My Song is Love Unknown - AO's January Hymn

I LOVE the hymn this month!  I sang this a few times while we were in England, and am so glad that it showed up on the Ambleside Online hymn rotation!  I must admit - my recording (https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzn5JnBFIS3TbnM5Mzl5OFdOUWs) for my family does not do it justice at all!  Definitely listen to some of the YouTube videos sung by English choirs - they are gorgeous. 

I suggest printing out the words separately from the PDF of the full score, since there don't seem to be any copies of the two together on the Web for free.  However, it's such a beautiful poem you will probably want to read it as such anyway! 

Thanks to Cyber Hymnal for their midi file, edited & used in my recording according to their fair use policy.  Don't forget to print the words from their site for each reading member of your family, as well as the PDF if you want to play it on your piano. 

YouTube:
St. Martin's Choir (with words!):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv7OZSoA22w&list=PLF0AA995DF9F7D693&index=15
Well's Cathedral Choir:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjo-JiwyVAE&list=PLF0AA995DF9F7D693&index=8
King's College, Cambridge:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMart4wXsI0&list=PLF0AA995DF9F7D693&index=23
Irish arrangement, 1 note is off but not a huge deal:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK1LNz-rIOI
Different tune, Fernando Ortega:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbsj7tBQjdk

Copyright:  I claim copyright for my voice on the recording.  Please feel free to download & use for personal, educational, or church use!  Any commercial or other uses, please contact me.  Please ask if you would like to put any of my music on your website.  Thanks! 

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow - AO's December Hymn

Hello Everyone!  This month I've added PARTS!  Woo hoo!  The Doxology is a great song for which to learn parts because (hopefully) it's one you will sing often in churches throughout your entire life; and it sounds great a capella!  Go ahead and try it at home with your family!

The Doxology is actually the final verse of this beautiful hymn, "Awake, My Soul."  You may wish to print out the words & sing the entire thing, or meditate on the poem.  (I like to put the words next to my sink so I can sing while I do the dishes!)  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/a/w/a/awakemys.htm  What a great way to start the day! 

I found a Public Domain copy of the sheet music for Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow here:  http://openhymnal.org/Pdf/Praise_God_From_Whom_All_Blessings_Flow-Old_100th.pdf

Thanks so much to Cyber Hymnal for use of their Midi File (under their fair use guidelines):  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/d/o/x/doxology.htm

Here are my recordings of The Doxology:
Melody (Soprano):  https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzn5JnBFIS3TQVRBaXZHaFNIMXc
Alto:https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzn5JnBFIS3TYk9wRzluVlF0ams
Tenor: (coming soon)
Bass: (coming soon)
All 4 Parts!:   (coming soon)
(Thank you to my wonderful husband, Ben, for singing Tenor & Bass parts!  It is definitely a bonus to have met my husband in Touring Choir at Grove City College!) 

On You Tube:

Nice Recording:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kmskQGUIlc&list=PLF0AA995DF9F7D693&index=1&feature=plpp_video

Just the accompaniment, words on screen:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lM5mGugb8A&list=PL9fA9B-d1o6JDA6kETshnfryuYZ2PuoR_&index=11

Copyright:  We claim copyright for our voices on the recordings.  Feel free to download and listen (not edit) for non-profit personal, educational, or church use.  For any for-profit use or publishing on your blog or other website, please contact me.  Thanks! 

Anywhere With Jesus - AO's November 2012 Hymn

This month's hymn is another new one for me, personally.  It has an old-fashioned style, but the words ring true.  Here is my homemade recording of Anywhere with Jesus:  https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzn5JnBFIS3TVGxEWmxraHEtbHc (just download from Google Drive).

We follow Ambleside Online's Hymn Schedule here.  Thank you to Cyber Hymnal for use of their midi file, as allowed by their fair-use guidelines.  I also recommend printing out their PDF for each reading member of your family - this month words are with the music! 

Here are a few YouTube links.  This must be a favorite from the variety of versions out there!:

AO's recommendation (a capella congregation):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZMdq5nh7c8&list=PLF0AA995DF9F7D693&index=5&feature=plpp_video

Just words on the screen with a lovely piano accompaniment:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D84c88bzM8

Country (very professional; not exact to notes of hymn, so don't learn from this):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F6UfHJKEGg&feature=fvwrel

Gospel Style (also professional, not the best quality, again not exact to notes of hymn):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwhSSmmWYbM&list=PLF0AA995DF9F7D693&index=18&feature=plpp_video

Upbeat with lots of motions (VBS version) - I had to put this on because I think my kids will like this:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di6F0dC1CHs

Copyright:  I claim copyright for my voice on the recording, but I'm happy for anyone to download it for private, educational, or church use.  Any commercial use, please contact me.  If you want to use it on your blog or other website, please contact me.  Thanks!  

