It’s early evening at
the Platts Performing Arts Center. The crowd is pressing in quickly
to find good seats and save places for family members who are still
on the way. Parents, grandparents, and young siblings of those soon
to be performing make up this audience and it’s heartwarming to
observe groups greet one another, wave, or call-out to those across
the room. The atmosphere is electric and the anticipation palpable.
Throughout the audience, young children can barely contain
themselves. It seems that many parents and grandparents are not far
from this state themselves.
Adding to the excitement,
the stage, bathed in bright lights, gleams and a variety of
instruments reflect the light. The long curve of the risers forms a
welcoming smile not only to the audience but also to those Rising Red
Hawks soon to be standing on them, pouring out their very being in
song.
That veritable fixture of
the PAC, High School teacher Michael Dorn, unobtrusively makes his
way across the stage completing his final mic checks.
And then those Milton
West 2nd & 3rd graders begin to file in.
Cries of, “there they are!”, “I see her!”, “Where is he?”,
ring through the room. It’s showtime. Music teacher, Alison
Jewer, makes a few introductory remarks and the music begins.
The 2nd grade
starts the singing. Their voices are clear, bright, and so
enthusiastic. They just nail their final number – ‘I Promise’
by Teresa Jennings. Read these words –
“When I make a
promise, I will keep it.
When I give my
word to you, I will act with honesty.
I will tell the
truth you see.
When I give my
word to you, you will know my word is true.”
Do any of you remember
songs you sang in elementary school programs? I do, some of them
remarkably well. I find the words and meanings imprinted indelibly on
me even as I approach my 7th decade. Does music teach our
children and enrich their lives? I think so, and what great lessons
are bestowed on them. This is so important because kids matter. Oh,
the things we can learn from kids.
The 3rd
graders continue the lesson with another Teresa Jennings song, ‘Just
One Candle’.
Pretty awesome words here
as well featuring 3 great soloists.
“If I light
just one candle
And you light
just one too
And we pass the
flame from wick to wick
From us to you
and you.
And if we keep
it going
Around the world
you’ll see
The world is
glowing with light that comes from you and me.”
“With one
candle, just one candle. Yes, one candle burning bright.
With one candle,
just one candle, we can fill the world with light.”
Just to be sure of the lesson, another
Teresa Jennings song, ‘A Song of Peace’, also featuring soloists.
“If I could
write a magic song that everyone could sing
I would write of
love, of hope and joy, and things that peace could bring
And when we sing
my magic song, all hate and war will cease.
If I could write
a magic song, I’d write a song of peace.”
“One song for
all of us. One song could bring us peace.”
Out of the mouths of
babes! This night we were privileged to be taught, to be
entertained, to have a preview of Rising Red Hawk members of
Choralation, Octave Above, & Revolution. We experienced community
building in action (I have long believed that our schools are our
community centers), we reaped the rewards of all those staff members
who did extra work to allow this program to take place in the PAC
rather than the tiny gym at Milton West. We enjoyed ourselves, we
nearly burst with pride, we were overwhelmed with good will, we
participated in building lives, in building community.
#cruzan4milton#WAM
