Well, I'm back very temporarily...
It's hard to believe it's been fourteen years (!) since my days in Primary. A lot has changed since then, but the most relevant difference for this post is that I now call the Netherlands home.
When I was asked to fill in for a couple of weeks in Primary while the regular music leader is on maternity leave, I felt a mix of excitement and nerves. You probably know how much I cherish leading Primary music and view it as a significant calling. However, this time it was in Dutch! I haven't yet learned the Primary songs in Dutch, so I found myself needing to follow along more closely with the words than the children do.
Setting aside my nerves, I simply did my best. And here's what unfolded in today's lesson:
Now, we have twenty minutes for music. Since our Primary group is small, all the children gather together. Today, we had six kids ranging in age from 2 to 9 years old (the youngest joins Primary with a parent since they would otherwise be alone in nursery).
We sang three songs in our 20 minute allotment:
Search, Ponder and Pray, song 109 (Lees, denk en bid, Dutch 66)
A Child's Prayer, song 12 (Gebed van een kind, Dutch 6)
When I Am Baptized, song 103 (Als ik gedoopt ben, Dutch 53)
I was told that the younger children hadn’t yet learned When I Am Baptized, so we spent most of our time on that song.
I began by singing it for them, asking them to listen carefully to the melody and think about what shape the notes might create. A perceptive 7-year-old boy was the first to answer: “A rainbow.” I explained how music can sometimes paint a picture or form a shape, helping us connect more deeply with its meaning.
To reinforce this idea, I gave each child a paper with a rainbow to color, along with the lyrics of the song.
1. Een regenboog is prachtig, met kleuren helder fris;
dan denk ik aan de aarde die weer schoongewassen is.
🎶 Zo schoon als na een regenbui moet ook mijn leven zijn.
Ik doe mijn best, dan kan ik eens weer bij mijn Vader zijn.
2. En als ik straks gedoopt ben, dan is mijn leven rein.
Ik moet er dan voor zorgen dat het altijd zo zal zijn.
🎶 Zo schoon als na een regenbui moet ook mijn leven zijn.
Ik doe mijn best, dan kan ik eens weer bij mijn Vader zijn.
After singing the song through twice, I gave each child a rainbow sticker and told them they could color in their rainbow using the colored pencils I had grabbed from the Primary closet. And that was that!
The twenty minutes flew by—it was fun, despite my less-than-perfect Dutch. But it worked. And next time, I’ll feel even more confident speaking and hopefully, I'll be able to better TEACH the gospel. I've never forgotten that President Hinckley once said that the Primary Music Leader is the Gospel Doctrine teacher for the children. It's a very important calling. And definitely one of my favorites.
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