I sing to my son all day long. Sometimes they're songs I know from my childhood, sometimes hymns, sometimes songs I make up. We listen to so much music. Classical plays in his bedroom. Anything on Daddy's iPod in the living room. Pandora everywhere else. I like to think that he's constantly in his own personal music education classroom.
That said, some of these songs I learned in my childhood have lyrics that I'm not sure I want my son to internalize.
One little, two little, three little...Indians? Um... I replace that with "children" or something similar, but it doesn't quite work at the end of the song. Sing it through. You'll know what I mean. "Ten little happy boys" might work as the last line.
Anyway, the song that stands out in my mind is a classic - "Jesus Loves the Little Children."All the children of the world. So far, so good. It's the third line that bugs me. "Red and yellow, black and white" just doesn't work anymore, if it ever did. People take offense to being labeled with a color. Besides, I'm not white. My skin is light peach. Or tan. With freckles. And blue veins and red-flushed cheeks.
So I changed the words. Here's the original if you want to reference it. The first verse here is not entirely mine - I'm pretty sure it shows up in the blue Covenant Hymnal, but Hymnary doesn't have that information. However, I did make up a second verse.
Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Every color, every race
They are covered by his grace
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Every country, everywhere
Jesus hears their every prayer
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
I'm working on coming up with a third verse, but it might be a while before I get it just right. I'll just keep singing to my baby. He doesn't mind.
What do you think? Any songs you know from childhood that should be revamped for today's kids?
Showing posts with label choir. Show all posts
Showing posts with label choir. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Sunday, October 30, 2011
the tooth fairy, grapes, Harry Potter, Miss Rhode Island, Braveheart, et al
The College Choir has an annual October party which usually falls sometime near Halloween. Costumes are most definitely involved. Tonight's shenanigans at the director's house included a campfire and s'mores, kickball (me in sequined ballet flats, too), the judging of costumes by the director's three children, doughnuts, cider, and friendly conversation. Much silliness was had by all.
Of note were the following ingenious costumes:
a mermaid
soccer referee
a bunch of grapes - complete with a stem made of her dreadlocked hair
Harry Potter himself, though much taller than pictured in film, and sadly, without his owl friend
Miss Rhode Island, especially notable for her light-up heels
Braveheart, wearing both a plaid kilt and a blue spandex suit underneath
various other choir members, as themselves
and me, the tooth fairy.
What, you didn't know? The tooth fairy wears light purple and aqua wings, liberally sprinkled with sparkles, sports a silvery dress, and silver sequined shoes. She also wears lots of sparkly eye shadow, costume jewelry, and ribbon in her hair. And gloves and tights, since it's October in New York state. She also carries a tooth brush wand, complete with sparkly blue "toothpaste."
The things I do for choir... :o)
Of note were the following ingenious costumes:
a mermaid
soccer referee
a bunch of grapes - complete with a stem made of her dreadlocked hair
Harry Potter himself, though much taller than pictured in film, and sadly, without his owl friend
Miss Rhode Island, especially notable for her light-up heels
Braveheart, wearing both a plaid kilt and a blue spandex suit underneath
various other choir members, as themselves
and me, the tooth fairy.
What, you didn't know? The tooth fairy wears light purple and aqua wings, liberally sprinkled with sparkles, sports a silvery dress, and silver sequined shoes. She also wears lots of sparkly eye shadow, costume jewelry, and ribbon in her hair. And gloves and tights, since it's October in New York state. She also carries a tooth brush wand, complete with sparkly blue "toothpaste."
The things I do for choir... :o)
Monday, May 16, 2011
clean all the things!
clean all the things!
an image brought to you by Hyperbole and a Half, whose blog is full of funny things (be forewarned: there are some bad words).
