(5/19/97)
Inspiring music may fill the soul with heavenly thoughts, move one to righteous action, or speak peace to the soul. When Saul was troubled with an evil spirit, David played for him with his harp and Saul was refreshed and the evil spirit departed. (See 1 Sam. 16:23.) — President Ezra Taft Benson, General Conference, October 1974

(5/20/97)
There is so much wonderful, uplifting music available that we can experience to our advantage. Our people ought to be surrounded by good music of all kinds. — Elder Boyd K. Packer, General Conference, October 1973

(5/21/97)
I am comforted by the assurance that there will be beautiful music in heaven, and for that I am most grateful. Some say there will be no music in that other place--but then some sounds that pass for music probably belong in that other place! — President Spencer W. Kimball (October 1982)

(5/22/97)
Singing songs and hymns can be a means of bringing inspiring music into the home and of helping each child to build his own musical vocabulary. Many parents have simply turned the musical education of their children over to the local rock radio station, with increasingly unpleasant results. Most children are delighted to discover music of genuine merit when their parents help to make it available to them. Bringing great music into the home can be an enriching and exciting experience not only for children but for parents as well. — Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.528

(5/23/97)
The Book of Mormon declares that "every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God." And "whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil." (Moroni 7:13, 17.) Let us use that standard to judge… the music we hear… Let us be more Christlike. — Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, General Conference, April 1986

(5/24/97)
There is no music in hell, for all good music belongs to heaven. Sweet harmonious sounds give exquisite joy to human beings capable of appreciating music. I delight in hearing harmonious tones made by the human voice, by musical instruments, and by both combined. Every sweet musical sound that can be made belongs to the Saints and is for the Saints. — Discourses of Brigham Young, p.242-3

(5/25/97)
I wonder sometimes if we realize the importance of music. I wonder if we know that the Lord himself is concerned about it. He has given us the information that the song of praise is a prayer unto him.… I would like to call attention to the fact that in our day our Heavenly Father has given a revelation, teaching us that it is our privilege, yea, our blessing, to sing, and that our songs should be sung in righteousness. — George Albert Smith, Sharing the Gospel With Others, p.159

(5/14/02)
"I have noticed that an increasing number of our leaders and members do not sing the congregational songs. Perhaps they do not know them or there are not enough hymnbooks. We should sing the songs of Zion—they are an essential part of our worship. We must not neglect the hymns nor the exalted anthems of the Restoration. Read the First Presidency's introduction in the hymnbook. The Lord said, 'My soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.' (D&C 25:12.) Do not let our sacred music slip away from us, nor allow secular music to replace it." — Boyd K. Packer, "Reverence Invites Revelation," "Ensign," Nov. 1991, p. 22

(5/15/02)
"It is also important to enhance one's appreciation of the arts and culture which are of the very substance of our civilization. Can anyone doubt that good music is godly or that there can be something of the essence of heaven in great art? Education will increase your appreciation and refine your talent." — Gordon B. Hinckley, "Ten Gifts from the Lord," "Ensign," Nov. 1985, p. 89

(5/16/02)
"God's purpose for the artist is to inspire, to give us visions of ourselves that we might not otherwise see, to make us better than we would have been. The world is better for the arts and righteous artists in it. In the quest to achieve greatness in artistic pursuits—whether in painting, dance, music, drama, film, sculpture, or the written word—we should always seek first to achieve God's purposes. 'All great art is the expression of man's delight in God's work, not his own,' said John Ruskin, the great nineteenth-century English art critic." — M. Russell Ballard, "Filling the World with Goodness and Truth," "Ensign," July 1996, p. 10

(5/17/02)
"At some time in our lives each of us needs to be lifted up from a depression, from a sense of foreboding or inadequacy, or just from a plateau of spiritual mediocrity. Because it raises our spirits and helps us resist evil and seek good, I believe that the feeling of uplift that is communicated by reading the scriptures or by enjoying wholesome music, art, or literature is a distinct purpose of revelation." — Dallin H. Oaks, "Revelation" "New Era", Sept. 1982, p. 41

(5/18/02)
"... Satan, of course, is aware of this great progress in technology and likewise takes advantage of it for his purposes, which are to destroy and despoil. He delights in the pornography on the Internet and the sleaze in many of our movies and television shows. He has even engineered some of his own satanic messages into some of our modern music. For the seeds of faith to sprout in our lives, we must avoid Satan's grasp." — James E. Faust, "Of Seeds and Soils," "Ensign," Nov. 1999, p. 47-48

(5/16/05)
"This is what I would teach you. Choose from among the sacred music of the Church a favorite hymn, one with words that are uplifting and music that is reverent, one that makes you feel something akin to inspiration. Remember President Lee’s counsel; perhaps 'I Am A Child of God' would do. Go over it in your mind carefully. Memorize it. Even though you have had no musical training, you can think through a hymn.

Now, use this hymn as the place for your thoughts to go. Make it your emergency channel. Whenever you find these shady actors have slipped from the sidelines of your thinking onto the stage of your mind, put on this record, as it were.

As the music begins and as the words form in your thoughts, the unworthy ones will slip shamefully away. It will change the whole mood on the stage of your mind. Because it is uplifting and clean, the baser thoughts will disappear. For while virtue, by choice, will not associate with filth, evil cannot tolerate the presence of light." - Boyd K. Packer, "Inspiring Music—Worthy Thoughts," Ensign, Jan. 1974, p. 28

4/7/07
"Hymns are 'an essential part of our church meetings. [They] invite the Spirit of the Lord.' (Hymns, ix.) They often do this quicker than anything else we may do. President J. Reuben Clark Jr. said, 'We get nearer to the Lord through music than perhaps through any other thing except prayer.' (In Conference Report, Oct. 1936, 111.)" - Jay E. Jensen, "The Nourishing Power of Hymns," General Conference, April 2007

1/29/08
"I have noticed that an increasing number of our leaders and members do not sing the congregational songs. Perhaps they do not know them or there are not enough hymnbooks. We should sing the songs of Zion—they are an essential part of our worship. We must not neglect the hymns nor the exalted anthems of the Restoration. Read the First Presidency's introduction in the hymnbook. The Lord said, 'My soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.' (D&C 25:12.) Do not let our sacred music slip away from us, nor allow secular music to replace it." - Boyd K. Packer, "Reverence Invites Revelation," Ensign (CR), November 1991, p.21