Performances, Planned and Impromptu

So tonight is the fourth grade music program. Six songs, twenty speaking parts, one song has three instrument parts and they break out into singing in four parts, one song has two part singing while twenty kids go stand in the back and play the recorder and the front row plays the tambourine, two songs feature kazoo, all sorts of craziness. And my girls have piano tonight. So life is already going to be a bit nuts.

Then they call a staff meeting.

Then, after the staff meeting, I learn that, as hospitality head, in charge of a bosses day gift for both bosses for Monday. So I deal with that.

Then I take my kids to my room so I can set out instruments, check the lighting with the projector, print out homework passes and tidy up so that everything will be ready. Then we can go home, eat, I can freshen up and then Dowlan can take the kids and I can go back to school.

Except that I walk in and toss my keys on the cabinet, the seven foot tall, twelve foot long cabinet that weighs 300 lbs empty and then they slide to the back and fall through the crack between the base and the credenza.

Oops


So I empty the text books, teacher editions, art supplies, 2 keyboards, sixty tambourines and composer statues from the top. Then I empty the four sets of handbells and chimes, 14 years of ballet costumes, etc, etc, etc from the bottom.

Then I still can't move it.

Meanwhile, the girls are trying on the costumes and Charlie is digging through my treasure box and then they all go onto the stage in the gym and start to make up their own show. I call to the fourth grade teachers' rooms and one kind man is there and willing to help.

It moved. Whew.

Along with my keys, we find a cornucopia of random, errant items that I happily abandon there. I turn around and realize that, in one hour, eighty five children are going to occupy this space that looks like a music room threw up in it because, well, it did.

I call Dowlan to come pick the kids up at school, as dinner and primping are clearly not going to happen.

We start out organizing and end up shoving. Dowlan appears to help and I leave him to it so that I can print out homework passes. I format, copy, paste and all that fun stuff and hit print.

Guess whose printer doesn't work?

Fun. More cleaning, more wires, more $(&)@!?.

My kids cannot possibly leave, as they have a very important performance to put on that we cannot possibly miss. With minutes before parents arrive and nothing set up yet, we go in to watch.

It was fabulous. Charlie announced them. Girls came in in tutus, girls danced. The plot was intriguing, the dancing exhilarating. Charlie came and sat next to us. The story reached a point where they needed a volunteer from the audience and, wouldn't you know it, Dixie picked Charlie instead of me.

More action, then resolution. Charlie informed us that "this is just chapter one; there are one hundred chapters" but we needed to save those for another day, as I heard people arriving for the 'real show'.

And while my show was good and I'm incredibly proud of my students tonight, I am so glad I paused long enough to enjoy the other show. It came from the heart.