A Crucible Experience

My 3 older kids had a crucible experience today. They performed in the Cantus Youth Choirs Finale Concert: Guilty Pleasures. It was an amazing concert! Fun songs, soul stirring songs, fabulous music, and young singers with great talents, and well trained respect that allows everyone’s hard work and dedication to shine through.

What is a crucible experience? I just really began to understand that concept myself today as I listened to a the mp3 Crucible Experiences: Why Every Scholar Needs Them,  by Kathy Mellor and Andrew Hummiston from the 2011 TJED Forum. As I understand it a crucible experience in one in which you grow and become a better person. It is greatly enhanced by having a mentor to lead you through this experience and to help you discover and understand the experience and gain additional learning.

They explained that there are 4 types of crucible experiences. The first type is a Prepared Public Performance. This is what my kids experienced tonight. Over the past few months they have been working diligently with their Mentors (the conductors) gain experience and training in their musical abilities. They have been practicing on their own, or with SmartMusic to perfect and memorize their parts, and then returning each week to the mentors for more instruction, clarification, and additional assignments.

Tonight was the crucible, where their practice, diligence, hard work and training was put to the test. They got up in front of a large audience, their hearts raced, adrenaline pumped, they fought butterflies and didn’t panic. They performed marvelously. They became better people, they learned that they could do it, and with each concert they become better and more confident in their abilities.

I’m thankful for the many mentors and volunteers that are a part of Cantus, for providing my children with this amazing opportunity to be a part of a choir, to be challenged, to be taught, to find joy in music, singing, and performing. These are experiences that I don’t know how to give my children any other way, and they are so important to their development as outstanding youth.