Risk the Descant

The first weeks of the atrium are always interesting. Bringing in a couple dozen new children who are under 4 years old, it's not surprising that it takes a while for everyone to get used to a new routine, a new way of living and being together. In these first few weeks, we see some children who seem to be seeking out the edges, searching for what's allowed and what's not allowed. It is part of the process of figuring out what kind of world we live in. "Is this okay? How about this?" Some children don't seem to do this very much and go along and get along pretty easily, while others do it Every. Single. Minute.  It's like trying to lead a choir to sing in unison, with someone boldly risking the descant part and missing the mark.

Most of us, if we can sing at all, are comfortable singing the notes that everyone else sings. The majority of us aren't exactly solo types. If we've been in a really good choir for a while, we could even venture into some 4-part harmonies (written on the page for us to practice), where we can sing along with someone else on a harmony part while others carry the melody.

This reminds me of the Level I atrium. Some children are good little "choral singers" and can find the unison part right away. They pick up on the expectations of how we will live in community together. Other children might need some one-on-one practice. Just like you can't really sing in a choir if you don't know some of the basics about singing, the grace and courtesy lessons in the CGS atrium help build the skills necessary for community living.

But there is another aspect to choral singing that reminds me of atrium life: the descant. It takes a great amount of courage to try to pick out a harmony without someone else to help you, or if you are really inventing it as you go. It is much easier to go VERY wrong, and you might get a few looks from the others in the choir as you're working on it. When it is done well, however, it adds a richness and beauty to the whole song. Not everyone can be a descant singer. You have to be confident, strong-voiced, and very brave. Not to mention a very good singer.

I wonder if some of the children in the atrium who we think are "testing the boundaries" might actually be the equivalent of our future atrium descant singers. They are seeking to belong and to create peace in the community, but it is difficult to do when you aren't acting in unison with the others in the group. They want to sing along, but for one reason or another they are drawn to searching out a different part than everyone else.

Life is a lot more interesting when you meet those brave souls that can risk being fun, unexpected, and surprising. In the beginning, the child may have just seemed like a bad singer who missed the mark, but well-encouraged and carefully observed, our role is to recognize that this present difficulty may be a sign of something extraordinary: someone who is willing to risk the descant. Let us do all we can to help them sing it well!