A moment of gratitude
This morning I saw a truly eye-catching box truck. It was truly colorful, with bright colors and bold lettering in an effective, repetitive design. It truly served its purpose of making me take note of the advertised product: TRULY Hard Seltzer™.
So now this word is rolling around in my mind, and I take a moment to be truly thankful for the beautiful summer morning. Since I am en route to the office, I reflect on how truly grateful I am for my employer. That makes me consider how much I truly admire my colleagues. Let me stop saying "truly" for a moment and tell you about some of them: our PVAs, or Principal Vocal Artists.
This talented quartet is the heart and soul of Heartland Sings' performance pillar, while serving as Teaching Artists and in other capacities as well. Each of them has an impressive range, mastery of their vocal instrument, and extensive repertoire at their command. For our summer concert series alone—three entirely different shows—they each memorized more than 40 pieces of music! Together, they make extraordinary music. Beyond that, they do it with a spirit of collaboration and genuine aspect of positivity.
Take last Sunday, for just one example. It was another blisteringly hot afternoon and Heartland Sings had a scheduled performance at Promenade Park in Fort Wayne. Our Art-V™mobile unit was positioned on the east side of the park, meaning the PVAs were facing the full force of the late afternoon sun. Natalie, Lisa, David, and Seth offered their usual professional show, smiling all the way, entertaining the crowd of umbrella-shaded music lovers.
Our mobile stage requires all hands to assemble and disassemble, and the PVAs help pack and store electronic equipment, platforms, and other components after each show. I never heard a complaint from them Sunday as they helped breakdown the set with the sun still bearing down. (The same goes for all of our staff and crew, but that's another story for another day.) When people are working together, a positive attitude makes all the difference. My colleagues inspire me to not be so cranky when conditions are less than ideal.
You deserve to know our truly wonderful PVAs better, so we will feature a behind-the-scenes interview with each one in subsequent posts. I am happy to report that this week they are enjoying a well-deserved mid summer break. In time, we will introduce you to the entire Heartland Sings staff. For now, I suggest that you pause for a moment of gratitude. You will have a better day as a result. Truly.
