DOCSLIB.ORG

Rebecca Prushinski Pecherek MUS 1000-01 1 October 2018

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Rebecca Prushinski Pecherek MUS 1000-01 1 October 2018 Rebecca Prushinski Pecherek MUS 1000-01 1 October 2018 Concert Review Going into this concert, I initially wasn’t too excited. I’ve never thoroughly enjoyed an instrumental concert. The memories I have of band concerts include my mom forcing me to go to my sister’s high school band concerts, and listening to the Princeton High School band while waiting to go on for choir. When I witnessed these concerts, the songs always felt too long and didn’t excite me. Because of these experiences, I had a negative outlook on instrumental concerts, but the symphony orchestra was completely different. Right when I saw the large string section I knew it was going to be different than the high school band concerts I had previously experienced. The first section was titled “Hollywood Film Music” which I was excited for because I knew I would recognize most of the music. The first song performed was “Themes from 007” which was different music from the James Bond movies. I think this song was a good opener because it started out strong and engaged all parts of the orchestra right from the start. I like that there is a steadiness in the rhythm for a majority of the song in the percussion while the strings carry the melody. The changing dynamics during the different movements of the medley kept the listener engaged so the music didn’t seem as repetitive and stayed interesting the whole number. The second piece was “Goldfinger” which brought out a guest singer to sing along side the orchestra. I found that with the singer I was more focused on the vocals and didn’t pay as close of attention to the ensemble. I was very impressed with the singer, I thought she had great support through the piece. The song has a medium fast tempo and remains the same for most of piece, as does the dynamics. The singer and the ensemble both had a good energy throughout the number that made it fun to watch. The next piece was “Moon River from ‘Breakfast at ​ Tiffany’s.’” This selection contrasted the other two because it was much more calm and the ​ melody was more legatto than the previous ones. I also noticed the brass instruments in this one where before I only really noticed the strings. The next number was “Muppet Medley” which contained three songs: “The Muppet Show Theme”, “The Rainbow Connection”, and “Movin’ Right along.” The “Muppet Medley” returned back to the upbeat theme initially with the “Muppet Show Theme” but then it slowed down when it transferred to “The Rainbow Connection.” This movement was more calming and contained longer notes but still had a steadiness rhythm behind it from the percussion. The “Movin’ Right Along” section provided a great contrast and jumped immediately to being upbeat and staccato in the brass as opposed to the legatto “Rainbow Connection.” The fifth piece was “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of ​ ​ the Black Pearl”, and this included six songs which were, Fog Bound, The Medallion Calls, To the Pirates Cave, The Black Pearl, One Last Shot. I really liked this piece because I liked the different layers in the string section where some were playing melody and some were playing consistent notes. The beginning is upbeat and exciting but then slows down after the melody was introduced and repeated. Percussion is reintroduced to speed the tempo up and make it more energetic. The dynamics also increased with the more energetic movements. I loved watching the string section in this, I found it mesmerizing to see them all moving in sync. The changing dynamics and tempos made this piece extremely fun to listen to. The next piece was the “Cinema Paradiso.” This song was a break from the upbeat music we heard previously. I really enjoyed this song, it was very smooth and serene. Even though it was more calming than the other ones, it did not seem boring. The orchestra did a good job of adding crescendos and decrescendos to give shape to the music and keep it interesting to listen to. The final piece before the break was “Symphonic Suite from ‘The Lord of the Rings’” The songs included in this piece were, “The ​ ​ Fellowship Theme,” “The Prophecy (Adpt. Boyens),” “Concerning Hobbits,” “There Is Company,” “Shortcut to Mushroom,” “A Knife in the Dark,” “Argonath,” “The Breaking of the Fellowship,” and “In Dreams.” I’ve never seen The Lord of the Rings so I was excited for this ​ ​ selection because I didn’t already have a melody in mind like I did for the other ones. This song was very powerful it had strong chords in it. One of my favorite factors in it was the woodblock in the percussion section. It added a strong rhythm to the piece. This song had many contrasts in the rhythm, tempo, and dynamics. It was very fun to listen to and a great piece to end the first half with. I was excited for the second half because I was familiar with all the songs and hadn’t heard them for a long time. The First piece “Music from ‘Frozen’, contained five different songs: ​ ​ “Frozen Heart,” “Do You Want To Build a Snowman?,” “In Summer,” “Let It Go,” and “For the First Time in Forever.” I think this was a good piece to begin the second act with because practically everyone is familiar with the music from Frozen. The music is fun and