“We Sing” Wednesday – This Little Light of Mine

According to Wikipedia, “This Little Light of Mine” was written by composer and teacher Harry Dixon Loes around 1920. Loes studied at the Moody Bible Institute and the American Conservatory of Music and was a musical composer and teacher. “This Little Light of Mine” is often thought of as a Negro spiritual; however, it does not appear in any collection of jubilee or plantation songs from the nineteenth century.

I learned this song in our church, where we were ever thankful for songs that had motion with them to break up the monotony of sitting for long periods of time. I like the simplicity of it. It is a good message written in a way that little people can understand. The repetition and hand motions make this an excellent song for little ones.

The first YouTube link is for a recording with words and melody as I learned the song. The second video is slightly different words, but has hand motions if you want a visual.

Sheet music: http://www.8notes.com/scores/13893.asp

Video with hand motions, but not the same lyrics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8mok6oWXyk