• Sacred,  Vocal Solos

    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.

  • Sacred,  Vocal Solos

    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…

  • Hymn Arrangement,  Sacred,  SATB

    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.

  • Hymn Arrangement,  Sacred,  SATB

    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.

  • Sacred,  Vocal Solos

    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,…

  • Sacred,  Vocal Solos

    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…

  • Connie's Corner,  Sacred,  Vocal Solos

    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.

  • Miscellaneous,  Sacred,  Vocal Solos

    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…

  • Sacred,  Vocal Solos

    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)…