Bangor High School sings and the Space Station and Shuttle fly by.
I started my day in the House of Representatives with the Bangor chorus singing the National Anthem. They were wonderful and the members of the House agreed and gave the students a standing ovation! I had goosebumps and couldn’t help but wonder why some adults struggle with the value of arts education. I often find myself in awe of what music educators like George Redman, who lead the chorus, and Jackie Frisk, who joined the group for the trip down from Bangor, are able to do with students.
I had the pleasure of visiting Jackie in a 2nd grade class two years ago. She had a Chorus in the gym. The students were poised, happy and clearly excited about their participation. It was my first time seeing a 2nd grade chorus and I admit that it was difficult to see the children through my tears. Anyone who doubts what singing can do for young students, needs to watch Jackie in action.
During that visit to Bangor I also stopped in at the middle school to see George (before school) with a chorus. As he went through the warm-up drills with the students at 7:00 in the morning I was surprised at not only how alert the group was, but also engaged in their learning.
Space shuttle at night
After supper tonight, my husband and I stepped out on the deck at 7:38 to search the sky for the space shuttle and station overhead. Sure enough, as scheduled, at 7:41, we saw the bright, fast moving light come from the west, go overhead and disappear in the clear eastern sky. We watched in the still night, waved and called out (as if they could hear me) and I had the same sense of wonder swell up in my heart that I had for the students singing early this morning.
With relatively little effort the US puts people into space on a somewhat regular basis now, as compared to the first time Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. We understand the benefits of the space program and exploration yet some struggle with spending money for arts education. Is it the spending or the lack of understanding? Whatever it is, as the space program has struggled over the years, we, who believe, and understand the value of arts education need to continue to invite all to hear the music!
Did anyone else see the shuttle and space station go over Maine?
