last Sunday - KB, a choir director, asked if Jessica could be at the Stake Center at 6:00 on Saturday to practice (choir stuff), and I said sure.
I am thrilled that my children have good voices and musical talent (I think they have awesome voices and potential awesome musical talent, but I'm Mom - and I have very little to NO musical talent except for being able to keep a beat and lead music if no one else is available). I've told each of my kids I want them to learn to read music, enough to pick out the melody on a piano or guitar and to figure out how to sing a new song (I'd love for them to develop their talents and enjoy doing it but I leave that choice up to them) once they have those basics (which I can also do - extremely slowly) then they HAVE TO either take band/choir/plastic recorder at school, or take piano/other musical instrument/voice lessons, or at least be in the church choir until their missions.
Michael and Nathan are in the minimal amount of Ward Choir things they can get away with and they lead music in Priesthood Meetings and Family Nights. Jacob is still getting his singing in Primary and school.
Jessica
*is continuing with piano lessons
*enjoys recorders and choir and music classes at school when available (consistently at least once a week this year which is so awesome!)
*performs yearly in the Talent Show
*learns new songs and sings in Primary (and volunteers for anything extra Aunt Krissy - Primary Choir Director - asks her to do musically for programs)
*is practicing for the upcoming Stake Musical
*has been practicing and singing with the adult choir for a few years now.
So it's become pretty common for various choir directors/music teachers to ask for Jessica (and/or Michael and Nathan too sometimes) to be at some practice/program or another.
Yesterday I called to find out if they'd be in the chapel (she'd need a dress on), if she could get a ride with other kids, etc. Yes, they'd be in the chapel, they'd practice at 6:00 and the program would start at 7:00 and they'd sing during that, but the other kids who were going to sing with her weren't coming because they were sick or had to babysit younger siblings, so Jessica would be alone.
In a Stake adult leadership meeting (several wards in an area make a stake), she sang "Dearest Children, God Is near You" with the main choir and then at the end, stepped forward all alone to the microphone, and very slowly and sweetly (but loud enough and so clear!) sang "Dearest children, God is with you ... near you" (holding the words out). It was so quiet in the room except the piano softly playing the few notes and my angel girl's sweet clear voice.
Oh - there are no words - to say "it was beautiful" is not enough. Lots of people complimented her and thanked her afterward (to the point she was embarrased and wanted to get away). As we were leaving, when I told her again how beautiful she sounded, she wrinkled up her nose and asked to talk about anything else so I asked her if she had the dishes done and what she was going to read to finish the 6 hours of reading she needed for her Six Flags ticket, but she didn't want to talk about those either. We went to Target afterward, since we were down that way anyway and the boys weren't with us, and found her 2 sweaters clearanced for $2.50 each ($2.50 a piece! beautiful nice sweaters).
Anyway, I started thinking how different it might have been if brothers had been there. I sat right in the middle a few rows back so she could just look at me and not have to think about or notice all the other people sitting clear back through the open curtains into the gym all the way back to the stage. What if Jacob had been by me, making silly faces at her or just making the random goofy faces he makes to no one in particular, or if Nathan and Michael had been in the choir standing behind her tickling/pinching her? (Well, Michael's nice, he would have only tickled not pinched.) But they were at home, and Jessica did great. So the wonderful spiritual meeting with talks and songs about happy strong spiritual families serving eachother and serving God, where Jessica was the only child present (except for babes in arms), went very well without any sibblings fighting/picking on eachother. And thank you KB for giving Jess this opportunity.
(In the Stake Musical though, Jess is in the Hard-Knock Life number and needs to sing tough, with attitude.)
