Orchestra Part 2

So, did you know that the other post was a part 1?  That's okay if you didn't, because I didn't know it was a part 1 either.  I only just barely decided to make it so.  

Anyway, I will just describe  experiences and stories, because going through a trip day by day makes it seem less special, at least to me.  Here goes:

We had the best bus driver in the world, not even joking.  He acted like we were real people that he wanted to get to know.  He told us about his conversion, and some mission stories, and they really brought the spirit.  He sang with us, he sang to us, and he let us have multiple dance parties on the bus.  One of the kids on our bus, Josh, had the remarkable foresight to bring a bluetooth speaker.  We made good use of it.  Almost every day we would hook it up to an iPod or a phone and we would sing along.  Of course, we would eventually get up and dance in the aisles as well.  And Frenchie, our bus driver, let us.  He watched our concerts, told us that we were neat kids, and treated us like people that he wanted us to know.  He actually made an impact on our lives.

We had tons of inside jokes on this trip.  When you get 80 teenagers together for a week with only 10 adults, the kids are going to spend at least 63% of the time laughing.  We spent way more time than 63% laughing.  One of our favorite jokes was: "Bridle your passions, Alma 38:12"  because whenever someone started laughing too much or being too stupid, we would spout it off.  I'm not going to reveal the story of how we got the joke, though; that is a secret for me and my roommates.  Another favorite joke wasn't so much of a joke as a quote.  We were rehearsing at the Mesa Arts Center, and they had their own tech crew there, as they always do.  One of the tech crew asked one of the assistants to get something, and the assistant agreed.    She then turned around and yelled, "EARL!  Get me _____!"  From then on, whenever someone in the orchestra asked someone to get them something, one of my roommates would undoubtedly yell "EARL!" and start us all laughing. 

April Fools Day was on Monday of this week, and we, being teenagers, wanted to pull a prank on our conductor.  Our first thought was to have one of the tour managers call Kayson, our conductor, and tell him that our concert in Vegas had been cancelled, due to the flooding of the stage.  The managers, however, wouldn't go along with it, so we decided instead to pull a flash mob during sound check.  We convinced our tech guy to play the Harlem Shake at a key word, and then we had someone start it, and everyone else join in.  It turned out to be quite funny, and lots of fun for everyone else.  Imagine a full philharmonic orchestra, in black dresses and tuxedos, and then imagine them doing the Harlem Shake, with instruments in their hand.  Let me know what picture emerges in your mind.  

On Sunday, our conductor decided to take us to all of church.  Taking 8 kids to a 3 hour block is hard.  Trust me, I'm the oldest of 8 so I know.  Now, imagine taking eighty teenagers to church.  Actually, we were pretty good.  However, one of my roommates decided to pull a joke on the ward we were visiting.  Jessi and Sarah B decided to pretend to be foreign exchange students from London.  She talked in a fake British accent and everything.  Then, our Sunday School teacher called on her, and in order to perpetuate her deceit, she had to answer in a British accent.  One of the adults sitting in on our class was from Scotland, and he asked her what part of London she was from.  At this point, our entire orchestra was trying to keep from laughing.  Jessi was unable to answer, and the Scottish guy called her a liar.  Then, all of us busted out laughing while the kids who were actually in the ward looked very confused.  This joke made our day!

My orchestra is very unique.  On the last day of tour, we decided that we wanted to have a testimony meeting on our bus.  Now, we know each other as the positions that we sit in orchestra, because on  Wednesdays, when we rehearse, that's who we are.  However, on tour, we actually got to know the real people, and listening to every one's testimonies really sealed the deal for me.  Almost everyone on our bus took a turn bearing their testimonies, and the spirit was incredible.  Tears were definitely shed.   Then, to close the meeting, our entire bus joined in singing "The Spirit of God" right as we passed the beautiful Manti Temple.  I could see the light in the bus as we sang.  At that moment we truly had the spirit of God.

We spent a lot of time hiking last week, and on the last day, we were just hiking around Arches.  With an hour left, we started hiking up to Double Arch.  As we were starting to climb up it, we started to hear some of our orchestra members singing hymns, in a secluded place by the Arch.  My group walked over and started singing as well.  We sang a variety of hymns, from "I Stand all Amazed" to "High on the Mountain Top".  Then, a chaperone came over and read us a little excerpt from a letter from her son, serving a mission in Wyoming, I think?  Anyway, he said that he was able to help the missionaries prepare for trek at Martins Cove, and that Martins Cove was truly a holy place.  Then, the chaperone said that because of our singing, we had mad Double Arch a holy place that day.

I have a lot more stories, but I have to go clean the kitchen and finish frosting some cinnamon rolls, so I have to go now.  I just wanted to share these stories because they made an impact on me, and who knows if they will make an impact on you?  I hope so!

See you all someday,

Anne :)