The road home

Hello everyone!

We are officially done with the Concert Choir "Road Home" tour after arriving in Naperville around 3:45 today. It was a fantastic trip full of fun experiences and many, many great memories were made.

After an early morning wake-up today, we had the opportunity to sing during two church services at Brown Deer United Methodist Church in Brown Deer, Wisconsin. Reverend Paul Armstrong welcomed us with open arms, as did the congregation at each service. We sang all of our sacred repertoire, including River in Judea, which their own church choir has in their arsenal of pieces, and The Road Home. It was a pleasure to be in such great company and to hear a wonderful message given by Rev. Armstrong.

In 2012, North Central College and Brown Deer lost a wonderful person. Shaun Wild, school teacher and 2011 NCC alum, was loved and cherished by many, including friends, family, and community admirers of all kinds. It was an honor to meet his family and hear of their journey since his passing and how they will always "live on the wild side". After we all filled up Mrs. Wild's "hug tank" as best we could, we had the chance to go to Brown Deer High School where Shaun was the star football player before coming to the Cardinal football family. Under the scoreboard that bore the words "Honoring the Memory of Shaun Wild #8", the choir members sang the North Central College Alma Mater and gave a cheer in Shaun's memory. It was a touching moment for everyone.

Mrs. Jami "Mama" Wild tells us of her experiences and to "accentuate the positive"

Al, who plays for North Central football and wears Shaun's old number, hugs Mama Wild

Rev. Armstrong thanking the choir for their music

Choir in front of the Brown Deer High School football scoreboard in memory of Shaun Wild

 

 Choir members giving a cheer in Shaun's memory

Singing the Alma Mater under the Brown Deer scoreboard

Over the last five days, we have laughed, cried, explored, slept on the bus, and made up numerous catch phrases, all while getting to know each other on more personal levels. We traveled from Galena all the way to Milwaukee and back to Illinois and performed at high schools, colleges, churches, and even a little bit on the stairs at the Hilton. It was a joy to sing with so many talented individuals under the direction of Dr. Wis, Mac, Barb, and Dr. Hemenway. I think I can speak for all of the seniors when I say that this tour was a wonderful way to round out our four years at North Central College in a musical way. For those of you who still have a year or two (or three...etc.), cherish these moments you have with Concert Choir. Those are the types of moments you may never experience again; the memories we made with each other can never be replaced. For everyone who has been tuning in and reading the blog this week, thank you for coming along with us on this journey. We hope you could see the beauty in the things we were able to experience this week; we could not have asked for a better "road home"!

"Tell me, where is the road
I can call my own,
That I left, that I lost
So long ago?
All these years I have wandered,
Oh when will I know
There's a way, there's a road
That will lead me home?
After wind, after rain,
When the dark is done,
As I wake from a dream
In the gold of day,
Through the air there's a calling
From far away,
There's a voice I can hear
That will lead me home.
Rise up, follow me,
Come away, is the call,
With the love in your heart
As the only song;
There is no such beauty
As where you belong;
Rise up, follow me,
I will lead you home."