Top Ten Favorite 2010 Makin' Music Moments

I did not take this picture. I'm guessing that Kristi Montague did? 

You can see more here.

Oh, there are soooo many things I want to post about these days...Jeremy and I have been digging in the dirt all weekend - and though it's been quite tiring, I've loved every minute of it. We constructed and planted a container garden, which I am beyond excited about. If you've never heard of a container garden, you may be wondering something along the lines of, "You're growing containers??" - like my friend Ashley thought. Well, it seemed like a good idea...we're always losing those lids to our Gladware containers - and now we'll have an endless supply!

Just kidding. ;) But wouldn't that be cool?? I'll answer that. It would. It would be very cool.

I'm going to keep you in suspense, though, about what a container garden reeeally is (well, except you...you Googler! *Disclaimer below) a little longer. Because what you want to know FIRST is what I thought about Makin' Music this year. Right? Am I right?? Maybe not. I had no comments on that last post. ;) But I did have lots of comments on Facebook when I posted it last year, so here goes nothing!

Top Ten Favorite 2010 MMM:


1. The finale! It sounds funny to talk about the finale first, but I can't help it. It was unbelievably awesome. I'm posting the link again for the Finale sneak peek - though I'm hoping they'll put up the real thing later! Hint, hint. It might have been the best finale ever. Throughout the show the hosts and hostesses sounded just fantastic - separate AND (most of all) together. Tight harmonies, the whole bit. It was seriously impressive. I have not watched American Idol this year, but from what I've heard...any of the six Makin' Music hosts and hostesses are faaar better than any AI contestants this time around. 

2. The theme. Well, actually I loved the description of the theme the most. It was so nice to hear one of the emcees read the words of the two student coordinators. It made me extremely proud of my alma mater.

"This year, our theme is love.

Love is just one of the gifts God has given us, as beings created in His likeness. And we are commanded to love - to love ourselves, our families, each other, our God - even, to love our enemies. It is at the heart of Christian living. Love requires nothing and, yet, requires all. Neither wealth nor success is necessary to love. Everyone can love. And nothing can keep us from showing our love. It is love - a Christian love - that ensures our students, staff, and community understand what guides our lives. So, in love, the students have chosen to make a donation to a worthwhile organization in our community.

'And now abideth faith, hope, love these three; but the greatest of these is love.' (I Corinthians 13:13) Love is the thing that holds us together and ensures that we help others along the way. Love is the reason we have hope for an eternity with our God.

We dedicate this program to love - love for all those around us, love for all things good and right, and love for God. Show your love for others throughout the coming year. 'How 'bout love?' We can't live without it.

We love you all. Thanks for sharing this experience with us."

3. The videos were quite hilarious. I enjoyed 'em all! Most of them starred the emcees and they really did a great job with them. Funny stuff. Never heard of that Nate kid before but I'm gonna be looking out for him from now on! Jeremy thought he was hilarious, too. That Dr. Phil impersonation! I'm giggling right now. To see some of these videos - and deleted and behind-the-scenes stuff, spend some time here: Backstage Stuff.

Now, "The Swing" short wasn't hilarious - it wasn't meant to be - but it was moving. I admit it...I teared up. Over a swing. It was too cute. I'm positive it had something to do with the background music from "UP" - and the sweet girls and their mama who starred in it. Surely they'll put them online soon! I gotta say (or maybe I don't gotta, but I think I'm gonna) that I enjoyed the videos more than the onstage emcee skits. Is that bad? I think the audience as a whole would prefer the videos interspersed in the show and then have the emcees just announce things live at the appropriate times. Just a thought...;)

4. The club shows, as a whole. I love the idea of them...the idea that these kids work for a year on each club production. They think up funny lyrics...they pick awesome songs to insert funny lyrics into...they scour fabric stores for the perfect costumes...they make up synchronized choreography...they teach their whole club to sing in harmony. And then the whole cast practices for HOURS on end to get everything just so. If you're never actually gonna be in a Broadway production, this is a stinkin' great way to pretend for a little while! Or if you're never gonna be a NY tourist, this is a stinkin' great way to pretend you are.

ALL of the clubs worked so hard. I commend every single cast member of every single show...it was a thoroughly entertaining production! =)

5. Chi Beta Chi's "Ear-Replaceable." This was my pick to win first place - and they totally did! The farmer's daughter had an amazing voice (loved the song from Wicked), the scarecrows were adorable, the moves of the cornstalks mimicked a real cornfield, and the tin men machines had appropriate sharp choreography, too.

Yes, I am a proud former member of XBX, it's true. But I can admit it if one of their shows just doesn't measure up. (By the way, I do not believe in the possibility that only one club has the ability to win every single time. Whenever I hear that someone else has a differing view, I often feel the desire to instruct them to, "Get a grip!" That may not be helpful. I don't think I've ever actually said it. But I've thought it...oh, I've thought it.)

Anyway...beside the point...this year's Chi Beta show made me smile a big, goofy grin the entire time they were onstage. They looked perfect, they sounded perfect, their moves were perfect, their plot was perfect. Basically, if you hate perfection, you would hate their show. You may be telling ME to "Get a grip!" right now. That's O.K. if you are. But it was more than perfection...I happen to know that the cast members totally enjoyed their show this year...and that they would still have enjoyed it and have been proud of it even if they hadn't won. I strongly believe in enjoying yourself during Makin' Music. If you're not having fun with it, something is wrong.

6. My other favorite was the new club - Theta Nu Epsilon. If Chi Beta didn't win, I knew Theta Nu was going to. The costumes were beautiful and I loved their songs. I thoroughly enjoyed the fireflies (they had blinking lights...don't try to tell me that wasn't just cool) and wished their intro. to the Justin Timberlake song could have been longer. The "Mason jar" that the nerdy "little boy" "caught" them in was awesome - "No Air" was the best song for that instance. (Boy, there were a lot of quotation marks in that sentence. All warranted.) Mason is the real name of the "little boy" and he was so funny. Loved it all! The grasshoppers, the butterflies, the ladybugs...great Makin' Music show!

7. Sigma Rho's song and choreography to "Thriller." It was a superb ending to their show and the audience ate it up. Excellent job!

8. LOST references in Gamma Tau Omega's "Cruise Control" show. Those guys made me very happy when I saw that their cruiseliner was named Oceanic. ;) Clever.

9. The showband. Seems like they had fewer members in it this year, but they sounded fabulous! Nice cameo by Dr. Kippy Myers in "Sweet Home Chicago," too!

10. The entire cast and audience holding hands and singing "A Common Love" at the end of the show, as usual. It wouldn't be the same without it. It sounded sooo pretty that I thought of Heaven...and how the singing will sound there...and how we're all trying to get there...together. Which is the whole point of Freed Hardeman's existence. 

11. There's a number 11 that's trying to sneak past me...alright, I'll give in. ;) The awesomeness of this show would not be possible without these three people: Tony Allen, the producer; Kim Scott, the clubs director; and Peggy Weaver, the host and hostess director. And numerous students who worked on the program, the merchandising, and so on and so on. Once again, I applaud these people for the sheer amount of time and energy and creativity and just plain hard work that they put into this show. Thank you.

*"Googler" is actually a very positive term, in my book. I am a proud Googler! When I think back to the days of bound encyclopedias, I just shake my head...now, I'm not for getting rid of books altogether. I'm not sure I could enjoy a book on Kindle as much as holding one in my hot little hands. I mean, my dad is a book publisher...so buy books! Buy lots of books!!! But just not encyclopedias. I love Google. End of disclaimer.