Immanuel/Sanctuary Music News Sept 2010

The following is the September addition of the bi-monthly "e-newsletter" that I send out to current, former, and prospective music volunteers and music friends of Immanuel and Sanctuary1010.

Immanuel/Sanctuary Music News September 2010

Hello!
I can't believe tomorrow is the first day of Fall! This season is always a reminder to me of back-to-school, and learning, and new pencils, and the smell of crayons, and fresh notebooks, and clean slates!

As many of you know, this year's back to school time, has special significance for me, as I have decided to begin the process of finishing my bachelors degree after a nearly 20 year absence.

 I wanted to share with you, and fill you in with a little background of why this is so meaningful to me.

I began college the first time, at Concordia, in Seward Ne, as a kinda naive, pretty immature, 17 year old. I entered the Lutheran music education program, and sailed through all of my music classes. I couldn't wait to get to those classes, and would stay up all night working on compositions, and other music homework. I loved it, and my professors were encouraging and supportive.

The rest of college for me, was unfortunately, much more difficult. My college years were a very dark time for me personally. The choices I made did not reflect the person I wanted to be. Ultimately the choices I made, and the things I did, resulted in me not being able to finish the degree I had dreamed about.

 Today I thank God that he pulled me out of the dangerous depths that I found myself in during college when I was young. I thank God for His beautiful grace and loving forgiveness. I thank God, that I have been able to find work serving the church with music, almost from the day I left college. I thank God that he blessed me with two beautiful children that changed my life. And I thank God that he has led me to this time and place, and these circumstances, that will allow to me to finally finish the college degree I never stopped dreaming about.
I am now taking classes as a junior in college at Concordia University, Chicago (its actually in River Forest) I am a Music Major, and am also seeking a Director of Parish Music certificate. I should be able to graduate in about 3 years!

In the four short weeks since I began college (again), I have already learned so much, and I am so excited about sharing it all with you! (just tell me to be quiet if I talk to much about it!) It is my prayer that this education will give me more tools, and more knowledge, and more skills to help me to be the best servant of God that I can be. It is also my prayer that I will be able to use what I learn to be better at what I do as Music Director at Immanuel/Sanctuary. I hope to be more of a help to all of you, and more of a resource for the congregation. 

I am so excited about what the future holds for us and the music program at Immanuel/Sanctuary! Great things are happening every week! The talent and dedication we have in all of you, is unprecedented in churches our size. Every Sunday, peoples' lives are being changed as they hear the message of God's love in the songs that we sing and play. No education is needed to know that you all, and the time that you give, are the ones that are making these great things happen.
As always, and I don't tell you enough... Thank You! Thank You for your support towards me. Most of all, thank you all for all the things I learn from you on a weekly basis, you have been my 'college' for my last 13 years working here at Immanuel! I pray that we can all keep learning from each other! Please feel free to call me at any time with any questions or anything at all, and please keep sharing all your knowledge with me! :)

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OTHER STUFF-
I'd love to hear some live music with you!
Nathan Fisher has started a new band called Indeed and has quite a few shows lined up. There is one THIS Friday Oct 1 at 9pm

here:
McBrody's Bar and Grill
73 W. Jefferson St.
Joliet IL, 60432
P:815-726-8960

You can check out Indeed here at their Myspace Page

let me know if you want to car pool! Also let me know if you hear of another show (secular, sacred,classical, professional, open mic) whatever! that you would like to get a group together for.
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I hope you are all enjoying this wonderful fall weather!
Ellen

Beyond A Mighty Fortress

Here is a neat little resource for those of you interested in learning a little bit more about the musical heritage of the Lutheran Church from the 16th-20th century!  (I'm only a week and half in to school, just wait!)
Thrivent Financial put this out- here is a little description from their website- be sure to notice the last sentence.

 Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has created "Celebrating the Musical Heritage of the Lutheran Church"- a compilation of five CDs, an interactive CD-ROM and a 50-page booklet highlighting the music of Lutherans from the 16th through the 20th centuries. The collection was provided by Thrivent Financial to Lutheran congregations and select institutions. It is no longer available.

Yeh, you heard it, the resource is no longer available but you can access much of its information including audio clips of muisc and interviews, organized in an easy to use fashion, at the website right here:

Musical Heritage Of the Lutheran Church

patting my stomach while rubbing my head

So, yesterday was the last day, of the first week of of my return to college after an eighteen year absence.  Phew!.  The first day is almost a blur, as this almost (but not quite) 40, woman, walked around campus, with everything I could possibly need pouring out of my way too heavy backpack. With my schedule in my pocket, and my classroom number locations printed carefully on the palm of my hand, where I could not lose them, I found each of my classes, AND managed to be on time!

By mid-week I felt like an old pro, well for sure old.  One of my home work assignments was to sing the do-re-mi song from Sound of Music (my favorite musical)  using Solfege. (solfege is the use of syllables-do, re, mi, etc, in the sight singing process).  Okay, okay, it goes kinda like this... sing it with me now

Do re mi do mi do mi

re mi fa fa mi re fa

mi fa sol mi sol mi sol

fa sol la la sol fa la

so do re mi fa so la

la re mi fa sol la ti

ti mi fa so la ti do

do ti la fa ti so do!

Yeah, that took me awhile to figure out, now I can't sing a song without thinking of it in solfege!

In the very same class the professor sent us home with the task of practicing conducting with our right hand,  while, tapping eighth notes with our left hand, while sight reading... while using that darn solfege.  All I can say is, there is a reason college students usually are in the 18-23 range!  Younger, quicker minds...

Slow mind or not, I am excited about the school year ahead, excited about using what I learn right away in my work at church, excited about being a good example to my teenage boys.  I love to learn, and there is so much out there to learn.  Here we go!