Before Children There was Music, A Mothers Day Tribute for Lisa

There are common threads in marriage that transcend all others. These are typically things like our love for each other and our faith in God. One of these things in our marriage is music, not because it is more important than love or faith, but because it is part of the beautiful tapestry of our relationship and it is near to our heart.

Let me explain...

Honors Choirs Spring Finale - The Beginning of a Lifetime of Music

We went to the Honors Choirs Spring Finale Sunday afternoon and we heard some truly great music. This whole season has just been one superb concert after another. Just when you think it couldn't get any better the next one is just a little bit better than the last one.

A great Honors Choirs season reflects a commitment to excellence...

Honors Choirs Voices Concert - A Song Sung Well

We had a phenomenal Honors Choir concert Sunday afternoon. All the choirs did a great job. The concert was even more impressive given they had missed several practices due to weather. The theme of the concert was the "Music of the Stage and Screen". They had some really cool renditions of  "Green Eggs and Ham", "Rock Island", "The Sun with Come Out Tomorrow" and "Some Where Over the Rainbow". These were my favorites.

When I was sitting in the audience I was thinking about what  makes the Honors Choir experience so powerful for the singers. Is it just the joy of "a song sung well" or is it something more?

Breath of Heaven

Sunday afternoon, we attended "Hope of the World" an incredible concert by Honors Choirs of SE Minnesota. The concert was excellent and all the choirs did exceptionally well.

For me, the keynote was the song Breath of Heaven, made popular by Amy Grant. I have heard Amy sing this song many times with passion and as good as she is, Amy didn't hold a candle to this choir of middle school singers. It was not technical perfection or musical elegance (though these were superb) that made the performance great, but it was an emotional connection between the singers and the hearts of the audience that made the song so powerful.

Nick Johnson, director of the Chorale Choir, asked the singers what strong emotions they had experienced through this song. The emotions elicited by the song and expressed by the singers were very strong. This emotional connection during their performance was reflected in the faces of the singers, and though I could not observe it through my tears, I think the audience as well.

Abby Wilson sang the first verse as a solo and transported our  minds back to Bethlehem and Mary's prayer. It is a song about the fears and burdens of carrying God's son. Abby sang an amazing, beautiful solo that gripped our hearts and minds.

A Standing Ovation

We were at the SE Minnesota Honors Choirs spring concert Sunday afternoon. The middle school choir received a standing ovation after their last number.

The song was sung well and the choir members did a great job. It was a song about unity and solidarity and each choir member held the hand of their neighbor. But I think the ovation was as much for the director as the singers. The students who sing for this director not only master complex music but they often discuss and digest the complexities of life and what is going on with them and around them.

Why is this important?