The Grotto Festival of Lights

So, there's a Catholic church in Portland called "The Grotto". Every year, they host a "Festival of Lights", and along with the lights that they decorate with, they also host a nightly performance set. For the last few years, my school has been going to this Festival.

Being the music teacher, I planned out a concert and set up a performance time for my middle schoolers there. We performed on Sunday (Nov. 25). In the last few weeks, I was getting increasingly more anxious about this performance. I was worried that the kids would be as disrespectful and rude at the Grotto as they tend to be in class and rehearsal. I was pleasantly surprised by their performance, however. There were DEFINITELY areas in which we could improve, but some of that is due to my newness as a music teacher. Some of that is due to the age of the students AND their prior knowledge of music.

Anyways, I would HIGHLY recommend going to this event if you are in the Portland area. It's a beautiful set of lights to look at, they have a long list of groups that are performing, and it's just incredible. Plus, it's Christmas. We all tend to head to church around this time of year (even those who don't go regularly).

I will tell you, it does cost some money to get in. It's $9 for adults, and there's a discounted ticket for both seniors and children. I have some discount tickets left from our performance ($1 off), and anyone who wants them can have them.

For those of you who aren't in the Portland area, plan a trip to Portland around Christmastime in the future and put this on your to-do list. Of course, having family/friends in the area helps. If you're reading this, though, you're probably friends with me. That would be a great reason to come...

;)