able to help you out with? Perhaps you can pick up some material and have it be a project you and your daughter work on together? There are lots of options out there, we just need to be sure we are exhausting all of them.

Again, please please please remember that you will need to arrive to Rehearsal #3 (Sunday, September 7) in the clothing you are planning to wear to the Broadcast. I promise you this...it will all come together as long as you put your Faith and Trust in the Lord. He is incredibly mindful of what we are all working through as individuals and collectively together to make this choir and this Broadcast successful.

Happy Birthday and a little business

Happiest of Birthdays today to our beloved Prophet, Thomas S Monson. Oh my gosh I love love love this man! I once had an opportunity to run into him while waiting for a special meeting of my own. I was in the 9th grade at the time (that was forever ago!) but I still remember as he stretched out his arm and reached out his hand to mine. My thoughts were "his hands are strong and his grip is firm". I truly believe that those who get to shake his hand still to this day would agree with me that strong and firm would describe this gentle man's hands. Happy Birthday President Monson. We love you!

Now...a little business to attend to. We have been asked if there will be extra tickets to the broadcast allocated to the participating stakes so that we can all be sure to be able to attend inside the Conference Center rather than in a Stake Center somewhere. Sadly that will not be the case. Even those of us who are working 'behind the scenes' and not participating in the choir are not guaranteed a ticket. The allocation of the Conference Center tickets will be dispersed as usual. (We wish we could change this but it is just not the case.)

For those of you parents who have children that are participating in the choir...we will be pairing up  'choir buddies' for them. This 'buddy' will hopefully be able to help get your younger child to practice if needs be, to assist them in getting downtown for the dress rehearsal at the Conference Center and then making sure they make it back safely, and then also help with the day of the Broadcast to ensure they are comfortable and that where they need to be. I am going to have to double check with President Harman to see if you can join them in attending the dress rehearsal at the Conference Center the week before. Stay tuned for more there.

Last, Sister Amy Winder (our AMAZING Choir Manager) has been informed by our Choir Director, Sister Erin Tall, that we will need 20 of our 'Middle Section' singers to move to the 'Low Section'. If you feel like you could assist in this, after you check in on Sunday at the rehearsal, find your new seat in the 'Low Section'.

Thank you again for all you do and for all of your hard work, dedication, and commitment to making this choir a success! See you Sunday.

Checking In AND Special Visitor Announcement!

It has been a total of 3 days since we first met and you received your musical number folder. How are you doing with those songs? Have you found a favorite yet? Do you want to leave a comment below for the rest of us letting us know which one you love more than others? Does one touch your heart and soul differently than others? Will you please share with us which one and why? Please remember to keep practicing! There will be no sheet music at our final performance the day of the Broadcast nor will the teleprompters be up as a 'cheat'. You will need to know each of these numbers by heart. (You can do it! I have no question in my mind at all...you are all amazing!)

How is your hunt coming along for your wardrobe? I have spoken with some of you the past few days and I am happy to hear that pieces are coming together. I know others are experiencing some frustration in finding what you thought you had in mind. Please remember to try not to stress over this part of the experience. :) There are lots of friends, family members, ward members, etc that might have just what you are looking for already in their closets; we just need to ask. Kohls, Old Navy, Target, Ross, Maurices, JCPenny, Macy's, and a few other stores are having great sales right now with 'back to school sales' going on. You can also check the DI. Please just make sure you have what you will plan on wearing by the rehearsal on September 7th.

Now...I have some terrific and super exciting news! We have found out who our special visitor will be for Sunday, August 24. We are going to get the opportunity to have Sister Neill Marriott, the 2nd Counselor in the Young Women's General Presidency, join us as we tackle rehearsal #2.

First of all...is she not beautiful? I love this photo of her. She just radiates and you can sense by just looking at this photo just how much she loves the Young Women!!

Sister Marriott was sustained as the 2nd Counselor April 6, 2013. This special woman has 11 children with her husband, David Marriott, and together they get to be grandparents to 20+ grandbabies. How lucky are those kiddos? Can you imagine getting to sing your favorite Primary song with this beautiful lady or as you get older being able to learn from her testimony as a Grandparent/Grandchild relationship grows?And here's the coolest part...we are going to get to hear from her briefly as she will be presenting our Spiritual Thought before you start your rehearsal practice.

