A few minutes with Mike Kessler, a member of the Chancel Choir.

Music News:  Do you have any formal music training?
Mike Kessler:   No.

MN:  Have you played any instruments and/or other past musical experiences?
MK:  None.

MN:  I’d like to commend you on the efforts you make to contribute to the best of your abilities, even though you have less training than some singers.  We should all strive to be life long learners!  Tell us some of the ways you try to improve your singing and musicianship.
MK:  I bought an electric keyboard, and a book on piano/rudimentary note reading.  I practice about 4 days a week, plunking out the bass notes one handed for choir music.  About half the songs we sing I can find on you tube, and there’s this other site called choir midi, at cyberbass.com that has audio of all the choir parts.  I go there and lots of stuff is there to help me learn.  I’m real good at finding stuff on the computer.  I’ve already ordered a “choral learning CD” for the bass part of the Haydn piece on the spring concert.  And of course I have the CD recording as well.

MN:  How long have you been at St. Andrew? 
MK:  2 years.

MN:  How did you come to St. Andrew? 
MK:  We joined a SS class first, because we knew someone there from a social organization that met at St. Andrew.  Shortly after I joined the choir.

MN:  What are your favorite things about singing in the choir?  Why do you do it?
MK:  I love the choir.  There are a lot of different kinds of people with different talents and it’s interesting to see us all try to put it together to make the music work.  I truly feel empowered after practice and performance from the energy generated by the group.  This is just a church choir that has about 60 core people rabidly devoted to it.  I think many people that aren’t in the choir wish they were.  I’m not shy so I went ahead and joined.

MN:  What other groups/activities are you a part of at St. Andrew? 
MK:  We are members of the Two by Two Sunday School class.

MN:  What are your hobbies and interests outside of music? 
MK:  Three teenagers, family, work and exercise.