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Away In a Manger
This recording was originally a piano solo. For maybe the last eight years I’ve sat with it every Christmas and said to myself, “Next year.” The last two years I’ve felt impressed that it wanted to be a vocal solo, and have toyed with that. When the request for member submissions came to send a cover to this particular hymn, I felt like it would work. I sent it to the Church Music Submissions for the Come, Follow Me “member submissions” effort.
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Hosannah to The Risen Lord!
Hosannah to the Risen Lord! As I was studying the New Testament and Come Follow Me during the Easter Season, I became quite intrigued at things I had possibly skimmed over in my previous study of this section of the New Testament. I found myself pondering Mary at the tomb and the sorrow she might have been feeling. Although I felt I knew this scene in the history of Jesus, I did not remember the women who accompanied Mary to the tomb. That became the seedbed of this song. Like most of my music, it started out as a solo, but I could not ignore the fact I heard other…
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He Lives
This song came one night as I was “playing with” I Know That My Redeemer Lives. I wanted to arrange my own version of it, but this is what happened instead. It’s simple, but it is my testimony of my Savior, Jesus Christ. LYRICS He lives! I know my Savior lives! Oh, the peace and joy this sentence gives. He lives to guide me with His love, As He advocates for me above. I know He hears and answers prayer. This is truth: I know of His kind care. He lives to grant me rich supply As He cares for me beneath his watchful eye. I know His love can…
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I Know That My Redeemer Lives
This has always been one of my favorite hymns. One of my favorite things to do in the evening is turn out the lights and let my hands do what they want. This song is a result of one of those sessions. I turned on the recorder and enjoyed writing it. I’ve played it at several funerals lately. It is very comforting.
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She Prays
We had been asked to pray for rain and civility in the world. This request must have been weighing heavily on my mind during my sleep one night. When I awoke, this song was running through my head and waiting to be committed to paper. I love it when that happens because I know there is only one reason for it: The Lord is giving me a gift! A special thanks to Angela Dugdale for recording this for me.
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I Hear Him (Lower Voice
This song is on my website twice. I wrote it initially for a lower voice (this version), but Angie has this angel voice in a higher range. She is very flexible and was able to do low as well.
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Mother’s Legacy
A tribute to a woman who was true to her faith from the minute she heard about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She never wavered. Her life wasn’t as easy as she’d have liked it to be, but she was a shining example to all of us of overcoming struggles that are true “thorns in the side”. It was a testimony to me to watch her the last five years of her life and see just how drawn she was to helping others see the truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Truly she had a friend in Jesus.
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Follow Him
We were blessed that Covid-19 in 2021, did not come rock our world much. Clyde had it before it became a household word. My life was pretty packed prior to shut down. When it hit, I had time to pursue music that came; when it came. This is one of those songs. I don’t remember the seed that sprouted this song.
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I Hear Him
This is the original version. Realizing it might not be the easiest for most people to sing, I rewrote it. This is for those who like to sing below Middle C. This song just came in the night. It went through a few iterations before settling on the final version. Pres. Russell M. Nelson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has challenged us to know how we hear Him. I can’t claim that this song is a comprehensive list, but it is a personal list of ways I’ve heard Him. Thanks to Angela Dugdale for recording this one. She has the voice of a songbird. Lyrics I…
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Beautiful Zion – Piano Solo
This arrangement of a Restoration Hymn was part of a project I have been privileged to work on with my brother-in-law, John Lloyd. We both hope something comes of it someday. You will note there is also an arrangement with strings on this site. I couldn’t leave it alone, and rewrote it for piano. I’m a pianist first. Although I love strings, I don’t necessarily hear them when I’m writing music.
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Beautiful Zion
This arrangement of a Restoration Hymn was part of a project I have been privileged to work on with my brother-in-law, John Lloyd. We both hope something comes of it someday. He is working on a video and wanted piano music. This piece actually went a step further. We will see what becomes of it. For now, I thank John for the blessing of being asked to “play in the hymns” and Cathy Lamoureux for marking the strings. I have to admit I was out of my comfort zone on this one.
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Restoration Medley
I know this is long and probably of interest to nobody but myself. I was given the opportunity to help with a video. The request was for restoration hymns to be the background. I said it would come quickly or not at all. For about two weeks I felt like I was being hit with a fire hose of ideas. I LOVED this project! We don’t know where it will lead, but I had a great time creating it. Each hymn can be extracted to be played alone, or any three in succession with little adaptation.
