To Be a Pioneer

There are many of us who don't have Utah pioneer heritage.  To Be a Pioneer, p. 218, is a great song that includes all of us and it has a fun descant.

Verse 1:

• picture or cutout of a handcart
• picture of a family
• mile sign - 1000 miles to Utah, or just a sign with a number of miles

Verse 2: word strips of:

• great courage
• Faith to conquer
• work with might
• cause that's right

Descant:

    The descant is very easy because of the repetitive words.  Singing it a few times will help them learn it.

When you put it together, ask another adult to sing one part with half of the children while you sing the second part with the other half of the children.  The piano can be a big help by playing only the descant and the melody of the verse. Note that the descant is the same for both verses.