Mormonwoman.org has been kind enough to publish this post that I did last year about my church Christmas program.
Rereading that post makes my eyes smart with tears with the remembrance of that overwhelming day. I am grateful for my calling in my church as choir director. I've been known to whine a bit because I've been doing the same thing for close to five years, but I really love it. I should just keep my mouth shut about it because it fulfills me in ways I forget to remember until I'm actually doing the job of leading those willing and stalwart members of the choir.
We had our Christmas program just two days ago and, while it was not as thought-out as last year's program, I was very pleased with the way it turned out. Last year I arranged to have choir pieces, a vocal soloist with a violin, an INCREDIBLE piano solo, organ/piano duets with choir and congregation singing, a vocal trio and some children singing. It was quite the array and quite the program. This year I have just been too busy with homeschooling, pretzel-dipping, pregnancy-exhaustion and general Christmas mania and I didn't get the chance to find performers for some of the music that I wanted performed in smaller groups or solos. Nonetheless, the songs that were performed were BEAUTIFUL and my stress level was much lower this year, an element for which I am grateful. That may have something to do with the fact that I did last year's program as well as our Stake Fine Arts Night in May... I'm getting some experience under my belt, which allows for lower stress during such an event.
To any who participated in the program who might be reading this, THANK YOU! Emily, thank you for augmenting Away in a Manger with your violin and thank your husband for playing the piano. Diane... I don't think you read this blog, but I'll say it on here anyway... my gratitude for you knows no bounds. You did the very most in the whole program, as you played in every song and with nary a word of complaint! I realized the other day, that you've been playing for the choir far longer than I've been choir director! I have no room for complaint! THANK YOU!!!
The end.
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
From The Jar... #20
All are invited to play. If you wonder how and why go here.
Did you go on a church mission? If so where and when? What do you most remember?
Clearly, I got my journal jar from church. I thought so, but I wasn't sure until now. For any of you who might not know, I am LDS or "Mormon" and many young people in our church go on missions for two years around age 19 or 21. I didn't go on a mission anywhere or at any time and therefore, don't remember anything most. LOL!
Sometimes these questions don't quite apply to me and so I'll answer them with something from my husband's experiences, or some family member. However, my husband didn't serve a mission either and no one in my family ever has. That's kind of funny! I have some strange sense of pride that I married a guy that didn't serve a mission. It probably stems from an experience I observed with my little brother. One where he was discriminated against because he hadn't gone on a mission. How sad! It just goes to show that there is discrimination everywhere because, let's face it folks, we're all human beings. We are all messin' up all over the place and people are jerks sometimes, even if they think they are doing the right thing.
(and since I'm all about confessing lately... ok just in the last post, but that'll do... I have another confession. I once promised that I would just grab a question out of the jar and write and not choose another if I didn't feel like writing about that one, but I broke that promise tonight. I dug through like 10 of them. I chose this one cuz it was easy. Sorry for breaking my promise.)
Did you go on a church mission? If so where and when? What do you most remember?
Clearly, I got my journal jar from church. I thought so, but I wasn't sure until now. For any of you who might not know, I am LDS or "Mormon" and many young people in our church go on missions for two years around age 19 or 21. I didn't go on a mission anywhere or at any time and therefore, don't remember anything most. LOL!
Sometimes these questions don't quite apply to me and so I'll answer them with something from my husband's experiences, or some family member. However, my husband didn't serve a mission either and no one in my family ever has. That's kind of funny! I have some strange sense of pride that I married a guy that didn't serve a mission. It probably stems from an experience I observed with my little brother. One where he was discriminated against because he hadn't gone on a mission. How sad! It just goes to show that there is discrimination everywhere because, let's face it folks, we're all human beings. We are all messin' up all over the place and people are jerks sometimes, even if they think they are doing the right thing.
(and since I'm all about confessing lately... ok just in the last post, but that'll do... I have another confession. I once promised that I would just grab a question out of the jar and write and not choose another if I didn't feel like writing about that one, but I broke that promise tonight. I dug through like 10 of them. I chose this one cuz it was easy. Sorry for breaking my promise.)
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
From The Jar... #3
Yes, it's Wednesday. Time for a jar post!
And the jar says....
What church callings have you had? Which did you enjoy the most?
This was a real temptation for me to pick a new one out of the jar, but I made a promise!
I have served as:
-Visiting teacher (currently serving as!)
-Sacrament Meeting Pianist
-Nursery worker (twice in the same ward)
-Primary Chorister (in two different wards)
-CTR 5 & 6 teacher
-Enrichment Teacher
-Choir Director (currently serving as)
-Assistant Music Chairperson {also currently serving as...} (basically, this means I pick the music and lead the singing in Sacrament Meeting when the real Music Chairperson can't be there-which is a lot. She has terrible back issues.)
I think that's it. Short list, huh? I didn't count being the Laurel president or Mia Maid whatever I was. I can't remember what, exactly, I was called to in any of those Young Women callings.
