Q: How did you get started with LDS Scripture Rock?

Jason: My sister was a seminary teacher and gave me the idea for the LDS Scripture Rock. I’ve been playing the guitar and writing songs for about 15 years and have always enjoyed creating music. This just sounded like something fun to do.

Q: How should Seminary Teachers use LDS Scripture Rock?

Jason: I think seminary teachers can use the music as a way to make their class have fun with Scripture Mastery, which can otherwise be a tough task to accomplish. Start by playing the song a few times through so the students learn the melody. Focus on one song at a time and play it a few times through, several days in one week. You can write the first letter of each word on the chalk board and have them follow along as the song plays. Where possible, rhymes have been created in the verse, highlight the rhyming words in the scripture and have the kids learn those. Once the class learns the song, try different ways to have them sing it through (use the no-vocal track, turn the volume down while they’re singing, etc). You can also use the Karaoke DVD to introduce the song so the kids can follow along with the scripture on the screen.

Q: How is the new D&C CD different from last year’s BOM edition?

Jason: With the BOM CD, I recorded all the tracks myself and did all the vocals. On the D&C version, I decided to improve the quality by hiring professional studio musicians and vocalists to record the songs, but I still wrote all the tunes. It worked great. I hired both a male and a female vocalist and also sang a few myself. Here is a picture of me with the studio musicians who recorded all the music.

Q: Are the musicians who worked with you on this new CD LDS & how did it impact them?  

Jason: None of the other musicians or vocalists who worked on the CD were LDS.  This made for some interesting questions and gave me a chance to share the gospel with them a little bit.  After they learned that this would help high school kids who are studying the scriptures every morning, they really were proud to be a part of the project. 

Q: Tell us a little more about yourself.

Jason: I’m 37 years old and live in Nashville , Tennessee with my wife and 3 (soon to be 4) children. I work in sales for an institutional money manager and enjoy playing music in my spare time. I currently serve as the Scout advisor for the Teachers Quorum in our ward’s YM organization and my wife is the Primary President.

Q: Where did you learn to play the guitar and when did you write your first song?  

Jason: I started playing the guitar while I was a sophomore at BYU.  I also was the lead singer/song writer for a college band called Running Circles.  We played at the pizza place and put out a CD which sold a measley 100 copies.  My first song was called Future and was about the road ahead and when I would meet my wife.  I wrote several songs for my wife when we were dating and played them at our wedding.  I've also written a song for each of my children about their birth and early childhood. 

Q: I personally love the Karaoke version, why did you create it?

Jason: The Karaoke version is just another way to make it fun for the students. Each song on the DVD has a picture that can be associated with the scripture and the text of the scriptures scrolls across the screen as the music is playing.

Debra: Personally, I would introduce each SMV with the Karaoke DVD, one each couple of days, or as they come up in the curriculum. It puts the printed word, an image and the music all together in one place, and I believe this will make a lasting impression and trigger the memory more powerfully - but I am a visual learner. I just think the students would be ready and looking forward to the next one - like the next episode of a tv show - rather than to just watch and listen to them the first time all at once.

Q: What is your favorite track on the D&C CD?

Jason: D&C 82:10 is my favorite but I also like how the JS History 1:15 -20 turned out.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Jason: I’d like to encourage parents and teachers to consider giving youth a personal copy of the LDS Scripture Rock CD so they can listen to it in their cars and at home. You can purchase these on my website for as low as $6 each with free shipping. Youth already spend so much of their time listening to music – what better lyrics can you find than the scriptures?