Co-Director of Music Musical Offering and Special Music for July

Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? ~  Paul Gaugin

This past May 5 marked ten years since my dad passed away.  He loved to sing.  His father led the choir in a Polish Catholic Church in Muskegon, Michigan for many, many years.  My dad always looked forward to joining the men in the choir loft.  I do not know many details about my grandfather.  We lived a full days drive from my grandparents, so we would only visit once or twice a year.  I remember shooting sling shots at circular saw blade targets in their backyard.  Papa Joe was a pattern maker and had a garage full of tools.  I recall it was more shop than garage.  He also had a study in the laundry room in the back.  I have one other thing in common with him besides leading a choir, my name- he was also Joe Mish.  I also recall squeezing next to him in the booth in the kitchen as he dipped ginger snaps into hiscoffee and I dipped them into my glass of milk.

 I also recall playing a game called Caroms in the same booth in their kitchen.  My dad's mother, Grandma Tracy, always had something tasty around for us to eat.  Chocolate-frosted donuts, her chocolate chip cake and lemon meringue pie were among my favorites.  I can also recall the taste of her kielbasa (polish sausage) and one of my father's favorites, pot roast.  The most exotic thing I recall from her kitchen were Golombki (we also called them pigs in a blanket)- seasoned ground meat and rice wrapped in a cabbage leaf and simmered in a tomato sauce.  Once I was brave enough to try it, I was hooked.  I am sure my love of cooking must come at least in part from her.

 Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are. ~  Bernice Johnson Reagon

 In high school, I began to sing with my father in a barbershop choir.  He was a baritone, I was a tenor, sometimes a bass, I have even sung lead on occasion.  The baritone in barbershop quartet music is the least melodic part- they always seem to get the "leftover" notes that fill out the harmony.  The baritones are the butt of many barbershop quartet jokes, but it takes real skill to sing their part.  When I went off to college, I left barbershop and even choral singing by the wayside.  I seemingly went out of my way to avoid vocal ensembles- I was an orchestra musician, not a singer.  My sight singing teachers would probably attest to that assumed persona. I suppose it was a way of establishing my independence.

 As I started my master's degree after teaching for several years, I became aware of the Kodály method of music education- where voice is the primary instrument.  It was a real discovery for me.  I began to realize that although orchestras are really without peer when it comes to moving audiences, the musicians themselves are often more like professional athletes- they are often more enamored with skill/technique than with the passion of the music.  Singers in choir though, seem to be more transformed by the music they perform.  Maybe that is part of the amateur nature of a volunteer choir- they have to be truly dedicated to their craft- they love it.

 This October, I will celebrate ten years of serving the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Rochester.  I feel like this position has brought me full circle.  I have been inspired to success and fulfillment in this position I never could have anticipated.  Although I am thankful my mom has been able to witness the work I do at church, I wish my dad could have seen me in this role.  I do not know if I would have sought it had he been alive.  But being Co-Director of Music has brought me closer to both him and my grandfather.  For that, I am forever grateful.

 For each child that's born, a morning star rises and sings to the universe who we are.  We are our grandmothers' prayers and we are our grandfathers' dreamings, we are the breath of our ancestors, we are the spirit of God. ~  Ysaye M. Barnwell

 Special Music for July 4

Jennifer Friedman is an award winning singer/songwriter from Longmont, Colorado who has sung rock-n-roll, reggae, barbershop, and even in street theatre troupes. Jen was declared the "Joan Baez of the spiritually progressive movement" by Peter Gabel of Tikkun Magazine at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. She is currently traveling the country with her 2^nd album, "Soulful Warrior," making stops each Sunday at UU congregations, where she presents musical programs on topics of social importance.  When she is not on the road, she serves on the Music Team for Unity Center of Longmont and serves on the board for Dances of Universal Peace North America. She is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Musicians Network and is also a Dance Leader and musician in the Dances of Universal Peace tradition. 

 The First UU church will host an eveing of Dances of Unversal Peace from 6-8PM July 4 in the church Commons with Jennifer.  This is a simple meditative and joyous circle of dance.  Sacred phrases, chants, movements and music are used from the world's wisdom traditions.