Yes, that's right. The song i'm singing this week is, HIP HIP HOORAY! OUR PROGRAM WENT WELL TODAY! I was so glad when it was over-i wanted to do this:
But, as it turns out, I was so tired i could hardly eat lunch before collapsing on my bed. But what a great feeling! 9 months of teaching songs, trying to ward off boredom and complacency by being creative and finally it all paid off. Yippee! Was it perfect? No way. Are there things i'd do differently next time? Absolutely. Was the spirit present? Without a doubt!
I love being chorister. I love the things i am learning, i love trying new ideas and i love the testimonies of the children as they sing. Watching those sweet faces singing the songs with all their heart just endeared them to me even more.
Good luck with all of your final preparations! Remember, your primary will be fantastic just because of who they are and the spirit they bring.
So for those of us who haven't had our program yet, what would you do differently? What do you wish you had done? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGood question. Here's a few of my thoughts:
ReplyDelete1) I wish i would have explained more to the children about singing loud in the chapel...explaining that it's ok (as long as it's not yelling). My kids sing so great in the primary room but were much softer in the chapel. As i thought about it, i realized that from the time they are babies they are told to be quiet in the chapel and now all of a sudden we're telling them to sing loud. That must be confusing for them. I wish i had explained more about reverence in the chapel and how singing respectfully loud is ok.
2) I would have the pianist play an introduction in between the verses where the primary sang and the congregation joined us.
3) I would encourage the presidency to have teachers sit on the stand-they didn't do it this year and i missed their voices! (not to mention their help with wiggly children)
4) i would do small groups to sing some of the "extra" verses rather than have the entire primary learn so many verses of several songs. The phrase, "consider perfection of a few rather than mediocrity in many" comes to mind.
So, that's it. Nothing big. Nothing earth shattering. Just little things that may make a difference next time. Live and learn right?
On the upside, i felt that the kids did AMAZING at watching me for cut offs, stand up, sit down, etc. They also smiled beautiful and had good eye contact. They knew the words (with the exception of 1 verse of IILWMH-don't know what happened there) They were excited to be there-they shared amazing testimonies and the spirit was there. It was a great program!