I love it when life offers up sweet little surprises that give you a little extra reason to smile. This past Sunday yielded several pleasantries that I really appreciated, including the pleasure of being back at church and in front of my church choir for the first time since my hospitalization. After several days of “house arrest,” it felt so good to be with people I love and who love me. And after that, I spent most of the afternoon teaching makeup lessons at Carthage – with a little break in the midst of them to enjoy an inspiring concert by the Carthage Philharmonic Orchestra. Of all of the ways in which the Carthage music department has grown and matured over the last few years, it is in the orchestral arena where some of the most exciting development has occurred, and this concert was an emphatic confirmation of that. And with me still on the mend, it was nice to just be in the audience to drink in the music with no responsibility other than to simply enjoy it! It also also felt great to spend much of the rest of the afternoon and early evening teaching makeup voice lessons to some of my Carthage students. Going almost an entire week without my voice students is stranger than strange- and it felt so good to be back in the saddle again with these students who mean so much to me.
Of all of the pleasures I enjoyed on Sunday, one of the most fun came when one of my current voice students, Austin Merschdorf texted me with an interesting request. He wondered if it would be okay with me if he yielded some of his lesson time so I could spend a few minutes working with his younger brother, Lucas- a high school sophomore- who had just earned a l-star rating at Solo & Ensemble but was anxious to work on bringing his solo up to the next level of excellence. In this era where too many people seem content to rest on their laurels and expend as little effort as possible towards improvement, it was delightful to receive such a request – and I said an immediate and enthusiastic YES!
And it turned out to be an even more fun than I expected it to be. I knew Lucas was a good singer because of a couple of short videos that his proud mom had posted on Facebook, but this was my first chance to hear his voice in person. God has blessed him with a rich and powerful voice that is not unlike his older brother’s voice- and if you have heard Austin sing, you know what a compliment that is. But beyond just the sheer beauty of his sound is the very evident joy with which he sings (again, reminiscent of Austin.) Of course, it wouldn’t have been much of a lesson if there hadn’t been a minor fault or two for me to point out- but that’s where it really got fun – because Lucas was like a sponge, ready to soak up every single suggestion I had for him …. whether it involved fixing some minor errors in his Italian pronunciation, refining his style, or reshaping his vocal approach to a couple of important passages. He welcomed every single suggestion- and acted on them all with whole-hearted enthusiasm. A teacher couldn’t ask for more, especially from someone who was in his very first lesson with me.
But as fun as all that was, I think what I liked the most about the whole experience was just the chance to soak in the warm love that these brothers have for each other. As Lucas was singing for me (he went first) Austin sat there with this wonderful look on his face of intense interest and genuine pride in what a fine young singer he already is – and when Lucas would take one of my suggestions and perfectly nail his next attempt, Austin just couldn’t hide his delight. And likewise, when it was time for Lucas to sit and listen to me work with Austin, he was just as interested – and there were a couple of moments when Austin when rolled out one of his truly spectacular “money notes” that Lucas and I exchanged wordless smiles that seemed to say “Wow.” It was a double decker celebration – of great singing, and of being brothers. And I’ve seen that love on at least a couple of previous occasions. Actually, I remember when Austin came to sit in on Carthage Choir rehearsal (when he was a high school senior) and his parents and Lucas sat with him at the back of the choir room- and I remember thinking that I had never ever seen a younger sibling of a prospective student look more genuinely interested in what was going on than Lucas was at that choir rehearsal. I was also impressed with Lucas’s intense enthusiasm for Austin’s sophomore recital (sung with Matt Burton) and his interest in and appreciation for my new opera Black September. You can always tell when someone is just being polite when they say that they liked something – but I could tell that Lucas had really been moved, and not just by his older brother’s fine performance …. but by the music itself and the poignant story of the Munich Olympics.
But beyond that, it’s just neat to see two brothers so devoted to one another – and it certainly goes the both ways. I remember this past fall when part of every one of Austin’s lessons would be spent with him giving me an update of Lucas’s latest football game (he’s a marvelous defensive back) – or whatever else was going on in his younger brother’s busy life. So many brothers can end up in contentious, competitive relationships – or in relationships that just aren’t that close. I just love how Austin and Lucas seem to delight in each other’s successes …. which is how it should always be.