Today was Josey's choral concert. Before it started, somebody approached me and donated postal stamps to my cause with the understanding that she could NOT be thanked. So I am not thanking J.J. Ok, now on with the REAL thank you.....
My dad and I attended the concert. If you have a child, or even know one, who has taken orchestra, been in band, or basically breathed with a collection of children in some format on stage, you know that these performances can be painful. Somehow, a night which is meant to allow the children to shine becomes an endless drone about the adult's resume or how fantastic some random administrator is for being present and collecting a paycheck (yes, I'm still annoyed that I had to applaud my nephews principal who I never met or cared about.)
What you need to understand about Mrs. Gartner is that while she absolutely has some professional chops backed up by pretty serious awards (can you say World Choir Games?) you never hear it from her during a performance. In fact, if it weren't for the exceptional quality of music and showmanship, you may not even know that lady in the black dress was top banana. She blends. Yep. I said it. She's a blender. In fact, after she conducted one song in particular, the only time she was really in front of the kids in a way that was very noticeable to the audience, she turned around and did that hand wavey thing they all do to show off the kids. What was unique, was that for her, it really was about showing off the kids. Which is good. Because as much as I have grown to appreciate her this year (and believe me I do!), I really wanted to focus on my kiddo.
Mrs. Gartner, thank you for putting on a great show. I loved it. Grandpa, who has lost a decade of his life at these things, loved it too. You uncover the diamond in all of our students so they can truly shine. You have every reason to brag about the amazing job you do, and yet you don't. Which is makes you a little gem all on your own!
No comments:
Post a Comment