well, i can hardly believe it. i went to my first middle school choir and band concert last night since being a parent of a middle schooler (been to many of these suckers as a junior high pastor). and either i am completely dillusional now that my own little girl is in the show choir, or this school just has an amazing music program. because — shock of all shocks — it didn’t suck! just the opposite: it was so unexpectedly good. liesl was one of about 60 girls who tried out for one of three solos in the song ‘santa baby’, and got one.
the two jazz bands (downtown and uptown) were — how do i say this? — actually enjoyable to listen to! kids played improvisational solos that blew me away. and not just one ringer kid. drummers and jazz guitarists and a few sax players and a trumpet or two and a clarinet, and even a girl playing the vibraphone all solo’d.
ok, now i’m rambling like a smitten dad. what can i say? i expected two hours of painful nails-on-the-blackboard stuff, and got a great concert with talented kids — including my own amazing little girl.
And that’s why it doesn’t occur to parents that it’s part of our job to come to these things! It’s just too good to NOT use your day off for, right? ; )
that made me laugh, matthew!
I just went to one This Morning with Irish Dancing. Not bad – though the whole Riverdancing thingie isn’t my thing but still amazing. Wish some of our churches were more into the ARTS than they are.
Some kids are born with talent, but even those who have a natural inclination need guidance and clear direction to be able to pull off something like that. I think that teachers are given far too little credit. The worship minister at my church is also the band director at a middle school. Kids like him. They work well under his direction. And so do adults. A bit of kindness and encouragement can go a long way. It brings out the best results possible.