So... which did I enjoy the most? I can tell you that I really enjoyed being the Enrichment teacher. I loved that 1) it was a once a month calling. 2) I learned so much every time I prepared a lesson. 3) I was very comfortable teaching. I really just enjoyed it.
I mostly really like my callings right now. I'm kind of a crappy visiting teacher, but I love my partner and the little old ladies we visit. I also like leading the music in Sacrament Meeting. I'm entertained by watching people from up on the stand and watching for the few who actually look at the chorister!
I have really started enjoying being the Choir Director over the last year or so (been it for over 3 years). It's probably the most challenging and yet rewarding calling I've had and I've either totally hated it or really loved it, depending on the year.
I felt SO inadequate for the position during the first year. (just because you sing DOES NOT mean you know how to lead a choir!) Then, when I really started getting more comfortable and even enjoying it, they threw a stick in my spokes. They combined part of another ward in our Stake with ours and it brought some incredibly talented people into the choir who knew WAY more about directing than I did. I felt like a total retard all over again. It's been about a year now and I am to the point where I am feeling good again and enjoying it! Actually, one of those oh-so-talented ones helped me with some things I was struggling with (cut offs, for example!) which was great! ;) That wink is for you, oh-so-talented one! Leading the choir has helped me musically too. I am WAY better at timing than I ever was. And when ward members come up and tell me that the choir sounded wonderful, I feel an amazing amount of satisfaction. It has some unexpected benefits.
Can I throw in which calling I enjoyed the least? OK. I will. Sacrament Meeting Pianist. This was in a singles ward in college. No one played the organ in our ward so they called me and another girl to play the piano where we would alternate weeks. I was out of town for several weeks in a row so she played for a while. I think I was secretly just avoiding my turn. I didn't have a piano to practice and I was not very comfortable with accompanying- I had had almost no experience with it. SCARY!!
Let's just say I only played for ONE meeting, and I still chalk it up to the most embarrassing experience of my life. I hid behind the piano and cried and cried through all the speakers. Right after the meeting was over I bolted out the door at the front of the chapel, ran home and locked myself in my room all day. Dustin (who was my boyfriend at the time) came and knocked a bunch of times and I just told him to go away. It was awful.
And the jar says....
What church callings have you had? Which did you enjoy the most?
This was a real temptation for me to pick a new one out of the jar, but I made a promise!
I have served as:
-Visiting teacher (currently serving as!)
-Sacrament Meeting Pianist
-Nursery worker (twice in the same ward)
-Primary Chorister (in two different wards)
-CTR 5 & 6 teacher
-Enrichment Teacher
-Choir Director (currently serving as)
-Assistant Music Chairperson {also currently serving as...} (basically, this means I pick the music and lead the singing in Sacrament Meeting when the real Music Chairperson can't be there-which is a lot. She has terrible back issues.)
I think that's it. Short list, huh? I didn't count being the Laurel president or Mia Maid whatever I was. I can't remember what, exactly, I was called to in any of those Young Women callings.
So... which did I enjoy the most? I can tell you that I really enjoyed being the Enrichment teacher. I loved that 1) it was a once a month calling. 2) I learned so much every time I prepared a lesson. 3) I was very comfortable teaching. I really just enjoyed it.
I mostly really like my callings right now. I'm kind of a crappy visiting teacher, but I love my partner and the little old ladies we visit. I also like leading the music in Sacrament Meeting. I'm entertained by watching people from up on the stand and watching for the few who actually look at the chorister!
I have really started enjoying being the Choir Director over the last year or so (been it for over 3 years). It's probably the most challenging and yet rewarding calling I've had and I've either totally hated it or really loved it, depending on the year.
I felt SO inadequate for the position during the first year. (just because you sing DOES NOT mean you know how to lead a choir!) Then, when I really started getting more comfortable and even enjoying it, they threw a stick in my spokes. They combined part of another ward in our Stake with ours and it brought some incredibly talented people into the choir who knew WAY more about directing than I did. I felt like a total retard all over again. It's been about a year now and I am to the point where I am feeling good again and enjoying it! Actually, one of those oh-so-talented ones helped me with some things I was struggling with (cut offs, for example!) which was great! ;) That wink is for you, oh-so-talented one! Leading the choir has helped me musically too. I am WAY better at timing than I ever was. And when ward members come up and tell me that the choir sounded wonderful, I feel an amazing amount of satisfaction. It has some unexpected benefits.
Can I throw in which calling I enjoyed the least? OK. I will. Sacrament Meeting Pianist. This was in a singles ward in college. No one played the organ in our ward so they called me and another girl to play the piano where we would alternate weeks. I was out of town for several weeks in a row so she played for a while. I think I was secretly just avoiding my turn. I didn't have a piano to practice and I was not very comfortable with accompanying- I had had almost no experience with it. SCARY!!
Let's just say I only played for ONE meeting, and I still chalk it up to the most embarrassing experience of my life. I hid behind the piano and cried and cried through all the speakers. Right after the meeting was over I bolted out the door at the front of the chapel, ran home and locked myself in my room all day. Dustin (who was my boyfriend at the time) came and knocked a bunch of times and I just told him to go away. It was awful.
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