Two down, one to go...

Last night the 10:45 choir had its first rehearsal. As usual, our first rehearsal of the year was sort of a mad sing-through (or touch-through) of all the choral music we'll be singing through the season. It was crazy and fun and chaotic and utterly thrilling. The reading ability of this group is growing by leaps and bounds, and the level of the music we are able not only to handle but to actually master is rising dramatically each season.

And we have 5 new members! That's another great excitement, and it begins to bear out my "bell curve" theory of recruitment with a "new" music director. The first few years one only gets a couple of new folks, then there may even be a year or two when no new members join, and then membership starts to pick up. And the real fun of it is that the larger the choir is, the less threatening it is for new people to join, and membership can eventually settle into a steady increase. We'll see if it works...:-)

The "big" piece we have planned for Christmas is Haydn's gorgeous "The Heavens are Telling" from The Creation. I love the piece; it's so fun and joyous, and it's both challenging and accessible. And while it's not "Christmassy" per se, the image of the heavens proclaiming God's glory on the night we celebrate the star in the heavens is one with which I'm perfectly content!

Tuesday the Youth Choir had its first practice; the numbers are a bit thin, mostly because there are a lot of sports activities in the fall, especially for the 5th graders. This happens every year, actually--there's a huge membership surge in late October sometime. And I have my nice strong junior high folks back, and a group of really solid and fun fourth graders, so when the 5th graders return there'll be plenty of folks!

Tonight is the first rehearsal of the Ensemble; I'm really looking forward to seeing and making music with the group once again...

peace,
Jennifer