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Our Savior’s Love
The music for this arrangement was rearranged from a number I wrote for the Alpine Stake play, “Children of The Dream”, which was inspired by Marvin Payne. After twenty plus years, I revisited the song and discovered it would work with the lyrics to the hymn, “Our Savior’s Love”. With some modification, this arrangement of a favorite hymn was born. Our ward choir sang it in October 2017, and it was so beautiful. COVID has brought new inspiration and it now has a C-instrument duet. I’ve recorded it with flute and oboe, although strings work beautifully as well. You use what you have access to.
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Be Still My Soul
June 2020, and we are three months into Covid-19. The music for this song had haunted me for weeks. At first, I felt like it was a song about the heart, but words would not come. One morning I awoke to the melody going through my head. This was not new. However, the words came as well and they were very familiar. I instantly went to my Hymnal and found that they worked very well with all of the music I had already written. This is the result of that experience.
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Words Won’t Come
By the time this song was finished, I knew the Lord wanted me to write it. I thought I knew what I was writing, but it actually turned out to be the road from “lost” to being “found” – really, a conversion experience. Thanks to Angela Dugdale for helping me with the vocal. LYRICSWords won’t come. My heart is breaking.Can’t hold back the tears. I’m aching.Dreams are shattered. Nothing matters.Hope seems distant; nonexistent.Tortured with the thoughts within.Bless me with the will to winthe battles raging deep within my soul.Then I remember lessons long ago.Christ is there for ev’ry soul who calls Him.Reaching out I take His hand.He’s there for me.…
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Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd – SATB
I’ll never turn down an opportunity to play with a hymn. Our new choir director gave me an assignment. Since I already had been playing with this hymn as an instrumental (piano solo), it seemed a natural thing to turn it into a choral number. I now know why it is written in the Hymnal the way it is.
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I Stand All Amazed
I was given the blessing of accompanying the son of a dear friend’s funeral. They requested organ accompany for this song, and I was unable to find an arrangement that fit our needs. This was the end result of my search. Matt Gifford is the voice you’re hearing. He was out of his comfort zone, but he did a beautiful job.
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Thy Will, O Lord, Be Done
Another piece of inspiration while I was the choir director. When I discovered how much fun it was to use the lyrics from one hymn to another, I was constantly on the lookout for matching possibilities. This was one of them.
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Behold the Great Redeemer Die – SATB
I enjoyed a run of close to five years as Ward Choir Director. It was a great opportunity for me to grow. Sometimes I wanted a song the choir could perform that wasn’t written. This one was a result of one of those times. It was used in an Easter program. Our ward choir is filled with talented people. It was a thrill to work with them during that time. Won’t we all be glad when Covid will let us sing praises again?
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Where Can I Turn for Peace?
Leave me alone with a Hymnal for very long and I’ll find a way to play with a hymn. Our choir enjoyed singing this after they adapted to the synchronization. When this hymn first hit the streets, I always heard the close harmony and syncopation in my mind. It was a delight to have our choir sing this.
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Prayer of Thanksgiving
Being the director of our ward choir was so fun for me. This arrangement almost started out jokingly. We were nearing November, and I was thinking hard about the outcome of our presidential election. Either way, it was going to be a tough pill to swallow for me. (This is not a political statement.) At any rate, I was playing around with this piece and this is what resulted. The choir got the “tongue-in-cheek” connection when I handed it to them. It turned out to be a really nice change to a traditional Thanksgiving hymn.
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How Great the Wisdom and the Love
Another SATB for our wonderful ward choir. Sadly to say, there is not a performance recording. This is a Finale electronic recording.
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Jesus, The Very Thought of Thee
This arrangement was for an Easter program in 2016. It’s preservation is miraculous. Thank goodness for backup discs. Ugh! As I got it ready for this Website, I realized again that I was working with a spectacular group of people as we performed. They just did it. It’s simple enough, but I see things that might have been different. Suffice it to say, it’s safe now. I can’t guarantee I didn’t get inspiration on the narration from someone else’s effort. I apologize I don’t have the name of that person or even where it came from. I don’t have that original narration either, but my experience has been that what…
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Come, Ye Thankful People
Another opportunity for playing in the hymnal. This was my favorite guilty pleasure for about five years as I served as choir director in our ward.
