Page 210 - Voice for Life Songbook 1

37. This little light of mine
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Track 37
Information
This well-known spiritual was sung at the US Civil Rights rallies in the 1960s.The text speaks of each of us being confident in who we are, and also refers to what Jesus told us ‘You are the light of the world.... let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven’.We have an example to set to those around us.
This song been arranged and performed by many different people and ensembles over the years.This setting is by American composer and choral conductor, Robert Isaacs.
Preparation
To help your singers with the syncopations, speak the following rhythm as you click your fingers on the beat, then ask your singers to imitate you.
When they are happy with this you can introduce them to other syncopated rhythms in the song by turning this into a call and response game. Keep a regular two-in-a-bar pulse going (either clicking or clapping) and demonstrate a four-bar phrase to your singers for them to copy. If they don’t get the rhythm right, repeat it again for them to imitate but don’t stop the pulse or the game! When they have one phrase correct move on to a different one.You might like to try and incorporate some of the following phrases from the song:
􏰁 This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine (bars 17–20)
􏰁 Hide it under a bushel, NO!, I’m gonna let it shine (bars 33–36)
􏰁 Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine (bars 65–68)
􏰁 Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine (bars 76–80 top part)
􏰁 Shine all over your town, I’m gonna let it shine (bars 101–104)
􏰁 Let it shine till Jesus comes, let it shine (bars 129–132)
Teaching the song
Although you may chose to perform this piece from memory, your singers will need to learn it from the score. However, you might like to begin work on this song by teaching bars 1–16 by rote to the group singingVoice 2.Ask them to repeat it a few times and then demonstrate the melody from bars 17 to 32 as they sing. Finally, ask the singers of the melody part to imitate you.This opening section is a chorus section that appears several times throughout the song.
 
  Light shine Let it shine.
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