When Faith Endures

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First off, this song is unbelievably fun to play and sing. So even if you’re not a great singer but like to sing  (like me) try it out after listening to it and getting the feel for it in your head.

About the song…

I have always liked the lyrics to this song. I felt like I wanted to do to this song what Rob Gardner did to Savior Redeemer of My Soul. Ok, so mine isn’t nearly as touching as that amazing arrangement but it sure gave me inspiration.

I really wanted to add a second verse. I found one that had some great lyrics written by Bryant Adams. With his permission I changed a few of the lyrics. I really wanted the song to end with “when faith endures” and I wanted to add this idea by Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf given in a general conference address entitled, “Be Not Afraid, Only Believe”:

“When we choose to believe, exercise faith unto repentance, and follow our Savior, Jesus Christ, we open our spiritual eyes to splendors we can scarcely imagine. Thus our belief and faith will grow stronger, and we will see even more.”

Oh, I love that and I hope that message comes across in this arrangement. I recommend opening up the music in another tab and following along with the video since the melody and lyrics will be unfamiliar. Enjoy!

When Faith Endures

Faith in Every Footstep

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Our stake choir director asked if I could arrange an easy version of this song for a youth stake choir. K. Newell Dayley’s SSAATTBB arrangement is beautiful with a capital B, but way too hard for a beginning choir. So, I tried to make an easier arrangement with a very similar feel as Dayley’s. I almost feel bad saying it’s my arrangement because I imitated his so closely. I just hope this helps some choirs with fewer choir members or more inexperienced members.

I decided to add an SATB for choirs who are lucky enough to have more people and experience.

Faith in Every Footstep (SAB)
Faith in Every Footstep (SAB & piano)
Faith in Every Footstep (SATB)
Faith in Every Footstep (SATB & piano)
Faith in Every Footstep (Piano only)

Choir tips: Here’s something I’ve never done before because until recently I knew nothing about singing. Luckily, I worked with an amazing choir director whose notes these are. This pdf is her marked-up notes for the youth choir. It is the notes for the SAB version but you can use them as reference for the SATB version as well.

Our director gave the youth this music when they were first learning their parts, then she gave them the above music afterward. NB=no breath. Commas=breath. And it is easy to hold out the last note. Choir members can breath whenever they want as long as it’s not the same time as the person next to them and they keep their mouth looking like they are still singing. Our choir director always said, “Breath anywhere you want except where there’s a slur!”

I hope this all helps! I know working with this piece helped me learn a lot!

Faith in Every Footstep parts with choir notes

Forgive my voice and I promise it sounds amazing with a full choir!

I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go

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I think this is the longest it has ever taken me to complete a song but it was worth it! There are a two points of interest I have in this song:

1. A while back I had a composing tip post called Play it Backwards. This is the song where playing it backwards worked. If you go to the Hymn book and play the last measure or 2 of this song backwards, then listen to my intro you’ll hear the similarity.

2. I love how the third verse of this song says that we are laboring for “Jesus the Crucified.” I slowed down this part of the music on the third verse to really emphasize the importance of this truth. When I think of the lyrics and play this part I get teary eyed. (the note that is held out in measure 65-66 could be shortened a little, just saying if you want to try that–I have it the way it is for the beat sake)

I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go

Composing Tip: Change Octaves

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When arranging music I feel intros can be tricky to come up with. I don’t just want to play the last line of the song as an intro. That can be boring, and coming up with something new can sometimes sound out of place for the song.

One thing I have done to change up an intro is change octaves on the last note of a line. Take “I Feel My Savior’s Love” for example. Look at the first line (line of the title). Instead of playing the normal F on “love” you play it an octave higher. Can you hear playing that higher note while your left hand is playing ascending notes leading you into the song?

I’ve found this technique useful for changing up intros, but it could very well be useful at other points of an arrangement too. Try it out!

Where Can I Turn for Peace?

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I’m very excited about this one because it is the first duet I’ve written! It took a while to write but I’m really happy with the result. My favorite thing about this song is that it is simple but beautiful. It is easy enough for about an intermediate student to play with a peer or a teacher.

Remember to play it with emotion, without it, the song doesn’t sound nearly as good. Enjoy!

Where Can I Turn for Peace? (Primo)

Where Can I Turn for Peace? (Secondo)

I would like to thank my friend Cathy for playing this with me and helping me work out the kinks.

Reverence is Love

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Our stake presidency asked all bishops to take a whole sacrament meeting and discuss reverence. I was over activity days at the time and we were asked to do the musical number that day. I arranged this for the girls to sing. They got up right after the sacrament was passed and when the bishop got up to speak right after them he was almost in tears from the wonderful spirit those girls sang with.

This song goes through the song twice. I just felt like I should do that to really reinforce the meaning of the words. Hope you like it and as always, picture it with a better voice than mine 🙂

Reverence is Love

I have tried to contact the copyright owner of this music, through multiple methods, and have heard no response for over a year. If the copyright owner wishes for me to take this down I will. Please contact me and I will do it immediately.

My Heavenly Father Loves Me

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My husband’s college roommate played this song on his guitar and I wrote some piano to go with it. I took the music I wrote and made it for just piano and voice. I love that it has a pop sound but still very beautiful. I don’t think that would have happened had I not written it to a guitar part first.

Feel free to change up the voicing however you want. Because it has a pop sound, there are a lot of ways to sing it that sound great! I just kind of wrote out about what I sing.

My Heavenly Father Loves Me

I have tried to contact the copyright owner of this music and have heard no response for more than half a year. If the copyright owner wishes for me to take this down I will. Please contact me and I will do it immediately.

I Pray in Faith

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Two girls in my ward wanted to do this song for a musical number in Sacrament Meeting so I arranged this for them to sing. You do have to use the Children’s Songbook with it so have that ready. Instructions are also on my sheet music but here is exactly what to do:

Put Children’s Songbook on piano (or print out the music from here) and lay it out with my sheet music (provided below) like this:

Play the intro in the Children’s Songbook and then the piano part while the children sing the first verse. As soon as you are finished with first verse go to sheet music and play piano part while children sing second verse. Play through first ending then go back to beginning while children sing both parts together and go through second ending.

It’s really not as confusing as it sounds. Luckily I have a recording of the girls singing it so you can listen if you have any questions about what to do.

I Pray in Faith

Aren’t their voices cute?