The Miracle of Learning Alto
The only way I know of to ingrain the alto part of a choir arrangement into my thick skull is to practice it over and over again. This means sitting at the piano for what accumulates to hours, beating out just the alto line repeatedly until it becomes my own song and I can't hear it any other way. I pity my poor family who has to listen to this process, for the alto line is typically a very boring part all by itself. Still, it adds such depth to the soprano part that I love singing it.
The extra benefit of all this repetition is that I get to dwell on the words of the song, as that's what I'm singing as I attempt to get the notes right. The other day I was browning ground beef for tacos as the alto line I had been practicing marched through my thoughts, punctuating each push of my spatula. Before I knew it, my spirits were lifting out of the murky quagmire that had been my grueling homeschool day.
"You who wove me into being in Your likeness, jeweled with worth;
You who set my heart to beating, You who chose my day of birth:
I trust You with eternity, You gave Your life for me.
You govern my soul's destiny, will I not yield my dreams?
How can I doubt Your mercy, how can I fear Your will?
That Love which once secured my ransom will walk unchanged beside me still."
So while this soprano-turned-alto stirs her ground beef, the Lord speaks to her through the monotone alto part of a choir anthem. There's a miracle in there somewhere; I see it!
The extra benefit of all this repetition is that I get to dwell on the words of the song, as that's what I'm singing as I attempt to get the notes right. The other day I was browning ground beef for tacos as the alto line I had been practicing marched through my thoughts, punctuating each push of my spatula. Before I knew it, my spirits were lifting out of the murky quagmire that had been my grueling homeschool day.
"You who wove me into being in Your likeness, jeweled with worth;
You who set my heart to beating, You who chose my day of birth:
I trust You with eternity, You gave Your life for me.
You govern my soul's destiny, will I not yield my dreams?
How can I doubt Your mercy, how can I fear Your will?
That Love which once secured my ransom will walk unchanged beside me still."
So while this soprano-turned-alto stirs her ground beef, the Lord speaks to her through the monotone alto part of a choir anthem. There's a miracle in there somewhere; I see it!
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