Boat rides are a traditional part of VIP tour – from cruising the Toronto skyline to tubing the Guadalupe River in Texas. Thursday started off with an architectural boat ride from Navy Pier. The VIPs learned a lot of Chicago history while they identified flying buttresses and learned about air rights, nude buildings, and how the flow of the Chicago river was reversed. Wearing oh-so-cute sailor hats, the VIPs boarded the bus and headed to First UMC at Chicago Temple to sing at their noon worship service.
VIP entered the sanctuary in near-silence and quietly followed instructions through warm-up. They sang beautifully in this historic space and maintained an attitude of silent reverence throughout and following the service. As the last note of the postlude faded away, the choir remained silent and seated, waiting to hear about their next steps. Have you ever seen 31 teenagers sit perfectly still and silent? They did.
VIP’s stellar musicianship and respectful behavior did not go unnoticed. Director of Music Erik Nussbaum paid me one of the greatest compliments : “You have a well-disciplined choir.” Now, THAT is music to my ears. How VIPs carry themselves matters as much to the ministry as the music they sing - and VIP represented themselves well.
We had a delicious lunch en route to our next concert at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center – the largest juvenile detention center in the Nation. VIP went through a rigorous and lengthy security clearance process, and was escorted by guards at all times. When got set up in our performance space and had a few minutes before our audience entered. To loosen the choir and help them relax, we did some basic stretches and then played a competitive game of Simon Says. Petri won!
The audience filed in, along with more guards. As we looked around the room, we discovered that nearly 30 guards were in the room – and later learned that a special detail had been called in to make our performance possible. We appreciate the great lengths that the staff at the Center went to for us.
Prison rules kept us from passing out instruments (drums, maracas, tambourines, etc.) to our audience but we still wanted to get our audience involved. Brie Gresko led us through a body percussion exercise where VIPs and the audience worked together to make “rain.” Then, we did a piece called “Oye!” and taught the audience the chorus so they could sing along.
VIP got comfortable and the audience loosened up. Before long, the 30 or so young men in the audience were snapping and clapping along. They really liked “Honey in the Rock” and our closing piece – “Lean On Me."
Then, it was off to Concert #3 at the Hancock Observatory. We performed on the outdoor plaza and faced chilly temperatures and a wild Chicago wind. It was so strong that our music stands toppled over and Molly & Caitlin together had to hold Brie's music for her. The VIPs banned together for warmth and delivered a fun and energetic concert to people on the plaza.
Then, we went to dinner and Navy Pier for fun on the giant ferris wheel, swings, and mini-golf course. Fireworks capped off this fun day - Eric's 18th birthday.
Welcome! Voices In Praise exists for the glory of God and in service to others. As the youth choir of Friendship United Methodist Church, the group is open to all youth in grades 6 -12 who have a desire to sing and a willingness to make the commitment to the group. Singers are not required to be a member of the church or to have any background in singing. Our doors are open to everyone!
The choir rehearses on Mondays. Girls rehearse from 6:30pm – 8pm; Guys rehearse from 7pm – 8:30pm.
New singers are welcome any time. Feel free to contact Director Holly Reynolds Lee at 301-728-1748 with questions!
The choir rehearses on Mondays. Girls rehearse from 6:30pm – 8pm; Guys rehearse from 7pm – 8:30pm.New singers are welcome any time. Feel free to contact Director Holly Reynolds Lee at 301-728-1748 with questions!