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Primary March

Mar 5, 2018

Awhile back, someone searched my site for “Relief Society March.” This wonderful phrase conjured up visions of women marching down the street arm in arm, heads held high, stopping traffic… sister suffragette style. Yes, I’m being facetious, but it’s definitely an amusing visual image.

“Primary” is the name of the LDS Church’s children’s organization. Each year the children prepare a program to present at a worship service in the fall. They share with us the things they’ve talked about, and sing the songs they’ve learned during their Sunday meetings. It’s everyone’s favorite week.  At least, it’s MY favorite week.

The song on the Primary schedule for March is “If the Savior Stood Beside Me.

In honor of the Primary and the month of March (hence the title), here are a few resources related to “If the Savior Stood Beside Me” for you Primary Music Leaders out there:

We’ll start with these two videos.  The first shows the song presented in ASL.  I love love love teaching the kids using real sign language, as opposed to just making stuff up.  Kids need to move, and as long as they’re moving, they may as well use real signs.  

As a Primary Music Leader, I remember watching videos like that and being totally unable to copy the motions correctly. Fortunately, here’s a second video that gives you clear, step-by-step instructions, along with some alternate signs.

Thanks to Holly Michelle Anderson for these great videos. (I wish I had videos in other sign languages to post as well.  If you know of any, let us know in the comments below!)

Next, here are links to recordings of the simplified version of the song:

Click the Soundcloud download icon to download the free track for personal use.

Recording featuring vocals by Angie Jack (simplified version):

Accompaniment track (simplified version):

You are welcome to use these recordings in your planning, practice and/or presentations.
You may use either of these to distribute to your children to help them in learning the song.

The sheet music for the simplified version is available here on my site. It is also included in the Primary 2018 Outline for Sharing Time, where you will find it available in various languages as well. (Use the pull-down menu–it’s either to the right of the music, or below it, depending on your device.)

Some notes:

  • There are several more verses included on the song page. You are welcome to use these, but remember that these verses need to be approved by your local unit leader since they are not included in the outline. (I wouldn’t recommend using all–or even many–of them together… the song will get waaaay too long.)
  • The backstory for the song’s composition is also found on the song page.
  • There are other versions of the accompaniment available. The original version is a bit more complicated to play, but should still be easy enough for the children to follow. The other arrangements are probably well beyond what you’d want to use in a Primary setting.
  • There are optional flute obbligatos for both the simplified version and the original version available on the song page as well.

Happy March!

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