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I Will Go and Do: A Review For Youth Choir Leaders

I Will Go and Do: A Collection of Youth Choir Anthems is designed for young Latter-day Saint singers who need music with a clear devotional purpose and enough energy to hold attention in rehearsal. Its repertoire sits between contemporary youth music and traditional sacred choral writing, giving directors material for worship services, firesides, youth conferences and special celebrations.

The collection’s central strength is its singable character. Rather than relying on highly technical concert-choir writing, the arrangements generally favour accessible vocal lines, memorable refrains and a confident ensemble sound. That makes the music suitable for a mixed-ability group, including teenagers who may be learning harmony for the first time.

For Australian listeners, the appeal is practical as well as spiritual. A youth choir in Sydney, Brisbane or Perth may rehearse in a meetinghouse with limited rehearsal time, changing membership and a piano accompaniment rather than a full instrumental ensemble. Music that can sound convincing under those conditions has a genuine advantage.

This review considers the collection as a resource for LDS youth choirs, with attention to arrangement quality, performance use and its place in the wider online catalogue once associated with Your LDS Music Store.

A Clear Message For Young Singers

The title points to a familiar scripture-based theme: faith expressed through action. The songs appear selected to support messages of discipleship, courage, service and personal commitment, all subjects that connect naturally with Latter-day Saint youth programmes. The material is devotional without feeling exclusively solemn.

That balance matters in a teenage choir. A programme made entirely from slow, reflective anthems can lose momentum, while a set built only around bright pop influences may lack musical depth. This collection works best when its contrasting moods are used deliberately, allowing a confident opening number to lead into more intimate testimony-focused pieces.

The words also provide a useful starting point for discussion. Directors can connect a song with a youth lesson, a missionary farewell or a local service project, giving the performance a purpose beyond filling a musical slot. Readers planning a broader devotional playlist may also find related ideas in this guide to LDS farewell songs.

Arrangements That Support The Choir

The arrangements are strongest when they give the melody to a comfortable vocal range and allow the harmony to build gradually. Youth singers benefit from repeated phrases, clear cadences and accompaniment patterns that reinforce the pulse. These features help a director teach musical expression without spending every rehearsal correcting notes.

Some groups will want to add optional descants, divided parts or a small instrumental layer. That flexibility is valuable, especially for Australian wards where one youth choir may include experienced school musicians alongside beginners. A capable pianist can provide the foundation, while a flute, violin or guitar can add colour without overwhelming the voices.

The collection is less suited to a director seeking experimental harmony or demanding a cappella writing. Its purpose is communication and participation rather than technical display. That is a sensible artistic decision for a youth anthology, though advanced choirs may wish to create their own introductions, modulations or dynamic expansions.

Performance Value In Australian Wards

A youth choir in Melbourne might perform these anthems during a Sunday meeting, while a group in regional New South Wales could use them for a stake youth conference with several wards combined. In both settings, the music needs to project warmth and confidence in rooms that vary from modern auditoriums to familiar meetinghouse chapels.

Australian church calendars also create useful opportunities for this repertoire. Youth conferences, seminary presentations, Christmas services and missionary homecomings can all benefit from a choir number that feels uplifting without becoming overly formal. The songs can support a programme shaped around service, testimony or the decision to live gospel principles.

Directors should allow time for pronunciation, breathing and blend, particularly when a large group includes singers from different cultural and musical backgrounds. A short sectional rehearsal before a Saturday evening devotional may make a noticeable difference. The collection’s accessible writing rewards that preparation and tends to produce a unified sound rather than a series of exposed solo moments.

Rehearsal Practicalities And Resources

The most useful feature for many leaders is the apparent adaptability of the pieces. They can be approached as full anthems, reduced for a small youth group or performed with selected solo lines. That makes the repertoire workable when attendance fluctuates, a common issue during school holidays and the busy Australian summer period.

Directors comparing editions or looking for complementary arrangements can browse the store’s sheet music catalogue. It is also worth checking whether the chosen version includes vocal parts, accompaniment notation and any performance permissions needed for a church event. Digital access may be especially convenient for leaders coordinating singers across multiple suburbs.

A sensible rehearsal process would begin with the text, then introduce melody and rhythm before adding harmony. Once the notes are secure, the group can shape phrases around the meaning of the lyrics. This approach prevents the performance from becoming mechanically loud and helps young singers understand where the emotional centre of each anthem lies.

Strengths Worth Highlighting

Several qualities give the collection lasting value for youth music programmes.

The songs also offer a useful bridge between recorded LDS music and live participation. Young people may first encounter an anthem through a digital track, then gain confidence by performing it with friends. That transition from listening to singing is central to the collection’s purpose.

For directors building a wider programme, the repertoire can sit alongside hymn arrangements, contemporary faith-based songs and short musical items from local artists. Resources such as brass band downloads may even help an instrumentalist create a tasteful accompaniment or prelude, provided the vocal message remains the focus.

Where The Collection Has Limits

The collection’s accessible style may feel predictable to listeners who prefer intricate choral textures or highly individualistic songwriting. The emotional language is familiar, and some performances could sound similar if every piece is sung at the same tempo and volume. Artistic direction is therefore important.

There is also a practical limitation for Australian buyers: older physical products can involve international postage, currency conversion and uncertain availability. A CD or printed score that was easy to order from a specialist online store may now require more careful checking, particularly for customers outside Sydney or Melbourne. Digital formats can reduce those barriers but may not replace a properly printed score for rehearsal.

The catalogue’s historical value remains significant even though the store is no longer operating. For independent music discovery, a label archive such as On The Hill Records shows how specialist faith music can preserve artist-led projects that sit outside mainstream retail. That wider context helps explain why collections like this matter to choirs and families.

Who Will Appreciate It Most

I Will Go and Do is best suited to youth choir directors, music committee members and families looking for uplifting ensemble repertoire with a clear Latter-day Saint identity. It should appeal particularly to groups that value participation, direct communication and a devotional atmosphere over virtuoso difficulty.

It is a strong choice for a ward preparing a youth Sunday item, a stake organising a conference choir or a seminary group planning a testimony-focused programme. The material can also support a missionary farewell or homecoming, where a sincere choral statement often carries more weight than an elaborate production.

Buyers should verify current product status before planning around a specific format. The former store’s returns information is relevant to anyone consulting older catalogue pages or locating remaining stock through another seller. Used copies and digital files may have different conditions, so careful checking is worthwhile.

Final Assessment For Choir Directors

As a youth choir anthology, the collection succeeds through clarity, purpose and flexibility. Its songs give developing singers material they can learn, understand and present with conviction. The writing is unlikely to challenge an elite chamber choir, but that is not the audience it serves.

Its strongest setting is a live LDS youth programme where a group of teenagers can combine voices around a message of faith and action. With thoughtful programming, varied dynamics and a supportive accompanist, the anthems can sound sincere rather than routine.

For Australian congregations, that practicality is especially valuable. Whether performed in a Brisbane chapel, a regional Queensland stake centre or a Sydney ward meeting, the collection offers dependable repertoire for occasions where young voices are expected to carry both musical and spiritual meaning.