The Vested Ones

Of all the extracurricular activities that our boys could be involved in (and they--particularly Josiah--have been exposed to a lot: tennis, soccer, swimming, basketball, art classes, and robotics come to mind immediately), I'm delighted that at the top of the list for them is the Shenandoah Valley Children's Choir.  

Since music has been a lifelong love of mine, enough so that I have a degree in it, it's not surprising that I would want my children to be a part of this organization.  But the most wonderful thing to me is that they want to!  

My parents were both involved in music (my mom chose it for her major in college, and my dad, although he became a doctor, also participated in singing and playing the trumpet), so it was natural that I would follow in their footsteps.  But to their credit, they never forced me or even "strongly encouraged" me to follow that path when my turn in college came.  Instead, they didn't voice any resistance when I began college as an English major, and they stood by supportively as I felt myself drawn to the world of music and decided to change my major.  But it was my choice, and I have always been grateful for that.

I've wanted to allow my children to have their own choice in the matter, too.

I remember during a violin workshop Josiah was participating in, one of the other students was a boy, younger than Josiah, and built like a linebacker.  It was obvious that he did NOT want to be there playing the violin, and the guest clinician quickly picked up on that, too.  When he asked the young student what he liked to do, the boy replied, "Play football."  Of course.   "Why is he here then?" I thought to myself.  "Why are his parents pushing him to do this?"

I realize that there are certainly times when a child must be pushed to do what he doesn't like, whether it be learn to read or learn to eat casseroles.  But with extracurriculars, why push it?  Why turn a football-loving boy into a violinist?  There's nothing sacred about playing the violin, so why not let him follow his heart's desire?

By writing this, I'm obligating myself to follow this standard, too.  How blessed I am that my sons are showing a deep love for and appreciation of music!  I could not choose a finer activity for them than being part of this incredible organization.  So many others have said it before me, and I myself have said it many times previously, but I'll say it again:  it's AMAZING that our relatively small town should have such an outstanding opportunity for our children musically, and I can hardly believe how much the choristers are taught in regards to music theory, ear training, etc., some of which I did not learn until I went to college!

Josiah loves being a part of SVCC, David loves being in the Explorers I class (and looks forward to when he'll get to be on stage in a plaid vest), and Tobin loves sitting in on David's class (and later imitating some of the games and vocal exercises at home, even teaching them to Shav).  :)  I remember how, in years past when my children were younger, I would attend the concerts and think, "Will I ever get to see a child of mine on stage with that choir?  Oh, I hope I do!"  

Now that the years of attending the concerts while having a child in the choir are here, my cup overflows.  How glad I am for the privilege of being an SVCC choir mom!  :)

A few pictures from this past weekend's concerts...

Looking down a hallway, I saw choir members warming up before the concert...

Even the warm-ups are fascinating to me as I watch how Ms. White and Mrs. Anderson work with the children's voices...

Josiah is on stage here, in the second row from the back, the second boy from the right...

Josiah is also on stage here, but I'm not even going to try to describe where! Trust me, he's up there somewhere.   :)

A tradition of the Christmas concert is that towards the end, the song "Jingle Bells" is sung; and younger children are invited to come up to the front and ring jingle bells during it.  David was SO excited to do this during Sunday's concert; and in this picture, he is standing directly under Ms. White's right hand and he's wearing a blue shirt.  The two things he was most looking forward to were being allowed to stand on the pew while being recognized as a member of the Explorers class and going up front to ring the bells.  :)

Afterwards, there was a cookie and hot chocolate reception, and Josiah got a chance to have his picture taken with Ms. White.  Prior to our involvement with the SVCC, I had heard much about Ms. White's strictness and toe-the-line philosophy (which everyone agreed led to excellence).  But I had not heard much about her kindness and softness toward children.  We've been blessed to see her show that side to Josiah.

I'm so proud of my Vested One!  :)