"Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle: sing to the Lord, all the earth." (Psalm 95)
God gave a voice to men that they might praise his name in songs, hymns, and spiritual canticles. But sometimes we might shy away from singing when we are in front of other people or are embarrassed about how our voice would sound. So the solution would seem to be that we shouldn’t sing at all, right? No! The solution is to teach, encourage, and practice with our children.
With this spirit in mind, St. Thomas More Academy hosted a Christmas song competition to encourage its students to sing.
The whole school was divided into three groups with a prize for each winning group. Each of the groups was allowed to enlist the help of a parishioner to accompany them on the guitar or keyboard or they could choose to sing acapella or accompany the songs themselves.
O Come All Ye Faithful filled the air followed by What Child Is This, Silent Night, We Three Kings, and many others. Mr. Gabriele and Mr. Campbell accompanied a few groups of children on the guitar while Miss Lucia Baquerizo accompanied on the keyboard for other groups. The three judges sat with either smiles or furrowed brows depending on the quality of the singing.
At the end of the singing, three groups emerged joyously claiming their prizes. Alice Campbell’s strong-voiced lead of Do You Hear What I Hear dominated for the oldest group. Wendy Rhea’s rendition of the Carol of the Bells on the keyboard while leading her singers won them the prize for the second group. And the last and smallest group comprised of Moira and Bridget Campbell with Magdalena Alf charmed the hearts of everyone with their smiles and Jingle Bells.
All the students left that day determined to claim prizes at the next competition and to use their voices to sing gloriously the praises of the creator.
