It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Choir Time

It is time to start practicing for the Christmas program. The choir director has chosen the "Hallelujah Chorus" as our show piece. I think it is going to turn out very nicely. We are lucky to have such a great choir director to lead the way!

 

Children's Choir Performance

I have been able to keep a Christmas tradition going one more year.  Today we did a musical program at a retirement community. It went really well. This year I took my children's choir from the Galena Ward to The Fountains.  It is a little retirement home near the airport. It really worked out perfectly and I am grateful for the experience.  

My choir member include Mateo, Porter, Soffia, Tessa, Summer, Aubrey, Bryce, Evva, Ella, Annika, Brady, Ryker, Anna, Derrick, Ruthie, Lena, Kaleigh, Olivia, Lily, Aryelle, Kennadee, Zach, and Raef.  My pianist is a young woman, Anna K., who has been such a blessing for the choir. Her family moved in a couple of months ago.

For the program, the kids sang "See the Joy", "Christmas Bells", "Teach Me To Walk/Love is Spoken Here", "That First Nowell", "Away In a Manger", and "Peaceful, Silent Night".  I also had some individual performances. Raef and Zach played three songs from Christmas Kaleidoscope. Tessa and Summer B. did a beautiful rendition of "A Special Night". I sang "Star of Bethlehem" and Anna L. did an adorable version of "Mary's Lullaby".

The last song was "Peaceful, Silent Night" and Kennadee C. sang "Silent Night", with the choir singing a different part. Then the two parts were put together and it was just lovely.

Rinar was able to participate because he accompanied on the solo parts, so it really was a family affair.

Someday we will be able to share this tradition with all of our kids when they are old enough. I look forward to it.  The residents enjoyed the show and all of the kids visited with them afterwards. 

Music is the perfect way to get the Christmas spirit. 

Galena Children's Choir

A few months ago I decided to start a children's choir at church. Our ward is really lacking in the musical talent department. I figured if I started working from the ground up, it may inspire the older folks to actually open their hymn books on Sunday.

We have been practicing for the last few months with the song, "An Angel Came To Joseph Smith". It is in the Children's Songbook, but I found a two part choral arrangement that had a little bit of difficulty.  It was wonderful. The kids did their best performance in sacrament meeting. I think there were about 25 kids.  I was so proud of them.

Music is a powerful tool that can really draw us close to the Spirit. I can think of many times as a youth, the times that I remember poignantly, and it always revolved around a song.  It could have been one that I sang in Primary, or in the Primary Program.  I also sang in my ward choir when I was pretty young, and it was one of those things that helped me to solidify my testimony.

You never forget the songs.

For one of the practices, I talked to the kids about this very idea. It can be hard being a kid, and especially when you want to stay faithful to the church and the things you know are true. I told them that this song can help to strengthen them.  They can remember Joseph Smith and the hard things that he did, and that he always stayed faithful, even under incredible scrutiny and mockery.  Just like Joseph Smith, they can follow his example and stay faithful.


A song has a way of doing that to us. It penetrates to our core and can be seared on our hearts. I hope that as I continue on with my little choir, they will gain greater musical knowledge and skills. But more importantly, they will come to know who they are and feel the love of God in the music they get to perform.

When You Want To Change the World

Sometimes I feel like I want to conquer the world. Don't worry, the feeling is usually fleeting, but today was one of those days when I felt like superwoman.

About a week ago, I met some girlfriends at a place called "The Chocolate Bar". Hello! Perfect name, right? We were talking and my new friend Julie was sharing with us how she is going to do surrogacy. I was completely amazed and a bit bewildered.  I was also wondering if the girl is a bit crazy. Since I have already done IVF twice, I could feel the pain she was going to experience already.  Julie then told us how she had wanted to join the military a few years ago. Her husband talked her out of it. But she just has this strong desire to change the world and do big things.  As crazy as it was, I love her enthusiasm!

I may not manifest it in the same way as she does, but I think I often feel the same as her.  In the past, this usually meant I was at Home Depot buying paint or at HomeFabrics picking up some funky fabric to do a new, overly-ambitious project.

Now, I don't really feel like painting anything, but I do feel a strong desire to take on a new, big project that will better my life, push me beyond my limits, and make the world a better place. I find that those two things usually go together quite nicely.  Whenever I challenge my own capabilities, it benefits those around me.

I have come up with something grand and ambitious and I am really ready to jump in with both feet and just go for it.

I plan on starting a children's choir here in Reno.  I think we need one.  I want the musical fulfillment for my own soul, and heaven knows this place needs some musical nurturing. It is pretty pathetic. So why not nurture it from infancy, right?

Just ordered the music tonight and can't wait to get my little paws on it.

Watch out world...here I come.