Singing a Song is Fun to Do

As many of you may know, my calling is to play the piano for primary. Fortunately there is another pianist so I only have to play every other week.

Now, you may know that I haven't played the piano much since Mrs. Sugawara, and what I have done has definitely not included the primary songbook. Of course when I was asked I looked dumbfounded and Travis laughed hysterically. Before I could think of what to say Travis answered for me that I would love to accept this calling. I did collect myself enough to interject that I didn't want to play the piano for the primary program. I think they thought I was kidding -- but I wasn't. Just wait, I'll be sick that day.

Anyway months have passed and I'm trying to learn the songs and deal with the mind numbing boredom and repetition which is singing/sharing time. However, I've got a problem. The chorister for the junior primary (who also does opening exercises) emails the list of songs to me each week either really late Saturday night or Sunday morning. On Sunday mornings, with four daughters, I don't really have any free time to be practicing the piano.

I do have the list of the songs we're working on for the primary program. The problem is all the other "settling the kids down" songs, and "dismissing to class" songs, etc. Many of them I don't recognize at all. About a month ago I got the list Sunday morning and I tried to quickly pick though them before we ran out the door. I couldn't even figure out what the tune was supposed to be. I know it's wrong, but I was conveniently went home sick before primary because there was no way I was going to try to play a song where I couldn't even figure out the melody. It was either that or when the time came to sing that song, glare at her and say loudly that she didn't give me time to prepare.

I have told her (in a casual way) that I don't sight read very well and that I need a lot of time to practice...nothing.

I have pointedly told her (in a specific way) that I need more time to practice and that she needs to send me the songs by Saturday morning...nothing.

So, after my hissy fit late last night when the list finally arrived Travis had a little chat today with the Primary President about my problem. Hopefully this gets resolved. I don't want to be a pain about it. But I also hate embarassing myself every week by constantly messing up the songs because I haven't been given enough time to prepare. For some reason I hate looking like an idiot.

Of course the best solution to this dilemma would be for me to be released, either that or I get to trade places with her and give her the songs at the last minute and let her struggle with them just because I can't be bothered to give her any advance warning.

And you may be saying that the kids don't notice, but there are adults in there too. And maybe they don't notice the piano normally but they totally catch on when the notes are wrong.

Travis's suggestion is just to learn all the songs in the songbook...there's only a couple hundred of them. Then I'll always be ready.