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Secret Prayer
I’ve said it enough times, but I believe my biggest high was writing music for our ward choir for the better part of five years. This one was a quick learn and fun for us to perform. The accompanist has the most fun on this one.
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Stay By the Tree
After Elder Kevin W. Pearson of the Seventy gave his General Conference talk in April 2015, I could not rest until I committed his comments to music. To me, it came out of his mouth musically. This is the result.
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A Tiny Baby Lay
This song was several years in the making. Some of the words and markings sat in my scriptures from year to year, calling to me each Christmas. This year (2014) I made the goal to give it to my Savior as a Christmas present. It came quickly. What took time was getting the courage to record it. I hope you like it.
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I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Song background: One of the more exciting pieces I wrote for our choir. I had heard the voice of one of our Young Men in a stake program and was blown away. I wanted him to sing with our choir, but he wasn’t all that interested. I wrote this arrangement with him in mind. He did amazing. What is the back story on the arrangement? I’ve always liked the message of this song, but feel the original arrangement is too long. As I was drying my hair one morning, the melody came to me and it fit! Of course, piano accompaniment is just as nice as organ.
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I Feel His Love
This song literally came “line upon line”. I had the music long before most of the lyrics, but the title always stayed the same. It was finally the spring of 2014 when I decided it was time to commit it to paper – thanks to my daughter-in-law’s encouragement. Thanks, Chelsae! I’ve been blessed to see the Lord’s hand in my life. Has it always been what I asked for? Not hardly! But I’ve always been able to see His responses to my prayers were what were best for me and much surpassed my wildest imaginations on what would make me happy. This song only scratches the surface of my feelings,…
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Abide With Me, ‘Tis Eventide
Give me a quiet night at my piano in the dark, and this is what happens. I love “playing with the hymns”!
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Abide With Me ‘Tis Eventide – SATB
Another favorite hymn of mine. If I haven’t said it before, the Hymnal is my “playground”. This SATB arrangement came from the piano solo that I wrote in 2010. Our ward choir performed this several years later and it was beautiful. Finale generates the sound, and unfortunately blows through my fermatas. It’s still better than nothing.
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In Thy Holy Name
This hymn was a work in progress. Lyrics sat in my scriptures with musical scribbles for several years. One day I decided to write it out and see if it really evolved into a hymn as I heard it in my head. The first and third verses came easily. This in itself was quite an accomplishment for me. I studied the second verse for what seemed forever sitting at my piano. Then my eyes looked up at the picture on my wall of the Savior holding a lamb. It was an inspired and instant fit, and the song was complete.
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Take it to the Grove
This song was written after visiting with a dear friend who was struggling with answers to questions that just can’t be answered by man. One day while visiting, she said her counselor told her to “take it to the grove”. Of course, as Latter-day Saints, we all know what that means. When she told me this is what he had said, I instantly thought to myself, “That sounds like the title to a song.” Sometime later, I read the book “The Secret”. I decided I would apply its theory one day. When my husband left for work, he asked me what my plan was for the day. I told him…
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As We Bow Our Heads – Hymn
I was blessed to attend a couple of college courses after our children “launched”. It was an exciting time for me, but life got busy again and it was short lived. This “hymn” is the result of an assignment in one of my music classes. Oh, how I loved that class! The assignment was to write a 4-part song using the “rules” we had been taught during the semester. I initially wrote it with the first verse. The instructor asked me where the lyrics came from. They are my own. When I walked away with my “A”, I added the other two verses. For curious minds who want to know:…
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Candle Light; Christmas Night
This was my Christmas gift to Jesus in 2009. I wanted to compose a Christmas song. This was the end result.
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Andrew Clair
My brother’s good friend delivered a baby boy who had no hope for living more than a few hours on this earth. It just wasn’t meant to be. The family was able to be in the room and hold this perfect little baby until he just fell asleep in the mother’s arms. It was a bitter sweet experience for all of them – and a very painful one for the mother. She was having difficulty getting past the ache. My brother asked if I could write a song just for her about this baby. We spent time on the phone talking about the experience. She shared some very tender feelings…
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Circles
I was asked to write this song for a poem that was written in the hospital when John Goodwin’s mother-in-law was passing this earth life. It seemed so untimely to him, yet he realized the Plan is that we come to earth and our life lives like the seasons – we come, and then we go. If you pay too closely to the notes vs what is sung, you will notice the altering of notes. Don’t let that be an annoyance. Obviously, both versions work well. Playing the piano while singing (and recording) brings its own challenge.
