Jr. High Choral Festival

Yesterday morning we headed by bus to Lancaster Mennonite High School for the annual Jr. High Choral Festival. It was a very long, hard day of work for the kids. Imagine practicing the same seven songs over and over again all day long, being stopped COUNTLESS times by the conductor to do something over and over and over until it was right. There were small breaks throughout the day, including a one-hour lunch break. It was a lovely, warm day, so we sat outside to eat our lunches. It gave a chance for the boys to do some carousing and to work off some pent-up energy.

For me, a favorite thing about these festival days is getting to hang out with the other music teachers. Some of us have been at this for a very long time, but there are always new ones too. We just have such fun together, especially me and the other Mrs. Stauffer. What a hoot! We're the same age, her name is Jan, mine is Jean, we've both been at this FOREVER. We like to tell people we're twins. But then we make sure that we go through our stupid introductory speil that we've also been doing forever. First we say that she and I are not related to each to each other, neither are our husbands related to each other, but I am her husband's cousin. And that's the truth. His grandma and my grandma were sisters.

After the final rehearsal we waited in a long line at the cafeteria, had to gobble down our chicken patty and smiley fries supper, then went back to the auditorium to rehearse our individual piece, then braved the masses in the changing rooms and locker rooms to change into our clothes for the evening.

During the first part of the concert the schools did their individual pieces. The other 400 kids and their weary teachers waited on the bleachers in the gym, supposedly watching and listening to the performing choir on the remote screen they provided for us. But the feed is always somewhat unsatisfactory, and it's really difficult to subdue that many middle schoolers after they've been practicing all day.

This is the picture Dick took of my choir singing our individual piece, The Light of That City. Hannah Metzler and Derrick Kreider (at the microphones) did the solo verses. According to the response afterward, I believe it was pretty powerful. Thank you, Jesus!