Plymouth Magazine-Fall24-DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 14
The Matins 2024 Summer Tour
By Savannah Carlson (she/her)
One of the best things about Plymouth
church is its variety of music programs for
people of all ages. From the various choirs
to instrumental ensembles, music is an
integral part of worship and connection
at Plymouth. I have been blessed to
experience being a part of the Matins
Choir, a singing group made up of high
school students from over seven different
high schools. Matins is particularly special
because it does not exclude any students
from joining–all kids are able to be a part
of it, regardless of their singing ability
or religious affiliation. By keeping it
open and accessible to all high schoolers,
Matins cultivates a space where kids can
meet those different from themselves
and forge bonds over shared musical
experiences. You get to become friends
with a lot of people who you wouldn’t
normally talk to, or even ever get to meet.
Throughout the year, Matins practice
every Wednesday and perform every
Sunday; which can prove to be difficult
regarding the 8 a.m. call time. Despite the
early rise on a weekend, we come together
to provide a sense of fellowship through
singing during Sunday services. Knowing
that the foosball table in the youth room
is awaiting us also helps get us out of
bed in the mornings. Performing for the
church congregation every week is a very
rewarding experience, and I feel very
grateful to have been a part of it for the
past three years. Talking to people after
service is a great way to feel connected to
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the Plymouth community, and I have met
a lot of really cool people just by being a
part of the Matins choir.
It’s great to get to know everyone
through the year, but most of our time
bonding as a choir happens when we take
our annual Summer Tour to a location in
the United States. This year, we traveled
to the East Coast, making stops in Ohio,
Connecticut, and New York City. We
were all pretty excited when we were
presented with the idea of traveling out
East. While we knew tour would be
awesome because of the location, I don’t
think many of us expected to have such
a incredible, rich experience from the
people we met and got to know.
The beginning of tour was filled with
long stretches of bus-riding and sleeping.
We had to keep ourselves busy while
anticipating our arrival at the generous
churches we stayed at in both OH and
CT, and most kids did so by making
bracelets, listening to music, or being
loud and annoying everyone on the bus.
After unloading and reloading the bus for
two days, we were all pretty happy to be
at our main destination: Norfield Church
in Weston, CT. From the moment we
arrived, we were greeted with kindness
and an abundant sense of welcome from
the members and leaders of the church.
It was especially great to reconnect with
Pastor Jack and see for ourselves all the
great work he has been doing! We had
a lot of great times at Norfield, and the
people there were some of the nicest and
most generous I have ever met. Being able
to sing during Sunday service along with
their congregation was truly a special
experience, and it was amazing being able
to witness the tight-knit community they
have there. Everyone seemed to posses a
genuine connection to each other, and
we were very blessed to take part in that.
During our time in CT, the Matins
took a trip to the beach, spent evenings
playing pool and ping pong, found lots of
instruments to play, and got to know each
other a lot better. We also spent a lot of
time singing at various retirement homes
and visiting with the residents there. It was
quite moving to be able to hear all of their
stories about their personal relationships
with music and some of their own life
experiences and advice. From what I saw
on tour, connecting with people across
generational boundaries can really open
your eyes to how incredible life can be,
and how easily music can help you get to
know someone. Performing for various
groups of people and seeing them smile or
sing along to our music is definitely one of
the main reasons I have stuck with Matins
throughout high school. It is very special
to give something to people that they can
take part in and feel for themselves.
The Matins experienced a lot of amazing
things while on tour, but we also met a
lot of amazing people. Everyone in the
Norfield community was incredible, and
the people across the street even invited in