Keep practicing. Keep your head up and remember to SMILE! :) As you muddle through the ups and downs of this experience remember it is a great opportunity to rely on our Faith in our Heavenly Father and come to an understanding that through Him, every bit of this will come together and will be possible.

1st Rehearsal Down!

Phew...you guys made it! And as a non singing member of the choir let me first tell you that as I stood in the back and listened to each of you add your piece of heaven to this choir, my heart was filled and my eyes were welled up with tears. You guys are AMAZING!!!

Thank you for arriving early and getting through the check in process as quickly and as efficiently as you did. You guys made it so that the 6:00pm start time happened and we were able to take advantage of the few short hours that we had. Please be sure to remember to continue to arrive to our rehearsals early so we can start at 6:00pm sharp each week.

I want to be sure to try and capture photos each week and so with my trusty iPhone in hand I will try my best and do just that. :) I want this to be a blog that we can look back on and remember what hard work went into making this choir possible and I am a firm believer that photos are sometimes more telling than actual words.

Check in was efficient and terrific. Thanks to our INCREDIBLE Choir Manager, Sister Amy Winder, for making the tables not just easy to find with all of her helpful signage but super cute too. She truly went above and beyond what was needed or even dreamt of to make this a welcoming area where choir members could get their information checked off and into their seats quickly.

Did you guys just LOVE Sister Tall? :) She is the best!

How lucky were we to be able to have the General Relief Society Presidency in attendance tonight as well? As I sat on the stand I couldn't help but be completely overwhelmed with the Spirit that these ladies brought through the door to the Stake Center this evening. You could feel the love that they have for each and every one of us and the joy that they had for being able to be a part of this first rehearsal. 

I loved Sister Burton's spiritual thought and wanted to re-cap that for you. She reminded us that the choir and the music that the choir presents is going to be the most important part of the broadcast. Remember she shared that not all countries broadcast due to the complexity of translating the words but music can be felt and so as a choir please remember that as you sing and give it your all.

She challenged us to read D&C Section 25. This is the section that was given to Emma Smith but again, Sister Burton reminded us that it states 'what I say to one, I say to all' so it 100% applies to us today! The challenge then came to find one thing that you are willing to do to be more righteous. She asked us to write that one thing down and then commit to start working on that tonight. Recognize that this could be a sacrifice and that it might be hard but...the blessings will be worth it in the end.

Finally, I don't know about you but tears were very eminent as she sang her sweet song about engraving the promise on your heart. If you are going to do it, engrave it upon your heart. Begin to do the work that needs to be done and watch as it unfolds before your eyes and as blessings and miracles come to take place.

Sisters, you did an amazing job and I am humbled to be able to serve and work side by side each of you. I am grateful for your sweet spirits and for your willingness to share your talents with not just me but all of those worldwide that are going to be able to listen. Thank you for your commitment to be to each practice and to be able to show up and give it your all. We will see you next week!

If you have thoughts on this week, or any other weeks, rehearsal or you simply want to share, please feel free to leave a comment. We want this to be your blog.

Want to know what to wear?

I am sure since you have been called to serve on this amazing choir you have had the thought "What are we going to wear?" or maybe you have been wondering what in your closet you might already have that would work? Well, you are in luck! Sister Crockett, Sister Eborn, and Sister Harman have been called to make this part as stress free for you as possible. They have been given the colors and regulations in which we will need to abide by for the broadcast performance. :)

First things first: You will need to come to the third (3rd) rehearsal dressed in the clothing in which you would like to have approved for the broadcast performance. You will either be checked off as all is well or if we need to make some changes we will let you know at that time. You have a couple of weeks to look through your closet, look through a friends closet, or hit a department store to find what it is you will need. If you find you are 'stuck' please let one of us know and we will be happy to do our best to help get you what you will need.

