A Musical Olney Community

About six months ago, my 11-year-old son went to sing with his Olney church group.

His teacher asked if she could speak to me. "Everyone wrote a song to share," she said. "But when your son sang his song for the group, the adult leaders' jaws were on the floor."

I didn't understand. My son had been writing songs since the age of four, and I'd never given it a second thought.

The choir teacher sensed my confusion. "He has a gift," she clarified. "And if it's okay with you, we'd like to help you nurture that gift."

We talked about another Olney man she knew, a voice teacher who - coincidentally - had just started teaching voice to my other son. The choir director and the voice teacher talked, and they connected my son with yet another Olney man - a recent college graduate who could transpose my son's songs from a child's singing to sheet music.

Now, six months later, the choir will be performing one of my son's songs during their Christmas Eve service. My son and I went to a rehearsal a few days ago and I heard, for the first time, the results of the efforts of several musical members of the Olney community.

I was floored. My 11-year-old son had conceived a song only a few months ago - and now it is going to be performed live by a group of ukelele-playing kids for a huge audience. This isn't something I could have done without the choir director, the voice teacher or the musical transcriber. Such a small world - and an absolutely brilliant group of musicians.

I am proud to consider my son a new member of the musical Olney community.