Stamps-Baxter Update 1

It's been a great 3 days so far. The school's schedule is always full and tiring, but so worth it! Tuesday night we were treated to a concert from the Perrys...fantastic! They are doing everything right and it was great to hear them live. I've heard them at NQC, but never at a full concert. Last night was Mike & Kelly Bowling--another great concert!

My class is going very well. I've got 11 students, mostly sophomores & juniors in high school and they seem eager to learn. They can all read music and know their scales & chords, but we're focusing on getting them to a place where they don't need to think about what a ii7 chord in the key of Ab is...any takers? One of my students actually ENJOYS the ear-training exercises...writing out a melody after hearing it, identifying chords by listening to them. I hated that part of my collegiate experience.

Group singing has been phenomenal. With Tom Powell back, Tracey is playing better than ever and we're not only doing some new songs, but we're also working on some old favorites, including many Dad Speer songs like "He is Mine and I Am His" and "When I Kneel to Pray." A glorious experience each time...I struggle with wanting to sing and wanting to sit out and just listen...but I choose to sing. This music is definitely participatory in nature and I think you can enjoy it more fully when you're totally engaged in it.

Two more days, then we can sleep in! Looking forward to that!