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First Concert
Dec. 10th, 2002 03:14 pmMy Garden club decided to do something different this year, and instead of our usual pot luck party, we went to a Holiday Concert at the local community college. Usually, this is a family thing, but John was a party-pooper because Carole was not going to cook her crown pork roast. We were supposed to meet at our President's house and wrap presents for our Project Self-Sufficiency family. This is a program for single moms trying to get off welfare, and they are usually going to school and working as well, and they often don't have much left over to get presents for their families. We adopt one every year.
I had a niggling feeling all day, that there was something I was supposed to be doing. Finally at about 6:30 it hit me that I was supposed to be over at Carole's. I called and arranged to meet them at the theater (I'll just have to give Ruth my present later). Gareth said he wanted to go and Angus eddied he wanted to as well. Even though Angus is older, he is a lot more wiggly, so I had some reservations. But in the end, I decided to take the chance that it wasn't sold out, and all three of us went. Ruth gave us two tickets and I had to buy another, and we sat at the end of the row so we wouldn't have to climb over everyone if we had to leave. Also, so wiggling wouldn't disturb anyone.
I had explained to them both before we went inside, that if they needed to talk to me they had to whisper. We looked at the program and I explained to them what all the different instruments were, and what they would see when the curtain went up. Each member of the band had a Xmas banner on the front of their music stand - some had angels, reindeer, and the conductor had one shaped like Santa, so it appeared Santa was holding up his podium. The conductor wore tails and a green waistcoat, and the announcer, who had a rather cheesy patter running through the whole thing, called him "Maestro." Gareth was rapt from the first moment the band began to play; Angus, however, slouched and kept trying to put his feet up on the seat, talk out loud, hum, and generally had a bit of trouble sitting still, although he liked the music. They especially enjoyed the "March of the Wooden Soldiers," where a bunch of little girls from the local ballet school, in soldier costumes, did a little dance number, and the at the end, when at lot of fake snow started falling out of the ceiling of the stage. They also liked the sing-along at the end too, although they didn't know the words. Overall, they behaved themselves pretty well, and we didn't have to leave at intermission, like I thought we might (I think the cookies at intermission helped). So the experiment was a success. Maybe we'll try a movie next.
I really need to go dig out my Christmas music.
I had a niggling feeling all day, that there was something I was supposed to be doing. Finally at about 6:30 it hit me that I was supposed to be over at Carole's. I called and arranged to meet them at the theater (I'll just have to give Ruth my present later). Gareth said he wanted to go and Angus eddied he wanted to as well. Even though Angus is older, he is a lot more wiggly, so I had some reservations. But in the end, I decided to take the chance that it wasn't sold out, and all three of us went. Ruth gave us two tickets and I had to buy another, and we sat at the end of the row so we wouldn't have to climb over everyone if we had to leave. Also, so wiggling wouldn't disturb anyone.
I had explained to them both before we went inside, that if they needed to talk to me they had to whisper. We looked at the program and I explained to them what all the different instruments were, and what they would see when the curtain went up. Each member of the band had a Xmas banner on the front of their music stand - some had angels, reindeer, and the conductor had one shaped like Santa, so it appeared Santa was holding up his podium. The conductor wore tails and a green waistcoat, and the announcer, who had a rather cheesy patter running through the whole thing, called him "Maestro." Gareth was rapt from the first moment the band began to play; Angus, however, slouched and kept trying to put his feet up on the seat, talk out loud, hum, and generally had a bit of trouble sitting still, although he liked the music. They especially enjoyed the "March of the Wooden Soldiers," where a bunch of little girls from the local ballet school, in soldier costumes, did a little dance number, and the at the end, when at lot of fake snow started falling out of the ceiling of the stage. They also liked the sing-along at the end too, although they didn't know the words. Overall, they behaved themselves pretty well, and we didn't have to leave at intermission, like I thought we might (I think the cookies at intermission helped). So the experiment was a success. Maybe we'll try a movie next.
I really need to go dig out my Christmas music.
