The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints/Mormon Children’S Music: Its History, Transmission, and Place in Children’S Cognitive Development
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ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS/MORMON CHILDREN’S MUSIC: ITS HISTORY, TRANSMISSION, AND PLACE IN CHILDREN’S COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT Colleen Jillian Karnas-Haines, Doctor of Philosophy, 2005. Dissertation Directed by: Professor Robert C. Provine Division of Musicology and Ethnomusicology School of Music The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a children’s auxiliary program for ages three to eleven that meets weekly before or after their Sunday worship service. This auxiliary, called Primary, devotes much of its time to singing. Music is not a childish diversion, but an essential activity in the children’s religious education. This study examines the history of the songbooks published for Primary use, revealing the many religious and cultural factors that influence the compilations. The study then looks at the modern methods of transmission as the author observes the music education aspects of Primary. Lastly, the study investigates the children’s use of and beliefs about Primary music through the lens of cognitive development. The study reveals that Primary music is an ever-evolving reflection of the theology, cultural trends, and practical needs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Unaware of such implications, the children use Primary music to express their religious musicality at cognitive developmentally appropriate levels. THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS/MORMON CHILDREN’S MUSIC: ITS HISTORY, TRANSMISSION, AND PLACE IN CHILDREN’S COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT By Colleen Jillian Karnas-Haines Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2005 Advisory Committee: Professor Robert C. Provine, Chair Professor Carolina E. Robertson Professor Sandra M. Gordon-Salant Professor Bret P. Smith Professor Jonathan Dueck © Copyright by Colleen Jillian Karnas-Haines 2005 PREFACE Given the length of the name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this study often uses the term “LDS,” or “Church” with a capital C instead. The term “church” with a lowercase c refers to a non-specific church. The term LDS stands for “Latter-day Saints,” appears in numerous published sources, and is viewed by the Church as a more representative designation than the well-known “Mormon.” In addition, this study refers to Church members as “Saints,” with a capital S, a shortened form of the Church’s suggested moniker, “Latter-day Saints.” The founding prophet, Joseph Smith, Junior, after the first reference is referred to as simply, Joseph Smith, as is common in the culture. The main scriptures of the Church: The Doctrine and Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price, The Book of Mormon, the Bible, and their components are cited as scriptures. As such, they do not require italicization or quotation marks for their titles or their standardized title abbreviations. The standardized abbreviations occur in the footnotes while full publication information is contained in the bibliography. In hypothetical or non-specific situations, he or she is used indeterminately. A glossary of terms is provided at the end of the dissertation, in order to aid the reader in understanding unique LDS terminology or terminology that may have a different definition in the LDS community. ii DEDICATION Many people contributed to this dissertation: from professors and mentors, to colleagues and research subjects. However, I must acknowledge those behind the scenes—my family. Therefore, I dedicate this dissertation to my in-laws who gave resources, my parents who cheered me on, my husband who supported me, and my daughter Eliza who gave me inspiration and motivation. Thank you. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS...........................................................................................VII LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................ IX CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION TO THIS STUDY ....................................................................................... 1 The Catalyst ................................................................................................................ 1 This Study’s Relationship to Ethnomusicology.......................................................... 2 My Relationship to the Subject................................................................................... 5 Fieldwork .................................................................................................................... 8 THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS ............................................... 13 The Church’s Hierarchy............................................................................................ 13 The Church’s Origin ................................................................................................. 15 SACRAMENT MEETING................................................................................................... 17 PRIMARY........................................................................................................................ 20 Sharing Time............................................................................................................. 22 THE CHURCH’S RELATIONSHIP WITH MUSIC.................................................................. 28 Proselytizing Through Music.................................................................................... 30 The Mormon Tabernacle Choir ................................................................................ 32 Borrowed Music........................................................................................................ 35 Sacred Nature of Sound ............................................................................................ 37 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 42 CHAPTER II: HISTORY OF PRIMARY SONGBOOKS ............................................. 45 HISTORICAL TRENDS REFLECTED IN THE SONGBOOKS .................................................. 46 The Nineteenth Century............................................................................................ 46 Meeting the Needs of the Twentieth Century........................................................... 52 The Primary and Sunday School Collaborate........................................................... 59 The 1960s and “Sing With Me”................................................................................ 61 MAKING THE MODERN SONGBOOK................................................................................ 66 The Compilation ....................................................................................................... 68 “Simple” Goals of the Modern Songbook ................................................................ 72 Global Influences...................................................................................................... 77 IMPLEMENTING THE SONGBOOK .................................................................................... 85 iv CHAPTER III: TRANSMISSION OF PRIMARY MUSIC............................................ 86 PASSIVE FAMILIAL ENCOUNTERS................................................................................... 86 PASSIVE CULTURAL ENCOUNTERS................................................................................. 88 The Adversary........................................................................................................... 94 ACTIVE FAMILIAL ENCOUNTERS.................................................................................... 98 ACTIVE CHURCH EDUCATIONAL ENCOUNTERS............................................................ 100 Music Time as Music Education in Primary........................................................... 100 The Growing Child and His/Her Relationship to Music ........................................ 101 Stimulating Musical Growth................................................................................... 111 Musical Skills to Attain .......................................................................................... 113 CONCLUSION................................................................................................................ 126 CHAPTER IV: DEVELOPING THROUGH PRIMARY MUSIC ............................... 128 BASICS OF RELIGIOUS MUSICAL DEVELOPMENT ......................................................... 128 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT .......................................................................................... 131 Using Piaget............................................................................................................ 133 COGNITIVE IMPLICATIONS FOR RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT ......................................... 139 CHILD INTERVIEWS...................................................................................................... 140 Sensorimotor........................................................................................................... 141 Maturing Through Stages ....................................................................................... 159 Egocentrism of the Preoperational Stage...............................................................