Friday-- Steph

I can't even believe the week with the kids is over...

Today was absolutely unbelievable.  During the first part of the day, we did our little dress rehearsal for the show, and most of the time, I was honestly wondering how we were going to pull it off.  The change in the structure of the day was a lot for the kids and there was some general confusion/hyperactivity that was taking place.  However, we had just experienced the whole week with them, so we had some tricks up our sleeves and were able to keep the chaos at a moderate level.

The amazing part was the show, of course, and it was really moving to see many of the parents showed up to watch their kids perform.  As we began, I did feel we were taking a little leap of blind faith.  Our dress rehearsal had been quite iffy, so we hadn't exactly had a real run-through.  I had to remind myself that most of the real work had occurred over the course of the week, and this was just icing on the cake.

However, the kids totally stepped up to the plate and impressed everyone in the room.  The singing, dancing, and drumming were incredible, and the kids were eager to participate in their own ways.  Our line up was pretty solid:

Beat the Heat-- (to the Stir it Up tune), intro song, all the kids came in dancing
I'm So Excited-- (Channing's movement song), the entire group moved along with the song
La Bamba featuring "J.J. and the Pink Berets"
Drumming tune
Hound Dog with drum solos
Boy's drumming group
Girl's dancing group
Our team's song "Beat of my Heart"
Goodbye song

So, that was it.  Of course, I had so many touching moments over the course of the week, and I think I've received more hugs from little kids than I've received in my whole life.  One of my favorites was when the group of us were singing "Beat of my Heart."  One of the little girls, who has had difficulty staying engaged with the group, came right over to join us and sat in my lap.  She was totally proving she was part of the whole group.

As we said goodbye to everyone, so many parents came up to thank us, giving generous hugs and kind words.  One of the representatives from the Ministry of Education on Grand Cayman came to our show and gave us a special thank you as well.  It was absolutely amazing to hear parents say their kids were raving about the music at home and their new friendships.   

All the hard work certainly has paid off, and now we have 2 final days here on Cayman to explore and take a break from music therapy (at least, in the formal sense).

ciao for now!