Performance #2

When I was in Madrigals my senior year in high school, during our Christmas season we did somewhere in the neighborhood of a hundred performances between Madrigals and Concert Choir. Today Nathan got to sing for the teacher Christmas lunch at the high school which takes his 2020 Christmas season performance count to two. And this year, that actually feels like a boon. Pretty much, we’ll take what we can safely get!

 

A Seasonal Masterpiece

It has been a couple of years since we’ve made the trek downtown to see the lights on Temple Square. With extensive renovations of both the Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square beginning next month, we figured we’d better make the trip this year. Nathan had the opportunity to sing in the assembly hall last night, so it was the perfect time to go. We rode the train (Again. Malia got to ride twice in less than a week!) and braved the crowds to walk around a bit. Christmas on Temple Square really is an experience like no other. I know it is one of those things we take for granted around here, but it truly is spectacular.

I think this was one of the performances that Nathan was most excited for. Having the opportunity to sing on Temple Square is pretty cool, after all! We were able to warm up a bit (though just a bit due to the continually opening doors) while we listened to the choirs sing. It was a lovely way to spend a cold December night. I’m a music lover and Christmas music is high on my list of all-time favorite music topics, so being able to spend an hour listening to a variety of songs was fantastic.

I’m not sure what Temple Square will look like during the years of renovations, but I’m grateful I had an opportunity to share the lights and music with my family this year before it becomes a big construction zone. And I’m excited to see how it will all look once the renovations are over. If tradition is any indication, it will be magnificent.

A Break in the Performance Schedule

In the midst of a busy Madrigal Christmas season, Nathan went to Winter Waltz last night. His group was a bunch of madrigals and they had a performance yesterday morning, so the day date portion was an afternoon spent making gingerbread houses. In terms of total time dedicated to the day date, Nathan felt like it was much more reasonable. He’s not a huge fan of the dance requiring an entire day. It didn’t occur to the girls that winter days are short and darkness falls super early, so it ended up being too dark for them to do their pictures at the planned location. Instead, they zipped over to Hobby Lobby and took advantage of a season display for their pics. Despite being crazy tired due to their performance schedule, Nathan had an enjoyable time.

"We are in a position, as musicians, to touch the souls of those who listen."--President Spencer W. Kimball

December is a busy time for everyone, and Nathan’s madrigal group is no exception. In addition to the normal Christmas concert that all school performing arts classes hold, they did performances for elementary schools, hospitals, care centers, sacrament meetings, and even a women and children’s shelter. While it has been somewhat tiring for Nathan (perform several times a day and then try to get homework done without falling asleep) he has really enjoyed it thus far. He likes the elementary school performances the best because the kids are generally so enthusiastic and so glad for the music that is shared.

Nathan also got to sing in the church office building and later this week he will sing in the assembly hall on Temple Square, so he’s been pretty excited for some of the performances.

Today the madrigals sang for our ward’s sacrament meeting. They sang multiple songs and gave a few short talks. The Spirit they brought into the meeting was amazing. I may or may not have been just a little weepy for most of the meeting. I was definitely not gushing tears or anything, but crying is what I do when I feel the Spirit. I’ve had a number of ward members comment about what an amazing job the kids did, but my most cherished comment is from a young mother of three boys (the oldest of whom is eleven). She missed the meeting because of a family event, but the meeting was all her 11-year-old could talk about all day. He told her the Spirit in the meeting was so strong and was just gushing about how wonderful it had been. She was so grateful that he had been given an opportunity to feel the Spirit like that. In my opinion, those are the best kind of compliments, the ones that come because someone’s life was touched and changed just a little bit. Music can invite the Spirit in a way nothing else can. Those madrigal kids are making more of an impact than they may realize.

