Tell us about you and your family.
David and I have been married 36 years and have four adult children. David is still working at IBM and I am a music teacher—choir, trumpet, and piano—and a composer. Our daughters are currently in MN, but our sons are in Germany and Nashville. We live in the country south of Pine Island and have been very active in the homeschooling community as we taught all of our kids from K-12. Following high school, each of our children obtained some type of music degree and two of them are working as professional musicians. We enjoy spending time with our family—wherever and whenever we are able to meet up. We definitely attend (and enjoy!) more recitals and operas than average Americans do.
How long have you been at Calvary and where have you served?
David and I have been at Calvary our whole married life. Over the course of time I have held a lot of different jobs: church hostess, missions commission member, women’s ministries team, “Calvary Couples” co-leader, teacher (nursery, Sunday school, and parenting courses), VBS/Backyard Bible Club, choir member, and trumpet player (brass ensemble, orchestra and Sunday mornings.)
Can you describe the journey that led you to your current position as a choir director?
My journey to what I now do was not straightforward. I was very involved in music (piano, band, and choir) growing up, but went to college to be a dietitian. I worked at Saint Marys until we had our first child and then was a stay-at-home mom. During that time I started playing trumpet again, but becoming a choral director kind of “happened”. It soon became clear that this was something the Lord wanted and prepared me to do. It’s been exciting and faith-building to see how He provided mentors and various experiences to bring me to where I am today.
When I was done teaching my children, I felt called to use my skills to help others, and the vehicle I best love, music, seemed a logical path. I started taking courses at RCTC to fill in a few missing gaps before pursuing a master’s equivalency program for Music Therapy. By the end of the first semester, it became clear that the pace of adding full time school to my brimming schedule was too much. Shortly after that, I attended the ACDA National conference in Mpls where I saw a dementia choir presentation. It was so moving, I cried the whole way through it and hoped I could be part of a choir like that in Rochester. God’s timing was perfect and I discovered there was a committee forming soon to establish a program in Rochester.
What is Resounding Voices?
Besides being a place to get to know wonderful people who sing, it is a choir for individuals with dementia or other memory issues and their care partners (duets). The choir is made up of approximately 1/3 people with memory issues, 1/3 care partners, and 1/3 volunteer singers—no singing experience required! We meet weekly during the year, with a few longer breaks sprinkled in. We sing a variety of choral arrangements especially songs that are familiar and spark positive feelings. We give two public performances each year and sometimes sing at special events.
Can you share a favorite experience working with these choir members?
I remember my first concert with the choir—a first for all of the participants. It blessed my socks off to hear and see everyone sing beautifully together—especially those who had previously been told to “get your things in order because you are going to decline.” It is rewarding to see people who don’t feel able to sing well, find out not only that they really CAN sing, but that they feel joy and connection in the process. It is also lovely to witness the empowerment and satisfaction of individuals struggling with memory issues. They can sense they are still vital and able to contribute to the success of the choir. It is such a joy to see individuals with memory issues learn new music—yes, we do sing new songs at our concerts! All of us can continue to learn our entire lives!
Do you have any current needs?
We need help getting the word out about our choir. We continually welcome new duets (no diagnosis needed.)This experience is extra rich when people join as early in the disease process as they can. Please encourage people to visit—especially this August—but no matter when they join us, we will welcome and love them with “no wrong in the room.” We are also in need of volunteers who are willing to sing and assist some of our members. We especially would like to find volunteers who can come every week to help build the relationship with the person they assist.