I Hope You Dance

Sometimes I make a negative judgement about a student that can last for years. Not to say thaht my reasons for making said judgement are invalid, but sometimes it prevents me from appreciating the complete human. Two cases come to mind. The kid whose parent e-mailed Palpatine in an effort to save the orchestra.... that kid I had written off as a slacker. Now I find out that he's trying to recruit his friends to learn a string instrument.

And then there's this girl in choir. Senior, seemingly disinterested in the world. She usually has a book in her hands, and its difficult to get her to put it down and participate. Socially awkward (probably explains the book), and has a tendancy to react badly to things. I didn't dislike her, per se, but her presence on my roll sheet brings some feeling of discomfort, as it means I have some confrontation management to deal with.

This is my second year with her in my class. The first time was three years ago.... a situation that ended kind of poorly. I had had a few confontations with her, mostly because of her indifference to participate. When she sang, her lips barely moved, and often I caught her reading when she was supposed to be looking at the music. When she didn't come back, it was something of a relief.

This year she's been much better, although she still has her book 24/7. But we've been friendly, and I was even surprised to get a pretty thoughtful Christmas present from her. Still old perceptions die hard, and I found myself reluctant to give her the benefit of the doubt at times.

So why am I telling you this? Because today I finally plugged into my Macbook and started editing some recordings I made from the last three months, including the first semster "choir final" that involved kids singing a solo song in front of the class. For the last hour, I've been cutting and slicing, adding fades and reverb, balancing the piano levels and generally making things sound as good as I can.... and then I get to L_______'s song. What amazed me the most is the fact that I had heard it already... back in late January on finals day... and I forgot about it. I don't know how I could have.... because the person who started singing was not the same indifferent, book obsessed girl I knew three years ago. Her voice was clear and confident, and while she's far from being the best singer I have... I don't think anyone could have given the song more justice. And what's more,she gave me a song I've never heard before.... but one that I'll keep:

I Hope You Dance - Lee Ann Womack

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance

I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance.

I've said numerous times that I'm agnostic. But moments like this I'm tempted to believe in a higher power... only because it seems too coincidental that I get something that I need, from a source that also forces me through a lesson of humility.