---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 7
number: 11
published: 1904-09
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "In Lighter Mood," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 11 (September 1904): 884–885.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0711unse
  transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers.
  identifier: improvementera0711unse
start_page: 884
end_page: 885
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-09)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0711unse
  publication_year: 1904
  note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1904, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# In Lighter Mood

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886                              IMPROVEMENT ERA.

by the Deseret News Co., and on sale by them at a very reasonable price,
not more than thirty-five cents each.    This book includes about fifty
pieces, most of which are suitable for work in the mission field, both for
the elder to sing, at the opening and closing of his meetings, and also
in little social groups around the fireside, as there are nice little pieces
in it in parts,    and others suitable to sing in a little social singing club,
if he    has the opportunity to form one.          They are arranged so that they
may be used for male voices alone; so that if a few of the elders get
together they can sing nicely in part, and the same pieces can also be
sung by ladies and gentlemen, as may be deemed best at the time.   So,
in the absence of anything better, I would recommend that you try and
use this little work, and the one you have in charge of your singing can
be guided, more or less, as to the work to be done, by the material contained in this little volume.         It is of a   convenient size to be carried
around in the pocket, which is not the case with the Psalmody.           I believe

they also have a little, light, waterproof cover, so if the book gets wet
it    will not be ruined.
        1   would advise,   in   order to get as good work done as possible,
that you do your best to get the most energetic musical              man in your
settlement to take charge of the singing in your meetings of the Mutual Improvement Association, and give him something to take charge
of.   Let the singing be on an educational basis, the same as your other
work.     Have it understood that you will expect the leader to form the
association, and thoroughly drill them in some hymn.       First get the
simplest work possible.and only have them sing the lead straight through,
and then when they are able to do that well, try and add a part or two,
an alto, a counter-tenor, and the bass: and in this way improve the singing of the association, and improve the ability of the members to do more
profitable singing wherever they may be needed to work.
        I   would strongly advise, even if you have to lengthen the time of
the exercises, that you try and have this practice at every meeting, as
the Sunday schools quite generally do now.              This   work in the Sunday
schools is not exactly what we need; if it were, we would not need the
Mutual Improvement Associations.    You can get in more missionary
work in the mutual meetings than in the Sunday schools, for, in the latter,    the children have to be taught as well as the grown people, and a
different class of songs may be used; though many of the Sunday school
songs are as effective as anything  in our hymn books for general use

everywhere, and I would advise that you use them once in a while as
well as those in the little book to which I referred, and some of those
contained in the Psalmody, and other hymns.

<!-- page:885 -->

OUR WORK.                                     887

        Also give some attention to getting a good organist.             An organist
is a    great assistance to the leader, especially if he, or she, is a real assistant, and to be that they want to understand one another thoroughly,
and aim to help each other.         In   Sunday School