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Prayer Medley
A medley of hymns from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Hymnal: Did You Think to Pray? I Need Thee Every Hour Prayer is the Soul’s Sincere Desire
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Peace
This song was a request by a Relief Society for me to perform a song on the topic of “Peace”. There’s a possibility I misunderstood the request. But I wrote this in response to her request. She said it was over the top, which could mean a couple of things. I felt it turned out fine for the place where I was at the time. It was a good experience then, and has not been looked at since until 2021.
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My Father’s Care
I was a young mother with several little children and one troubled teenager. I was managing a household, caring for others and wasn’t feeling a whole lot of love at the time. I just wanted to vent. Venting was never my style, so a song was born. Read between the lines. This song tells a story.
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I’ll Quietly Keep the Commandments
This song has a story. We were newlyweds and struggling financially. We were making ends meet, but it wasn’t easy. I was teaching piano to supplement our income and there was little money left over for play. I did the unpardonable – I asked someone else how they managed so well and why we would be struggling. Her answer was flippant and it stung: “Oh, we just pay our tithing and Heavenly Father blesses us.” What? Did she think we weren’t paying our tithing? I let this get under my skin. By day’s end, the Lord had given me a blessing to calm my mind. It truthfully put me in…
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Treasures in Heaven
We had just zeroed in on the theme for our Girls’ Camp in 1989. I had a full day on the road the next day driving to my Aunt Faye Watkins’ funeral. It was an amazing funeral and sparked such creative juices. As I was driving home, the lyrics came to me as if from a fire hose. I pulled off the road several times to write. This is the result of that experience.
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And She Shall Be Called Woman
This song was a request from our Stake Relief Society for the annual RS Birthday Celebration. Sharon Reese and I collaborated on this one. She is a very talented lady and we created together for several years. LYRICS: And she shall be called woman,Gracious, beloved and divine.The works of her hands describe her.She’ll be known through all of time.Strength and honor are her clothing.Only kindness bespeaks her tongue.She lives a full life of service.And rejoices in time to come. And she shall be called womenFrom man in his image came she.Her life full of love and compassionhas its place in eternity.Has its place in eternity. The Lord will bring her…
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An Instrument of Love
This song, written in 1984, was collaborated with my mom, Joan Waldron. She was always very good with prose and poetry. It began as a piano solo, which my husband really enjoyed. It became quite serviceable as a vocal though. The alto part was added sometime after its debut.
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Sacred Task
This was a piano solo first, and my husband loved it. When my Mom heard it, she heard a song and put the song words. It was sung in the valley where she lived quite a bit for a few years. I’m sorry I don’t have a recording. The electronic version is the next best thing.
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Baptism Day
This song was written and sung in 1980 for the baptism of my oldest daughter. My parents had lots of grandchildren, and she was one of the oldest. It’s been heard a numerous baptisms through the years.
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Love at Home Medley
This is the first arrangement I created and was so fun for me. I was able to play it at my sister-in-law’s funeral as well as my mother-in-law’s funeral a few months later. It has continued to be one of my favorite pieces.
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A Mother’s Reflection
I almost hesitate to include the older songs I wrote. This is one of the first half dozen songs I created. Today, I see things I would change. I don’t necessarily want to take the time. It is a snapshot of my life as it is. I have learned a lot in 40 years. There is much, much more I could learn as far as writing music is concerned. This was a period in my life when I was very reflective. I was nearly panic stricken as I realized I was solely responsible for any gospel training this young daughter was going to get. She was so precious to me…
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He Answers Prayer
This was the first piece of music I ever wrote. I was thirty years old and musical notation had not been part of my study growing up. I had been away from studying music for thirteen years and the hand-written copy of this number looked like it. I was in the process of a life-altering experience (divorce) and my daughter was headed to Disneyland with her dad. Ouch! However, would I fill the silence and the ache? I had been asked by the Stake Relief Society to play an organ solo at a stake gathering. The organ was a pipe organ and I had had very little experience (actually none)…