Wow, last week was fun! There were kids singing with drums, guitars, bass, piano, and adults! There was opening the holiday season with a sing-a-long for Handel's Messiah! There were moments of quiet reflection in the beauty of ensemble singing. The whole week... just incredible.
Let me break it down for you. This is taken directly from my (handwritten) journal entry after the performance with the kids on 12/7.
Aaaaaaaaa! So fun! What a joy to conduct the kids choir, band, and choir at the same time. I don't think I'll forget that experience anytime soon. I did take away that I need to get closer to the choir to give instructions when it's that busy and to remember to turn around and smile and show off the group when I'm done. I forgot both of these things! Also, it's important to know that everyone can see you.
Right after the big song, I spent time with our earth-based spirituality group, EMBERS. It was really meaningful for me to be invited into the circle to help teach and tweak several chants for their upcoming solstice service. And, thankfully, chants don't require any piano proficiency on my part. :)
Then, it was off to sell pizza for our band fundraiser. We're raising money for an electronic drum kit, so our percussion can be better balanced through our house sound system. It was a great success - we raised several hundred dollars - but I had to chuckle as I took out trash all dressed up when we were cleaning up!
I think I managed to go home for about an hour before I had to be back at church for the Messiah Sing-a-long. The sound of chorus and orchestra together in our space is really lovely. I also had a solo ("Come Unto Him"), which helped ground me in remembering my own voice. Afterwards was a reception and it was so nice to spend time munching on sweets with everyone.
Later in the week, I enjoyed singing with the Knoxville Chamber Chorale for our Christmas concert. Thankfully, Josh took a video so you can all enjoy this moment of, "Aaaaaaaaahhh" in your holiday season.
http://youtu.be/ZTa8SmXnGoo
The week ended with sitting in an advisor's office, putting my schedule together to start music classes in January. Yes, friends, it's back to school for me! Stay tuned -- I am sure there are many more blog posts to come about what I learn in class.
I'll end with this thought I had while watching our "Sorta Singers" group rehearse. They invited me to their rehearsal to give feedback before they performed in service the next day. As I listened, I couldn't help but think, "What a life I have. Who gets to live the life that they were hoping for so soon after they heard it calling? I feel like I was given this beautiful gift." All of their music centered around Hanukkah and I, for one, am enjoying the light I have been able to find in this cold, dark winter.
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