Today I cleaned a lot of the things. Small sampling:
dusted the dining/living/bed/bath rooms
swept the kitchen (twice), laundry room, and bath room
vacuumed the bedrooms, dining room, and living room (including couches)
cleaned up the litter box (hate this chore)
did three loads of laundry and put it all away
deep cleaned the bathroom, including bleaching the plastic shower curtain liner and scrubbing every surface that wasn't a wall
mopped the kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom
made the bed
washed the dishes in the sink
cleaned the counter clutter
swept the basement and put some boxes away to prepare for mouse trap placement (yuck)
made lunch: bean/beef/rice/cheese burritos.
dessert: cupcakes.
made dinner: creamy chicken and bowtie pasta with broccoli.
dessert: vanilla pudding with bananas and 'nilla wafers
washed the dishes in the sink again
ran the dishwasher
Exhausting. Then I sat down at my computer and got information about appointments that I need to schedule, answered emails, and realized that I could probably fall asleep soon. But I'm still awake, and I'm trying to decide what I'll do for my recital next year. Instead, I've set a vacation responder on my school email. (evil laugh here)
But I still need to decide on a recital program. I'm considering these options:
1. Settings of "Agnus Dei" across the centuries, from 1500's to 1900's
2. Songs about or related to visual art
3. Music that develops the adolescent voice - this could be taken in many directions, from building sight reading skills to singing connected phrases
...and many more ideas are floating around in my head. I need to tell my adviser on Thursday so that he can give me the go-ahead to research this summer. I don't know what to pick. Not feeling very driven right now!
At least all the things are clean. :o)
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an image brought to you by Hyperbole and a Half, whose blog is full of funny things (be forewarned: there are some bad words).
Today I cleaned a lot of the things. Small sampling:
dusted the dining/living/bed/bath rooms
swept the kitchen (twice), laundry room, and bath room
vacuumed the bedrooms, dining room, and living room (including couches)
cleaned up the litter box (hate this chore)
did three loads of laundry and put it all away
deep cleaned the bathroom, including bleaching the plastic shower curtain liner and scrubbing every surface that wasn't a wall
mopped the kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom
made the bed
washed the dishes in the sink
cleaned the counter clutter
swept the basement and put some boxes away to prepare for mouse trap placement (yuck)
made lunch: bean/beef/rice/cheese burritos.
dessert: cupcakes.
made dinner: creamy chicken and bowtie pasta with broccoli.
dessert: vanilla pudding with bananas and 'nilla wafers
washed the dishes in the sink again
ran the dishwasher
Exhausting. Then I sat down at my computer and got information about appointments that I need to schedule, answered emails, and realized that I could probably fall asleep soon. But I'm still awake, and I'm trying to decide what I'll do for my recital next year. Instead, I've set a vacation responder on my school email. (evil laugh here)
But I still need to decide on a recital program. I'm considering these options:
1. Settings of "Agnus Dei" across the centuries, from 1500's to 1900's
2. Songs about or related to visual art
3. Music that develops the adolescent voice - this could be taken in many directions, from building sight reading skills to singing connected phrases
...and many more ideas are floating around in my head. I need to tell my adviser on Thursday so that he can give me the go-ahead to research this summer. I don't know what to pick. Not feeling very driven right now!
At least all the things are clean. :o)
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Haydn + Candyman +Whitacre
= a weekend full of singing.
Add to that some Gjeilo and Faure, a bit of Hindemith, and you have an idea for the choral goodness my week held. Here's an overview of the week.
Monday was my all-out panic day, when I realized that I had done way less than necessary to gracefully make it through the week. Much laundry and last-minute homework ensued.
Tuesday, I arrived at school at 9 am, packing my day full of rehearsals, classes, and research for the presentation on Hindemith's "Lilacs" Requiem that was due Wednesday. I pored through books in the music library, got recordings and a DVD, and took three books out of the main library to round out my research. Unfortunately, there was no score of the music available, so I listened to a movement of the piece over and over again to analyze it. Throughout the day, I spent between five and six hours preparing for this 50-minute presentation. 2 hours of rehearsal, a lunch break, a quick dinner break, and 2 classes later, I was heading home at about 9pm. 12 hour day. I did not sleep well.
Wednesday was another "early" day, arriving at school by 8:15am to set up for my presentation. Our class is held in the recital hall so that it is conducive to watching a projected presentation and listening to music, while having a big lecture-style program to provide extra practice for our future professional lives. Now, I would like to say that I was happy when my professor announced that he would like me to take only about 20 minutes for the presentation instead of the 50 allotted, but I was really upset, since I had spent so much time the day before in preparation. I was angry that there was an irreparable buzz in the sound system and that there was no music score available. To top it off, the professor took the next 30 minutes to "chat" with the three of us about the ways he's expanding the conducting program next year to include five conductors instead of two.