upbeat. For a ​ ​ majority of the time the music is loud until it switches to the second movement. “Do You Want To Build a Snowman?” was slower and softer than the first, but had parts that were loud and strong. “In Summer” has a medium tempo and a very steady rhythm during the piece. The beginning of “ Let It Go” was much slower and had longer connected notes than the last section. The movement is building the whole time to the refrain that is full of strong, powerful chords. The final movement starts out slow and quiet to give contrast to the end of “Let it Go” and to give the orchestra a platform to build on, which allows the whole piece to be ended in a strong manner. The second piece was “Colors of the Wind” from the movie Pocahontas. The beginning ​ ​ of this piece is tranquil before the vocals begin. The tempo stayed the same for practically the whole piece so the singer and the orchestra both did a good job of using dynamics to add shape to the piece and keep the listener engaged without relying on rhythm to keep the piece interesting. The next piece was “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid. This song also ​ ​ starts out peaceful before the vocals begin. I was impressed with the singer on this one, I thought she did a good job being animated while singing and adding stresses to certain words, it was very fun to listen to. The tempo is not fast in this song and the rhythm is simple and steady but the song is still joyful. The orchestra did a good job of building up to the main part of the song where the singer gets her loudest. The fourth piece was “How Does a Moment Last Forever” from Beauty and the Beast. This song had a very strong, full sound to it without being very loud. ​ ​ The harmonies of the chords sounded very good with the tonality of her voice, I really enjoyed listening to this piece. The next song was the “Waltz from ‘Sleeping Beauty’.” This song started ​ ​ out very strong and upbeat. Once it gets into the recognizable melody, it has a steady rhythm with a faster tempo. The dynamics are constantly changing. The orchestra was very good at crescendoing through the long notes to keep the piece moving. The next piece was “Over the Rainbow from ‘The Wizard of Oz.’” I was surprised to see this one on the program because it ​ ​ didn’t seem very interesting to me musically like the other pieces did, but once I heard it I really liked the arrangement, it wasn’t as simple as I thought it would be. It was very well written and fun to listen to. The harmonies did a great job of adding to the melody that everyone knows. The final piece, “Defying Gravity” from Wicked, was the one I was most excited to listen to. Wicked was the first musical I ever saw when I was little so I’ve been familiar with the score for many years. Every time I hear that song it makes me excited. The beginning doesn’t start out loud and energetic, but just by listening you can tell the song is going to build. It starts speeding up and adding a rhythm in the percussion to add energy. The singer did a great job with this song. She did a good job of pushing through bar lines and adding dynamics to shape the piece. The end was very strong on both the vocalist’s behalf and the orchestra’s. It was a great piece to end the concert on. We have been talking about music from the Baroque period and before and none of this music was in that category, all of it was from the present day. Although the songs are not from the periods we’ve been learning about, you can still see certain characteristics in the music such as adding harmonies and melodies to the piece. I had a great time at the concert Saturday and would recommend anyone to go see the orchestra.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Second Grade Music Curriculum
    Second Grade General Music Units September: October: November: December: January: Music Elements Music Elements Composition Performance Performance Rhythm Meter Rhythmic Composition Rhythmic Composition Performance Rhythmic Notation Intro to Meter Compose 8 measure Continue work on Practice using drum Top number rhythmic rhythmic Sticks& Pads Rhythmic Values Bottom number composition composition Counting Procedures -Mrs. Music May I? Bar Lines Review Dynamics Class work Practice performing -Rhythmic Pac Man Measure Add Dynamics original rhythmic -Musical Math Musical Rest to composition compositions Measure Completion Review Rough Performance Add other rhythm band Performance Draft with teacher Special Celebrations; instruments Special Celebrations: Performance Final draft (Songs & Activities) Perform composition (Song & activities) Special Celebrations: Graded Project Hanukkah for class Welcome Back songs (Songs & Activities) Kwanzaa Graded performance Character Ed Songs Fire Safety Songs Performance Christmas Performance Apple Songs Columbus Songs (Special Celebrations) Character Ed Special Celebrations: Butterfly Cycle Halloween Songs -Hiawatha Rhythm (Songs & Activities) th September 11 -Patriot Red Ribbon Songs Story -Month of the Year Rap Day Rhythm Pumpkin Patch -Thanksgiving Songs -Bundled Up September 17th- -I’m Thankful… -Martin Luther King Songs Constitution Day -Character Ed -Winter Songs February: March: April: May: June: Performance Music In Our Schools Music Elements Music Elements Performance Performance
    [Show full text]
  • Transmedia Muppets: the Possibilities of Performer Narratives
