Blog Post 4

The cast of the Hardin Baptist Church Christmas musical, "Fear Not Factor", did not meet last week, so I will talk about rehearsal on the 16th of October.
This week I led the rehearsal of the older students (1st-5th grade) along with another director. The students are participating more and more with each rehearsal, and they are starting to get really excited about the show. Some students have started asking questions about their costumes and whether or not they will get to sing a solo. I am very pleased to see how well these students are progressing.
However, for this blog I will primarily discuss Student A, as she has the role of Mary and I gave her a private lesson during the last rehearsal.
At first, Student A was slightly timid and I could barely hear what she was singing. However, she sang confidently along with the CD, and I knew immediately that it was not an issue of knowing the song, but an issue of projecting with confidence. I told her to make her best siren noise and to stand up straight and tall like she was royalty. She immediately fixed her posture and immitated my model of a siren noise, albeit after some coaxing on my part. I asked her to sing part of the song again, and I was so proud of the improvement she made in such a short time. She was so much more confident, and I could hear and understand every word she was singing. It made me think back to my first voice lesson and how reluctant I was at first to make all of those silly sounds, but it also made me think of how happy I was with myself once I realized I was improving. The smile on Student A's face showed that she was feeling exactly how I felt after a good lesson. I cannot wait to see how much farther she can go!
Below I have posted a clip of songs from the "Fear Not Factor" musical.

Blog Post 3

This week the students were expected to come to rehearsal and have learned (or at least listened to) the first song of the show and another song. They also learned movements to those two songs. I walked in as rehearsal was just beginning and immediately I was asked to run through the new song with the older students as the other director stepped out for a moment. As I was leading them in singing, I pictured myself conducting a children's choir at some point in the future, and I realized again that I really enjoy teaching children music outside of a classroom. When the other director came back into rehearsal, she and I co-directed the children in a run-through of both of the songs (with movements). I watched as each student mimiced our movements and sang along and I saw the joy in their faces as they sang. It reminded me of my reasons for choosing to be an education major over business or performance. We went through the songs a few more times, after which the students were allowed to take a break and play in the "Barnyard" (a playing area for all of the children) for a little while. After staying with them a few minutes, I left the older students in the care of one of the other directors and went back upstairs where the younger children were still rehearsing. As I walked in, the teacher was leading them in singing the first song a capella before allowing them to sing with the CD. I walked over to her and began helping her lto ead these children in singing. I noticed that many of the children would watch every move I made, as if they were trying to decide if I was really there or not. I had to chuckle to myself as I gave them each a big smile and put a little more enthusiasm into the movements we were teaching. I remember being that young and scrutinizing every new person that walked in the room. After rehearsal, the younger students got their chance to play in the "Barnyard", and this time they wanted me to play with them. I am really growing attached to these kids, and I believe they will eagerly learn this musical and be wonderful little performers!
Below I have posted the link to Hardin Baptist Church's website, specifically their children's ministry:
http://www.hardinbaptist.org/ministries/preschool-childrens-ministry

Blog Post #2

These two weeks have been about getting organized and the very beginning rehearsals. I typed the lyrics of all of the songs for the children (as most of them do not know how to read music) and we handed out the activity packets for those who showed up early to their first rehearsal. The children were extremely excited to find out who was going to play a role with a speaking part. This made me think of the excitement in beginning a new show, and I quickly realized that if I were the teacher or director of a show, I would have to get everything organized very quickly for the first rehearsal, as the excitement can (and usually does) lead to a slightly less productive rehearsal. As the children began putting away their activity packets to save for next time, the other directors of the show announced that to celebrate the beginning of the musical, we were going to have a "Christmas party" complete with homemade cupcakes and Capri Sun. I thought that this was a very effective way to establish a fun atmosphere for the children (it was also a good way of saying "Come join our show...we have cupcakes!"). Later in the rehearsal, the speaking parts were announced and the students with those speaking parts received their scripts and read through the first couple of scenes before the rehearsal ended.
The next week's rehearsal was the start of learning the music for the show. The oldest and youngest children were separated and went to different rooms to rehearse. I was asked to go with the younger children, and they were all smiles as I handed them their coloring packets. I noticed that in the beginning of each rehearsal, the CD with the soundtrack of the show is constantly playing in the background. I thought this was fabulous, especially for the little children who cannot read, for they were soon dancing and singing the songs without realizing that those were the songs they would have to learn for the show. I had not thought of this technique before (when directing a children's show). I knew that they would have to learn the songs by rote, but this technique took that one step farther. I also got the chance to teach the young children part of the first song they are learning. It was such a wonderful experience watching the light bulbs come on as each child slowly realized they mastered a portion of the song. It was all the other directors and myself could do to keep them standing still as we taught them the chorus, they were so excited. Next week the children are learning the rest of the first song plus another song. I can't wait work with the children again and see all of the excitement on their faces!

Above is a picture of a child singing in church. The look on his face is similar to many of the "singing faces" of the children I worked with this week.