Hello
and welcome to my blog!I'm
Brittany, and I'm majoring in Music here at Judson College. I have a passion for Christ, music, and people; and I love
quotes, polka dots, and the color purple. I live about two hours away in the small town of Dadeville,
Alabama, and I like to think of Judson as my home away from home. Some
of you may
have followed me through last year’s blogs as I had my first
experiences as a freshman. I
invite you to join me this year as I share new experiences as a
sophomore, and keep you informed about Judson’s music ensembles.
Here's something I bet you didn't know about me: I shut the children's peepers, and guard the little sleepers.
Believe it or not, it's not quite as creeper-ish as it sounds. This semester, the Delta Omicron Music Fraternity at Judson hosted the production of the opera, "Hansel and Gretel." Members of the Music Department have been working on their parts since the fall semester. Here is a glance at the cast line up:
Hansel: Laura Noble
Gretel: Sarah Jean Watters
Father: Dr. Bullard (The Religion Professor)
Mother: Miriam Hart
Witch: Holly Beth Johnston
Dew Fairy: Molly Beasley
Sandman: Me!
Ballet: Jill Coplen, Amanda Carle, Amanda Fee, and Beverly Cox
The week of the performance, we held rehearsal every night. I have to admit, a couple of those practices made me wonder if we would be able to pull it together in time. We definitely could not have gotten through our performances without our backstage help. So many girls at Judson helped pull everything together! We ended up with some amazing props, including a huge oven, a great looking gingerbread house, and several other things. The night of the performance finally came, and everything pulled together perfectly. We could even hear the audience laughing from our spots backstage during some scenes!
The next morning, we held a second performance for area schoolchildren. While the storyline was the same, the audience proved to be completely different. Shrieking mixed with giggles filled the room when the witch ran down the aisle, hushed whispers filled the room during quieter scenes, and laughter sounded as the Father sang and skipped around on the stage.
While dedicating the time necessary to prepare was not always easy, it sure was fun when performance time came. I even found time for each of those end of the semester homework assignments.
In the beginning, singing in the Hansel and Gretel opera sounded like just another thing on my to do list. By the time the performance came and went, I realized it was just another way Judson was helping me to succeed.
Well, I must say, it was filled with naps, movies, studying, and reading. We also had a new bus driver, Charlie, to take the long drive as we rode from Decatur, Alabama to Raleigh, North Carolina. Of course, we had fun and discovered many random forms of entertainment, but now it is time to tell you all about Day 4, our last performance day for the tour.
Day 4: It's Time to Wrap Up.
Out of all the days on Choir Tour, I have to say this was my favorite. Our day began bright and early doing a service project at North Raleigh Ministries. NRM is a service that takes donations of clothes, bedding, shoes, dishes,...anything you can think of, as well as a food pantry. You can check out the mission of NRM here. NRM has just moved to a new location, and they are currently trying to get their feet on the ground and launch the new location. There were many things for us to do, from sweeping, mopping and sorting, to tagging clothes and labeling shoes. One thing is for sure, I have never mopped such a large area in my life! I've always enjoyed service projects. There's a great feeling that comes from doing a job without pay.
After completing our service project, we headed to lunch before a quick cleanup and change into our performance clothes. Our last High School visit of the trip was Sanderson High School, where we met with the Sandpipers Ensemble. This ensemble has been to Nationals with their music, and shortly after they started singing, I realized why. They were a very impressive group! We learned that in order to be in the Sandpiper Ensemble, the students were required to be able to sight-read music. Their conductor was also very impressive, and kept the students focused on the music at hand.
Next, we headed straight to Trinity Baptist Church for our last concert. It went well, and soon we were off with our last host family. Our family was the Youth Pastor at Trinity and his wife; they were such a sweet and fun couple! After taking our luggage to their house, they took us to get milkshakes, and we had a chance to talk with them a little. They even made us a Breakfast Casserole the next morning!
Story of the Day:
Hanging out with the girls you know and getting to know the ones you don't.
One of the great things about choir tour is the opportunity to get to know fellow choir members. I enjoyed "seat hopping," and since my (Judson) little sister was one of my choir tour roomies, I was also able to spend time with her! After we came back from our milkshake run, our host family just let us hang out. As tired as we were, we stayed up just talking to each other, having a great time.
