And now, a musical interlude

My daughter, a freshman, had the opportunity to sing with a chamber choir this spring. This was the first time chamber choir had been offered to 9th graders. Members were selected by audition and rehearsed over the noon hour a few times each week. No one -- including the director -- really knew what to expect from the group, but as rehearsals progressed, DD reported that the group was beginning to sound "really good, Mom".

When we attended the state vocal contest in April, we had the opportunity to hear the choir. While I expected the kids to sound good, I have to say that none of us in the audience were prepared for what we heard. It was hard to believe that this was a group of 9th graders who had never before participated in this type of group. Take a listen to this YouTube video (and try to overlook my poor filming, notably the dad's head in the picture):

Battle of Jericho

This video represents just one of many great, and occasionally unexpected, things that happened during this past school year. As a mom of a teenage daughter, I often feel like I'm hanging on for the ride. But when I hear this, I remember to stop and enjoy the journey.