Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Dress Rehearsal

This semester Seth is participating in Junior Praise at his school. This is a choir for grades 3-5, and they perform several times throughout the holiday season. We "encouraged" Seth to join (that is a gentle way of saying we made him do it), but he has enjoyed his weekly rehearsals. Now, they are getting ready to take the show on the road.

Their first performance is tomorrow evening as the opening act for the middle school presentation of "Willy Wonka." Today was their "dress rehearsal" standing on the risers in the gym where they will sing tomorrow night. It's a much bigger stage than the tiny choir room where the 40 or so boys and girls gather each week to rehearse.

Reed and I arrived early for pick up and were delighted to catch them in the middle of their rehearsal. Unbeknownst to Seth, we peeked in to watch them sing their two selections: the classics "I have a cold in my nose" and "Hot chocolate." Not only do they sing with gusto, they have accompanying hand motions. It is so incredibly cute!

After they practiced marching in and marching out, they ran through their two numbers again, and this time Reed and I snuck in to watch from a seat in the audience. I was afraid our presence would distract Seth, but when he saw us, he smiled hugely without missing a beat.

I am so proud of Seth for giving Junior Praise a try. I am impressed by how he has learned his music, his lyrics, and the motions. I pray for his nerves tomorrow night and that he'll experience great joy in performing. And I can't wait to catch the rest of the shows in November (with performances at CAK chapel, a local nursing home, Dollywood, and the Fantasy of Trees).

If you happen to catch one of the shows, look for Seth. He's third from the right on the back row ... you'll know him by his huge grin.

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