    Volume 5, Issue 2 September 2012 Transmedia Muppets: The Possibilities of Performer Narratives AARON CALBREATH-FRASIEUR, University of Nottingham ABSTRACT This article examines how the Muppets franchise engages with transmedia narratives, their stories moving fluidly between television, film, comics, the internet and more. Rather than highlight the complexity Henry Jenkins (2006), Elizabeth Evans (2011) and others associate with transmedia, an examination of the Muppets offers insight into a mechanism that allows for simpler coherent connection between texts. The Muppets’ ongoing performer narrative challenges the prevailing understanding of transmedia storytelling. As performative characters (singers, actors, performance artists), any text concerned with Muppets, even those in which they act as other characters, becomes part of an overarching Muppet narrative. A high degree of self-reflexivity further supports transmediality, as most Muppet texts contain references to that text as a performance by the Muppets. Thus the comic Muppet Robin Hood and the film Muppet Treasure Island continue the story of the Muppets as further insight is gained into the characters' personalities and ongoing performance history. Examining different iterations of the Muppets franchise illuminates the ramifications of performer narratives for transmedia storytelling. KEYWORDS Transmedia storytelling, franchise, narrative, Muppets, multi-platform For over fifty-five years the Muppets have been appearing in media texts. They began on local television but have spread across most contemporary mediums, with many of these texts part of the over-arching, ongoing Muppet story. This article explores an alternative framework for defining one form of transmedia storytelling. This model suggests a complication in the understanding of transmedia storytelling put forward by Henry Jenkins (2006) and Elizabeth Evans (2011).
    [Show full text]
  • Timothy Bonenfant CV 2020-21
    Timothy Bonenfant, D.M.A., Clarinetist Carr Education Fine-Arts Building, Room 217 ASU Station #10906; San Angelo, TX 76909-0906 (325) 486-6029 | [email protected] TEACHING EXPERIENCE 2005-present Professor of Music Angelo State University: San Angelo, TX Teach single reed studio (clarinet and saxophone) and advise students within the studio. Direct ASU Jazz Ensemble. Teach classes in Improvisation, Woodwind Methods, Jazz History, Introduction to Music and Survey of Rock and Roll. Direct/coach small woodwind ensembles (saxophone quartet, clarinet choir). 2017-2018 Adjunct Professor of Music Hardin Simmons University: Abilene, TX Taught saxophone studio while a search for a permanent replacement was conducted. 1996-2005 Instructor Las Vegas Academy for the Fine and Performing Arts: Las Vegas, NV Taught private lessons, fundamentals of music, and coached woodwind sectionals. 1993-2005 Lecturer University of Nevada, Las Vegas Taught Jazz Appreciation, Music Appreciation, History of Rock and Roll, History of American Popular Music, Finale: An Introduction, Music Fundamentals (for non-majors), Remedial Music Theory/Ear-Training. Also taught private lessons for clarinet and saxophone students. Developed new courses for the department; History of American Popular Music, and Finale: An Introduction. UNIVERSITY CLASSES TAUGHT Applied Music: Clarinet/Saxophone Woodwind Chamber Music Jazz Ensemble Improvisation Survey of Rock and Roll History of Jazz History of American Popular Music Introduction to Music Woodwind Methods Senior Recital Finale™
    [Show full text]
  • Computational Modelling and Quantitative Analysis of Dynamics in Performed Music
    Computational Modelling and Quantitative Analysis of Dynamics in Performed Music Katerina Kosta PhD thesis School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science Queen Mary University of London 2017 Abstract Musical dynamics|loudness and changes in loudness|forms one of the key aspects of ex- pressive music performance. Surprisingly this rather important research area has received little attention. A reason is the fact that while the concept of dynamics is related to signal amplitude, which is a low-level feature, the process of deriving perceived loudness from the signal is far from straightforward. This thesis advances the state of the art in the analysis of perceived loudness by modelling dynamic variations in expressive music performance and by studying the relation between dynamics in piano recordings and markings in the score. In particular, we show that dynamic changes: a) depend on the evolution of the performance and the local context of the piece; b) correspond to important score markings and music structures; and, c) can reflect wide divergences in performers' expressive strategies within and across pieces. In a preparatory stage, dynamic changes are obtained by linking existing music audio and score databases. All studies in this thesis are based on loudness levels extracted from 2000 recordings of 44 Mazurkas by Fr´ed´ericChopin. We propose a new method for efficiently aligning and annotating the data in score beat time representation, based on dynamic time warping applied to chroma features. Using the score-aligned recordings, we examine the relationship between loudness values and dynamic level categories. The research can be broadly categorised into two parts.
