Day 4, 2010

The exhaustion is beginning to show on the students' (and teachers'!) faces... Of course, if we'd get to bed any earlier than we have been (it's almost 1:00am now), that might help. But, we only have two weeks, so we try to cram as much "family time" in as we can.

This morning, my students were immersed in the world of chords: identifying and writing major, minor, augmented, diminished, and they seem to be catching on very quickly. Soon we'll be doing some analyzing of 4-part music.

Group singing is so much fun. Our favorite song this week has been the old Speer Family song (included in my "Heaven's Jubilee" songbook I published) "My Home, Sweet Home." It was published originally by the James D. Vaughan company in 1934, around the time the Speer Family moved to Lawrenceburg, TN, to work for Vaughan. Ben would have been 4 years old when his family sang it in their concerts. Rosa Nell said she remembered "little Ben" singing the alto part as a young boy. It's incredible to think of the history of that song, and then to enjoy singing it with not only young people, but also people from all over the world. This year's school has representations from India (via Scotland), Romania, Sweden, Australia and Canada. (There may be more, but remember, it's very late!) This is music that speaks to the Christian heart and it doesn't matter how old you are or where you are from.

Tonight we were treated to a concert by HisSong...a great up-and-coming trio. Wonderful blend. After the concert, several of us went to Steak and Shake, which is why we're up so late... Tomorrow morning (or 'this' morning) is going to come very quickly. The weekend will be time to catch up on sleep!