Hold it right there. I auditioned here because it is a small program, wherein conductors receive ample podium time and one-on-one attention from the director. These changes make me nervous about the quality of the experiences available to me. I am partly frustrated because the conducting level and organizational skill of one of next year's students is rather low, and I don't understand why he was accepted. I have a further rant to insert here, but I'll refrain from publishing it.
Meanwhile, back on the home front, we were planning our happy weekend trip to see my brother, his fiance, and my sister at their college (a 7 hour round trip). Unfortunately, every hotel in town and the surrounding 15-20 miles was booked. What??? I did a Google search for bed & breakfast places in the area and sent my hubby two links. I felt incredibly stressed, angry at the morning's situations, and a bit nervous for the evening's conducting engagements.
After four rehearsals and some free time (during which I worked on the Theory project that was, evidently, now late), I changed to my black Anne Klein suit. I quickly applied makeup (rare for me to do my makeup at all) and put my hair in a twist. My husband and my mom and dad soon arrived with dinner and flowers for me - yay! Perhaps this was not going to be such a bad evening.
The first concert, a composer's recital in which I was to conduct a choral piece, was about to begin - 6:30 was the start time - when the electricity suddenly went out. Emergency lights were on, and someone relayed the message that there was a tornado warning. Really? Now? We waited a few minutes, but there was not a foreseeable timeline for the return of power. We decided to sing in the most well-lighted area of the music building, which is an atrium/lobby area with a skylight and a view of the second and third floors of the building. The men and women stood on opposite sides of the room, looking over the balcony of the second floor. We pushed a piano to the middle of the balcony, and I stood beside the piano to conduct so both groups of singers could see me. Flexibility was forced upon me, and things actually worked well. The group sounded good, the composer had his premiere, and I conducted from memory. As the recital wore on, the building got progressively hotter and stuffier, as it was a very warm, thunderously rainy day.
The second concert of Wednesday evening was a Men's and Women's Choir concert, in which I conducted two pieces for the Women's Choir. We were prepared to give the concert in the ever-increasing dark, but the power returned in time for the 8:00 concert to begin. Whew. I did well - I was proud of how the choir responded to me and of the sound they achieved, though I did have my pieces on the conductor's stand for a security blanket of sorts. I just felt too stressed to try it memorized, even though I think I could have done it. My long-suffering parents and husband were proud of me, and I had many encouraging words from other professors, for which I'm thankful. Thus ended the evening at about 10pm. A 13 hour day. Though I went to bed right after I got home, I had fitful sleep and saw every hour on the clock but 5 and 6. Sad.
Thursday began with a stress-relieving breakfast in bed, complete with bagels and orange juice from my parents. Mmmm! I had a couple of rehearsals, including a 2-hour dress rehearsal for the following night's concert. Not a bad day, but I still came home late (no fun).
Friday was full again, beginning at 9 with homework, followed by rehearsals. I did some gardening in the afternoon (read: hacked at dirt with a rake, pulling up weeds so I could plant seeds), which was a nice thing to do, but dumb for concert night. I got to the concert and realized that I had pulled a muscle in my back that hurts when I breathe deeply to sing. Dumb, dumb, dumb. The concert, presenting the high school choral festival pieces, a visiting choir, a Dvorak symphony, and the first two parts of the Haydn Creation, came in at a whopping 2.5 hours in length. I wasn't home until about 10:30pm.
After arriving home and chugging some tea, I (over)packed for our weekend trip. We left at 7:45am the next morning, making a quick stop at Mickey D's for McMuffins and a wildberry smoothie (so good). We arrived at about 11am and celebrated my sister's and grandfather's shared birthday with cake, pie, cookies, and an all-campus concert of choral music. This was rather fun, informal choral music, but my brother's arrangement of Candyman from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory stole the show. His a cappella men's group won both their division and the highest award at the show - so proud of him. We even squeezed in a visit to the nearby outlet mall, where I got a spring yellow Gap cami for a whopping $6 and a Banana Republic sleeveless white dress shirt for $13. Yay!
