Teens Read The Book

Our Purpose

We are collecting audio recordings of 12 to 19-year-olds reading the Bible, one chapter each. It is our hope to spread the word of God around the globe, through the authentic and engaging voices of teens.

We will be publishing on this website and at Teens Read the Book on all major podcast platforms.

The recordings may also be licensed to media platforms of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Gospel Library App, and other organizations with similar intent.

Want to help?

We Need Your Voice!

Would you like to be involved?

If you are a teen between the ages of 12-19, we invite you to submit an audio recording of yourself reading a chapter of scripture. (See below for instructions.) People around the world will love hearing your voice read these timeless words.

I believe our efforts to produce these recordings will fill a unique need in the world. Compared with the flood of instant media whose appeal can fade in a matter of days or weeks, these scriptures have and will remain relevant for hundreds and even thousands of years. Hopefully, our recordings of them will make a big difference for those who hear them.

This is God's word. Thanks for helping us share it in new a way that will bless lives and increase faith for years to come.

-McKay

P.S. Would you like to do more? We are looking for visionary teens and helpful adults who see the importance of this effort and can help us review and quality check the recordings for accuracy. Email us at teensreadthebook@gmail.com if you would like to get involved. We look forward to working together.

HOW TO RECORD

Pray

Ask the Lord to help you feel confident in your reading,. We can testify that the Lord can bring the peace you need to record.

Prepare

Review the chapter you will record. Practice pronouncing any difficult words until you can say them right. If you are unsure how to say a word, listen to the church's existing voice recording to get the pronounciation right.

What do I read?

Record yourself reading the whole chapter in the current King James version of the scriptures published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Read the chapter number, introductory chapter notes, and all verses. If you are reading the first chapter of a book, read the full book name and any extra text that precedes chapter one.

What do I use to record?

The easiest and most effective way to record is to use a free recording app on your phone! Some good ones are My Voice Pro, Voice Record Pro, and Dolby On. When you download your recording, try to export it as a WAV. If your app doesn't export WAV files, we also accept MP3, MP4, FLAC, AIFF (for apple files) and ALAC.

Placement

Holding your phone or recording device in your hands as you record will make small clicking / tapping noises. Put your phone on a pillow or stand about six inches below your mouth. And obviously, put your phone on airplane mode and silence all alarms.

Shhh..

Eliminate background noise. Record in the quietest room you can find. Closets and off-transmission cars make excellent makeshift recording studios.

Cadence

We know how nerve wracking it can be to record, but don't read too fast. Read at a pace that is natural and comfortable for you and can be easily understood.

What if I mess up?

In order to be published, your recording needs to include every word spoken correctly. If you miss a word or mess up a phrase, just start at the beginning of the verse or phrase, say it again correctly, and continue reading.

Just be you

You don't need to sound like a professional when you record. Be authentic. Your voice is unique and is what we need. Do your best and it will be good enough.

And smile every once in a while as you read. Remember that you are doing something great. :)

Review

When you have finished recording and hit that Stop Recording button, pat your self on the back! You did it.

Listen to your recording, reading along with the words. If you feel that you can do better, feel free to try again! If you think it sounds great, submit it.

If you notice a mistake in your recording that you didn't catch before, send us a second recording of the corrected verses and we will edit them together to make it right.

Progress Tracking

If you would like to participate, click here to see chapters and pick one that still needs to be recorded. You don't need an assignment, just find one that is available. When you submit your recording, we will update the spreadsheet with your name and information next to the chapter you submitted.

Tracking Spreadheet

Authorization

If you would like to participate, sign these two release forms and submit with your recording. We can't use your recording without these. A photo or .pdf scan of these pages is okay.

Permission Slips

Ready to Submit?

When you have recorded your chapter, have a parent or friend listen to it to check for accuracy. When you have your recording ready, upload it with your permission slip here. You'll need to sign in with a Google account to upload your files.

Submit Chapter recordings and permission slips here

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Teens Read the Book