For the Beauty of the Earth - AO October Hymn

This month I'm going to "cheat" and direct everyone over to The Center for Church Worship to download their MP3 of For the Beauty of the Earth.  It's beautiful!  Just go here:  http://www.songsandhymns.org/hymns/detail/for-the-beauty-of-the-earth   I realize it doesn't have all of the verses, but it has all the verses you'll ever sing in a church. 

October is a difficult month for me to record because it's SO busy.  We have 4 immediate family birthdays this month, and this year a bit of traveling (Paris, here I come!).  So I hope no one minds me not recording too much!

My Mom has agreed to help me record by recording the piano accompaniment.  When we are able to get to that, hopefully I'll also record this month's hymn.  But it will probably not be in October. 

Here are some YouTube links: 
My playlist of hymns for the year:  http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF0AA995DF9F7D693
Fairest Lord Jesus from Little Women:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qsp3p16lONI&list=PLF0AA995DF9F7D693&index=3&feature=plpp_video
Mormon Tabernacle Choir version:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG7uPrs0YGM&list=PLF0AA995DF9F7D693&index=4&feature=plpp_video

Blog post with printable lyrics:  http://agenerouseducation.blogspot.com/2012/10/for-beauty-of-earth.html
Cyberhymnal PDF sheet music for piano (no words):  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/pdf/d/i/x/Dix.pdf

Reading Post 5 of 7: Charlotte Mason Reading Stage 3: Reading by Sight & Sound: Additional Principles

Here are some other points of Charlotte Mason’s philosophy behind Reading Lessons by Sight and Sound.  It’s important to go over these before we start an example of an actual reading lesson sequence, so you understand the “why” behind the lessons.  Sorry it's so long - unfortunately there is no helping it! 

Don’t forget - these “Reading by Sight and Sound” lessons are actually not the beginning of reading lessons.  They come after the introduction of the Alphabet & basic word building - see Post 1 Post 2 & Post 3.  Also make sure to read my 1st introduction containing overarching principles about Reading by Sight and Sound.  I personally prefer to work from one or two leading principles when homeschooling my children - and Charlotte Mason’s make a lot of sense!    

I've taken these quotes from Charlotte Mason's section on learning to read from Volume 1, pages 199-222.  Read it for yourself here:  http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/1_5b.html.  

GENERAL PRINCIPLES:
1.  Learning to read can be difficult, and is not “natural” for most children.  
“We forget how contrary to Nature it is for a little child to occupy himself with dreary hieroglyphics––all so dreadfully alike!––when the world is teeming with interesting objects which he is agog to know...  It is quite necessary he should know how to read; and not only so––the discipline of the task is altogether wholesome for the little man...  Let us recognise that learning to read is to many children hard work, and let us do what we can to make the task easy and inviting.” (p. 214)
2.  Charlotte Mason does not claim to hold the perfect “recipe” for learning how to read.
-  “Let us bear in mind that reading is not a science nor an art” (p. 215)
-  “There are absolutely no right and necessary 'steps' to reading, each of which leads to the next; there is no true beginning, middle, or end.” (p. 215)
3.  Reading instruction should be personalized to each child.  
“The children must still be the first consideration with the educator.  
4.  The point of reading lessons is to learn the symbols for the spoken word;
-  “Learning to read is no more than picking up, how we can, a knowledge of certain arbitrary symbols for objects and ideas.” (p. 215)
5.  This is best accomplished using interesting whole words as the basis for the reading lessons (and secondly learning the phonetic components of those words for further instruction). 
- “What we want is a bridge between the child's natural interests and those arbitrary symbols with which he must become acquainted, and which, as we have seen, are words, and not (meaningless phonetic combinations of) letters.” (p. 216)
6.  Goal:  DELIGHT your child with the reading lessons, and your child is set for a long-term love of reading! 
-  "Reading is to him a delight henceforth, and it will require very bad management indeed to make him hate it." (p. 219)

CHARLOTTE MASON’S USE OF PHONETIC INSTRUCTION:
(Warning:  Charlotte Mason sounds very anti-phonics in her writing here.  Please don’t forget all of the phonetic groundwork she has laid which we have already discussed.  In truth, her approach to reading is a blended approach using both whole-word and phonetic instruction.  Since the whole-word vs. phonics debate has continued throughout this century, I’ve concluded personally that probably a blend is best - it takes some of both types of instruction for a child to truly learn to read.  If your child is weak in one area or the other, by all means, focus on the type of instruction which your child needs.)  