    [Show full text]
  • Margaret P. Fay, Doctor of Music 101 Walnut Street, London, on N6H 1C3 [email protected] 226-224-8377
    Margaret P. Fay, Doctor of Music 101 Walnut Street, London, ON N6H 1C3 [email protected] 226-224-8377 www.margaretpfay.ca CURRICULUM VITAE Education Western University PhD in Music Theory Doctoral Candidate as of August 2018 • Entered program with Advanced Standing due to doctoral level music theory courses previously taken at Indiana University • Graduate ResearcH ScHolarsHip • Teaching Assistant for Studies in Music Theory I and II (See TeacHing Experience for details.) • Graduate courses in Set THeory and Transformational Analysis Indiana University Doctor of Music in Bassoon Performance December 2017 • Bassoon studies witH Professor William Ludwig and Professor KatHleen McLean • Minor in Music THeory • Taught as Associate Instructor in the Music Theory Department for six semesters while completing doctoral course work (See Teaching Experience for details.) • Piano lessons witH Professor Reiko Neriki • Master’s and doctoral courses in College Music TeacHing, Music THeory Pedagogy, Woodwind Literature, ScHenkerian Analysis, RhytHm and Meter, History of Music THeory, Readings in Music THeory, MoZart Operas University of British Columbia Master of Arts in Music Theory August 2010 • Master’s tHesis entitled: “Using single-line instruments as a means of reinforcing concepts of harmony: a discussion of exercises for use in individual and group settings” • Composition lessons witH Dr. StepHen Chatman • Bassoon lessons with Professor Jesse Read and Professor Julia Lockhart • Graduate courses in ScHenkerian Analysis, Post-tonal Analysis, Classical Form, Analysis of Late Romantic Works, BraHms CHamber Music Ithaca College Master of Music in Bassoon Performance June 2009 • Bassoon studies witH Professor Lee Goodhew Romm • Piano lessons witH Professor Phiroze Mehta • Composition lessons witH Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • "Rainbow Connections" by Wade Bradford to Jim Henson Scene
    "Rainbow Connections" by Wade Bradford To Jim Henson Scene One: The Yellow Group enters. They sing: “You Are My Sunshine.” After the song, Emma steps forward. Song: “Walking On Sunshine” Emma singing the first part. Katy singing a verse. The ENTIRE CAST enters and dances/sings during the last portion of the song. Scene Two: Liam plays part of Rainbow Connection on his guitar. Matthew is fishing. Fiona is reading a book. Little Frog enters. (Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit.) FIONA: Look. It’s a little lost frog. FROG: Mama? MATT: It’s a little lost talking frog. Bid deal. (Goes back to fishing.) FIONA: Hi there. Don’t be afraid. Do you need help little frog? FROG: I want my mama. FIONA: He needs to find his Mama. MATT: So? FIONA: We have to help him. MATT: But I’m busy. Can’t you tell the fish are jumping? (Fish jump.) FIONA: Don’t be so selfish, Matthew! MATT: Don’t be so annoying, Fiona! Wow, this one’s a fighter! FIONA: If I help you catch your fish, will you help me find the little frog’s mother? MATT: (Being pulled by the fish.) I don’t need any help! FIONA: Well, I guess it’s just you and me, little frog. 1 MATT: Okay, okay! Help me! Fiona helps Matt pull the fishing line in. They have a toy/plush stuffed Nemo on the line. MATT: Hey! We found Nemo! FIONA: Just let the poor thing go. This little frog’s mama must be worried sick. MATT: But how are we supposed to find his home? FIONA: I think he must live in the marsh, MATT: Where? FIONA: Over there.
