Last night (Wednesday) I went to my first band practice since January 2020. I wasn’t well the start of 2020 so missed a number of band practices from the end of January onwards. Then of course all practices and meetings were cancelled when COVID restrictions were implemented.
Now that restrictions are beginning to lift, we were able to meet and have a band practice for the first time since March 2020. Yes, the practice was outside, and yes we had to socially distance, but it was a band practice none the less.
It was very emotional, as most of us hadn’t seen one another in person since COVID restrictions were first enforced March 2020. We’d been sent out a ‘practice pack’ by the bandmaster with a number of pieces in it, and these were the items we played through last night.
For me the highlight of the night was playing ‘Procession to Covenant’ – it’s one of my favourites, and is very special to me. I also found playing ‘Still’ was very emotional as the melody and words of ‘Hide Me Now’ which is featured in this piece, has come to be very poignant to me, as the play played it to me at my last band practice before I had open heart surgery in 2018.
Very emotional night for me, and I’m sure for many others too.
Here’s Chicago Staff Band and International Staff band with ‘Procession to Covenant’. I hope you are blessed by the music.
O love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be. O light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to thee; my heart restores its borrowed ray, that in thy sunshine’s blaze its day may brighter, fairer be. O joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee; I trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain that morn shall tearless be. O cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee; I lay in dust life’s glory dead, and from the ground there blossoms red life that shall endless be.
The Distinct Dot 