It’s now 10:00pm and we are all glowing after another wonderful day.
We started with a drive to Shediac, and had a visit to the Lobster education centre. Then a boat cruise around Shediac Bay, a photo op at the huge lobster sculpture, then back to Dieppe for the Mercredi Show.
The chaperones and adult travellers are chomping at the bit here, to share their highlights of the tour so far, so I’m going to turn it over to them:
Andrew: This afternoon, waiting for the concert, we had a percussion jam- me, Mario, Barry, Anja (who PASTED the bell part!) Alyona, Emerson, Taryn came and hit some stuff. Jamming. Finding the pocket. That was the highlight. We know how hard that percussion part is, and just jamming together was great.
Taco: My one highlight was showing the singers how to put their sarongs on. (editor’s note: he demonstrated the sarong wearing).
The conversation here has just disintegrated into laughing at the games we play on singers who leave their items behind in places. If we find stuff, we keep it hidden until a singer admits they have lost something. We let singers feel that sinking awful pit in the stomach feeling of “OMG I’ve lost my _______ (cellphone, wallet, new purchase, dress shoes, retainer…)” for a few moments and then we break the news that actually we found their stuff left behind. These singers are amazing, intelligent, talented young people, and we aren’t mean or scolding about it… the natural consequence of feeling that sinking feeling, is enough to help these singers learn to be more mindful. Truthfully, these kids have been phenomenal on the trip so far. We’ve tested them by hiding a singer to see if our student group leaders are paying attention, and they realized we had a missing singer immediately.
Barry: (editor’s note: no matter what he says, Barry is all about the amazing waffle fries. It’s those PEI potatoes!). Ava’s solo in Can You Hear. This goes back before the tour. Every time we have one of the singers who has come through the choir all those years, then stand there and do such a good solo, a cappella. To watch them grow up in the choir- to see them make all that progress.
Andrea is feeling the pressure to come up with a good highlight now. Barry has us all feeling verklempt.
Elise: just the lobster facts… I mean all those interesting things! (conversation has once again gone off about all the crazy lobster stuff we saw and learned today. Yes. You really CAN quiz your singer about lobster mating.) Blue lobsters. 200,00o eggs and 1% survive. (more giggling about Lobster-ology)
Marni: I have to share my yesterday memory: the way L.M. Montgomery described how the island of PEI was all rubies, emeralds and sapphires (red earth, green landscapes, the ocean. And all the lupins that line the roads!!)
Jeff: Not being in charge! Obviously is I’ve been on lots of music tours. So getting to know the kids and not worrying about being in charge- not worrying about uniforms and all the details. Being able to stand back and see how the singers interact and to be able to stand back and ENJOY watching the singers on the tour. Watching the relationships and the connections and the music evolve.
Andrea: Sitting beside the children’s choir at Anne of Green Gables, and to be able to look over down the row and see them totally LIGHT UP when Ice Cream was sung in the musical. Then tonight, when our kids sang it and the whole thing was elevated- they had incorporated the performance they saw, in to their performance tonight. They got how it all fit together. And they glowed singing it tonight.
Sunni: Knowing how tired and wound up and tense the kids were and working up to this concert tonight… and then that 5 minutes before we walked out when they got in the zone by silently going through all of their Mercredi Show set- how they pulled it all together… that was unbelievable.
More laughter about our french. More laughter about the day and the concert tonight.
Diana: I’m totally TOTALLY proud of how our singers rose to the occasion and performed SO WELL tonight. It was beautiful to have both choirs sing together. I’ll never forget singing Reel a Bouche with Mario guest soloing on spoons. So many great musical moments tonight. So grateful.
Well gentle readers… it’s late, so we’ll all sign off for the night. Your kids have been phenomenal again today.
Be sure to check out the Facebook exchange group for amazing photos.