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Views from the Choir Loft

The Little Rock Nine

Jeff Ostrowski · August 5, 2013

EVERAL WEEKS AGO, I wrote about Rach 3, but today’s article is not Rach 9 — it’s “Little Rock Nine.” Have you heard this fascinating story? I’ll give you the short version. If I make any major mistakes, please use the combox to correct me.

Basically, what happened was, in 1957, Governor Orval Faubus tried to use the Arkansas National Guard to keep African American students from attending Little Rock Central High School. However, President Eisenhower sent in troops from the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army to escort the students into the school.

For the entire year, those nine African American students were protected each day by federal troops. Faubus got so angry, he shut down the entire school district in 1958 for a whole year! Everyone ought to learn the details about this story. If anyone knows a historically accurate online video, please recommend it in the combox. I’d like to know what ever happened to those children.

Can you imagine having to go through such an ordeal as a kid? I would have been terrified. Besides, were the federal agents willing to protect each student’s home?

AS CHURCH MUSICIANS, we suffer a great deal. The deck seems to be “stacked” against us. Maybe you work hard to start something good, but your priest is transferred. Maybe you struggle to find talented singers in your parish. Perhaps your priest has treated you unjustly. The list goes on.

Sometimes, it helps to remember the tremendous suffering of others, such as the horrific plight of Christians in Eritrea. Our crosses are nothing compared to theirs. If we trust in God, He will give us the strength to continue.

I find the “Little Rock Nine” to be inspiring, and I’m glad it had a happy ending. On the other hand, we still have a lot of work to do in this country. Since 1973, we have “legally” murdered more than 50 million innocent children, and those are just the ones we know about.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: The Little Rock Nine Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Don’t You Agree About These?
    If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don't you agree?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
    Here's a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you like, you can freely download that vocal exercise.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Tournemire could be charming or he could bite your head off. One day I could not replace him at St. Clotilde because I had a wedding to play at another church. Tournemire played on Sunday, period—that was all. He did not play weddings and so forth. (He put all that on my back.) So I went to Tournemire’s house to tell him, “Master, I am sorry but, for once, I cannot replace you. I have another obligation to fulfill.” He said, “Get out of here!” I left for good.

— Testimony of Maurice Duruflé

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