A New Milestone
Finally, after much talk and coordination, we began rehearsals for our new bi-ward choir. We were expecting maybe 5-6 people to show up for our first rehearsal, but we wound up with 20! I was amazed and delighted.
This choir will be a challenge. None of the local people can read music. They have always just sung the melody of the hymns, and have never learned to even hear the harmony. Luckily we have a bevy of young missionaries that will help us to teach parts.
Amazingly, after just 1 one-hour rehearsal the brethren learned the tenor line to "I Am A Child of God" and most of another hymn. They didn't want to end the rehearsal after just one hour, but it was all the time we can spare at present.
Both Bishops have agreed to let the choir sing on the third Sunday each month beginning in September. It is my belief that this choir will be beneficial to both wards. It will bring less-active people back to church and it will bring new members into the church. As the choir increases in ability and range, more will participate. We only have about 30 seats in our choir loft, and I hope to fill it by the time our missionary time is completed. We will need to help others to take our places in the mean time.
We have no local member that can play the piano or organ. Although there are several youngsters who want to learn to play, they have no piano, nor means to get one, nor a place to put in their homes. There are plenty of "free" pianos available in Houston, but with no place to put it, there is no point in dragging one home. The real problem is that it takes much more time than just a year and a half to learn to play well enough to play the hymns in church.
Perhaps we will purchase the hymns on CD/DVD, if they are available,so that they can use that. Our organ can self-play the hymns in the English hymnbook, but there are popular hymns in the Spanish hymnbook that are not in the English one. AND the numbers to not correspond anyway. It will be wonderful to get the new hymnbooks that the church is organizing now, because each language will have the same hymn on the same page in the various languages. WHEW!
That's enough for one post.
This choir will be a challenge. None of the local people can read music. They have always just sung the melody of the hymns, and have never learned to even hear the harmony. Luckily we have a bevy of young missionaries that will help us to teach parts.
Amazingly, after just 1 one-hour rehearsal the brethren learned the tenor line to "I Am A Child of God" and most of another hymn. They didn't want to end the rehearsal after just one hour, but it was all the time we can spare at present.
Both Bishops have agreed to let the choir sing on the third Sunday each month beginning in September. It is my belief that this choir will be beneficial to both wards. It will bring less-active people back to church and it will bring new members into the church. As the choir increases in ability and range, more will participate. We only have about 30 seats in our choir loft, and I hope to fill it by the time our missionary time is completed. We will need to help others to take our places in the mean time.
We have no local member that can play the piano or organ. Although there are several youngsters who want to learn to play, they have no piano, nor means to get one, nor a place to put in their homes. There are plenty of "free" pianos available in Houston, but with no place to put it, there is no point in dragging one home. The real problem is that it takes much more time than just a year and a half to learn to play well enough to play the hymns in church.
Perhaps we will purchase the hymns on CD/DVD, if they are available,so that they can use that. Our organ can self-play the hymns in the English hymnbook, but there are popular hymns in the Spanish hymnbook that are not in the English one. AND the numbers to not correspond anyway. It will be wonderful to get the new hymnbooks that the church is organizing now, because each language will have the same hymn on the same page in the various languages. WHEW!
That's enough for one post.
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