1.   Charlotte Mason does not agree in endless phonics instruction which is disconnected from words.  
“No meaningless combinations of letters, no cla, cle, cli, clo, clu, no ath, eth, ith, oth, uth, should be presented to him.” (p. 215)
2.  The next step in language learning (after speaking) is the recognition of the written symbol of the entire word.  Phonetic sounds are meaningless, and thus should not be the sole basis of reading instruction.  
-  “The child should be taught from the first to regard the printed word as he already regards the spoken word, as the symbol of fact or idea of full of interest.” (p. 215)   
-  “We forget that a group of letters is no more than the sign of a word, while a word is only the vocal sign of a thing or an act. This is how the child learns. First, he gets the notion of the table; he sees several tables; he finds they have legs, by which you can scramble up; very often covers which you may pull off; and on them many things lie, good and pleasant for a baby to enjoy; sometimes, too, you can pull these things off the table, and they go down with a bang, which is nice. The grown-up people call this pleasant thing, full of many interests, 'table,' and, by-and-by, baby says 'table' too; and the word 'table' comes to mean, in a vague way, all this to him. 'Around table,' 'on the table,' and so on, form part of the idea of 'table' to him. In the same way baby chimes in when his mother sings. She says, 'Baby, sing,' and, by-and-by, notions of 'sing,' 'kiss,' 'love,' dawn on his brain...  It's surprising how many words a child knows even before he can speak them; 'pussy,' 'dolly,' 'carriage,' soon convey interesting ideas to him...  Interest the child in the thing, and he soon learns the sound-sign for it––that is, its name. Now, I maintain that, when he is a little older, he should learn the form-sign––that is, the printed word––on the same principle. It is far easier for a child to read plum-pudding than to read 'to, to,' because 'plum-pudding' conveys a far more interesting idea." (p. 208-209)
-  “All this (the movement to spell words phonetically rather than historically) goes on the mistaken idea that in reading we look at the letters which compose a word, think of their sounds, combine these, and form the word. We do nothing of the kind; we accept a word, written or printed, simply as the symbol of a word we are accustomed to say. If the word is new to us we may try to make something of the letters, but we know so well that this is a shot in the dark, that we are careful not to say the new word until we have heard someone else say it." (p. 210)
-   “First, as last, they (children) learn to know a word by the look of it, and the more striking it looks the easier it is to recognise; provided always that the printed word is one which they already know very well by sound and by sense.” (p. 211, emphasis mine)

3.  Charlotte Mason believes there is a “moral strain” in teaching reading lessons from a purely phonetic basis, and also that it is too laborious a task for young children.  
“For the arbitrary symbols we must know in order to read are not letters, but words. By way of illustration, consider the delicate differences of sound represented by the letter 'o' in the last sentence; to analyse and classify the sounds of 'o' in 'for,' 'symbols,' 'know,' 'order,' 'to,' 'not,' and 'words,' is a curious, not especially useful, study for a philologist, but a laborious and inappropriate one for a child. It is time we faced the fact that the letters which compose an English word are full of philological interest, and that their study will be a valuable part of education by-and-by; but meantime, sound and letter-sign are so loosely wedded in English, that to base the teaching of reading on the sounds of the letters only, is to lay up for the child much analytic labour, much mental confusion, due to the irregularities of the language; and some little moral strain in making the sound of a letter in a given word fall under any of the 'sounds' he has been taught.” (p. 215)
-  “We could, if we liked, break up a word into its sounds, or put certain sounds together to make a word. But these are efforts beyond the range of children.” (p. 210-211)

4.  Charlotte Mason focused on phonics for pre-reading lessons (see Post 1 Post 2 Post 3) and will continue to do so in her “Word-Building” or “Spelling” lessons.  The difference between these & a purely phonetic approach is that she derives her phonetic instruction from the words of the reading lesson, rather than teaching phonetic sounds and then basing words off of those.  
-  “Definitely, what is it we propose in teaching a child to read? (a) that he shall know at sight, say, some thousand words; (b) That he shall be able to build up new words with the elements of these.” (p. 216)
-  “For the second, and less important, part of our task, the child must know the sounds of the letters, and acquire power to throw given sounds into new combinations.” (p. 216)
-  “Though many of our English words are each a law unto itself, others offer a key to a whole group, as arrow gives us sp arrow, m arrow, h arrow; but we have alternate days––one for reading, the other for word-building––and that is one way to secure variety, and, so, the joyous interest which is the real secret of success." (p. 214)


