Twas the day before the holiday concert....

Tomorrow, they sing.  ...All 300 of my little middle school students singing at once in this unbelievable venue!  Um...no, it isn't the one you see in the picture.

I took that screenshot of the Laguardia High School Choir because that is the type of venue I'd LIKE to have for my students one day, but tomorrow's event will be in our gym.

I am very excited.  They are singing a few new songs this year as well as the traditional pieces we've done for years.  Alumni get to come up and sing the final number "Light the Candles All Around the World" by Teresa Jennings!  Yep...we actually light the candles!  ....very, very carefully!  :)

It's been insane as always in the days preceding the concert.  On Friday, Monday and tomorrow (day of the concert), I was/am missing a portion of the 7th graders due to field trips.  Today was our only "real" full day of rehearsal filled with plans for lots of musical corrections and critical last minute instructions.

...And, of course, today, there was one interruption after another.

While I was teaching 84 girls, the following things happened within the first 10 minutes:

a)  a parent knocked at my door to return a piano they borrowed for an assembly.
b)  a security guard came to the door to find a student.
c)  the secretary "beeped" me on the intercom two different times looking for various students.
d)  The phone rang and no one was on the other end.
e)  ...and one of my students had a seizure.

This particular child is a special education student who spends the entire day in the resource room except when she is in chorus class with the 84 other girls.  She has been the most awesome student.

Middle school children can be so mean, but when someone like this child is in the room, it changes them.....and me.  Her presence brings out the best in all of us.

She's doing just fine, but we all were very concerned about her.

It pulled us together.  It helped us all snap out of our "it's rainy, early in the morning and I'm ready for Christmas break" mindset that we all had before she had the seizure.

We get so caught up in whatever the latest musical concert preparation is that we don't always stay in touch with what is important.

This day...that is what is important...and living it....and recognizing the very special gift that it is....and laughing during that day...and connecting with people eye to eye...and being grateful for how good we have it.

...And tomorrow they sing.

I am sure there will be at least 10 crazy unexpected things that happen during our final dress rehearsal in the gym at 2:20 PM tomorrow, but it will all be just fine.

...and hopefully, the people in the audience tomorrow will have at least one moment of goose bumps, laughter or tears...and hopefully, they will leave with just a little bit more holiday cheer in their hearts than when they rushed into the gym to see their children sing.

Happy Holidays!

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