Our bed and breakfast stay was lovely! (I slept so soundly.) We were surprised to find that their rates are so reasonable, and loved that the room was so adorably decorated. Well, I enjoyed that. The hubby was happy that the bed was firm and that the shower was hot. :o) Breakfast there was delicious - whole wheat waffles and fresh fruit, with Twinings tea, served on pretty china. Happy Linnea! If you'll excuse my blurry pictures from my husband's Droid, here's an idea of what it was like:
*note the over-stuffed too-big suitcase and extra pink jackets at the foot of the cute, shabby-chic bed. the pastel pink/green/white braided rug to the left is from Target, and the room was full of antiques - a vanity, lamps, a washbasin with mirror and candles, the iron bed. Even the bathroom was pretty, with brand-new Kohler sink, toilet, and whirlpool tub. Sweet. And free-to-use shampoos, bodywash, hairdryer, iron... like a mini store available to us. I chose Bath & Body Works honeysuckle bodywash for my shower. Happy. The room was so pretty. Here's a view of the light-pink bathroom:
We ended the weekend with a commissioning service for my sister's 9-week mission trip to India this summer, followed by an excellent choir concert (works by Brahms, Whitacre, Purcell, and Christiansen, among others). The trip home was long and rainy...
glad to be home!
Add to that some Gjeilo and Faure, a bit of Hindemith, and you have an idea for the choral goodness my week held. Here's an overview of the week.
Monday was my all-out panic day, when I realized that I had done way less than necessary to gracefully make it through the week. Much laundry and last-minute homework ensued.
Tuesday, I arrived at school at 9 am, packing my day full of rehearsals, classes, and research for the presentation on Hindemith's "Lilacs" Requiem that was due Wednesday. I pored through books in the music library, got recordings and a DVD, and took three books out of the main library to round out my research. Unfortunately, there was no score of the music available, so I listened to a movement of the piece over and over again to analyze it. Throughout the day, I spent between five and six hours preparing for this 50-minute presentation. 2 hours of rehearsal, a lunch break, a quick dinner break, and 2 classes later, I was heading home at about 9pm. 12 hour day. I did not sleep well.
Wednesday was another "early" day, arriving at school by 8:15am to set up for my presentation. Our class is held in the recital hall so that it is conducive to watching a projected presentation and listening to music, while having a big lecture-style program to provide extra practice for our future professional lives. Now, I would like to say that I was happy when my professor announced that he would like me to take only about 20 minutes for the presentation instead of the 50 allotted, but I was really upset, since I had spent so much time the day before in preparation. I was angry that there was an irreparable buzz in the sound system and that there was no music score available. To top it off, the professor took the next 30 minutes to "chat" with the three of us about the ways he's expanding the conducting program next year to include five conductors instead of two.
Hold it right there. I auditioned here because it is a small program, wherein conductors receive ample podium time and one-on-one attention from the director. These changes make me nervous about the quality of the experiences available to me. I am partly frustrated because the conducting level and organizational skill of one of next year's students is rather low, and I don't understand why he was accepted. I have a further rant to insert here, but I'll refrain from publishing it.
Meanwhile, back on the home front, we were planning our happy weekend trip to see my brother, his fiance, and my sister at their college (a 7 hour round trip). Unfortunately, every hotel in town and the surrounding 15-20 miles was booked. What??? I did a Google search for bed & breakfast places in the area and sent my hubby two links. I felt incredibly stressed, angry at the morning's situations, and a bit nervous for the evening's conducting engagements.
After four rehearsals and some free time (during which I worked on the Theory project that was, evidently, now late), I changed to my black Anne Klein suit. I quickly applied makeup (rare for me to do my makeup at all) and put my hair in a twist. My husband and my mom and dad soon arrived with dinner and flowers for me - yay! Perhaps this was not going to be such a bad evening.
The first concert, a composer's recital in which I was to conduct a choral piece, was about to begin - 6:30 was the start time - when the electricity suddenly went out. Emergency lights were on, and someone relayed the message that there was a tornado warning. Really? Now? We waited a few minutes, but there was not a foreseeable timeline for the return of power. We decided to sing in the most well-lighted area of the music building, which is an atrium/lobby area with a skylight and a view of the second and third floors of the building. The men and women stood on opposite sides of the room, looking over the balcony of the second floor. We pushed a piano to the middle of the balcony, and I stood beside the piano to conduct so both groups of singers could see me. Flexibility was forced upon me, and things actually worked well. The group sounded good, the composer had his premiere, and I conducted from memory. As the recital wore on, the building got progressively hotter and stuffier, as it was a very warm, thunderously rainy day.