THE PRACTICAL SIDE:  WHEN & HOW LONG?  
1.  Age:  Whenever a child is ready.  Make sure you have covered this ground first (see Post 1 Post 2  Post 3).  An average child will probably be ready around age 6 (the age reading lessons are scheduled on Charlotte Mason’s PNEU school schedules).  Some gifted children will be ready earlier, or may even teach themselves; some late bloomers will be ready later.  No need to push - anywhere from age 3 to 8 is considered “normal” from a developmental perspective (this from my personal studies, not Charlotte Mason).    
-  “Time of Teaching to Read, an Open Question.––Reading presents itself first amongst the lessons to be used as instruments of education, although it is open to discussion whether the child should acquire the art unconsciously, from his infancy upwards, or whether the effort should be deferred until he is, say, six or seven, and then made with vigour.” (p. 199)

2.  Attitude:  As a special privilege.  
-  “I think it's rather a good idea to begin a new study with a child on his birthday, or some great day; he begins by thinking the new study a privilege.”
-  "His reading lesson is a delight, of which he is deprived when he comes to his lesson in a lazy, drawling mood." (p. 222)

3.  How long will it take to teach my child how to read?:   
-  “Let him learn ten new words a day, and in twenty weeks he will be to some extent able to read, without any question as to the number of letters in a word.” (pages 215-216)
-  “Every day increases the number of words he is able to read at sight, and the more words he knows already, the longer his reading lesson becomes in order to afford the ten or dozen new words which he should master every day.
A Year's Work.––'But what a snail's progress!' you are inclined to say. Not so slow, after all: a child will thus learn, without appreciable labour, from two to three thousand words in the course of a year; in other words, he will learn to read, for the mastery of this number of words will carry him with comfort through most of the books that fall in his way.” (p. 206)
-  Not all children will learn 10 words a day; some will learn fewer, some more.  So it may take more or less than a year for an individual child.  

GENERAL “HOW TO”

1.  Use high quality literature.  Prose primarily, poetry secondarily.  
“At this stage, his reading lessons must advance so slowly that he may just as well learn his reading exercises, both prose and poetry, as recitation lessons. Little poems suitable to be learned in this way will suggest themselves at once; but perhaps prose is better, on the whole, as offering more of the words in everyday use, of Saxon origin, and of anomalous spelling. Short fables, and such graceful, simple prose as we have in Mrs Gatty's Parables from Nature, and, still better, in Mrs Barbauld's prose poems, are very suitable. Even for their earliest reading lessons, it is unnecessary to put twaddle into the hands of children” (p. 204-205)
-  Note:  I personally am thrilled with the Treadwell Primer and subsequent Readers.  I suggest purchasing a hard copy (as opposed to e-reader) because it will get a lot of use!  I like that the stories are high quality classics, yet use a limited number of interesting words to begin with.  Subsequent stories add to the store of words, but not too many at a time.  The Primer is all prose.  Poems are added to The First Reader.  These are public domain, so any reading lessons we create based on these books can be shared for free with other homeschooling families.  They are fun & interesting classics, definitely not Twaddle.  Case in point:  my son likes to go back and reread the stories he has already learned just for fun.  
-  When you’re done with the Treadwell Primer, you could learn some easy readers for fun, if you wish.  Little Bear, Frog & Toad, Sydney Hoff books, Henry & Mudge are all high quality, though definitely not required.  

2.  At this point, you may teach your child very long words.  Don’t stick with “easy” one- or two- syllable words.  (But make sure to cover this ground first!  see Post 1 Post 2 & Post 3)  
-  Here is a fictional conversation between a mother & Charlotte Mason (pages 208-209):
MOM:  "But the reading! I can't get over three syllables in the first lesson. Why, it's like teaching a twelve-months old child to waltz."
CM:  "You say that because we forget that a group of letters is no more than the sign of a word, while a word is only the vocal sign of a thing or an act. This is how the child learns. First, he gets the notion of the table; he sees several tables; he finds they have legs, by which you can scramble up; very often covers which you may pull off; and on them many things lie, good and pleasant for a baby to enjoy; sometimes, too, you can pull these things off the table, and they go down with a bang, which is nice. The grown-up people call this pleasant thing, full of many interests, 'table,' and, by-and-by, baby says 'table' too; and the word 'table' comes to mean, in a vague way, all this to him. 'Around table,' 'on the table,' and so on, form part of the idea of 'table' to him. In the same way baby chimes in when his mother sings. She says, 'Baby, sing,' and, by-and-by, notions of 'sing,' 'kiss,' 'love,' dawn on his brain."
MOM:  "Yes, the darlings! and it's surprising how many words a child knows even before he can speak them; 'pussy,' 'dolly,' 'carriage,' soon convey interesting ideas to him."
CM:  "That's just it. Interest the child in the thing, and he soon learns the sound-sign for it––that is, its name. Now, I maintain that, when he is a little older, he should learn the form-sign––that is, the printed word––on the same principle. It is far easier for a child to read plum-pudding than to read 'to, to,' because 'plum-pudding' conveys a far more interesting idea."
MOM:  "That may be, but when he gets into words of three or four syllables; but what would you do while he's in words of one syllable––indeed, of two or three letters?"
CM:  "I should never put him into words of one syllable at all. The bigger the word, the more striking the look of it, and, therefore, the easier it is to read, provided always that the idea it conveys is interesting to a child. It is sad to see an intelligent child toiling over a reading lesson infinitely below his capacity––ath, eth, ith, oth, uth––or, at the very best, 'The cat sat on the mat.' How should we like to begin to read German, for example, by toiling over all conceivable combinations of letters, arranged on no principle but similarity of sound; or, worse still, that our readings should be graduated according to the number of letters each word contains? We should be lost in a hopeless fog before a page of words of three letters all drearily like one another, with no distinctive features for the eye to seize upon; but the child? 'oh, well––children are different; no doubt it is good for the child to grind in this mill!' But this is only one of many ways in which children are needlessly and cruelly oppressed!"
MOM:  “You are taking high moral ground!”

