My initiation into Primary

A couple weeks ago Kennon and I were pretty much a one man show in the Buffalo Ward Primary. During the holidays our ward usually bursting at the seams turns into ghost town since all the students take off . The entire primary presidency, along with the music team and half the teachers were out of town. The week before I had been sustained as the new primary chorister/pianist so they asked me to fill in for them all.

Kennon played the piano, Camille gave the talk, I conducted the meeting, and also lead the music. Thank goodness for Kennon or it would've been quite the feat for me to pull off.

My new calling is a co-position. We both alternate leading and playing each month. I am first up leading in January which just gives me a month to LEARN TO PLAY THE PIANO! The Lord by way of Bishop Payne is forcing me to do something that I have not had the discipline to do my whole life. I think it is awesome and know that it will be a miracle if I actually am able to get good enough to accompany the primary. When I first moved here I was practicing piano a ton and hinted to the bishop that I wanted to be in the primary helping with the music. Not sure how that hint translated to Relief Society Presidency?

I finally got my wish a couple years later. Unfortunately in the meantime I stopped playing the piano and am starting from scratch again. Kennon's piano teacher is the primary president. I think she wants another student.

Yesterday was my turn to introduce the song of the month, a brand new one from the Friend, "The family is of God", which I have fallen in love with. . . after many hours hen pecking it out on the piano and singing along.

Our ward primary is run a little different than the last one I served in.

Jr and Sr are combined for all sharing times because we only have about 10 kids in Sr primary And The music leader gets the entire time every first Sunday.

So I am supposed to entertain 3-11 year olds simultaneously with my voice for 40 minutes straight! And four of these 3-11 year olds are mine and come running up to me every 2 minutes to interrupt whispering suggestions in my ear. And I even anticipated this and announced as I was getting started, "If any of MY children have any ideas for me, please see me after or raise your hands like all the other children".

Brent volunteered to come and pull them out by their ear next week if they don't heed this advice.

I thought running RS was stressful but after 40 minutes of this primary opportunity I was hoarse (that song is high and I soloed it at least 20 times), sweaty (haven't been able to locate my deodorant and Kennon's Sauve I'm borrowing isn't cutting it), mad (at my brilliant children and their ideas), and mainly just disappointed (that my 3 plus hours prep didn't translate to success).
It's a real challenge to teach music to that wide of range of ages all at once and for SO LONG. The sunbeams were perfect but gave me blank stares when we tried to get the key words in order. The only 11 year didn't even have the courtesy to look at me let alone sing for me. I had planned a coloring activity but for some reason I just kept singing, singing, singing. . . . trying to make it work and forgot all about the coloring till it was time to go.
Next week will be better. I am determined. I've done this before and it is my all time favorite calling. I guess I am just a little rusty after dealing with women only for so long.
In defense of Caroline, her interruption stemmed from being told by the girl next to her that she would beat her up after class if she didn't hand over the visual aid. But I can't deal with this in the middle of sharing time!
And in defense of Savannah she was the one perfect child of mine. She not only stayed in her seat and kept her ideas to herself but she also tended Marcus the whole time and told me afterwards that it was such a good sharing time.