basketball
update...well, the boys lost today, 28-24. it wasn't their best played game, and obviously the other boys (as I predicted, the other Twinfield team) definitely had something to prove. but it was a good game, and Emerson scored five points! the neatest thing was after the game all the boys were shouting that Twinfield had won the championship! they even all huddled and held the two trophies together up high above their heads. very cool. they are going to have a powerhouse team when they all join together in high school (or maybe even middle school, I'm not sure of the breakdown of teams next year). so basically, basketball is all over, except for a banquet next weekend. it's been a good season, with much growth on their team. very neat to see, and a big hand to their coaches for fostering the idea that it's the game and having fun that counts, not winning or losing. I'm proud of all of them.
so, as usual, a busy week ahead, but nothing too exciting until I get to the weekend. on Friday night the boys and I will go down to Rutland to see a production of Grease, and then we'll stay that night with Melissa and Robin, and then home on Saturday for the bball banquet. wish we could stay longer at Robin and Melissa's, but so it goes. on Sunday, Chellis' HS Chorus is singing at the church, and then I have to head to Burlington for Counterpoint's concert with Peter Yarrow. whew.
all right, enough for now, have a great week!
on to the
championship!Emerson's and Lincoln's team advanced to the championship game in the Twinfield 5/6 Tournament today! they beat the other Twinfield team, who were expected to win. it was quite a game, ending 28-25. they were down by 19-10 at the half, and came back and really dominated. one of our team (way to go, Carver!) hit a three-pointer with less than 30 seconds left, and then they stole the ball at the other end to run out the clock. very exciting! the final game will be tomorrow at 2:00pm, and it's likely that they will play the other Twinfield team again, since it's a double elimination tournament. our boys really play as a team, and it's been a great season for them. they have come a long way since the beginning of the year. Emer had two points in this game, and both he and Lincoln played a lot. good defense, good rebounding, and some excellent passing all the way around. really proud of them.
other than that, we've mostly just hung out, and read, and played computer games, and ate... good times.
have a great rest of the weekend.
pretty
incredible...I haven't really been able to put into words my experience of this weekend. I'm still kind of digesting the whole time. sitting on the front of the Flynn stage, with three singers whose resumes seem much more appropriate for that position, and yet, still feeling very comfortable, and developing a rapport, both musical and friendly, is taking me some time to put into perspective. (sorry, hell of a sentence, but you understand.) my buzz phrase of the last couple of weeks has been "frame of reference" which speaks to the way I have been thinking about my life, and how I go about making decisions, and especially the way that I interact with other people. frankly, I have been living my life needing others to give me my frames of reference, and especially, validation and acceptance. I am choosing now to decide who I am, on my own. it has made all the difference.
musically, it was wonderful. singing with artists of that caliber was so very exciting. we were a good quartet! I think we might all agree that the dress rehearsal was slightly better then the performance, (it was for my part) but I think it is a matter of degree. it was a very inspired concert, Haydn's Paukenmesse (Mass in Time of War), and Vaughan-Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem, which if you don't know, you must. an amazing piece of music, written primarily on stunning Walt Whitman poetry. very powerful. and Bob is really too much for words. the silence after the VW lasted for several long seconds, and then the crowd burst into applause, having been deeply reached by the appropriateness of such a piece in these times. and by the performance, of course. Jonita Lattimore and Sanford Sylvan were so connected to the text, and the music. wonderful.
it has been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks, with the chorus festival last weekend, and this concert. along with all the mundanities of school and life. a bit of a slow-down now, though there is always rehearsal, and this week are Parent/Teacher Conferences. so there's always something. I'm looking forward to a full weekend with the boys coming up. we got this afternoon, but it went by much too quickly. always does.
ok, have a wonderful week.
gratitude
for what I've been able to share...well, back to school tomorrow. I'm looking forward to getting back into it. it has seemed like a long vacation. that's a good thing, don't get me wrong! but I miss the hustle and bustle of the day.
I wanted to share with you a couple of quotes from students in the festival chorus this past weekend. it was such a great time for me, and I am so gratified to hear that I was able to share some of my love for music. I hope they don't mind me using their words to brag a little, but they made me feel very good. about my work, and about who I am. so, anyway, here's a little result of the festival:
and another:"I also wanted to tell you as a Senior this year i have been to a few District and All State Festivals and out of them all you have been the most inspiring Director. I always feel that you can have a good group of singers, but its the conductor who sets the mood of the group, and its the conductor who really makes the kids sing the way they do. I mean, you really made me want to sing, and you made me want to sing for you. I could tell your love and devotion for music..."
and a friend shared what one of her students told her:"Again, I thank you so much for the special qualities that you brought to the festival, it was an experience that I cannot express into words. Don't ever change, and don't ever stop writing beautiful pieces of music. You are an amazing man, and I hope that one day I will be able to touch student's hearts the way that you can."
"Roger Grow. Is most awesome. That was just great. What a great man. He was thanking us for giving him such a great experience, but it's we who are thankful to him..."
so anyway, thanks for indulging me. time for me to go see if my hat still fits...
have a great week!
wow
what to say...this will be short, but I will write more later, as words and descriptions of this weekend begin to take shape. for now, you'll have to be happy with knowing that it was an absolutely incredible weekend, filled with wonderful music and friendship. the festival chorus was so amazing. what a wonderful group of singers, and people. it was so exciting, and the feeling that they put into singing was palpable. I will feed from their energy for a long time. I can't thank them enough. I hope that the audience understands the gift they were given.
and then the time spent with Melissa and Robin and their incredibly alive daughters, Jeni and Malindi. what a blessing, all of them.
it will take me awhile to digest these last few days, but I'll try to let it out as it comes to me. I hope you'll enjoy reading about it, as much as I will re-living it.
have a great week.