3.  Opportunity to teach careful pronunciation:
-  “Careful Pronunciation.––The little people will probably have to be pulled up on the score of pronunciation. They must render 'high,' sky,' 'like,' 'world,' with delicate precision; 'diamond,' they will no doubt wish to hurry over, and say as 'di'mond,' just as they will reduce 'history' to 'hist'ry.' But here is another advantage of slow and steady progress––the saying of each word receives due attention, and the child is trained in the habit of careful enunciation.” (p. 206)

4.  Check your child’s comprehension.  
-  This is a step Charlotte Mason does not dictate in her three examples only because she assumes it will not be a problem.
-  “As for understanding what they read, the children will be full of bright, intelligent remarks and questions, and will take this part of the lesson into their own hands; indeed, the teacher will have to be on her guard not to let them carry her away from the subject.”
-  Do double check that your child is understanding what they are reading to catch any problems early.  

5.  Goal of Reading at Sight lessons:  To know each word thoroughly.  
-  “And he is to know those nine words so well that he will be able to read them wherever they may occur henceforth and for evermore.”
-  You’ll see how this works in Charlotte Mason’s 3 examples.  

6.  Length of Reading at Sight lessons:  About 20 minutes max.  Stop before your child’s interest runs out, while he’s still wanting more.  
"The first lesson must have been long?"
"I'm sorry to say it lasted half an hour. The child's interest tempted me to do more than I should."  (p. 213)
-  I've personally found that my younger readers have a shorter attention span.  Don't be afraid to stop after 5 or 10 minutes.  20 is the normal attention span of a 6 year old early in the day.  

7.  Other Materials:
-  Alphabet letters (as described in previous posts)
-  Blackboard & chalk
-  Possibly word manipulatives from the reading material (more about these later)
-  Word notebook.  Your child should write all the new words he learns in here daily.  
“By this time he has eighteen new words on the blackboard of which to make sentences with the nine loose words of 'pussy’... Tommy's new words are written in his 'note-book' in print hand, so that he can take stock of his possessions in the way of words.” (p. 221)
(Note:  A very young child may not be capable of keeping a word notebook.  Please don’t start this unless your child is at least 6.  The fine motor skill requirement here may cause more harm than good before then.  Focus on air writing the new words if you have a younger child.)  
-  Phonics resources.  I suggest printing out Florence Akin's 1913 Word Mastery from Don’ Potter’s website and purchasing either The ABCs and All their Tricks or Handy English Encoder Decoder.  Also see Post 3 for more phonics resources. 
 

What Charlotte Mason is reacting against:
1.  Ugly reading & mistakes in pronunciation due to purely sounding out new words.  
“Ordinary Method.––Now, compare the steady progress and constant interest and liveliness of such lessons with the deadly weariness of the ordinary reading lesson. The child blunders through a page or two in a dreary monotone without expression, with imperfect enunciation. He comes to a word he does not know, and he spells it; that throws no light on the subject, and he is told the word: he repeats it, but as he has made no mental effort to secure the word, the next time he meets with it the same process is gone through. The reading lesson for that day comes to an end. The pupil has been miserably bored, and has not acquired one new word. Eventually, he learns to read, somehow, by mere dint of repetition; but consider what an abuse of his intelligence is a system of teaching which makes him undergo daily labour with little or no result, and gives him a distaste for books before he has learned to use them.” (p. 206-207)

2.  Boredom through endless pure-phonetic instruction (“spellers” of the olden days - take a look at an old Webster speller for an example - there are some at www.donpotter.net).  
“It is sad to see an intelligent child toiling over a reading lesson infinitely below his capacity––ath, eth, ith, oth, uth––or, at the very best, 'The cat sat on the mat.' How should we like to begin to read German, for example, by toiling over all conceivable combinations of letters, arranged on no principle but similarity of sound; or, worse still, that our readings should be graduated according to the number of letters each word contains? We should be lost in a hopeless fog before a page of words of three letters all drearily like one another, with no distinctive features for the eye to seize upon; but the child? 'oh, well––children are different; no doubt it is good for the child to grind in this mill!' But this is only one of many ways in which children are needlessly and cruelly oppressed!"