All told, they will have about thirty performances this month. When I was in madrigals, we had seventy and while it was a lot of fun, by the end of the month we were all mostly dead. Hopefully thirty will leave Nathan with a little energy left over to enjoy Christmas. 😉

Comfortable in His New Habitat

Today was the official ribbon cutting and open house for the new high school as well as the ribbon cutting for the new road that has been built so people can actually get to the high school. The madrigals sang at both. The other kids and I met up with him afterward and he gave us the grand tour of the building. It is a nice school with lots of windows, skylights and light in general. The commons and lunchroom are one big open space and there are chairs and table scattered throughout the school. There are also a multitude of power outlets with USB plugs in the commons. That’s definitely a way to make teenagers happy! The drinking fountains all have the tall water bottle refilling stations. The halls are color coded to make navigating the school easier. Each classroom has an entire wall of white boards and a big built in t.v. screen. The madrigals all have their lockers together and each one had their name on their locker in vinyl. Nathan was really jazzed about that part. (I just think that it’s funny that he’s the tallest kid and has a bottom locker. 😉) It is a nice environment for both students and teachers and besides the auditorium and a few finishing touches here and there, it is all ready for school to start on Monday.

Although everything was fancy and new, I think my favorite part of the whole school was the choir teacher’s office, not because it is anything particularly fancy, but because when we left the school, Nathan and a few of the other madrigals were sitting in the office with the choir teacher, helping out and cracking jokes. The fact that they feel comfortable doing that and the teacher welcomes them is a good sign. I’m incredibly happy that Nathan already feels at ease in his new environment. It points to good times ahead.

Debut

Nathan’s very first madrigal gig was this morning. After just three rehearsals, they performed for all the admins in the district and did a fantastic job, especially since they have had such a short rehearsal time. They sang three songs, one of which was the brand-new school song. Nathan played videos for all of us and I was impressed. In my opinion, I think they have a good sound with a nice blend. They are still unpolished and not all the madrigals were able to be there this morning which effects their balance, but considering school has not even started yet, I believe they have great things to come. Nathan is over the moon about the whole thing. He can hardly wait to get into regular rehearsals and all that will come with it.

High Hopes

The new high school is not finished as of yet. That is not a surprise, of course. Construction always takes longer than the estimate. Since it is only mid-July that doesn’t create too many problems, but the madrigals from our brand-new high school, got volun-told that they would be performing the district admin’s conference three weeks from now. The choir director, who has no classroom, no piano, no music, etc. tried to explain the difficulties in getting a performance ready, but the folks in charge were undeterred. As such, the madrigals have been madly acquiring uniforms and having a few rehearsals on the fly.

Their first rehearsal several weeks ago was held at the high school our choir director just left, but they were in need of a space for another rehearsal today. There was a general plea for a home with a piano and space for thirty kids and since our home fits those requirements, we offered to open our door to a crew of teenagers. I even made treats for the kids because 1) I wanted to encourage the kids to stay and socialize and get to know each other and 2) I figure feeding teens will give me points in the “best choir mom” category. 😉

Nathan is incredibly excited about madrigals. And when I say excited, I mean over the top, can hardly stand it, wants to wear his madrigal suit right now, wants to get started right this minute kind of excited. And it doesn’t hurt that the choir folks from the old high school have been tossing around the fact that the new high school mads are already rehearsing and they had better get their act together so they can beat them.

I’m so, so very glad that Nathan’s experiences have already been positive and he’s longing for more. Last year nearly broke Nathan emotionally. It was rough. I’ve been on my knees praying for this year to be different. From what I’ve seen so far (by sneaking around the house during their rehearsal today and listening to Nathan rave about everything), my hopes are high.

And I really, really want to be a choir mom. Due to the dynamics of our family and the needs of one tiny food allergy baby who grew into a high energy, tiny food allergy toddler, Nathan is the one of my children that I have had the fewest opportunities to support as a classroom volunteer. I want to make up for that now. High school is different from elementary school and I know the opportunities will be completely different as well, but I’m looking forward to being able to support my second son in his endeavors.

Things are Looking Up!

There are pros and cons to attending a brand-new high school. Most of the seniors opted to stay where they are for their final year so being a “pseudo senior” is definitely going to be a perk for Nathan. Support for that fact came today. There weren’t enough seniors to comprise an entire performing group, so Nathan has made it into Madrigals for next year. Woohoo! Let the fun begin!