Todd and I went to campus today to watch a conference broadcast, and something happened that could ONLY happen at BYU. The picture was fuzzy and the audio wasn’t working, but we could discern through the scrambled picture that the opening hymn was to be “Now Let Us Rejoice”.
Our eager student crowd did not miss a beat, literally. As soon as the squiggly conductor lifted his hand and opened his mouth our crowd was ready. I wasn’t surprised so much that people sang along to a silent, squiggly screen, I was surprised with the gusto, volume, and good quality of sound that burst forth…and in four-part harmony.
It gave me the giggles real bad. I wasn’t laughing because I was mocking their eagerness, I was laughing because I understand that some behavior is circumstantial; that BYU campus has this magical power to create obedient little participators. I was laughing because I’ve been to other churches before, and Mormons sing really well, especially BYU students.
I couldn’t get myself under control until the last verse, and it was then that I added my best shot at alto, because that’s what I had to offer.