The second concert of Wednesday evening was a Men's and Women's Choir concert, in which I conducted two pieces for the Women's Choir. We were prepared to give the concert in the ever-increasing dark, but the power returned in time for the 8:00 concert to begin. Whew. I did well - I was proud of how the choir responded to me and of the sound they achieved, though I did have my pieces on the conductor's stand for a security blanket of sorts. I just felt too stressed to try it memorized, even though I think I could have done it. My long-suffering parents and husband were proud of me, and I had many encouraging words from other professors, for which I'm thankful. Thus ended the evening at about 10pm. A 13 hour day. Though I went to bed right after I got home, I had fitful sleep and saw every hour on the clock but 5 and 6. Sad.
Thursday began with a stress-relieving breakfast in bed, complete with bagels and orange juice from my parents. Mmmm! I had a couple of rehearsals, including a 2-hour dress rehearsal for the following night's concert. Not a bad day, but I still came home late (no fun).
Friday was full again, beginning at 9 with homework, followed by rehearsals. I did some gardening in the afternoon (read: hacked at dirt with a rake, pulling up weeds so I could plant seeds), which was a nice thing to do, but dumb for concert night. I got to the concert and realized that I had pulled a muscle in my back that hurts when I breathe deeply to sing. Dumb, dumb, dumb. The concert, presenting the high school choral festival pieces, a visiting choir, a Dvorak symphony, and the first two parts of the Haydn Creation, came in at a whopping 2.5 hours in length. I wasn't home until about 10:30pm.
After arriving home and chugging some tea, I (over)packed for our weekend trip. We left at 7:45am the next morning, making a quick stop at Mickey D's for McMuffins and a wildberry smoothie (so good). We arrived at about 11am and celebrated my sister's and grandfather's shared birthday with cake, pie, cookies, and an all-campus concert of choral music. This was rather fun, informal choral music, but my brother's arrangement of Candyman from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory stole the show. His a cappella men's group won both their division and the highest award at the show - so proud of him. We even squeezed in a visit to the nearby outlet mall, where I got a spring yellow Gap cami for a whopping $6 and a Banana Republic sleeveless white dress shirt for $13. Yay!
Our bed and breakfast stay was lovely! (I slept so soundly.) We were surprised to find that their rates are so reasonable, and loved that the room was so adorably decorated. Well, I enjoyed that. The hubby was happy that the bed was firm and that the shower was hot. :o) Breakfast there was delicious - whole wheat waffles and fresh fruit, with Twinings tea, served on pretty china. Happy Linnea! If you'll excuse my blurry pictures from my husband's Droid, here's an idea of what it was like:
*note the over-stuffed too-big suitcase and extra pink jackets at the foot of the cute, shabby-chic bed. the pastel pink/green/white braided rug to the left is from Target, and the room was full of antiques - a vanity, lamps, a washbasin with mirror and candles, the iron bed. Even the bathroom was pretty, with brand-new Kohler sink, toilet, and whirlpool tub. Sweet. And free-to-use shampoos, bodywash, hairdryer, iron... like a mini store available to us. I chose Bath & Body Works honeysuckle bodywash for my shower. Happy. The room was so pretty. Here's a view of the light-pink bathroom:
We ended the weekend with a commissioning service for my sister's 9-week mission trip to India this summer, followed by an excellent choir concert (works by Brahms, Whitacre, Purcell, and Christiansen, among others). The trip home was long and rainy...glad to be home!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
pretty memories
During choir tour, we were in Florida. In February. Awesome.
We got to see real green grass, trees with green leaves, flowering trees, daffodils, sand, surf, and seagulls - all while there was a major snowstorm back home. Pretty sweet, if you ask me. Here are a few pictures of the fun that I managed to grab in the middle of my tour managing duties:
...at Cocoa Beach, FL with my friend, Nicki
...and a rather ruffled seagull. It was very windy!