Next post:  Actual Reading-At-Sight lessons! 

Please feel free to leave comments, especially if I've interpreted any of Charlotte Mason's suggestions incorrectly! 

Getting Ready for Hymn Study this year & For All the Saints

What a beautiful hymn is September's For All the Saints!  Here is my homemade recording:  https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzn5JnBFIS3TUEdneXpac2NrU1k.  I hope you enjoy it!  Thanks to Cyber Hymnal for use of the midi file in the accompaniment (which I use according to their fair use guidelines).  There are eleven verses (whew!) but it goes quickly.  It's worth it to take time to consider the words. 

Here are You Tube links:
With Words on Screen:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JAz0EUZqu0
Beautiful British version:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGBrq-C5VYE

We enjoy following Ambleside Online's hymn schedule during the year for our morning worship time as a family.  I print out the PDF files of each hymn from Cyber Hymnal's website (although this month's does not contain the words, so I print those out separately), copy for each reading member of our family, and use during our hymn time every morning.  They also usually have a short description of the hymn and the author. 

Here are the PDFs I am printing out this year (when they don't have words, I print the words separately):
Sept: For All the Saints:  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/pdf/s/i/n/Sine%20Nomine.pdf (no words)
Oct: For the Beauty of the Earth:  http://www.hymntime.com/TCH/pdf/d/i/x/Dix.pdf (no words)
Nov:  Anywhere with Jesus:  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/pdf/a/n/y/Anywhere%20with%20Jesus.pdf
Dec:  Praise God to Whom all Blessings Flow:  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/pdf/o/l/d/Old%20100th.pdf Jan: My Song is Love Unknown:  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/pdf/w/e/s/Wesley.pdf 
Feb:  This is My Father's World:  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/pdf/t/e/r/Terra%20Beata.pdf
Mar:   Ah, Holy Jesus:  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/pdf/h/e/r/Herzliebster%20Jesu.pdf 
Apr: Count Your Blessings:  http://www.hymntime.com/TCH/pdf/c/o/u/Count%20Your%20Blessings.pdf 
May: All Creatures of Our God & King: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/pdf/l/a/s/Lasst%20Uns%20Erfreuen.pdf  
June: Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending:  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/pdf/h/e/l/Helmsley.pdf 
July:  Holy, Holy Holy:  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/pdf/h/o/l/Holy,%20Holy,%20Holy.pdf 
Aug:  Sun of My Soul:http://www.hymntime.com/tch/pdf/a/b/e/Abends.pdf

For the PDFs without words, please let me know if you happen to find a different source somewhere with the words in addition to the music!  I would love to be able to share with everyone.  :)  I personally have a few hymnals we can pull from - but I'm sure not everyone has hymnals just lying around their house!  (Thank you, used book sales!)  

Copyright:  I claim copyright for the voice on all of my recordings.  However, you may feel free to use them for private, educational, or church use.  Please contact me if you would like to use them for any for-profit endeavor.  Also, please ask permission to play on your website (you may always link to the recording, if you like).

Thanks!
:)  Jen

The Rock that is Higher than I, AO's August Hymn

This month's Ambleside Online Hymn is The Rock that is Higher than I.  I had never heard this hymn before, but it is lovely & definitely worth memorizing!  (Especially for those of us home educating Moms who get burned out sometimes.)  I paced it a tiny bit slower than the recommended tempo, which I felt was more sing-able.

BTW, please comment this month on how these recordings are working for you!  Would it be helpful to anyone if I added an alto line, or separate recording with the alto, so you can start working on parts in your family?

Credits:  Thanks to Cyber Hymnal for use of their Midi file in this recording!  Don't forget to print out their PDF hymn sheet for your family worship time. 

My Recording:  https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzn5JnBFIS3TY2MzTXBISkpwalE

You Tube links:  This song was scarce on You Tube!  There must be a lot of people who, like me, had never heard it before.  :) 

Copyright: I claim copyright for my voice in the recording.  However, you're welcome to download & use it for your own personal use, education, or church!  Please contact me if you would like to use it for commercial purposes, or on your own website (a link to the recording on my website is always allowed!).  Thanks!

