TONIA  JENSEN

Tonia Jensen was born and raised in Salt LakeCity, Utah.  She is the oldest of five girls.  She attended BYU and graduated from the U of U in Elementary Education, English and Art.  She sang with the Tabernacle Choir for several years and has produced several roadshows and other productions for schools and church.  She is married to Jay E. Jensen and they are parents of six children and twenty seven grandchildren.  She has worked many capacities in her ward, but Primary chorister has remained her favorite position.

After teaching for so many years, she feels confident enough to pass on some suggestions to the beginner chorister.  1.  Don’t go unprepared.  Always know the song you’re teaching WELL before you try to teach it.  If you’re teaching a new song the next week, start memorizing the words and music on Monday.  After singing it every day, by Saturday you’ll be a pro.  2.  Never stand in front of the children with a book in front of you.  If you forget a word, a glance at the chart will bring it back to you.  That’s one reason the charts are so good.  I’m confident that if you do those two things you will always feel success.  Please don’t ever just “wing it”.  These children are important!! Your calling is important.  Do your best.

MARIE ANN GAISFORD

Marie Ann Ostergaard Gaisford was born in Southern California to Flora Hood and Brigham S. Ostergaard.  In college she majored in music at the Brigham Young University and minored in business.  She is a third generation musician.  Her mother was a music teacher in Southern California and her grandmother, Annie Hood was the favorite soprano soloist of J. Spencer Cornwall, conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Marie married Walter D. Gaisford nearly 50 years ago.  They are the parents of 6 children and 15 grandchildren.  In Salt Lake City, Marie studied voice with Blanch Christensen for 20 years, and was a member and soprano soloist of the Jay Welch Chorale.

Marie studied art all thru school.  She was an artistic designer for her school newspaper and created many posters and advertisements for local events in her home town.  Marie began teaching Primary Music at the age of l6.  She saw that by combining words and pictures on good sized chart paper,  the children were immediately interested.  They concentrated better,  learned to think and memorized the songs quickly.

 In 1968 she met Tonia Jensen – also a Primary chorister who was using the same teaching techniques.  The two decided to combine their efforts.  They were spending countless hours drawing and designing the Primary music charts for themselves and thought that if they could reproduce them for a reasonable amount, maybe others would enjoy using them, too.