First Ever Christmas Program!

Yesterday, I completed my first major task as a music teacher. After months of prepping, lesson planning, recording, rehearsing, and dress rehearsing, I led the Prosper United Methodist Church's children's choirs in their first Christmas Program in years (and my first ever!!).

How to plan a Christmas Program if you're like me and have no idea what you're doing:

• I picked out music for this event in July. I chose eight pieces. I would much later pare these choices down to a MUCH more reasonable five. 
• I researched scriptures and decided on a doable narration to go between pieces. 
• I attended many staff meetings and in August chose a date for the event. I planned all other performances in equally doable intervals leading up to the big day!
• School starts, and everything is rescheduled. Suddenly, instead of having six healthy weeks of rehearsal to prep for this concert, I now only have four. My kids currently take four weeks to learn ONE piece of music. Panic panic panic. 
• We begin rehearsing in November (too late). 
• I began making a piano and voice recording for the kids to take home and listen to. What I thought would be a weekend project turned into a three-week affair. Between recording perfect piano and voice parts and mixing them together, burning thirty CDs, and making adorable CD envelopes and inserts... it took FOREVER! I gave my kids their CDs two weeks out from the performance. Panic panic panic.
• Enter icepocalypse 2013! Our dress rehearsal was cancelled. PANIC. Our performance was canceled, and rescheduled two weeks later!
• We had our dress rehearsal, after not meeting for two weeks and with many kids out due to scheduling conflicts. PANIC PANIC PANIC.

Yet, after all of that... We showed up on Sunday morning and the kids sang a beautiful concert. They were prepared. They all said their lines on time and loudly enough to be heard. The seemingly-easy but actually incredibly complicated two-part carol I chose as a combined choirs piece turned out fabulously. My conducting dress purchased for the occasion fit perfectly and looked gorgeous.

Oren came to watch me conduct!

After all of that fear, I left the church joyfully. I am so proud of my kids.

"An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2:9