Choir High

A fellow middle school choir director in the district is getting married this weekend. She and I generally have to curtail our conversations in meetings and such. We never run out of things to discuss, and I definitely consider her a friend.

For her wedding she has several choral selections she wants performed. Of course that means assembling a choir. I have been honored to be included in this choir.

Last night was the one and only rehearsal for the wedding choir. It was very much fun to see some other familiar faces in that choir, people I know from singing in other choirs, and one girl I went to high school with. I've remarked before about the choir world being a small one, and it was definitely another confirmation that it surely is.

I don't think any of us had really spent much time with the music prior to last night's rehearsal. At first it wasn't all that great. There were plenty of mistakes, as there always are early in the rehearsal process. But this choir got everything fixed faster than any choir I've ever sung with before. There was no discussion of "off on 4 there" or basics like that. Once the difficult spots were ironed out, it was a matter of interpreting the expression of each piece which mostly came naturally. There was a magical moment as we rehearsed the last song of the evening when the bride, seated in front of us, was moved to tears. We all felt it.

THAT'S why I do this. That's why I love choir.

I came home after two hours of rehearsal on a choir high. I was keyed up and excited to tell Hubby all about it. I think I overwhelmed him.

As my head hit the pillow last night, I thought about the fact that I get to do choir for a job. I get to do this thing I love, share this thing I love with my students. I get to go through the process and hopefully get to that places where the music moves us to tears. I am extremely blessed. My cup runneth over.

This was just the attitude adjustment I needed going into the convention, and the impending school year.

Last night I had in my head, "Erev shel shoshanim," "Dodi Li," and "Seasons of Love." (We're not doing "Seasons of Love" a capella, but you definitely get the idea. The other two YouTube examples are the same arrangements we're singing.)