Now then...let's work our way from the top to the bottom. The blouses you need to be thinking about need to be as follows:

Primary Aged Girls (8-12): Short Sleeve, 3/4 Length Sleeve, or Long Sleeve
Young Women Aged Girls (12-18): 3/4 Length Sleeve or Long Sleeve
Women (Aged 18+): 3/4 Length Sleeve or Long Sleeve

We don't want form fitting or baggy t-shirt looking tops please. Let us remind you that you are representing our Heavenly Father and we would only want the best for Him. Sister Crockett, Sister Eborn, and Sister Harman will have examples on Sunday, August 17 of what kind of top will be acceptable and what won't work as well. The colors that we have been given for this broadcast are here:

Colors from left to right: Plum, Mauve, Apricot, Harvest Orange, Fuchsia, Dark Coral, Burgundy, Blackberry

You have eight colors you can choose from. Our biggest recommendation if you are choosing a darker purple (to the right of the color swatch) is to be mindful that those colors can tend to look almost black. We want to try and avoid that please. We want to have the deeper purple tones mixed in but we want to be sure to keep the 'black' out. :)

Tops we want you to keep in mind are those that button up with a collar, those that are a dressier blouse and not one that perhaps is solid in color but has more of an athletic feel or Saturday afternoon feel to it. A blouse with a cardigan on top is okay as long as both items of clothing are the exact same color. We can have no multi coloring layering. Again, Sister Crockett, Sister Eborn, and Sister Harman will have examples for you to look at at rehearsal.

Next let's talk about the bottom half. You will need to find a black skirt that will cover your knees both when you stand up and when you are sitting down with your legs crossed. Make sure you do the sit down and cross your leg test. :) Some examples would be:

Some of you might think that you have a skirt already that will work and that is great! Please please just be sure you sit down and cross your leg test. Some skirts that will not work are:

Some look like they would be long enough, however, once seated and legs crossed...they just simply won't work.

Nylons are required. There will be no exceptions on this. You will need a pair of off black nylons (ages 13+) and for the younger girls a pair of black tights will work (8-12).

Shoes. Conference Center rules are that you must have closed toes and closed heels on your shoes. You can have a small heel but no stiletto or really high heeled shoes. You will need a pair of black closed toe/closed heel shoes for our conference broadcast performance.

Small heel or basic flat is what you will want to look for

There will be no boots or open toed shoes allowed at all. Please make note of this now so that there are no surprises when you arrive to be checked off for your attire. Also, please note...no high heels or stiletto type shoes will be approved.

We are excited about the color selection and know that they are only going to accent your beautiful singing voices as you perform. 

Special Visitor Announcement!

Left to Right: Sister Stephens, Sister Burton, Sister Reeves

Ladies! We have exciting news about our very first rehearsal. We are going to have the opportunity to be sitting in the same chapel as the General Relief Society Presidency. :) I don't know about you but this makes me smile from ear to ear.

Sister Linda Burton is our current presiding President and if you don't love her already, I can assure you it is just a matter of time. She is truly an example of Faith and trust in our Heavenly Father. I love that you can feel the love and compassion that she has for each one of us and that she puts her all into her calling and she is always looking to serve those around her. We are truly blessed to have such a valiant woman in this calling.

Sister Carole Stephens is currently serving as the First Counselor to Sister Burton in the presidency. One of my most favorite things about Sister Stephens is her consistent declaration of her love of the scriptures. And you know what? She is so right! There is much to be learned in the pages of those sacred and special books. We can gain strength within ourselves and our testimonies can continue to be built upon a solid foundation if we just heed her words and turn those pages often.

Sister Linda Reeves is currently serving as the Second Counselor to Sister Burton in the presidency. As a Mom myself I am in awe at Sister Reeves and the parent that she is. She has 13 children! That alone is proof that this woman is strong and resilient. What better example to have serving us as women of the church than someone who has worn every possible cap as she has raised her family.

We live in a day of age that we are faced with many facets of the Adversity and the negativity in which he wants us to fall into. Luckily for us, however, we have an incredibly loving Heavenly Father who is very mindful of such things and so he places women like these in our lives. Now we may not have day to day contact with these women but there is no doubt in my mind that they are always serving in their callings with us in mind.

Let's remember to say a prayer thanking our Heavenly Father for giving us these special ladies in our lives and let's not forget to pray for them as well. They do an amazing job and I can't help but think that our prayers can only help strengthen them a little. We are so excited that they will be joining us for our first rehearsal and hope that collectively we can make them feel welcome!

See you Sunday!