Saturday night was one of those really special experiences as a parent. The branch youth's December activity was to interpret the big choir concert up at the Temple visitor center and invite all of the branch to come. So the songs were divided out among the youth, and then as a little bit of an afterthought, we added Lillian as well.
It was really, really awesome to watch the kids do the interpretations. I had not realized that there were not already existing interpretations on YouTube. So, the kids really had just done everything by themselves. They had come up with the interpretation, they wrote out a gloss [an unofficial written notation of the signs you'll use - ASL has no written language], and they signed the songs! It was really, truly impressive for me to see how good they are getting. You'll have to watch the videos, but a few points of note. Lige did a really good job sort of getting into the music. You can imagine how hard it is to sort of dance with the music to express it. Especially when you're the only one up there doing it. But, Lige managed to do that and have a very nice balance of emoting the song. Ellis did a really good job of signing some pretty advanced songs. I was very impressed by her interpretations and then also her ability to to to think on the fly. There was one point where she and Lige were working together, and someone missed their line, or the choir saying it a little bit differently than the recording, or something happened. And Lige sort of took the line and went ahead and signed that and Ellis just figured it right out and followed up and everything worked together very smoothly. If she had not told me later that that is what happened I never would have noticed anything. It was pretty cool. She will also have to tell you sometime her really truly hilarious idea for how they should have signed the Gloria song. That song is all in Latin anyway and it's mostly just repeating a couple of words. They say Gloria, Gloria, Gloria, over and over and over again. And then they switch, and they say amen, amen, amen, amen,... You get the point. [It wasn't actually quite that bad, but almost. It was John Rutter's Gloria.]
And speaking of languages, Lillian had a funny thing for one of her songs, too. She had learned the song in English. But then, when the choir started, they started in French! well, Lillian did not miss a beat. She just went ahead and signed what she knew went along with the tune at that point, and it turned out beautifully.
It was really, really awesome to watch the kids do the interpretations. I had not realized that there were not already existing interpretations on YouTube. So, the kids really had just done everything by themselves. They had come up with the interpretation, they wrote out a gloss [an unofficial written notation of the signs you'll use - ASL has no written language], and they signed the songs! It was really, truly impressive for me to see how good they are getting. You'll have to watch the videos, but a few points of note. Lige did a really good job sort of getting into the music. You can imagine how hard it is to sort of dance with the music to express it. Especially when you're the only one up there doing it. But, Lige managed to do that and have a very nice balance of emoting the song. Ellis did a really good job of signing some pretty advanced songs. I was very impressed by her interpretations and then also her ability to to to think on the fly. There was one point where she and Lige were working together, and someone missed their line, or the choir saying it a little bit differently than the recording, or something happened. And Lige sort of took the line and went ahead and signed that and Ellis just figured it right out and followed up and everything worked together very smoothly. If she had not told me later that that is what happened I never would have noticed anything. It was pretty cool. She will also have to tell you sometime her really truly hilarious idea for how they should have signed the Gloria song. That song is all in Latin anyway and it's mostly just repeating a couple of words. They say Gloria, Gloria, Gloria, over and over and over again. And then they switch, and they say amen, amen, amen, amen,... You get the point. [It wasn't actually quite that bad, but almost. It was John Rutter's Gloria.]
And speaking of languages, Lillian had a funny thing for one of her songs, too. She had learned the song in English. But then, when the choir started, they started in French! well, Lillian did not miss a beat. She just went ahead and signed what she knew went along with the tune at that point, and it turned out beautifully.
(Back to Christine) So, our kids are musical interpreters now. The thing that impresses me the most is how pretty their translations were. They all flowed so artistically and musically. It was better than I would have done myself. And they got up and performed them in front of several hundred people! With smiles!
Here's what I really loved about this activity: one thing we left behind when we joined the branch were some opportunities to develop performing talents. My kids don't really play the piano in church much any more.That was a big part of growing up for me, using the talents I'd developed for service, to help others feel the Holy Ghost in their lives. It's where I started to learn about service. Watching my kids practice and try their best to put their hearts into it, I saw them go through the same process of anxiety and frustration at parents who make you do your VERY BEST (not just "good enough"), then experience the great satisfaction of a job well done, knowing you helped someone else. It gives you so much confidence! It was so neat to see my kids go through that wonderful process!
Here's what I really loved about this activity: one thing we left behind when we joined the branch were some opportunities to develop performing talents. My kids don't really play the piano in church much any more.That was a big part of growing up for me, using the talents I'd developed for service, to help others feel the Holy Ghost in their lives. It's where I started to learn about service. Watching my kids practice and try their best to put their hearts into it, I saw them go through the same process of anxiety and frustration at parents who make you do your VERY BEST (not just "good enough"), then experience the great satisfaction of a job well done, knowing you helped someone else. It gives you so much confidence! It was so neat to see my kids go through that wonderful process!
Of course, what you really want is videos:
Rutter's Gloria (Lige and Ellis)
Winter Wonderland (Lige)
Pat-a-pan/He is born (Lillian - the one she took on at the last minute when someone was sick, and they busted out singing in French instead of English...She really rocked it!)
A song I don't know the name of (Ellis)
Angels we have heard on high (Lillian, who got great compliments on her beautiful "Gloria" - she thinks you'd enjoy seeing what came right before: don't curl your papers!)
| All the interpreters before the concert started |
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| Lige looking happy. Really :) |
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| Ellis signing "Excelsis" |
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| Lillian signing "Gloria" |
In further Christmas music joy, on Sunday, I was playing prelude and came to Silent Night. Jane sits next to me on the bench, and she started singing and signing along. I didn't know she'd been paying attention to the signs! I tried to find some way to discreetly poke Marriner, sitting just 5 feet away, without distracting Jane, but it didn't work, and nobody else got to see it. I even looked to see if by any chance she was on camera ;) But even if she was, she was behind me, so nobody would have seen her anyway. But it was adorable. Later at a baptism, we sang Silent Night again, and some of the other branch members got to see her sign along. But Marriner still missed it. She was sitting on his lap ;) Oh, and a funny story from the Nursery teacher (who is hearing). "[The other girl in Nursery} wanted to sing "Let it Go" in singing time today. And guess what - both she and Jane know ALL the words!" I don't think the Nursery teacher was expecting that song to last very long. Wrong! They really do know all. the. words.
