THE POWER OF SONG

I attended my great nephew Bo's high school graduation at Pittsburg yesterday.  He was one of 159 tasseled Purple Dragons, ready to take on the world.  Plus, I might brag, he also earned a nurse's aid certification (CNA) in his spare time this past spring.

What was most interesting at his school's commencement ceremony was who/what got the biggest round of applause. It was not the Alum of the Year. Not the class president or class speakers. Not any of the sports teams with winning records. Nope. It was the glee club. Oh, be still my Gleek-ing heart!

The singers (called Encore--every glee club has to have a special name, you know) performed a Negro spiritual called "Ain't Got Time to Die" that was, well, to die for.  It was like something out of the movie O, Brother, Where Art Thou?, and the soloist--some short, chunk of a black kid named Rico--had the voice of an angel. These kids made American Idol sound like a rank amateur show by comparison.  By the time they finished singing, a spontaneous standing ovation filled the gym--and I bet I wasn't the only person in the audience who wiped away some tears. And who got the biggest round of applause upon picking up his diploma?  Rico, of course.  

Chalk up one for all the nerds who make "a joyful noise unto the world."