One of My Favorite Things!

One of my favorite things at Christmas time is the Christmas Concert at ISU. It was very special when my daughter was in one of the ensembles that performed in it several years ago. It's a different kind of special to see my former students participating! The picture is of the Men's Choir, one of four ensembles that performed at ISU last Sunday December 7. Paul Wedemeyer has been a member of this group since he was a freshman. I believe this is his third Christmas Concert. This is the second year for Amy Williamson to participate. She is in one of the women's ensembles called Lyrica. Her sister Sarah also sang in it when she was there.

Why is this one of my favorite things? I love C.Y. Stephens Auditorium, for one thing. It seriously has the best acoustics of any performance hall in the country. Secondly, I love the music that the directors choose. It is traditional, yet different in a very classic way. I love the fact that all four choirs fill the stage to capacity and join their voices together for the finale! But most of all, I love it that my students are still singing. What a gift to themselves, to their communities, to their families, and to me!!

Holiday Happenings

By the time New Year's Day arrives, most music teachers are in Christmas music shell shock. We pick out our Christmas music in September, begin preparing it with our students in October, perform it for you in December, and then we don't want to hear Christmas music again for quite a while! Throw in a couple church programs and those of our own children, and we definitely get enough Christmas spirit to last for several months. That's not to say we don't enjoy it, though. We love helping you celebrate Christmas! We hope to see you at one of the Christmas concerts coming up soon: December 8 (7:00 Middle School) and December 11 (7:00 High School).

This might be a good place to tell you about my philosophy of celebrating Christmas with traditional Christmas music. You might be thinking that I'm quite politically incorrect. Well, if you know me very well, you know that label doesn't bother me in the slightest. However, I plan very carefully to include a variety of music on our Christmas programs. You will almost always hear Latin, (Gloria in excelsis Deo!) some kind of snow or Fa la la song, and definitely at least one traditional carol that you will recognize. I think it is important to remember our traditional musical roots when it comes to Christmas, and if you want more information on this, let's talk in person.

Until then, have a wonderful, music-filled Christmas season!