This Family Sings and Lives in Harmony Izzy Lyman November 19, 2002 The MacDonald Family Singers are the Massachusetts version of the von Trapps. Like the real-life family that The Sound of Music featured, the MacDonalds are devoted to their faith and to each other. Their rambling home near downtown Orange has musical instruments and songbooks prominently displayed, and visitors might be treated to an acapella rendition of a favorite song. Their concerts feature bluegrass, gospel, and classical.

The MacDonald brass section includes (clockwise from left) Mom and Dad (Laurie and Victor), Carol, Nathan, Bonnie, and Peter.

Victor, the dad, is the manager of the group, a trombonist, and a graduate of Gordon College in Wenham. Laurie, the mom, is a whiz at the keyboard and has a bachelor's degree in applied piano from the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut. She is also a composer and arranger.

Then, there are the eight children, ages 3 to 18: Carol, Bonnie, Vincent, Peter, Nathan, Matthew, Daniel, and Hannah. Several of them play several instruments. Thirteen-year-old Vincent, for instance, handles the banjo, tuba, and trombone; fifteen-year-old Bonnie fingers the trumpet, saxophone, harmonica, piano, and flute.

It's fun and wholesome entertainment. It's also a welcome break from the status quo of our society where images of tawdry pop music icons and the Osbournes are ubiquitous. To boot, the MacDonalds' personal habits are exemplary - they regularly meet for morning devotions; the older children aren't plotting a rebellion against their parents; and they enjoy a simple but debt-free lifestyle.

The MacDonald family of Orange perform concerts featuring bluegrass, gospel, and classical music. They are (L to R) Back row: Nathan, Peter, Laurie and Vincent. Middle row: Daniel, Victor, Mathew, Bonnie and Carol. Center front: Hannah.

If that sounds démodé, then so be it. Laurie and Victor have engineered this moment for a long time. "After Victor and I met in 1981, we knew that the Lord was going to use us as we combined our talents, Victor being a self-taught fix-it man and my having the abilities of homemaking plus my piano playing. We were both preachers kids, so Victor and I have supported the church in music, since we were teens. Now our children have joined us to reach out to the community," explains Laurie.

Outreach to the community includes appearances at churches, malls and a regular gig at the Quabbin Valley Healthcare Center in Athol. The MacDonalds also practice with a Klezmer band at the Jewish Community Center in Amherst.

Their decision to homeschool their children was also carefully planned. "We always knew we wanted to homeschool even before Carol (the eldest child) was born. Our style falls between unschooling and highly structured, so (in addition to academics) we enjoy crafts and fixing things like tree houses, soda machines, car transmissions and appliances," says Laurie.

Eighteen-year-old Carol (the soprano), works as a home health aide and sells merchandise on eBay. She credits homeschooling for giving her a get-up-and-go mindset, a strong moral foundation, and, of course, a broad musical education. "It was a good experience. Not many people have the education that I've had. I learned to be self-disciplined," she says.

About government schools, she opines, "I just don't see how any Christians can stay in that environment and hear all that swearing on a daily basis." Her sister, Bonnie (the alto), who divides her free time between being a web mistress and volunteering at a community clothing center, adds, "Most of the kids I see from public school don't know how to talk.They aren't trained to think and have no sense of who they are or where they're going."

The MacDonalds, however, lack no shortage of goals. Presently, their big dream involves travel. They hope to obtain a motor coach and bring their music and message across the country.

How very von Trapp.

The MacDonald Family Singers (macdonald7@juno.com) will perform Christmas season concerts on the following dates and locations in Massachusetts:
December 2, 4:00 p.m. at the Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield
December 5, 1:30 p.m. at the United Parish Church in Winchendon
December 7, 11:00 a.m. at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Athol
December 21, 6:30 p.m. and December 22, 3:00 p.m. at the Searstown Mall in Leominster

Contact Izzy Lyman at ilyman7449@aol.com.

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