I Stand Amazed in the Presence: AO's July Hymn

This month's recording of I Stand Amazed in the Presence brought me back to my Southern Baptist Bible camp background.  I did not do this soft and gentle - I did it strong & quick.  This is the way I learned it every summer attending our family's summer vacation tradition, Paisano Family Encampment.  Organ & Piano playing together, worship leader belting it from the pulpit in full operatic baritone.  Actually, I wanted to belt it out with lots of vibrato, but my microphone couldn't handle that - so I sang normally, LOL!  (Most of you will probably appreciate that.)

Speaking of Tempo, this is actually the tempo that is suggested for this hymn!  In today's "traditional" churches (and especially in "contemporary" worship during the once in a while that they do play a hymn), we tend to sing hymns MUCH slower than they were intended.  Most hymns are not supposed to be dirges.  I personally like them at the suggested original pace, and I believe children especially like them better at that faster tempo, too.  I try to make all the hymn recordings the original speed, when one is posted on the public domain sheet music (which is most of the time).

Thanks again to Cyber Hymnal for their midi file which I modified for the accompaniment, within their fair use terms.  Don't forget to print their hymn sheet PDF!   And as always thanks to Ambleside Online for their wonderful hymn suggestions. 

You Tube links:
Contemporary, country-ish version with solos & choir: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErXa4TfVc1w&list=PLBA6B43A477877903&index=20&feature=plpp_video

Brass version:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sf2c5yJxao&feature=BFa&list=PLBA6B43A477877903

If you're a Chris Tomlin fan, he has a version on YouTube, too.

Unfortunately, none of the You Tube links are really great for singing along with.  I couldn't fine anything online that included all 5 verses.  If you find something you like with with words on the screen & a good singer/accompaniment, please post it in the comments!  Thanks!  

PS - I claim copyright for my voice on this recording.  If you are using this for personal, educational, or church use you are free to download & copy it; however, please contact me if you would like to use it for any commercial purposes.  Please do not post my recordings on your blog without permission; a link to my site is preferred.  Thanks!

Rock of Ages - AO June Hymn

Here is my recording of Rock of Ages*, the Ambleside Online June 2012 hymn:  https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzn5JnBFIS3TcUJvOUFPYVhVTTQ

Thanks, Cyber Hymnal for the midi file of the music!  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/r/o/c/rockages.htm
(Don't forget to print out your PDF - this month it has words with it!  Have all your children who can read follow along with the sheet music to aid in their musical development!  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/pdf/r/o/c/Rock%20of%20Ages%20%28Toplady%29.pdf) 

I hope you enjoy learning it - it's one of my favorite hymns. 

You Tube Links:


Acapella Choral with Words (truly beautiful):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM7gt_cSxjw&feature=related
 
 Contemporary singer, very nice (no words):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH9RJQnQPuQ&feature=related

Acoustic guitar, country version (good, but he plays with the melody slightly, so don't sing along to this one):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Svl9sVXnPkQ

 * As usual, this is my voice!  I claim copyright for my singing.  Please don't copy it for commercial use or other internet distribution without my permission.  Feel free, though, to download the hymn for private, educational, or church use.  Thanks so much! 

Sweet Hour of Prayer - Ambleside's May Hymn

Hi Everyone!

Here is my version of Sweet Hour of Prayer (https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzn5JnBFIS3TNDNTbzhOQzFiczA), Ambleside Online's Hymn of the Month for May 2012.  Thanks again to Cyber Hymnal for their midi file (used within their guidelines) of this public domain song.  Don't forget to print their PDF, and here are their words I made into a printable document since they're not written in on the sheet music.

You Tube:

Note: There are a LOT of recordings of this, so go ahead & search some more - if you find something really cool, leave a comment & share with the rest of us! - PS - I check the comments before they're posted, so it may be a day or two before it shows up.

Neat version by Acapella (drops last verse):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNloFl4oIZc
Non-professional recording, but beautiful acapella version with all verses & WORDS!!:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjYfN20H2sM&feature=related
Beautiful choral arrangement:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8ZyCIqe1wU&feature=related

Copyright - I claim copyright for my voice on the recording, but you're welcome to use it for personal, educational, or church use (all non-profit).  Please contact me if you would like to use it for any other reason.

:) Blessings! 
Jen

I'm Not Ashamed to Own My Lord (AO April 2012 hymn... finally!)

Hi Everyone!

Here is the link to my recording of April's hymn, I'm Not Ashamed to Own My Lord:  https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzn5JnBFIS3Tck9EUnlITWltWDg
 
SORRY it's so late (for those of you who follow along with my family).  Alas, taxes, planting an orchard & new trees, family trips, & family in the hospital have slowed me down this month.  I'll try to be on top of it next month!

Thanks again to Cyber Hymnal for their midi file & printable PDF (again, you'll have to print the words out separately this month).  

