A Little Singing

Last week after church Lucinda Duncan asked if I was going to stay for choir practice.  Well, no.  When church is over I want to get the kids home.  Keeping them later without anything to do while I attend a choir practice is likely not going to go well.  I brought them home and decided whilst doing so that I would go back and join in a little singing.  The choir was practicing Abide With Me Tis Eventide.  I took my normal position in the bass section and began learning the line.  It was a good choir practice.  I enjoy the choir director Kyle Bishop.  He and I are about the same age and he comes in to the LBH regularly.  Really a neat guy.  Anyhow the performance was today.  I was relieved when going up that more male voices had been added to the choir.  At the practice there were 2 basses and 2 tenors.  We had at least 4 of each today.  The song went well, we sang it acapella.  I quite enjoyed being able to do that.  Singing in the bass section of the choir is one of those things I just really like to do. 

I didn't grow up singing.  I don't know why, I just didn't.  There were a few things that I did but nothing formal.  No school choirs or anything like that.  I do remember singing in a youth choir when we lived in Hawaii and singing in the Stake Center in Honolulu.  Do they call that a Tabernacle?  I don't remember.  That was a long time ago.  I remember we sang As Zions Youth in Latter Days.  Well, other than that I didn't do much and I didn't know how to read notes.  My first day in the mission field my trainer, Elder Mayer, said to me: "It's time to go to choir practice".  I said something like "That's great, have a good time, I don't sing".  I was then informed that all the missionaries sing and that I would be joining the Bellville Ward Choir.  That is where it began.  For the Beauty of the Earth was the hymn we were singing and for the first time I began to understand notes.  I joined the bass section because it just seemed right and I really started to love singing in a choir at that time. 

Brother C.D. Roode was the choir director in the Bellville Ward.  What a fantastic man.  The second time I served in Bellville the choir did a special musical fireside/video presentation for the Prophet, Ezra Taft Benson.  We sang many of the songs about prophets.  There were special messages from the Bishop and Elders Quorum President.  The entire ward was involved.  It was a gift for President Benson's birthday.  It wasn't too long after that President Benson passed away.  I was grateful to take part in that.  I still remember the bass lines to those hymns today and think about that project and President Benson whenever we sing those hymns. 

The institute choir in Las Vegas was a great choir.  I loved participating there with Brother Steve Shank.  There again the bass section was the place to be.  At least we basses think so.  Mark Hollingshead and Thomas Wadsworth were two of my faithful bass brothers.  I remember when we performed Steven Kapp Perry's Come Oh Come to The House of The Lord.  That is probably the wrong title.  It is something like that and was all about the temple.  What a wonderful program.  We performed it several times.  I had a speaking part that I delivered in my best South African accent.  It was a good time and I enjoyed associating with the members of that choir.   

I am grateful for the times that I have sung in a choir.  I find a lot of joy in doing a little singing.  I think I will do more of it.  I also know there will be a lot more of it to do.