So something about my church choir seems to be working. The last few meetings (rehearsals and pregames) have seen an increase in attendance and in promptness. Maybe I’m making it up, but there feels like a bit more ownership in the room. This brings out the teacher in me and I remember to do a better job at giving background on the pieces and the musical styles I am attempting. 

The really good news for me is that I managed to plan the rest of the season (through May 31st) yesterday. I added four more anthems: Lo, My Shepherd is Divine by Haydn, The Tree of Life by Ralph Vaughan Williams, If Ye Love Me by Tallis and an interesting little Pentecost piece by Carson Cooman. I have invited a guest conductor to conduct the last two. I plan to be in England when the Tallis is sheduled and the Cooman piece has an organ part that would be hard to play and conduct. 

I have started reading in “The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure and Human Evolution” by Denis Dutton. Dutton is very interesting musician/writer who founded the website “Arts and Letters Daily” which I have been visiting and using for years.  His ideas stem from his own exploration of the arts. He is a trained sitar-player and studied sculpting and aesthetics with three carvers of the Sepik River of New Guinea: Petrus Ava, Pius Soni, and Leo Sangi of the village of Yentchenmangua in New Guinea. I have linked before to his fascinating online lecture at Edge 275.

Last night as Eileen and I were purchasing some scotch to take with us to the after rehearsal social glow or whatever, she jokingly suggested to the clerk that he card me. Okay he said. I made some disparaging remark about age. He smiled and said something back. I said something about being happy and alive. He said it was a bonus. I thought he meant just being alive but he clarified that he meant happiness was a bonus. That’s right happiness is a bonus and I am dam lucky.

I like this cartoon found while looking through google images. Have a nice day.