Friday, March 14, 2008

Irish Hymn Festival

The three choirs of Winnebago Lutheran Academy will present a hymn festival of Irish hymn tunes on March 17, 2008 at 3:30 and 7:00 PM at Faith Lutheran Church, 55 Prairie Road, Fond du Lac, WI. The concert is free and open to the public. The audience will be invited to sing along on many of the hymns. A free will offering will be taken.

The hymn selections will be: (click here for PDF of Concert Program)

1. I Bind Unto Myself Today (ST. PATRICK'S BREASTPLATE)
2. Alive by Death (CLONMEL/THE FLIGHT OF THE EARLS)
3. This Is My Will (EMLY/SUANTRAI)
4. In Christ Alone

Offering: Handbells
  • Jesus, I Will Ponder Now
  • Good Christians All, Rejoice
5. O Christ the Same (LONDONDERRY AIR)
6. The King of Love (ST. COLUMBA)
7. Be Thou My Vision (SLANE)

Monday, March 10, 2008

Dem Dry Bones

The Old Testament reading in my church this weekend was Ezekiel 37:1-14 which is the story of the Valley of the Dry Bones. As I was sitting in church yesterday listening to this Bible story, my church musician brain clicked in and remembered the hymn in which one of the last verses has the text "for such dry bones as we". Sure enough, we sang Isaac Watts hymn "Lord, We Confess Our Numerous Faults" in place of the hymn of the day, "My Song Is Love Unknown", which opened the service.

Then in chapel this morning at WLA, Pastor Putz had the exact same text, Ezekiel 37:1-14, and sang for the WLA student body the African-American spiritual "Dem Dry Bones", much to the amusement of the student body. Pastor Putz demonstrated something that has amazed me before and reinforces what I believe: music needs to be taught to little kids–if it is, they will remember it all of their lives.

He related the story of when he learned "Dem Dry Bones", which has the familiar refrain
...Your knee bone connected to your thigh bone,
Your thigh bone connected to your hip bone,
Your hip bone connected to your back bone...
I was amazed that he could remember this song that he was taught in grade school and that he could sing it word for word for the entire student body even after more than 50 years. It stuck with him! Plus he got the student body clapping along with him!

I had to look up in my Bible the reference to "Lord, We Confess Our Numerous Faults" (Christian Worship 398:5). I could only remember the last line "for such dry bones as we".

Shouldn't we teach our children the truths of God's Word in ways that they can remember them all of their lives? I've wanted to make a list for a while now showing songs, hymns, and spirituals which teach the truths of God's Word and correlate that list with Bible stories and Bible lessons in grade school and Bible readings in church.

Monday, March 3, 2008

March 8 Instrumental Solo Ensemble Schedules (ULTRA FINAL!)

UPDATED 3/7/08 1:16 PM

MASTER SITE SCHEDULE (ULTRA FINAL)
ALL SCHOOL SCHEDULE (ULTRA FINAL)


Below you will find links to the schedules for the March 8, 2008 WSMA Flyway Conference Vocal & Piano Solo/Ensemble Festival which is being hosted by Winnebago Lutheran Academy (Click here for directions to WLA).

Please note: Each school has two schedules (performers and accompanists) sorted in two different ways, (1) by the time they are performing and then the site where they are performing and (2) by the site where they are performing and then the time that they perform. There are also master room schedules for the entire day, master accompanist's schedules, and a map of WLA with site numbers marked.

Any questions? Dale Witte, WLA's choir director, is the festival manager for both the March 1st and March 8th festivals. You can reach him at his school number: 920-921-4930 ext. 310 or by email: dawitte@wlavikings.org.

FINAL Room Schedules:
Site 1, Site 2, Site 3, Site 4, Site 5, Site 6, Site 7, Site 8, Site 9, Site 10, Site 11

Bessie Allen Middle School (BAMS):
Time-Site, Site-Time, Accomp Time-Site, Accomp Site-Time

Brandon Middle School (BMS):
Time-Site, Site-Time, Accomp Time-Site, Accomp Site-Time

Faith Lutheran Grade School (FAITH):
Time-Site, Site-Time, Accomp Time-Site, Accomp Site-Time

Horicon High School (HHS):
Time-Site, Site-Time, Accomp Time-Site, Accomp Site-Time

Horace Mann High School (HMHS):
Time-Site, Site-Time, Accomp Time-Site, Accomp Site-Time

Laconia High School (LACHS):
Time-Site, Site-Time, Accomp Time-Site, Accomp Site-Time

Lomira High School (LHS):
Time-Site, Site-Time, Accomp Time-Site, Accomp Site-Time

Lomira Junior High School (LJH):
Time-Site, Site-Time, Accomp Time-Site, Accomp Site-Time

Mayville High School (MHS):
Time-Site, Site-Time, Accomp Time-Site, Accomp Site-Time

Mayville Middle School (MMS):
Time-Site, Site-Time, Accomp Time-Site, Accomp Site-Time

Oshkosh West High School (OSHW):
Time-Site, Site-Time, Accomp Time-Site, Accomp Site-Time

Rosendale Middle School (RMS):
Time-Site, Site-Time, Accomp Time-Site, Accomp Site-Time

St. Mary's Springs High School (SMS):
Time-Site, Site-Time, Accomp Time-Site, Accomp Site-Time

Van Brunt Middle School (VBMS):
Time-Site, Site-Time, Accomp Time-Site, Accomp Site-Time

Waupun High School (WHS):
Time-Site, Site-Time, Accomp Time-Site, Accomp Site-Time

Winnebago Lutheran Academy (WLA):
Time-Site, Site-Time, Accomp Time-Site, Accomp Site-Time

Winnebago Lutheran Area Band (WLAB):
Time-Site, Site-Time, Accomp Time-Site, Accomp Site-Time