Fifteen years ago I studied music at a uniquely international school, the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The students came from the US, Canada, Mexico, Columbia, Argentina, Portugal, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, India, Afghanistan, Iran, etc. Some of us spoke English well, and some not so much; some had strong accents that were hard to understand. I especially remember one day when we met to rehearse a piece by Johann Sebastian Bach with a large choir and orchestra. When the conductor lifted her hands and we played the first measure, all language barriers disappeared. We sounded like one voice, as if we spoke the same language, thanks to our common ability to decipher the musical score and to translate it into beautiful sound.   

Signing up your children for the music programming at Pinnacle, like handchimes, bells, choirs, drums, give the kids opportunity to learn that beautiful language. Studying music from an early age is an important part of children's physical, social and mental development. Learning to read and understand music and its underlying theory facilitates learning other subjects. Kids become disciplined, acquire a skill, become part of a community they can be proud of, manage performance skills, and practice cooperation, sharing, and compromise. These increased social skills can make them better members of their community. Performing gives children the opportunity to serve others instead of being served. 

David Allen, Melissa Trafficante, Sonja Branch, Hillary Mackowski and I are committed to follow in the footsteps of all the wonderful musicians and leaders who came before us, and we are excited to continue growing the music program at Pinnacle. While you listen to the kids performances on May 5 and 12 in the church, please consider signing up your children for the following school year of weekly classes which start in September 2019. Please don't hesitate to contact me at ikadler@pinnaclepres.org if you have any questions.