TCATS #367 - Miscellaneous Musings

Just in case you missed it, the Tabernacle Choir publishing staff posted a blog entry this week recounting the Choir's accomplishments during 2020. You can check that out HERE. I think I covered most of them throughout the year, here in this blog. I still get questions every week from friends and neighbors and even family members asking about what 2021 has in store for the Choir and all I can tell them is what I know for sure: that no one knows when we'll be able to sing again. Still. If I put on my speculation hat, my hope would be sometime in the Fall. It all depends, really, on how quickly the vaccination process goes. The Choir leadership and/or Church for that matter, has not mandated that we get the vaccine. And I really don't know if they'll eventually require everyone to get it before we can sing again. Our Choir organization resident physician has encouraged us to get it whenever it becomes available to us. But no word yet on whether that will turn into a requirement.

One of the choir members posed a question on our Facebook group asking what everyone has been doing, musically, during this pandemic break. It was kind of fun to read through the responses. We have people who have acted/sung in musical performances, played the organ for weekly congregational meetings, led the music for such meetings (me included), sung solos or in small groups in such meetings, and professionally recorded songs. Some of have even done some exciting solo performances while in the shower or while walking their dog. That all said, I'm sure for most of us, our voices are ready to leave this "pandemic pause" behind and push the play button again!

I'm always amazed at various choirs and their motivation, ability, and desires to find ways to still perform during this time of social distancing requirements. I received a comment in response to last week's post in which a sister from Tasmania reported that the choir she's in (Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Chorus) put together a video of their performance of "The Ground" by Ola Gjeilo. You can see this beautiful video HERE.  The Tabernacle Choir has sung "The Ground" on numerous occasions and it's a really transcendent and peaceful piece to both sing and to listen to. So I'm glad other choirs are singing are performing it. Thank you, sister Helen, for filling the world with beautiful music during this time when it's needed the most!

That's about all I've got this week. Make this next week a great one, huh?

Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #366 - Perception

One morning last Fall, I was out running and saw up ahead of me (on the other side of the street) a guy who appeared to be running rather slowly. I'm ashamed to say that my pride got the better of me in the moment and I thought "I'm glad I'm not as slow as he is." 

I soon realized however that for some reason, I was not catching up with him, let alone surpassing him. Surely, I thought, I was going faster than he was! In reality though, I had to face the conclusion that I was not. After awhile of staying pretty evenly apart distance-wise, I decided to kick it into higher gear and only then was I successful at passing him. 

This whole experience bothered me. First, I had misjudged this guy. Second, my perception of how fast I had been running was way off. Third, I realized I must appear like a very slow runner to other runners (which bothered me because I've been running all my life and thought I was faster).

Applying this perception issue to singing in the Tabernacle Choir, there are three things I've learned:

First, often times we singers might have the perception that we are singing in key or that we have mastered the rhythm or that we are listening louder than we're singing. Our directors, however, offer constant correction which helps realign our misaligned perception. 

Second, it's often easy to judge another section/part in the Choir. Particularly when the directors get after the sopranos or altos or tenors over and over and over again regarding a certain part of the music. It's easy to say "C'mon people! Get it right already why don't you?" But then empathy sets in when it happens to your section and you realize that getting it right it not always as easy as it may seem.

Third, it's best to let go of any negative perceptions you have of yourself (either preconceived or imagined) because such perceptions are not helpful in achieving your goals. Sure, if you know you struggle with a particular part of the Choir experience, do your best to fix it. But constantly worrying about unsubstantiated perceptions is a waste of emotional energy. 

I hope that all of us, regardless of who we are, what activities we engage in, and who we observe, keep our perceptions in check. Giving people the benefit of the doubt and showing kindness propel us onto the "higher" road that is much more satisfying to travel. Also, showing kindness to ourselves is just as important. 

Until next time, may God be with you.

TCATS #365 - A Choice (+ Siope's Year-end Pictograph)

A new year.

I'm not sure what this year means for the Tabernacle Choir. All I could really do at this point is fill up this blog post with a bunch of speculation. But that's probably not all that helpful. While part of my hope for 2021 includes the choir actually getting back together to make music again (a hope that I will tenaciously hold onto despite whatever pandemic-related happenings continue to occur), I also know that we're no where near that happening, yet. So, the best thing I can do for now is move forward with faith, be patient, continue promoting the re-broadcasts of Music & the Spoken Word, encourage and support other choir members, and work on personal challenges and deficiencies that, if conquered, will make me not only a better choir member, but a better person overall.

I know that even as I write these lofty goals, I'm going to have days where I fail at them. Days when I get mad or sad or depressed or pessimistic. And not just about the state of the Choir, but about so many other things going on in the world. When those days come though, I'll pray they end soon and I can get back on the path filled with hope and light. It IS a better place to be--though it's hard to consistently be on it. At least for me.

