Payback Time

The CD that Shane and his three singing friends made is ready for sale. Here's an excerpt from the publicity brochure:

The Anonymous Somebodies started
with the idea of singing together with
a small group at a local coffee shop.
When scheduling the performance, the
manager asked for our group name.
Since we didn’t have an official name,
we suggested she simply put down
“Anonymous.” She then wondered if
she should put down “Anonymous
Somebodies.” Thinking we would sing
once and disappear into the sunset,
we said sure! People have come and
gone; the group has grown, shrank,
and morphed over the years. We finally
realized that we four had been
singing together for quite some
time, and greatly enjoyed our time
together! We gave several programs
at an area nursing home, small
town festivals, churches, and other
special events. While this CD began
as a remembrance, we want it to be
more than that. We earnestly want
this recording to be our expression
of praise and gratitude to a
wonderful God that gave us both
the gift of music, and the gift of
friends with whom to enjoy it.
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO PURCHASE CDs
email: anonymoussomebodies@gmail.com
or contact: JOHN MILLER
13807 W. Illinois Ave. Partridge, KS 67566
PRICE PER CD: $14

Shane Iwashige - Bass, Crystal Yoder - Alto,
Heidi Kuepfer - Soprano, John Miller - Tenor

For a clip from the recording, click on the tiny arrow at the top left of the screen at this link: http://unimaginativeme.xanga.com/weblog

I'm sure I couldn't possibly be prejudiced, but I think the singing is wonderful. Hiromi naughtily observed that maybe the recording studio works magic, and anyone can sound good if they sing there. He likes the Anonymous Somebodies' singing though.

Shane laughs at Lyle, who will not use the group name, even when he announces a program they're giving. Shane says he thinks the name is too ridiculous, or something. Imagine that.

Shane is our son, and John, Heidi, and Crystal have all been my students. I can't claim a lick of credit for any of their singing prowess, but I'm happy to put in a plug for these fine people--every one of them.

I like a story my sister told me about John. When he was 10 or 12 (I'm guessing here.), he sang the "Messiah" with the Reno Choral Society. He was noticeably younger than most of the other singers. Afterward, someone in the audience asked my sister, "Did he have some kind of special training? He does everything perfectly. He moves his mouth just right for all the sounds, and he obviously knows the music." That's John. He has a fine tenor voice and a natural feel for how singing is done, and his love for it is apparent.

Each of the others has their own singing story. Shane sang bass ever since about sixth grade. No one knew what to do with a sixth grade bass, and singing was a frustration for a while. Then he got to high school, and Wendell taught him to really enjoy singing. Older students provided sound to lean on, and he gradually came into his own musically.

Crystal struggled in school because of a vision problem that was not diagnosed early enough to avoid years of frustration. After it was corrected, everything went better, and she began to blossom into a steady and confident young lady who had some notable singing skills.

Heidi's grandfather loved to hear her sing as a child. She and her younger sister both sang a lot, and, when she grew up, she developed her voice by taking lessons and paying attention to her teachers in high school.

Shane has moved to Colorado, and Heidi plans to marry next summer and move to Ohio. So the Anonymous Somebodies will likely not sing together often in the future, at least not after the May wedding they're practicing for.

I'm confident, however, that each of them will create a joyful song-bubble around themselves wherever they are. And I hope some of them are always in the same vicinity as I.