    [Show full text]
  • Four Distinctions for the Auditory ``Wastebasket'' of Timbre
    OPINION published: 04 October 2017 doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01747 Four Distinctions for the Auditory “Wastebasket” of Timbre1 Kai Siedenburg 1, 2* and Stephen McAdams 1 1 Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology, Schulich School of Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, 2 Department of Medical Physics and Acoustics, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany Keywords: timbre perception, music cognition, psychoacoustics, conceptual framework, definitions 1. INTRODUCTION If there is one thing about timbre that researchers in psychoacoustics and music psychology agree on, it is the claim that it is a poorly understood auditory attribute. One facet of this commonplace conception is that it is not only the complexity of the subject matter that complicates research, but also that timbre is hard to define (cf., Krumhansl, 1989). Perhaps for lack of a better alternative, one can observe a curious habit in introductory sections of articles on timbre, namely to cite a definition from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and to elaborate on its shortcomings. For the sake of completeness (and tradition!) we recall: “Timbre. That attribute of auditory sensation which enables a listener to judge that two nonidentical sounds, similarly presented and having the same loudness and pitch, are dissimilar [sic]. NOTE-Timbre depends primarily upon the frequency spectrum, although it also depends upon the sound pressure and the temporal characteristics of the sound.” (ANSI, 1994, p. 35) One of the strongest criticisms of this conceptual framing was given by Bregman (1990), Edited by: commenting, Mari Tervaniemi, University of Helsinki, Finland “This is, of course, no definition at all.
    [Show full text]
  • Second Grade Music Choice Boards
    Second Grade Music Choice Boards 1) Select 2 of the following 9 choice boards for the entire quarter 2) Make a list, take a picture, or record yourself demonstrating the 2 activities of your choice 3) Share the document with me, either in Google classroom, Gmail, or my school email address Have fun and be musical! Music Choice Boards Information Music will be a recorded lesson in Google classroom that students can view at any time. Students are encouraged to watch and participate to the best of their ability. In addition to watching the videos and participating, students will be given Choice Boards that they may select 2 activities of their choice to complete for the quarter. You can write, type, take a picture, or send a video of yourself completing the activity to your music teacher. The first activity is due October 2. The second activity is due November 13. Any questions, please reach out. Music Choice Boards #1-3 1 Dynamics 2 Tempo 3 Pitch Pick 10 sounds and use the Pick 10 sounds and/or items and following music words to describe use the following music words to Pick 10 sounds and use the them: describe them: following music words to Piano - soft Forte - Loud describe them: Largo - very slow Pianissimo - Very Soft Presto - very fast Fortissimo - Very Loud Treble - high Bass - Low Adagio - slow Allegro - fast Submit your listing of sounds and Submit your listing of sounds their dynamics to your teacher. and their pitch to your Submit your listing of sounds teacher. and their tempo to your teacher.
    [Show full text]
  • “The Rainbow Connection” “Why Are There So Many Songs About
    “The Rainbow Connection” Rev. Ken McGarry at The First Church in Stoneham, Massachusetts February 21, 2021 – First Sunday in Lent Genesis 9:8-17; Mark 1:9-15 “Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what’s on the other side?” We were once asked this in song by a banjo- plucking frog named Kermit at the beginning of the Muppet Movie. Kermit’s song echoed the ballad of Dorothy Gale of Kansas who sang decades before about a place somewhere over the rainbow, where dreams come true and “trouble melts like lemon drops.” Both of these beautiful songs about rainbows were offered at the beginnings of journeys the singers would take to find something better in their lives. Kermit, along with his Muppet pals, was journeying to seek success and to make people happy in show business while staying away from the evil Doc Hopper, who was trying to capture Kermit to make him the spokesfrog of his struggling frog leg restaurant business. Dorothy was seeking a more colorful existence than she experienced in Kansas, while staying away from dog-hating Mrs. Gulch/The Wicked Witch of the West, only to find that all Dorothy ever really wanted was right in her own home. As we begin the season of Lent and our own journeys through it, our songs and stories could echo those of Dorothy and Kermit, as we, too, journey to seek better things in life while 1 staying or turning away from the more wicked things in life. And as we step forward on this journey together today, we join with Dorothy and Kermit not only in seeking something better in life, but in pondering the rainbow, which is the subject of today’s reading from the Hebrew scriptures.