Anyway, thanks for your continued support of the Tabernacle Choir and I hope that someday soon, when you're watching Music & the Spoken Word or watching General Conference or one of the concerts we do each year, you won't see the words "Previously Recorded" at the top right corner of your screen.

Until next time, God be with you.

 

PS: My friend and fellow bass, Siope, put together his year-end pictograph after all! (I didn't think he would). I include it below for your viewing and pondering pleasure--along with the words he included when he posted it on Facebook. Enjoy.

SIOPE: So, usually on the first Sunday of the year I do a recap of choir events for the previous year to show things we have done. I do this to wrap things up and to move forward. I usually choose a theme (last year was a train, the year before was a record player, the organ pipes, etc.) but this year, it'll be easy to see what it is because this pretty much captures last year. 2020 was... 2020. Haha.
I was going to skip this year but then my collection would be incomplete so I decided to do one anyway. It's pretty bare. Behind the mask in the graphic is a list of things that were cancelled because of Coronavirus and also behind the mask are my tears. LOL. Everything was previously recorded for public safety. 😉

TCATS #364 - CWJ

I want to close out this year with a tribute to a Tabernacle Choir fan. This fan is my mother-in-law, Carolyn Whitchurch Jorgensen, who recently passed away and is undoubtedly now enjoying the beautiful choirs in heaven. 

Carolyn loved to listen to the Choir. She made it a point to watch or listen to Music & the Spoken Word each week because it brought her peace. For nearly the past two decades of her life, Carolyn's health slowly, but steadily declined and the music of the Choir began to be even more important as purely peaceful moments were more and more difficult to find.

Carolyn knew the value and importance of song lyrics and would be sure to put on the closed-captioned settings on her device so she could read the words that were being sung. Those words, along with bringing peace, continued fueling her testimony and her desire to be like her Savior. 

There were many songs on her Tabernacle Choir favorite list, and one of those was A Child's Prayer. This song asks questions that probably each of us has asked before. Are you really there? Do you really hear and answer prayers? Carolyn knew the answer to these questions and loved to communicate with her Father in Heaven--especially when life was hard and illness suppressed her abilities to do all she wanted to do. It was her testimony of prayer that really helped her continue moving forward in life. And it allowed her to find peace amidst life's storms.

I want to personally thank my mother-in-law for all she did to support the Choir and to support me in the Choir. Her love she felt for the Choir and her devotion to its mission to uplift and bring peace is one of the many witnesses that testify to the mission's success.  I will think of her often in the coming days when the Choir gets to sing again. 

And hopefully, that'll be sooner than later.

Happy New Year everyone! I love you all.

Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #363 - Questions

 

Merry Christmas everyone! And thank you for your interest and loyalty in reading my blog week to week. It's been a rather challenging year to keep these posts coming every Sunday--mainly, of course, because of this very LONG  break the Choir has been on. But being able to share my thoughts each week has been helpful for me, personally, and has aided me in processing various emotions and feelings I've been experiencing during this time. 

In prior posts, I've mentioned Christmas songs I like, how to watch the various Christmas Concerts that are being aired this year, Choir music videos I love, and memories of past Christmas concerts. There's not much more to post about as far as Christmas goes. If this were a normal year, we would have finished our Christmas Concert performances, have already had our annual Christmas Dinner at the Grand America ballroom, and solely be focused on the remaining two Music & the Spoken Word broadcasts of the year. We would have reflected on how busy a year it had been, and my friend Siope would have published his typical pictogram highlighting all of the events we had been a part of. And, of course, we'd be looking towards next year and thinking about all of the events yet to come.

Speaking of "yet to come", the only thing in my head right now is a bunch of questions.
Specifically....

*With the vaccine rolling out, when will it be "safe" to sing again?
*Will choir members have to take the vaccine as a requirement to be able to sing with the Choir?
*Will we be able to put on our postponed Messiah concert in the Spring? How about going on tour in the summer?
*Will the group of singers whose 2020 year would have been their last be able to have one more year?
*If "yes" to the question above, will the auditions that were put on hold half-way through 2020 not be resumed until 2022?
*Are additional safety precautions going to be added to the way the Choir operates? Or perhaps better worded, will the Choir operate differently in some way based on 2020 happenings?
*Are there people in the Choir who have decided for various reasons, not to come back? (i.e. "I kind liked having more time in my life with my family....maybe it's time to resign.")
*What new songs have Mack and Ryan composed/arranged?
*What's the very first song we'll sing for the first, live performance of Music & the Spoken Word in 2021?
*Will viewership of the Choir go up, remain steady, or go down in 2021 once the pandemic is over and "normal" life resumes?
*Mack has mentioned several times that the Choir, today, is sounding the best it's ever sounded. Will that quality of sound take time to get back? Or will the Lord bless us to resume right where we left off?
*The pandemic-related trials (and other personal struggles) have changed all of us. When we get back together again, we'll essentially be a choir made up of "new" people. How will that feel? How will it add to the music we sing?

