As we rehearsed that one, Mack, at one point, said something to the effect that "Even though we don't do specials anymore, with it being Memorial Day weekend, I thought I'd add this one to the program. There are those who will get why, and for everyone else, they'll just think it's a nice song."
It was the first time that I had officially heard we don't do specials anymore.
That said, it's been evident that we haven't been doing specials for nearly a year now (or longer?) I remember last July when we did Music & the Spoken Word right before the upcoming Independence Day holiday here in the US. I was anticipating the program to be full of patriotic music like has been the case in the past. But it was not. And for all of the holidays that followed (minus Christmas & Easter), such as Thanksgiving, Veteran's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc., the songs we sang were not catered to celebrate those special occasions.
Just today, one of the Choir members made the comment "I miss patriotic music broadcasts". And there were others who chimed in with "Me too". I don't know that I personally miss them too much, but I recognize that there is some really fun and inspiring patriotic music which does do a very successful job at initiating a sense of wonder and appreciation for the good parts of our country and for those who have sacrificed to preserve freedoms.
As I was pondering this discontinuation of specials topic, I was reminded of an opportunity Choir members were given back in 2022 to provide feedback to the Choir presidency. Up until that time, feedback and suggestions were discouraged and flat out unwanted. Now that they were actually asking for it, I decided to capitalize on the opportunity and provide seven suggestions. One of them was this:
"Along with efforts to provide Music & the Spoken Word in Spanish and Portuguese, I hope there will be some consideration on discontinuing or modifying the US-centric broadcasts that highlight US holidays. I fully realize that there is a lot of great music that is sung and played at these, but can we not focus on themes, principles, and messages that apply to all countries and people? For example, this past Veterans Day broadcast could include songs that speak of freedom, sacrifice, and patriotism while at the same time leaving out specific references to the United States or America."
I don't mean to imply, at all, that my suggestion had anything to do with the Choir Presidency's decision to discontinue Specials. They were probably already talking about it given that one of their directives was to be more internationally focused. Evidences of that have included inviting individuals from all over the world to join the Choir for General Conference twice a year, broadcasting Music & the Spoken Word in Spanish (and Portuguese soon), and embarking on a multi-year effort to tour other countries.
Anyway, just an observation. Sorry for writing so much about it!
I wish there was more to report, but honestly the Choir just continues to do the weekly broadcast and not much else. It will do so for two more months before something extra will be added: having additional rehearsals for our upcoming tour to Florida/Georgia.
Until next time, God be with you.
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