You Tube Links:

Here is a beautiful organ arrangement (just organ):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=perIke0jIjo
An interesting baptist accapella version:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaQT6cAeddM

Once again, I claim copyright for my voice on my recording, but I'm happy to share for your private use; educational uses; church uses.  Please do not distribute otherwise without my permission.  Thanks! 

:)  Jen

I'll Praise My Maker (Isaac Watts, 1791), AO's February Hymn

I'll Praise My Maker, by Isaac Watts, is the hymn my family is studying for the month of March (yes, we got a little bit mixed up!).  It is very meaningful to me, as I have watched several loved ones pass through death's doors over the past few years.  I look forward to learning this hymn well over the next few weeks, and maybe, one day, drawing on the comfort of its words for myself. 

Thanks again to Cyber Hymnal for their midi file and printable PDF.  Since the PDF doesn't have the words this month, I printed the words out separately as a poem and placed them side by side in our family worship binder. 

This You Tube video is the closest I've found to the original tune & words of this hymn.  It is a choral anthem.  It's not a very popular hymn, so it's difficult to find good recordings.  There are plenty of recordings out there if you are looking for a different, or a modified, tune. 

Again, here is the link to my recording:  https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzn5JnBFIS3TeGRoZHdIUjdURjJkYW9sYjZRc0NtZw


Note:  I do claim copyright for my voice on the recording.  Please do not use or distribute it outside of the following non-profit uses:  private enjoyment, education, or church/worship use.  Please link to my blog if you would like to share it with others, and contact me if you have an inquiry about any commercial (for-profit) use.  Thanks! 

Redeemed How I Love to Proclaim It - AO's March Hymn!

Here is my version of Ambleside Online's March 2012 Hymn! 

Redeemed How I Love To Proclaim It  (https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzn5JnBFIS3TMzBiZDIxMDEtZDFiYy00ZGVkLWE5M2EtMjNhMGIwYWUzYTAw)

Thanks so much to Cyber Hymnal for use of their midi file.  They also have the PDF with all 5 verses. 

A few You Tube Links (actually, they all have the alternative hymn tune, which I could not get permission to use for my blog since the tune is not public domain yet):
Instrumental:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRN-oT8zAOE&list=PLBA6B43A477877903&index=1&feature=plpp_video

With Lyrics on screen & singing:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiKyl1YyVjc&feature=BFa&list=PLBA6B43A477877903&lf=plpp_video

Country/ cool arrangement:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QojShzCMK4&feature=BFa&list=PLBA6B43A477877903&lf=plpp_video

Don't forget, my recording is basically public domain, but please ask me if you would like it for uses other than private, educational or church.  Thanks! 

:)  Jen

What a Friend We Have in Jesus (AO January 2012 Hymn)

Hi Friends!

Sorry this is a few days late - I've been under the weather with a bad cold, which unfortunately affects my singing voice.  But hopefully this recording will be good enough for family worship time :)

Once again, thanks to Cyber Hymnal for use of their public domain midi file.  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/w/a/f/wafwhij.htm. Don't forget to visit this site to print out your free PDF copy of the sheet music with the lyrics for all four verses!

Here are the links to download my versions:
With piano:  https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzn5JnBFIS3TYjY0MGNjYjMtZGYwOC00ODdlLTkwNjgtNjkyOGIxMGNlOWEx
Acapella:  https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzn5JnBFIS3TM2ZiY2Q4NDUtMTU2OC00ZWY5LWI4NmUtNDgwM2YyM2UxYTVj

Remember, I'm just a Mom, making these for our own family worship time.  Please feel free to use my recording for private, educational, or church use.  Beyond that, please contact me first.

Gotta love these you tube videos!
Jazz version:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w55gVIT7s0w
Country (with words):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLAg2NDcOt4

Thanks again!

:)  Jen

How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds

I love Ambleside Online's December hymn, How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds!  This accompaniment is piano/ organ, the way the church in which I was raised (Westminster PCA in Lancaster, PA) would have played it.

Here are the links:
My version, free MP3 download:  https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzn5JnBFIS3TZWMzM2UwYjQtMzBhYy00OTFlLWI2NmYtZGY2NzMwZDM4YzZh
Cyber hymnal has the PDF & Midi File. (Thanks again for the Midi File!):  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/h/s/w/hsweetnj.htm

I couldn't find a You Tube version I was happy with.  This one is beautiful to listen to, but not best to sing along with since the singer changes the melody a bit:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTRnz4j6BpY
This one is fine for singing, but a bit slow:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoPlwPUYWaw
This one has a fun up-tempo arrangement:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z56Mph80gb0

Remember, I'm just a Mom & not perfect myself!  My recording is made for my family - I hope it's helpful to you, too.  Feel free to use it for personal, educational, or church use - but contact me if you would like to use if for anything else.

Thanks!  :)  Jen