Life's not just about hitting the high note

By Mary Morrell
Catholic Online

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100

So, there I was, at the end of four days of what one choir member lovingly referred to as "choral boot camp," filled with passion for the songs and lessons that would end our time together with evening prayer.

The church lights were dim, altar smoke rose like the plaintive notes of our first hymn and I was grateful to be there praising God with so many dedicated people. It was perfect - emphasis on "was."

Hayden's Gloria began flawlessly, "Gloria in excelsis Deo!" The choir sounded wonderful. I was lost in the words and the music. Then I had my moment in the sun, my time to stand out and hit the high note, and I did, just as the director had taught us - passionately and with emphasis -- "Glo......!"

The problem was that altos, at least in this piece, were not supposed to hit the high note!

It took less than a second to register that something was wrong. I stopped short in horror, realizing I was singing alone because I had come in at the wrong measure.

What made it worse was the fact that the evening was being recorded on a CD. My mistake was now recorded for posterity!

The delightful, young alto partner next to me patted my shoulder to tell me it was ok, but, at least for the following few minutes, I would have given anything for the floor to open up under me so I could disappear into it.

But life has taught me a lot about making mistakes, about seeing failures as stepping stones to success and about the value of humbling experiences, reflecting the words of Dr. Alfred Adler: "What do you first do when you learn to swim? You make mistakes, do you not? And what happens? You make other mistakes, and when you have made all the mistakes you possibly can without drowning - and some of them many times over - what do you find? That you can swim? Well - life is just the same as learning to swim! Do not be afraid of making mistakes, for there is no other way of learning how to live!"

The lessons learned in choral singing have reiterated Dr. Adler's teaching as well. Life, as singing, is not about being perfect, being the best or having all the answers. It's about the journey, it's about the learning, the becoming. For us, as Christians, that journey means learning how to love - God and each other.

And often, the most powerful lessons are the ones we learn from our mistakes.

In the words of Mary Pickford, one of my mom's favorite old-time actresses, "If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down."

So, having gotten to my feet once again, I will continue to sing, for the sheer joy of it, for the relationships I have forged and the faith that has been nurtured through the words and music of composers whose hearts were fixed on God.

After all, 'tis a gift to sing and come before God with joyful songs!

Contact

Diocese of Metuchen
http://www.diometuchen.org NJ, US
Mary Morrell - Associate Director, Office of Religious Education, 732 562-1990

Email

Mmorrell@diometuchen.org

Keywords

life, high note, sing, songs, choir

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