    [Show full text]
  • The Muppet Movie" (1979) Worksheet Mr
    "The Muppet Movie" (1979) Worksheet Mr. Oncay's Drama Class - Puppetry Unit § Be sure to answer the longer questions while you are watching the movie. Do your best to circle the correct answers to the multiple-choice questions as you watch the movie. Some of them are tricky! You can only work with an elbow partner (only one other person–the person sitting next to you) or by yourself. 1. Who was Arnie? a. the agent b. the alligator c. the balloon salesperson d. the sailor 2. What was Kermit's first mode of transportation? a. a car b. a train c. a bus d. a bicycle 3. Who does Kermit meet first on his way to Hollywood? a. Miss Piggy b. Gonzo c. Fozzie d. Big Bird 4. Doc Hopper says Kermit can earn $500 how often? a. every day b. every year c. every week d. every month 5. Why did Doc Hopper chase Kermit and Fozzie almost to Hollywood? a. to hire him as a spokesfrog for fried frog's legs b. to use Kermit in a frog-jumping contest c. to tease him d. to honor him with an award 6. What patriotic song did Fozzie sing? a. God Bless America b. America, the Beautiful c. My Country 'Tis of Thee d. The Star Spangled Banner 7. Where did Fozzie get his Studebaker? a. He found it in the junkyard b. He bought it for $11.95 c. He borrowed it from his mom d. His uncle left it to him 8. Where did Kermit and Fozzie first meet Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Outcome 3 – Communication CWA Measurable Criteria Measurement Tool Time Frame 1
    ASSESSMENT REPORT: 2009‐2011 DEPARTMENT: MUSIC INSTRUCTOR: McNamara, Hermann, Barnett DATE: October 2011 Outcome 1 – Computation CWA Measurable Criteria Measurement Tool Time Frame Student will “devise appropriate strategies, employ valid In Music 100 (Fundamentals of Student learning MUSC 100: Consecutive reasoning, and apply correct procedures” (Computation Music) demonstrated on the Key quarters from 2010 Outcome B) when demonstrating the following student 1. Students read the symbols used to Signature Test will be until 2011, contingent learning outcome for MUSC 100: “Combine the raw express the key signatures and name evaluated using outcome upon enrollment. One materials to understand tonality, scales, key signatures, the key represented. B of the college‐wide section of the class is intervals, and triads.” 2. Students write correctly certain computation rubric. offered every quarter, specified key signatures. including summer. Results: McNamara (Winter 2010 & Winter 2011) Students scored an average of 3.11 and 3.14 on the Key Signature Test. Hermann (Spring 2010 & Spring 2011) Most students scored at Level 3 or Level 4. Analysis and Action: McNamara (Winter 2010 & Winter 2011) In this assessment period I gave the test at the end of the winter quarters and did not integrate it into the rest of my testing procedures or evaluation methods, i.e. it was not included in the students’ final grade for the course. Instead, I used my own key signature tests as part of more comprehensive tests that I gave during the quarter. From now on I will make it a feature of my students’ tests. Not only will I make it count toward their final grade, but I will give an incentive of extra credit points for scoring well on this test.
    [Show full text]
  • “Summertime and the Livin' Is Easy. Fish Are Jumping and the Cotton Is High.” So Begins the Crowd Favorite From​
    “Summertime and the livin’ is easy. Fish are jumping and the cotton is high.” So begins the crowd favorite from Porgy and Bess, the award-winning jazz, or folk, opera, set deep in the South. As a child of the ​ ​ Mississippi Delta, mosquitoes, gnats, and all, I can close my eyes and drift back to the summers of my youth and feel the humidity and remember the earthy smell of evening showers. I am reminded of decoration days, revivals, and, of course, Vacation Bible School. It is also the time for hymn singing, summer camps, and the county fair. Relatives came to visit and the poor toiled to bring in the crops. Summertime. Toe tied to the fishing pole. Fireflies caught in a jar. Long afternoons rocking in a porch swing reading of far off places or scenarios I could only imagine. Canning jars and freshly made pies cooling on the porch. Summertime. How will your season go in this very surreal year? Living is not so easy. Strange how staying at home has become a burden. As in all of life's cycles, we need not complain about what is out of our control. Summertime also brings drownings, floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Fires rage. Droughts ruin. In the third chapter of Ecclesiastes, God tells us to enjoy all the seasons of our lives. They are gifts to every generation. In these verses we are reminded of the juxtaposition of good and bad, work and play, war and peace. Is your life balanced? Do you make the most of every season, understanding that without knowing the depths of despair, we can never truly experience joy? Do you have the memory of hard work resulting in a celebration of a job well done? Have you lived through turmoil only to discover the profound sense of peace that only arrives after stress? In His seasons, living is easy when we trust.
    [Show full text]