Day 5: Travel!
As you might guess, we spent Day 5 traveling back to school. The tour turned out to be a lot of fun. I got to know the girls in choir better, and we were able to put the Judson name in several high schools and churches.
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
After "Springing Forward" an hour Sunday, I think we all felt a little sluggish starting off our early morning. Our first stop was Austin High School in Decatur. We had the opportunity to warm up with this choir, and listened to a few pieces from them after our music set. I enjoy singing in an all girl's choir, but it sure is nice to hear an SATB (girls and guys) arrangement every once in a while. =)
Next was a short snack stop at Panera Bread, then it was off to Decatur High School for an early afternoon performance. Holly Beth, the Senior Song Leader here at Judson, started us off with a few Step Sing songs (which I believe our audience loved) as a warm up before our set. After singing, we had the opportunity to talk with the students about Judson and answer questions about our school. Because the whole choir could answer questions, we were able to offer personal experience about any major they were considering!
After a short stop for lunch at Parkway Place Mall, we headed to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens. Judson even paid for the choir's admission! If you live near Huntsville and have never been to the Botanical Gardens, you are missing out! We had such a great time taking pictures, visiting the Butterfly Garden, and of course, looking at all the pretty plants and flowers.
Story of the Day:
It was mid-afternoon, and we were taking pictures at the Wishing Well in the "Children's Center" when all of a sudden, rain came POURING down!! We all started laughing and ran back to the nearest building. I believe that so many of the memories you make are not about WHERE you are, but WHO you are with while you're making them. I'm so glad to have good friends to make memories with, from singing to laughing in the rain.
When it was time to split up in our host family groups, Maggie, Amanda, Miriam, Heather, and I all got to spend the night at Amanda's house! Amanda is one of my good friends at Judson, and since she lives in Huntsville, it worked out perfectly for us to just stay with her. Amanda's family is so sweet, and I'm glad they were willing (and brave enough) to open their home to 5 girls! Her mom fixed us an amazing dinner, and we were able to relax and watch a movie (Pirates of the Caribbean!) before calling it a night.
It's that time of the year again! Choir Tour is here, and we have plans for several high schools and churches, from Birmingham to Raleigh, North Carolina. After the end of our first day, I can certainly say I'm looking forward to the next few days to come.
I'll give you a few facts about Day 1:
7:30 AM
My roommate and I started heading toward the bus . . . or so we thought. Once we arrived in front of Tucker, we saw fellow choir members sitting on the steps with their luggage. There was no bus!! Fortunately, a bus eventually appeared, and we still managed to make it to our first stop on time: Oakmont Presbyterian Church, also known as Dr. Brown's (our piano instructor) church. We were in charge of the entire morning service! After a great service from FAITH and Choir, the members of Oakmont provided us with an amazing spread of food for lunch! We enjoyed our food, then serenaded everyone with a "fun time" of singing. This is when we did songs such as "Boogie Woogie," "Oh Happy Day," and "Sincerely."
Next, we headed to the Galleria for our first fun stop of the tour. This is a huge mall in Birmingham - they even have a Lego store! After our short break, we headed to Decatur for our next stop - Central Baptist. After a yummy dinner and our program for the night, Maggie, Heather, and I met our first host homes of the trip.
I have to say, our host family was so cool! They set up a fire pit so we could sit outside and talk. We learned that the Mom was a Judson Alum, and had a great time talking about the things that have changed and the ones that have stayed the same. We also had a chance to talk with the Dad, and their 2 kids - a girl who is a senior (and a possible future Judson girl), and a 15 year old guy. (Names have been omitted for internet safety reasons =) )
Story of the Day:
Holly Beth is an amazing first soprano! In one movement of the Requiem, Pie Jesu, she has a significant solo that requires going as high as the high "A." Unfortunately, Holly Beth has also been struggling with this solo due to Bronchitis! Sunday, during rehearsal, she still was not well enough to hit the high notes, and we were worried. The song came in the service, and she hit each note without even sounding a bit hoarse. I know several of us were praying that she would make it through, and it was so refreshing to see - on Day 1 - God is blessing this tour. I have no doubt that her ability to perform that solo was a God thing.
