April 2024

The music teacher’s life is guided by seasons. We have a more relaxed season: June-August. We have seasons with something to do every day- December and April—and the rest of the school year is some hybrid in between. While I am not in the classroom, April has felt like it has for every other teacher. I had planned a concert on April 18 in the summer. I added singing the same material in December for a Mass on April 14. In November, I began working for a church as the children’s choir director, so now, let’s add Easter Sunday on March 31. I was also offered an opportunity to direct the Miami-Dade County Superintendent Honor Choir on April 16. This gig included three beautiful rehearsals in addition to my regular load. The month isn’t over, and everything went so smoothly. Now, I’m looking at grading for the University classes, scheduling my summer gigs, and preparing for the Children’s Voice Chorus concert and camp. This is normal for us. Although it feels temporarily exhausting, it is ultimately amazing to our souls.

As I’ve been working towards all of these goals, I realized that music is about the feelings it instills in the performer and in the audience. Following this experience, I recognized how much we love participating and sharing in the experiences. It is not about perfection, though that is the unattainable end to which the musician always strives. I am convinced lately that as we continue to create these performances, we need to find ways to engage the audience and make them feel as though they are a part of the experience instead of simply observers.