Lauren had the privilege of trying out and actually making the National Children’s Choir this year. Three ACDA National choirs (children’s, middle school and high school) met up in Kansas City, Missouri last week to practice and to perform. It truly was an unforgettable experience.
These eight kids from Lauren’s school made the ACDA National Choir.
Eight kids total from Lauren’s school made the ACDA National Choir including 6 who made the children’s choir and 2 who made the middle school choir. All of these kids did an exceptional and inspiring job, and their school choir teacher, Chris Whiteman, is beyond amazing. He was able to come to Kansas City to see his kids perform.
The choir rehearsals started on Wednesday and went all the way through Saturday morning. Most of the choir rehearsals were 7-8 hours total throughout the course of the day, and there were about 300 kids in the children’s choir. The schedule was challenging, but it really gave me hope in the next generation. The majority of this whole group of kids from all over the national really stuck with it and seemed to handle the instruction and rigorous schedule with grace even when they were tired.
The day before the concert, my mother send Lauren some roses and a sweet note inside saying, “Break a leg.” We were so surprised and truly touched by such a sweet gesture. Lauren was beaming. She got roses in a hotel. What?!
Lauren is on the third row on right hand side. Then count 9 kids in from the end on the right. Keep that in mind when you are watching the following videos and see if you can spot her in them. It will kind of be like, “Where is Lauren?”
This song is called Simple Song.
The parents were allowed to come into the rehearsals as long as they sat in the back and were quiet. I sat in amazement of the conductor, Emily Ellsworth. She was encouraging but strict. Every time she had a problem with the kids, she would say, “This is a great time for a life lesson”. One of the times she said (I am paraphrasing), “When you do anything in life, commit to it. Don’t do it half-way. If you do something half-way, you won’t be pleased and neither will anyone else. Commit fully to what you are doing.” She also totally reminded me of my mom with inflections, hand gestures and her strive for excellence with those kids. My mom expected excellence for us as kids as well, and I am the better person for it.
The choir performances were held in the Kauffman Center which is regarded as being one of the premiere venues in the United States for these types of performances. The acoustics in that place were breathtaking.
This song is called Jambo, and it is an African pop song.
The whole gang after the performance. It is hard to take a picture when you are looking into the sun.
Carl’s mom flew and met us there as well which was so wonderful. Lauren now has the flu. I guess there were too many kids, plane rides, public bathrooms and airports to not come in contact with something. Please pray for her healing as well as for the rest of us not to get it either. We love our girl fiercely. We are so proud of her, and for God allowing her this opportunity.
