When presiding over the Arizona Phoenix Mission a decade-plus ago, I found a number of our full-time missionaries — some accomplished piano players and others more aspiring than accomplished — had a tendency in meetings to play beyond the sheet music’s written notes.
Rather than leaving sustained notes and chords to linger, some would start to fill in with keyboard freelancing and improvising, adding trills, frills and all sorts of running notes. They wouldn’t necessarily be providing multipart accompaniments for those singing to follow but instead be trying to show proficiency. And attempts at extemporaneous arpeggios often sounded awkward.
Wanting to help rein in the keyboard ad-libbing and instead focus on appropriate accompanying — particularly in missionary conferences and church-meeting settings — I asked the local stake presidents to recommend someone with keyboard experience who could help counsel and encourage our piano-minded missionaries in their playing and progression.
Honestly, I was expecting to get an older, grandmotherly sister with decades of piano-teaching experience. But one stake president referred to me a 30-something pianist, performer and recording artist by the name of William Joseph. Attendees of the 2024 Utah Area YSA Conference will remember him as a featured performer — and I remembered then having acquired his CD of hymn arrangements titled “Be Still.”
I called him, explained my concerns and asked his help to create a setting to train the missionaries. He welcomed the idea, saying that playing appropriately for the setting was a lesson he had learned himself as a missionary at the Provo Missionary Training Center.
The result was a specialized training meeting at a local meetinghouse for missionaries with interests or skills in leading music or piano accompaniment.
That day, we began with a local member teaching chorister techniques on leading music. After that segment, I announced we had another member to provide training on keyboard playing. I didn’t mention William Joseph by name, and missionaries didn’t recognize him as he walked up to the piano to begin.
Joseph had texted me earlier that morning, saying that he may have gone overboard with an over-the-top arrangement of “Called To Serve” that he would perform. I told him that was of no concern.
And perform he did, with all the flair, flourishes and showmanship he exhibits at his performances and in his YouTube videos. His playing enthused and invigorated some, while others sat back in shock and awe. Had we stopped at that point, the rousing rendition would have only encouraged the missionaries to continue any over-performing tendencies, rather than counter them.
As we had planned, he turned to me after playing, and I said something like, “William, that’s all well and good, but can you take it down a notch?”
He turned back to the piano and began playing his soft, gentle and simple version of the well-known hymn “Come Thou Fount,” the opening track from his “Be Still” album. The contrast was undeniable, with the tempo subdued and the familiar melody paired with a minimalist arrangement of harmony and chords.
The spirit of the moment was moving, palpable and powerful. Having missionaries being blown away by a masterful yet almost bombastic performance quickly gave way to an emotional, inspiring and unforgettable listening experience.
Joseph spent the next hour giving tips on playing, accompanying and arranging, while speaking about tones and nuances. He played other arrangements of hymns and sacred music, explaining what he was trying to convey with what he was playing. He answered questions, greeted missionaries individually and left a lifelong impact.
Before concluding our training meeting, I took the day’s lessons one step further and asked the missionaries to apply the principles to their teaching of the gospel. One doesn’t need to try to convey all their knowledge all at once. One doesn’t teach to impress, to call attention to themselves or to overwhelm with excessive information and more-than-necessary details.
When teaching the gospel, it’s not about us, our knowledge nor our delivery. It’s the message — pure and simple.
President Henry B. Eyring’s address in the recent October 2024 general conference reminded me of that morning with William Joseph and the missionaries. In his remarks — titled “Simple Is the Doctrine of Jesus Christ” — the second counselor in the First Presidency encouraged Latter-day Saints to teach simply.
President Eyring counseled against using speculation or interpretation when teaching Heavenly Father’s children. “The Holy Ghost will reveal the spirit of truth only as we are cautious and careful not to go beyond teaching true doctrine. One of the surest ways to avoid even getting near false doctrine is to choose to be simple in our teaching.”
What President Eyring taught — and what our missionaries learned in a music training with William Joseph — is that the melody of truth simply presented with the harmony of an accompanying testimony can bring a powerful spirit of revelation and confirmation.
— Scott Taylor is managing editor of Church News
