Videos

May 4, 2014 - #4416 "Teamwork"

Music & the Spoken Word broadcast with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. May 4, 2014 Broadcast Number 4416. 

Music

"Praise to the Lord, the Almighty"1 
From Straslund Gesangbuch, 1665
Lyrics: Joachim Neander; translated by Catherine Winkworth
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

"The Lord Is My Shepherd"2
Composer: Howard Goodall
Lyrics from Psalm 23

"And He Shall Purify" from Messiah3
Composer: George Frideric Handel

"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" (Organ Solo)
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

"Let Us Break Their Bonds Asunder" from Messiah3
Composer: George Frideric Handel

"Smile"
Composer: Charles Chaplin
Lyrics: John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons
Arrangement: Sam Cardon

"The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha (removed due to licensing)
Composer: Mitch Leigh

  1. On the CD America's Choir
  2. On the CD Heavensong: Music of Contemplation and Light
  3. On a future CD of Handel's MessiahClick here to request updates about this recording.

Spoken Word

"Teamwork"

When we think of good teamwork, we often think of championship sports teams who work together to accomplish great things. But a community can also be a team, each citizen joining in common causes for the betterment of society. A workplace is a team, each worker contributing to the success of the company or organization. And then there's the ultimate "home team"-the family, with each member helping the others to achieve more than they could ever do alone. In all aspects of life, we need each other. We need people doing their best and giving their best for the benefit and progress of the whole.

Some may prefer to "go it alone"-to move independently through life and not rely on others. But that's impossible. We all eat food we didn't grow, we wear clothes we didn't sew, and we find it easier to reach our goals because of the efforts of a team. For example, an author may write a compelling book alone, but a team of people gets it published and on the shelf. A composer can create a masterpiece alone, but it often takes a team of performers to bring it to life.

Not long ago, a series of canyon fires over the summer caused mudslides and flooding that ravaged a small town. One homeowner, who for many years had prized his fierce independence, was especially hard-hit. His yard was flooded, leaving a mess too massive and too expensive to take on alone. As he wondered how he would recover, a large team of neighbors and volunteers, without being asked, set to work to repair the damage. The man came to realize that he needed others-and others needed him. That's the value of teamwork: together everyone accomplishes more than they could ever do alone.

Just as teamwork wins championships, teamwork also builds strength and character, teaches leadership and cooperation, and develops discipline and trust. Nothing builds closeness and camaraderie like joining together in a good cause.