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Conductor's Notes By michaelk on Friday, May 19, 2006 (PST)

Congratulations to the students and to teacher Jackie Rupert. Your music was wonderful, and I'm sure your parents could feel the enthusiasm and energy you put into your performance. You should be very proud. Thank you for letting our choir sing with you. Reply to this Comment

Comments from the Host Teacher By michaelk on Monday, May 29, 2006 (PST)

Here is some email we received from Jackie Rupert, the choir director at Tahoma and Cedar River Middle Schools about this concert. (The student's notes will be added soon.) --------------------------- Dear Boeing Employee Choir Friends, I’m still flying high from the amazing performance we shared last week. It was even more thrilling than our first event together in 2005. Reading over the students' evaluations just confirms that this is an important and potentially life changing experience for my young singers. In our classroom discussion, we all agreed that is was a "magical" performance that was very moving for the singers and audience alike. Having Michael Kysar [conductor of The Boeing Employees Choir] come into the classroom gave the students a fresh, energized perspective on the music. It's also a great opportunity for me to learn from an experienced master teacher. The presence of the mature male voices in my choir room made the songs come to life in a way they hadn't in my treble-dominated choir. This excited the students, especially my boys with their newly changed voices. One of them exclaimed, "I don't feel so alone anymore!." Additionally, my students got to experience the emotional and spiritual power of music that the Boeing Choir exudes. Many students said that they "got a rush" from singing with the choir and had goose bumps during "The Awakening." Parents had tears in their eyes at the sight of music being shared between the children and the adults. The students wore expressions of awe and joy at singing next to the adults. Being submerged in that huge sound made a deep impact on my boys, especially. I will always remember looking back at one of my strongest boys and seeing his eyes sparkling and a grin plastered on his face. I know that feeling. The joy of sharing music in a free and soulful way. I'm grateful my students got to experience that, and I truly believe that they are grateful too, based on their evaluations! Jackie Rupert Tahoma Middle School Cedar River Middle School Reply to this Comment

Sing For Life isn't just a saying, it's true By ? on Friday, July 28, 2006 (PST)

I used to be a student at Tahoma Middle school, and I participated in both concerts. I found each event amazing, and with the astounding rendition of "The Awakening" I am guilty of having several tears in my eyes. These amazing singers are every bit of inspiration that a young singer, such as myself, needs. It shows there is many opportunities for choir as you get older. It shows that the passion for singing will never die, as long as you still believe in it. And the Boeing Employee's choir brings that notion to life and they represent it, and they should be proud, because many younger students were there, watched it and said "Wow, that's something...that's an inspiration"...okay, maybe not those EXACT words, but pretty darn close ;). The Sing For Life festival is a lot more than just singing in front of 500+ people (it's that too, I must admit) but it's a declaration that singing is a great healer for the soul. At the first Sing For Life festival, Mr. Kyzer had to go in for heart surgery to replace some valves, and held off his own surgery in order to do this concert. He seemed slightly weak, and even so, he directed us all and sang with us all with such a passion, a frightful dedication that no one really expected from the frail, old man who was supposed to go in for heart surgery. But of course, he was not that frail old man simply because he loved to sing and he was there doing it. He went in for surgery two days later, and (from what he told us) remembered how the concert went and did the surgery and was fine. The music seemed to help him along his way to recovery, and no one year later, he seems to be perfectly fine...Despite scaring a red-headed girl with the weird breathing techniques. Yes, Mr. Kyzer, I STILL think you making me push into your stomach was a bit odd. :). There is an old saying that goes like this: If you at first don't suceed, do not attempt_____. And the wonderful thing about Choir is that it [choir] will never be in that blank, because in choir or any other type of music, you will NOT suceed when you first try. In fact, the first time you open up your mouth and sing it tends to be horrible. If you're the greatest singer in the world, and I doubt you are, you did not start out sounding like you do now. How did you get here? Practice. And that's what choir is. You'll routinely hear the great singers saying that they began singing in their church choir or a choir at school, but nevertheless, choir jump started their carees into music. Mrs. Rupert once told me that no one is perfect, and even if there are better singers than you, you have to believe that you are the best singer in the history of the world because that is only when you can truly suceed. I thank everyone who included themselves in the Sing For Life festivals, because it really did mean that much to me. Oh!!! One last thing, Mr. Kyzer I am so sorry if I spelt your name wrong, but you know who you are. Well, it's late and I'm beginning to die of heat downstairs. Good Night. And thanks for reading. Love, Shelby Bryant (the Irish red-head who could not, at one time, pronounce the word "cinnamon" even though it is the colour of my hair) July 27, 2006. 8:22 PST Reply to this Comment