Lead Sheet & Lyrics

One of the 'lead sheets' I handed out this week (similar to those found in 'fake' books) to my JR3 class at my Groups school was "Amazing Grace".  It is also in the exam syllabus so quite popular with the younger students.  A student asked me if they could get the lyrics to the song so they could understand the song better (which was a great idea - I haven't prepared one for this tune in particular yet). 

So I spent my morning looking up a really good version of 1) the song itself (music video or live performance etc) online and 2) accurate lyrics.  I would basically re-create my own song sheet with my graphics/colour and font (I normally go with Comic Sans to make written components more aesthetically pleasing lol)  Then I'd attach the link URL to the sheet so my students and their families can easily access the version on their own computers at home.

I was searching on YouTube and came across an absolutely gorgeous, majestic rendition by the operatic pop group Il Divo coupled with an orchestral performance.  It's a beautiful, spiritual song - pretty much universally recognizable and, in my opinion, can easily go beyond its religious connotations... It's simply MUSIC to be enjoyed.  For this reason I can understand why its been included in the curriculum where I work... of course, other than the fact that it's comprised of simple, basic chord progressions & easy to play/learn even for 6 year olds :)

Il Divo: http://www.ildivo.com/

Amazing Grace (2008)

Amazing Grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind, but now I see.