Last night's performance was as inspiring as that concert in the church. One of the songs performed by the Chamber Singers was "To the Mothers in Brazil: Salve Regina" by Grammy Award winner Lars Jansson, and arranged by Gunnar Eriksson. This song is about people of all ages crying out to their mothers, and its beginning section brought tears to my eyes. Another favorite was "Elijah Rock" arranged by Moses Hogan. This last song was sung with such enthusiasm and skill that the choir voices seemed to fill the entire auditorium.

Next up was the Women's Choir doing a jazzy, scat arrangement of "My Favorite Things," followed by "Over the Rainbow," and a singing and dancing medley of songs from Sister Act. Once again, I had to give credit to their teacher for choreographing the song and making it fun for them to perform, and fun for the audience to watch.

Last to perform was the Wind Ensemble presenting songs that were described as cutting edge. "Variations on America" and "Old Churches" allowed many of the young musicians to shine in solo spots. All of the band members rose to the challenge of what sounded like technically difficult music. The ensemble closed the concert with a rousing rendition of "American Faces" by David. R. Holsinger.

The evening was not without its bittersweet moments. Awards and scholarships were presented to top music students, and we watched as music teachers bid a tearful goodbye to their graduating seniors. I still have a few more years of these concerts left. My daughter is only a sophomore, and by the time she graduates, her younger brother will just be entering high school, hopefully taking on the challenges and reaping the benefits of this school's wonderful music program.

As for me, I may not have a foundation to grant money to the arts, but I can make a small donation to the Music Parents Association. Even though I may sometimes feel like I don't have time to contribute as much as I would like to the music program, I can continue to write about it. In doing so, I hope I can voice a resounding thank you to the music department of Fairfield Warde High School, Mrs. Graser, Mr. Fiftal, Mr. Marsland, and all the music teachers and young musicians who help make the world a better place.