Choir Rehearsal

What fun we had tonight at choir rehearsal! The push to polish the Easter cantata is over, the rush to get something ready for the week after has subsided. We have an easy upcoming Sunday because the Roberts Gospel Choir will be coming to do the musical portions of the service, inviting us to join in on Shout to the Lord, a quick pickup.

Upcoming anthems are a mix of new, familiar, demanding, easy, fun, touching, and meaningful. We started on the hard stuff first after reviewing Sunday's music. Its been a long winter, and with spring chirping at the window, everyone was feeling more relaxed, less stressed. It has been a year of sadness as loved ones have passed away, of pain as people have dealt with health issues, of joy as we celebrated births and awards.

But this is the season of the year after the coldness of winter and before the warmth of summer when everyone lightens up and breathes easy. After we pounded on the new and somewhat complex piece, we moved to a spiritual that, while still demanding, is fun. I smiled as people cut loose and really got into the blues harmonies, the swingy tempo. Then we moved into the oldies but goodies pieces.

You could almost feel everyone relax, start to enjoy themselves. We have in one short year been able to connect. They read me well, I know what to listen for, we work well together. Next year will be even better. I know what they can do, what I can expect, how and when to push them to the next levels. It's like that with family.