Janet & Rolleen

    Psalm 100

    Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
    Worship the Lord with gladness;
        come before him with joyful songs.
    Know that the Lord is God.
        It is he who made us, and we are his;
        we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

    Enter his gates with thanksgiving
        and his courts with praise;
        give thanks to him and praise his name.
    For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
        his faithfulness continues through all generations.

    When you meet Janet Jensen and Rolleen Legion together, hear the easy flow of conversation, experience the calm that seems to exude from both, it’s easy to see what God is up to with this duo. They may be generations apart in age, but in spirit, they are the same.

    This is the way Janet says she first noticed young Rolleen and began to believe that God had brought them together to make music for Him.

    Janet, a life-long vocal artist and musician, first heard Rolleen sing when she was seven. Accompanying for the University United Methodist Church’s Children’s Choir during rehearsal, Janet heard one voice over the others, not because Rolleen was trying to out-sing her peers but because one cannot miss the singular beauty of her tone. Even at seven, Rolleen could sing in perfect pitch, and as Janet says, “she was all business.” Standing straight, eyes on the teacher, focused. This is the way Janet says she first noticed young Rolleen and began to believe that God had brought them together to make music for Him.

    As a little girl, Janet, too, had been a musical prodigy, able to sing on pitch and harmonize with others from a very young age. Janet’s mother, a musician as well, recognized her daughter’s gift and sought training and opportunities for Janet, including her church choir. Recognizing a similar ability in Rolleen, Janet realized that she had an opportunity to guide Rolleen in the same way that her mother had once helped her.

    On Good Friday of 2017, our congregation was blessed to experience Requiem for the Living, an awe-inspiring 5-movement work by Dan Forrest. Mary McKay, Director of Music and Traditional Worship, decided to feature Rolleen, now age 9, in one of the movements. Singing a solo in Latin is intimidating to an adult, so Mary knew that Rolleen would need support, and she knew just where to turn. Rolleen says that she was initially scared, but when she realized that Ms. Janet was going to coach her through it, she was less afraid. They worked for months, both together and with the larger choir. With such a difficult piece, Janet was concerned that Rolleen might miss her entrances, so at Mary’s suggestion, they developed a system where, standing next to her, Janet would gently press on Rolleen’s back just before her first note. Rolleen had some solo notes, and they sang some parts together as a duet, and all of it was glorious. As Janet says, “for a young girl to stand in that space and sing with all her heart before the Lord, producing a special sound during such a serious, moving work, I was so proud.” 

    They sit together at the piano, and Janet shares her knowledge of sharps, flats, key signatures and so much more.

    The collaboration on Requiem cemented their friendship and has led to further mentoring opportunities. Realizing that a strong foundation in musical theory is important for Rolleen’s future, Janet is now giving Rolleen piano lessons every Monday. They sit together at the piano, and Janet shares her knowledge of sharps, flats, key signatures and so much more.

    For her part, Rolleen feels blessed: “I feel like it’s a miracle I was given this singing voice, and I love to sing. It makes me happy.” Janet does, too: “I give God the glory for the opportunity to share my time and talents with her.”

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