Jewells of Thought

Last night was my niece’s Spring Concert. To be honest a little more communication was needed from all the staff to the parents. There are two locations on the campus where a Concert can be held and we were originally told it would be the High School Gym. Nope. It was the Elementary Gym, I didn’t know there were two Gyms in the first place.

That was a relatively small hiccup though fortunately. Especially for the this middle aged aunt being in those seats last night brought up so many emotions and memories from when I as a student took an ACT Test there to my own memories of sitting as the musician and singer performing. So much so that my niece’s little cousin was staring at me while yes, I was tearing up during one performance in particular because I literally went back to my years of attending the Greene County Band Festival with my cousins around me in the humongous band. It’s one of the very few times I have seen this cousin of Selena’s.

Frankly, I didn’t expect to have so many emotions sparked by the evening, but it started when I saw this legend from out of nowhere in the gymnasium with a microphone. I had to look a couple of times but I knew my eyes were not that bad. Turns out my intuition was correct. This man gave my younger brother lessons for guitar and I also want to say trumpet lessons too. The name of the man Virgil Franklin.

It was also really cool of Mr. Franklin to introduce the students to the Pan Drums. They are hoping to be in the Linton Freedom Parade possibly on July 4th. ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ sounded really amazing with the different sets of drums.

Not only did I know his name from our Dugger Music Community I saw him in my church at First Baptist in Linton. I was absolutely excited to see him at Shakamak last night. I had thought he had retired from teaching, although I know he is a big influence at Lamb Jam Fest at the Linton Park. This just really blew my mind and was so awesome to see him at work in my niece’s School system.

The Choral Director also did a magnificent job with what she had to endure this year with an illness. I am always trying to hear the ladies and how confident they seem with their singing. It was refreshing to hear all the ladies voices consistent and fairly loud. That was always a problem with stage-fright when I was performing in choirs, making sure we used proper breathing from our bellies to sustain us through our chords. Not coming off as too airy.

When he brought up the Greene County Band Festival my heart just leaped for joy. It is still going on after all these years. It was my favorite day even over the Choral Festival because we got to be a part of a nearly 400 piece orchestra band on those days and directed by an experienced director or composer of music. My memories of those days are fondly cherished. I got to share some of those days with my first cousins and even more distant cousins that I accept as my first cousins. Including one who died before he could graduate just months later.

Talk about tears and goosebumps… the song the High School Band played from the Band Fest gave me both. This is where the little cousin was intently staring at me as I cried over listening to the harmonies of the instruments coming together as I envisioned the location WRV inside their gymnasium with all those different band students huddled with this year’s conductor. Those were magical days for me as a student experiencing those sweet long days.

The Concert was just what I needed to spark my interest in practicing again. I have been singing but I have neglected my piano time. and pretty much forgotten my clarinet the last couple of years entirely. I never wanted to get to that point God gave me music to use it for His Will in my Music Ministry for his needs!