« Easter joy '04 | Main | Pythagoras has feelings too. »

Give me a chance to fly. And I'll show you my wings.

Sunday, April 25, 2004

Wow, a lot of cool stuff has been happening to me lately. Here's my latest oekaki btw: "The Grinnin' Reaper." BA-DUM CHH!! HAHAHAHA. Whew, this one was kind of different, I was feeling really hyper and this idea of a huge and puffy scythe just kept overloading my brains.

Praise Symphony (our church's youth orchestra) played last Sunday. I admit that at first, this round was killing me. I wasn't given the instrumentation until a day before the first rehearsal, so my work on the arrangement was slow and visionless. I found out that the only instruments would be flute, clarinet, trumpet, and violin, and had to reduce my score into such in barely sane haste--I mean, I was printing the thing five minutes before rehearsal, 25 minutes after I said I would be there.

When I walked through the door five minutes late, I discovered the extra presence of three cellists, a percussionist, and the beginner clarineter who would need his own simplified music. I think I was freaking out and not ok, because I remember Mr. Beatty calmly reassuring me, "Don't freak out, it's ok." Then he walked me through [ad libitum] Plan B, and I just felt so much better ;_; like it really was gonna be ok. And I remember awkwardly going into the sanctuary and asking Mrs. Willemssen for staff paper, and I remember her smiling at me and leaving the rehearsal to boot up her laptop so I could use Finale instead ;_;. Ahhh!!! These people were so good to me and it made all the difference ;_;.

So I went and wrote up the music we needed (while reciting to myself, All Cows Eat Grass, since there was no playback and I had to compose by sight -.- ha), and it was pretty cute, because some of the kids were feeling sorry for me, and saying so, even though I was doing quite well by then.

The day after, I found out that the trumpet boy was opting out, thus Mr. Beatty, being a trumpeter himself, was going to sub, leaving wide open the job of conducting, which he offered to me. After 30 seconds of considering this (only had to hyperventilate for 10 seconds), I decided to do it ^_^. And man, I kept on making ALL these mistakes at the subsequent rehearsals, but the kids were being incredibly patient with me and didn't seem to mind (minus the laughing percussion boy, but that's different xD). Mr. Beatty (from amongst the Jr. Highers) was always there to help, but if I asked him a question on how a section should be, he'd just grin and say, "Up to you." ...which was so cool. I think I get a whole lot out of working with him and the PS. It's like more than any aspiring music educator could ever ask for. Except for the friendly-church-kids-who-are-there-to-serve-God factor, which kinda made it easier than public school reality; but indeed, I also kinda relied on that, considering my heinous lack of experience xD I mean it could have become some kind of uproarious disaster.

The time for prelude came, and for the first time ever, I stood up there with my back facing the congregation. And the lights came on, and I started them off, and for the first time ever, the music sounded beautiful. And yeah. It was only two verses with an intro, and it was nothing amazing. But the hymn was Fairest Lord Jesus, that old favorite, that good ol' hymn which has some truly wonderful meanings. I've realized that no matter how crazy it gets, life is beautiful because of Jesus.

Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
robed in the blooming garb of spring:
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer
who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Other news... I went to help with the children at the "shelter" with some people at headquarters for the first time. The Pacific Garden Mission. I think it would have been a little less traumatic if it hadn't been the first time I had ever given a kid a piggy back ride in 10+ years, or the first time I had ever told a kid, "No" in 10+ years, or the first time ANYBODY had ever said, "Get away from me, ya spanish lady!" o_O. But yeah, I guess that would be awesome-experience-#2 of the last two weeks. Never having seen me before, some of those kids went right over to me, reaching out so that they could be held... as if, Megan told me later, they needed so much for somebody, anybody, to reach back out to them and just love them for who they were. That really made me think. One should never take his/her family (or house) for granted! Pray for those kids.

Something exciting... last karate practice, an 8th grader from Kennedy jr. high school came! Mr. Faye (a black belt who teaches the class) is also from Kennedy--he's a wrestling coach/science teacher there. Hearing about my old school makes me miss those days so bad. So many good memories. The 8th grader went through team infinity like I, and we both couldn't stand Mrs. Weber! Haha! Sometime I will have to ask them if there is still a Bible study, and if there is still a beautiful painting in the nurse's office. I will have to ask if the Eagle's Nest (school store) is still "out of business," and if the gum rule was ever repelled again. I will have to ask if Mr. Foley still threatens to sit on his orchestra, and I'll have to ask if Mr. Scarpino still sings his corny songs over the intercom to recruit people for the bowling league. I'll have to go back. I'll have to see those halls again. I'll have to hear that bell ringing. I have to.

Ok, not much else; I posted on BS, updated teh garlic, made an avatar for myself:

Yes I know the color is "interesting," but you see xD, it had to match my blinkie/sig: ^___^
hehe. And here's a Deep Thought that I came across one day: "God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts." :)...
Shho anyway... is anyone from hq reading this?? Comment me xD!! I feel like I totally do not know my audience here so I'm not going to make sense to some people I'm sure. -.- ahh goodnight.

12:15 PM

Comments

Waah you need comments! So here- though I'm not from hq. Heh. I'm so glad you battlesong'ed! You did great w/ PS and the grinnin' owns! Good day~

Posted by Weien at April 29, 2004 1:20 AM

Ahh...the Shelter!!! I LOVED that when I went. I wish I had an opp. like that over here that I could go do every week--it's so cool to just love and laugh and learn with those kids. They need us so much. I'm glad you had a good time! ^^
The conducting story is super cool. Sounds like you got a lot out of it. :) Keep on, girl! :)

Posted by Shiowei at April 30, 2004 4:10 AM