Something interesting has begun at Hood Canal School (grades K-8) right here on the peninsula. After more than a decade without a music program, they are now offering an extracurricular children’s choir which rehearses Monday-Thursday mornings from 7:30–8:30 a.m. Response from the kids (and parents) has been overwhelming, with over 10% of the school participating. In fact, so many kids have signed up that they’ve had to split the group into two different choirs: one for grades K-3, and one for grades 4-8.

How did this happen? Matthew Blegen, the director of the Annas Bay choir, presented the idea to the school district, offering to direct and teach the program. He has been joined by about 10 dedicated choir members who have been helping every day and sharing their love for music with the kids. They plan to have the children’s choirs collaborate with the Shelton High School choral group and stage production, as well as the Annas Bay choir later in the school year. They may also plan a concert at the end of the school year if possible.

Sir Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” It seems that the director and members of the Annas Bay Choir understand this concept and have taken steps to put it into practice. In doing this, they have encouraged me (and hopefully, you!) to find a way to give something back to my community. Suddenly the phrase, “Get a life!” takes on a whole new meaning.

What about you? Is there something you could do to serve the community in which you live? Share your ideas and dreams in our comments section.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 17th, 2008 at 4:45 am and is filed under A Home at Hood Canal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.