The Accidental Conductor

I have never thought of myself as a conductor. I'm not exactly the most brilliant living musician, and I became more aware of that fact through my exposure to *seriously* good musicians both at college and when I sang in a number of vocal ensembles. At college, it seemed like every fifth singer you met had perfect pitch, and several people I knew went on to become famous opera singers and award-winning composers. Let's just say I did not develop elevated ideas of my own musical proficiency. :-)

Where there is a need, however, I tend to want to fill that need, and I saw that the kids at our church could benefit from music education and learning to sing harmonies. Now, our first public concert is approaching; we had our dress rehearsal tonight. I taught them to sing three traditional carols with easy harmonies, which they do very well. I also led them in another selection that has a challenging rhythm for young singers (It's in 6/8 and has some sophisticated rests).

This afternoon, I got serious about actually conducting the kids for the evening rehearsal, so I spent about half an hour practicing my conducting. The only reason I can conduct at all is because I have had the pleasure of working with some awesome choral conductors. I encountered my first terrific conductor while I was singing in high school. That was Burt Allen, who conducted at Northwestern State University. He remains my favorite of all time, because he was so passionate about the music that he would stomp on his platform and throw his baton around like he was casting spells. (One of the works we sang was Carmina Burana. If a conductor doesn't get excited about that one, he's probably dead.)

It was a great experience to lead the kids in the rhythmically-difficult song tonight during the rehearsal. They sounded great, thanks to some natural musical talent and their hard work. And I never thought that I would ever conduct. I'm just not a good enough musician, compared to so many people I have known. But someone had to do it, and necessity is the mother of invention.

My friend called me to tell me that a couple of people had been moved to tears by the beauty of the children's singing. I told her that's how I always feel, too, when I hear their little voices, but I have to hold myself together to keep leading the kids as they sing! What I love about this ministry is that lots of people, both adults and children, don't realize that they are capable of making beautiful music. Learning to love music and be sensitive to it enriches people's lives spiritually, so teaching music is always a privilege.

A Kind Gift

Our church has a great system for teaching kids on Sundays. The kids go to class every week with a "guide," who starts the class by talking to the kids and doing a few short activities. Then a "teacher" comes in to teach the lesson for the week. The teachers rotate each week by grade (1st through 5th) so that they only have to design one lesson every five weeks. Right now, I am part of the teacher rotation because I am teaching the kids basic music theory. (Our church sings only a cappella harmony, which is magnificent to hear but will not last as a way of worship unless the kids learn to sing and read music.)
Anyway, one of the guides who saw me teach in the last rotation gave me a gift today. It is a Christmas vest embellished with carol sheet music designs. She sewed it herself.
Handmade gifts are becoming rarer and rarer; to receive one from a friend is very special. To receive one from someone just because she appreciates my teaching is really touching.

Victorian Party

This morning, I am very grateful for our friends, who made last night's Victorian Christmas party festive and memorable. We sang, played games, and heard some pre-1900 Christmas readings. It was a wonderful evening! At least twenty-five kids behaved admirably upstairs under the supervision of their three fine 'nannies.'
I think these pictures speak volumes about the spirit of fun our guests brought to the party. Everyone came in costume! And some were really, really authentic.
My favorite moments: Jana "dying" by flopping over the back of the couch during a game of Blink Murder, Lila reading "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," the women's quintet singing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "The Holly and the Ivy," Lee C. tricking the other two gamesmen at the end of "Hunt the Thimble," Phil's blatant 'a-ha' reaction to finding the penny, Jim adding nineteenth-century authenticity to the conversation by mentioning 'New Mexico's opposition to the railroads,' Ken's vintage ornaments, and too many more moments to list from the readings and the games.The repast included turkey, ham, roast beef, sausage rolls, various fruits and vegetables, cheese scones, an awesome bread pudding, marzipan fruits, tiny mince pies, rum cake, pumpkin pie, pound cake, huge Brie and Havarti cheeses with crackers, and eggnog.