Mary Lynn Lightfoot

Mary Lynn Lightfoot (born 1952) is an American choral composer and music publishing editor. From Canton, Missouri, Lightfoot has published over 300 choral pieces during her career. Her works are well known and often cited in research and choral literature because of their age-appropriate difficulty and apt textual settings. Early life Lightfoot’s first musical experience was taking piano lessons from age four through high school. Education Lightfoot graduated from Truman State University with a bachelor’s degree in music education. She graduated Magna Cum Laude and was part of the music fraternity Sigma Alpha Iota, from which she received a scholarship award. She was also the Director of Youth Choirs and Assistant Chancel Choir Director for Blue Ridge Presbyterian Church in Raytown, Missouri. Lightfoot held the position for 25 years before she became the founding editor of an educational choral series designed for school-aged choirs called “Sing! Distinctive Music for Classroom, Concert, and Festival.” She held this position for five years. Lightfoot’s “The Swing” was used as part of a sample choral lesson plan in Sally C. Brown’s A Comparative Study of Current Practices of Selecte