THESE are the questions that wander in and out of my mind.

Should I discover the answers to any of them, I'll let you know!

With that, I bid thee adieu :) 

Until next time, God be with you.

PS: Was introduced to this song last week and I fell in love with it. Take a listen if you'd like.

TCATS #362 - Fireside Gift

The Choir presidency announced some time ago that they were putting together a special fireside that would be for the members of the Choir, Orchestra, and Bells. When I first heard about the fireside, I was cautiously optimistic that it would include messages that I really wanted and needed to hear. For nine months now, although members of the Choir Organization receive weekly newsletters, we haven't really been able to visibly see or audibly hear from most of those who we typically see and hear from on a regular basis. This fireside would be the first time. 

So, at 7pm, I tuned in and with a prayer in my heart, listened to both the beautiful music by our organists, and the helpful and consoling messages from our choir leaders. We heard from our choir secretary, from our public relations manager, from the individual who's over scheduling and copyright issues, from the sister who helps run the choir school, from the sister who oversees things in the music library, and several others. And of course, we heard from Ryan Murphy and Mack Wilberg and Ron Jarret, along with Presiding Bishop Causse. 

A few comments about the format of this fireside and the messages.

First, I really appreciated hearing from so many that we actually don't hear too much from. To me, it symbolized that everyone is important. 

Second, the overall themes of the fireside included the following:

Our pre-recorded programs continue to bless the lives of those who, before the pandemic, normally tuned in, and also those who normally did not tune in--but do so now.

Sometimes service is rendered even when we are, of necessity, asked to just stand by and be patient. 

Each individual is important. Even though we strive to be one and often focus on the end result, it's the individual preparation and sacrifice that are so important to that end result.

Things are not often what they seem. God's work is always going on and we are always given opportunities to share our light and love with others even when some of the normal ways of doing that (i.e. through singing in the Choir) are temporarily on pause.

We are all missed. 

There's great power in music and it's truly a medium of communication that connects heaven and earth. It's vital to the work of salvation and to the gathering that's going on. 

With this pause on rehearsing and performing, we've been given a unique opportunity to not only serve others in different ways, but come to appreciate more fully the Choir "musical missionary" calling we've been given. Such appreciation will be vital to moving the work forward in a more dedicated way when we're able to make music again.

 

I'm grateful for the fireside and the messages and that so many people took the time to let us know we are still being thought of and are still being missed. I have a peace now--one that I'm confident will remain with me-- as I look forward to all of the things I'll enjoy again one day.

And singing with the choir will certainly be one of them. 

Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #361 - Of Healing

There are several songs that the Tabernacle Choir sings that have brought me true healing. Healing that is always needed when I feel deficient in personally managing my emotions and my grief. I will list them below (along with a few non-Tabernacle Choir songs) just so you know what they are and just in case you may need to listen to them too, at some point. 

My mother-in-law passed away today, peacefully. She had been in poor health for most of the time I had known her. But even given that fact, there had been no indication recently that she would pass to the next life, today. It just happened. It was her time. And since God's timing is perfect, most especially in matters of life and death, it does bring some comfort to know that it was meant to be and that she's now in a much better place, free from illness and able to continue her eternal life in a way that will pay tribute to her strengths, her love, her kindness, her interest in people, and her desire to serve. While it was difficult to make a deep connection with her simply because of her limited capacities to truly be "in the moment" (and because of some of the medications she was on), I certainly have a love for her and gratitude in my heart for the effort and love she put in to raising her family, supporting our family, and in bringing light to others. 

Her death caused me to reflect on the passing of my sister--who also died on a Sunday a few years ago and who had been dealing with both physical and mental challenges of her own. Normally on her death anniversary, I take some time to honor her memory by thinking about her and listening to songs that remind me of her. But last week I wasn't able to do that, fully, given other things that were going on at the time. So I'm glad that today I was finally able to do that. It's important to remember. It's important to keep feeling. It's important to keep figuring out how it all ties in with your personal journey of faith. 

The year 2020 has been, honestly, the most challenging year I've ever had. And my wife could certainly say the same. Perhaps it's been the same for you, too. I sincerely hope that music has helped you through your valleys of sorrow and given you some hope and light to keep moving forward. I know that music has done just that, for me. I've learned, too, that it's OK to be sad. It's OK to struggle. It's OK to wonder as we wander. For in that wondering and wandering, we figure out things. We grow.

Some songs for your moments of healing.

It is Well with My Soul (link | commentary)

Pilgrim's Song (link | commentary)

How Firm a Foundation (link | commentary)

How Gentle God's Commands (link)

Sleep in the Storm (link)

By Your Side (link)

 

Until next time, God be with you.