I have always loved music. As a child I used to invent my own harmonies to the hymns I sang with my family in church. In high school, I played cello in the orchestra and sang in multiple choirs. In college, I continued playing cello in the Mormon Youth Symphony and in the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra and received a bachelor's degree in music theory. Somehow I ended up working in the information technology area of the financial industry, but music is my first love. My family and I have moved a lot over the years and I have been fortunate to serve as Ward Choir director and Primary chorister in many of the places we have lived.

I very much enjoy arranging hymns and composing original works for choirs, vocal soloists, instrumentalists, and Primary children. Several people encouraged me to make my music available to others, so I created this little website. Some people have commented that my music sounds more like it was written by an orchestral guy than a pianist, which makes sense given my background. Be that as it may, I hope you will enjoy the music available on the Music page.

Choirs I have worked with are usually comprised mostly of people who do not read music. We have performed a lot of hymns, but we have also performed some ambitious things, like Handel's Hallelujah Chorus and everything in between. I decided to add the Director Help page to this website to share some of the things that I have learned along the way in hopes that my experiences might be of some assistance to other choir directors.

I would like to acknowledge some people that have been instrumental in my journey:

• My father, Parley Newman, who bought me my cello and paid for all of my private lessons.
• All of my high-school music teachers but in particular my choral teacher, Richard Barker, who first introduced me to music theory.
• My college music theory instructor, doctor David Sargent, who taught me everything I know about music.
• My college cello instructor, Suzanne MacIntosh, who taught me so much about cello performance.
• My wife, Shellie, who puts up with me spending so much time on my music without being paid for any of it.
• Our daughter, Mary Bell, who vets all of the piano music I write and offers helpful suggestions.
• My sister, Jeanne Newman Burgon, who has collaborated with me on so many original hymns and other songs.
• All of you who have requested arrangements. But in particular, Nancy Jolley who I have never met, but who has requested the largest number of arrangements on this site, and who has been so supportive.
• Lastly, all of you who have downloaded, directed and performed my music.

Above all, I love the Lord, I love my family, and I love music. It is my hope that I might contribute in some small way to help others who share the same loves as mine.