Laudamus Te

At Term 2 Recitation, the Junior and Senior Secondary Schools Choir performed "Laudamus Te" for the finale.  This is a recording from the dress rehearsal the day before.  (Thanks Liz!) It is in Latin, which our students did a great job of learning.  Props to Richard for beefing up the men's section and to Julie for her excellent piano skills.  I think all of us enjoyed working on this song.  Happy listening!

Choir Concert

We had our very first official Choir Concert last Friday afternoon. Both choirs performed for the rest of the students in the school, the teachers and staff, Mommas of the cottages, the Home Office who happened to be traveling through and a few guardians of community students. I am so very proud of our students and the hard work and extra hours they have practiced to prepare this recital. It truly was a concert of praise to our heavenly Father and you can hear the joy in the students' voice.

 

This is a video of the Primary School Choir, made of 30 students grades 4-6, singing a capella "A Canon of Praise."  They were so happy when all was said and done! 

This is a video of the Junior and Senior Secondary School students singing an arrangement of "Simple Gifts" with "Canon in D" accompanied by our great friend Julie.  She didn't laugh in my face or hit me or stomp on my toe or anything when I gave her the music just a week ago.  She should have, but she didn't.  Anyway, this is also about 30 students with Richard in the back helping the "man sound" as we have started calling the guys' section.

When everything was over, Richard pulled the choir members outside for me to talk to privately.  I called them all around in a serious voice and said I had something to share.  Then I jumped up and down and shrieked for joy and did a happy dance.  They just grinned and grinned. Now that the students have the feeling of a concert under their belt, I think they will be ready for many more to come.  So will I.



What You've All Been Waiting For

Today was Recitation Day for our village.  The Mamas, the kitchen, laundry and grounds crews, other missionaries and anyone else on campus came today to watch 12 class presentations.  We always start with the wee ones and work up to Class 9.  And today the last presentation was our new Primary School Choir's first performance.  And I think the first time I've conducted singers.  Where are all the instruments?  You mean I have to mouth the words?  Eeekk!

There are two things I would ask you to completely ignore as you watch the video.

1) The fact that the students are using papers and don't have it memorized.  Next time, my dears.  They don't know what's coming to them.

2) Me, specifically my conducting.  I seem to have contracted a weird back-beat at the end of every beat 2.  I'll look for a vitamin or something to help with that.

All in all though, I'm pleased to share this with you.  It represents the students' hard work after school, their incredible stage presence that I think is built in, their love for learning new things and most importantly their love for God.  Most of them wanted to be in choir solely to learn how to sing hymns in harmony.  Enjoy!



The Best Laid Plans

In seventh grade, I decided to become a band director when I grew up. Or as the kids say here, "when I got big."  Anyway, it worked!  I went to college and voila, I was certified to teach band. 

So I taught every subject but music for a year. Hmmm. 

Then I did teach band...and strings.  Hmmm.

Now I'm teaching English and general music and....choir.  Hmmm.

But, I love it!  Who knew?  Certainly not my seventh grade self.  Or my college self that said I would NEVER teach strings.  Or my post-college self that said no way to choir or general music.

I think I'm starting to understand Proverbs 16:9 - "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps."

Thankfully, my choir director husband has agreed to let me be the assistant and to actually do most of the teaching for choir. 

All of that to say, I'm learning right along side of our kids and really enjoying it.  We do silly things like make siren sounds and sing bum-bum-bum-bum-bumble-bee over and over.  And somehow (and by somehow I mean Richard), the 25 Class 4-6 students in Primary School Choir are starting to sound like..a choir. 
It's amazing.

We have our first performance coming up in three weeks for School Recitation.  Every class from K4 up through Class 9 presents something they have learned this term.  Our choir will present the hymn "Let All Things Now Living" in two-part harmony.  I'll let you know how it goes.