A Heart Full of Song!

Every where I look people are singing. Last week the elementary school where I teach held a talent show. Thanks to Hannah Montana, girl after girl from age 7 and up were brave enough to stand on the stage and sing. I was on hall duty, when I heard a pretty soprano voice singing all the words to a familiar song...I looked to see who it could be. It was the tiniest boy from Kindergarten, singing away...his heart full of song. For those of us who have spent time in vocal music academia, it is so important to remember why we sing. My son, B, is beginning his career as a member of the Army's Soldier's Chorus. He will be paid to sing. When it becomes a job, does it lose it's magic? I am hoping that, instead, everyday will be a day full of joy because he is doing what he loves. My youngest son, D, is finding his voice and has been singing for events at college and in Church. For those who read this and are non singers/ performers you need to know what these young men have overcome to find themselves sharing their talents with others. Fear can be a deal breaker, for many of us. Anyone ever told they shouldn't sing, or to sing quietly so they won't stick out, know about the damage such well intentioned direction can do to a potential singer. The perfectionist wouldn't even try for fear of failure. Army basic training for ten weeks was required before the reward of singing with the Soldier's Chorus. But perhaps a more meaningful use of song was the surprise request by fellow trainees to sing them to sleep...and B did just that. As my mother sang to me, and I for my sons, the nighttime serenade, those special times, are the most precious ones we keep close to the heart.
I am so proud of my sons as they embark on their lives beyond college. From choral music to solo work, through whatever life brings, I hope that they will always keep a heart full of song.