I attended Vespers this year mainly because my sister is in Grape Jam and it's her first year. But what I had expected to be the tiresome sort of event I remembered from middle school, proved to be an incredible performance with an attentive and supportive audience. The students were professional in their behavior and their dress, but not overly formal or cold. They danced and moved to the music when appropriate and were clearly all happy to be there, sharing their talents with the community.
It began with a rousing middle school and high school rendition of Bonse Aba, a Zambian children's song whose main line is "all who sing have the right to be called the children of God." The audience clapped along, and the choirs all danced, it was very lively and really created a community environment. Vespers also ended with an all grade number: Let the River Run. Having Vespers bookended by all grade performances was fantastic because you could see kids from all different ages and grades come together as a family and create music.
There was a great mixture of popular music, like 21 Guns by Green Day, feel good songs like Bonse Aba, Let the River Run, and the Circle of Life, old carols, and fun songs from the middle school choirs like Ding-a-Dong.
I also enjoyed seeing Parker extend the community to the drummers, who are not members of the school, but added joy to the performance.
I want to say a big thank you to the music teachers for what was clearly the product of hours upon hours of hard work and enthusiasm. Their love and commitment for the school and the students shone through.
It was a heartwarming event.
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