It is 11:30 on a Sunday night and I have spent an hour and a half reading through my Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir book. Yea, sounds dorky. Tomorrow I begin week 2 of my summer classes, and during week 4 I will be taking my comps. Part of my comps include a 90 minute score study, followed by a 90 minute oral exam. To prepare for my score study, I decided to listen through the examples provided in the TMTP books and read descriptions of the music. This forces me to listen and not just hear. It forces me to be a bit more active and less passive.
One goal I have kind of adopted is to perform as many of the songs in this book series as possible. This forces me to stretch and broaden my scope, because often times I will look at a song and it won't be a song that Helzer will do. Having the series as a resource will greatly help me to find a connection to the pieces. Nonetheless, I was listening through and studying, and a special song crossed my playlist. This is a song that I encountered as a singer in my choir at Grand Island Northwest, and again a song I had the pleasure to conduct with my Ogallala Concert Choir. It is simply amazing how much music can move a person. Although this piece is sung in French, it still cuts deep to my heart. There are experiences that will always be tied to this song. It use to be a song that took me back to high school and all of the great memories, and it now takes me back to Ogallala and the wonderful kids I had the pleasure to work with. For those of you who sing, you understand. For those of you who don't, I strongly encourage you to find a choir to sing in. Be it at church, a community choir, or somewhere else. Find an opportunity to make music and create community with a group of like-minded people. That being said, please take a break and enjoy!
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