Here's a pink hibiscus in the gardens at the church below:
This is First Presbyterian Church in St. Petersburg, Florida. It's so beautiful!
We got to see real green grass, trees with green leaves, flowering trees, daffodils, sand, surf, and seagulls - all while there was a major snowstorm back home. Pretty sweet, if you ask me. Here are a few pictures of the fun that I managed to grab in the middle of my tour managing duties:
...at Cocoa Beach, FL with my friend, Nicki
...and a rather ruffled seagull. It was very windy!
Here's a pink hibiscus in the gardens at the church below:
This is First Presbyterian Church in St. Petersburg, Florida. It's so beautiful!
Monday, March 14, 2011
home sweet home
For the past 17 days, I have either been gone on choir tour or at a choral conference. 2.5 of those days were spent at home doing laundry and packing and squeezing in meal preparation and cleaning and classes and papers and - zoom - off to a conference.
I managed to not get sick on choir tour, which was a relative miracle. Most of the choir members did get sick, which is unusual. We had fevers, coughs, head colds, runny noses, and sore throats. I was pretty fatigued at the end of tour, and didn't have time to catch up on sleep.
I rushed off to the conference early in the morning, starting off a half hour late because of a certain travel companion whom we shall call A. During the conference itself, I was extremely emotional, stressed, and frustrated with A, who is both insecure and overconfident.
Side note: self-deprecating comments annoy me, especially when they're not true or unfounded. It also annoys me when someone spends an entire 12-hour car ride talking about how he's so great at choral music when he spent most of his undergraduate work studying and performing on an unrelated instrument, and has yet to be accepted to the choral conducting master's program at any school. It also bothers me that when A was driving, he would often take both hands off the wheel to "conduct" a portion of a currently playing piece. Um, the ensemble can't see you. And if you haven't studied the score, it's really not worth trying to conduct what you've heard as it's happening. Two, you're on a busy interstate. Three, the brakes on your car are grinding. DON'T take your hands off the wheel. Pay attention. Stop bragging. And by all means, do not turn on Eminem and then try to call it something that pleases God. And don't tell me about your previous girlfriends, what you've done, and how you want to start this new relationship with some girl from choir. I don't care.
So I was stressed, emotional, angry, tired, and carrying germs from choir tour. And visiting a city with which I am relatively unfamiliar. And also the only person in the group who had been to any professional conference before.
It was a recipe for disaster and disappointment in many ways.
However, I truly enjoyed seeing Helmuth Rilling conduct Mendelssohn's Elijah, an oratorio in German. It was excellent - beautifully sung, played, and portrayed. I loved it. We also attended a gorgeous, worshipful church service planned by Anton Armstrong, director of the St. Olaf choir. We heard many wonderful choral ensembles from across the country and experienced many different styles of choirs, music, and stage interpretations. I learned how important it is to me to appear professional onstage, to practice bowing, and to have a good suit so that my behind looks as nice as my smile side. I learned what choral sounds I like, what choreography works, and how formations change the sound of an ensemble. I went to music reading sessions that broadened my knowledge of repertoire, and picked up free perusal copies at the exhibits. Ooo! And free chocolate at the exhibits. They know how to get you...
All this to say: I'm so glad I'm back home. I'm so tired, my throat is sore, and I came home early from school today so that I could nap and do homework. I feel stressed because I'm behind in school work and I can't afford to be sick. My husband has been taking care of me, and I'm so thankful for him. I love being together with him, and missed him so much these past 17 days. Thanks to God for the blessing He's given me in my husband!
I managed to not get sick on choir tour, which was a relative miracle. Most of the choir members did get sick, which is unusual. We had fevers, coughs, head colds, runny noses, and sore throats. I was pretty fatigued at the end of tour, and didn't have time to catch up on sleep.
I rushed off to the conference early in the morning, starting off a half hour late because of a certain travel companion whom we shall call A. During the conference itself, I was extremely emotional, stressed, and frustrated with A, who is both insecure and overconfident.
Side note: self-deprecating comments annoy me, especially when they're not true or unfounded. It also annoys me when someone spends an entire 12-hour car ride talking about how he's so great at choral music when he spent most of his undergraduate work studying and performing on an unrelated instrument, and has yet to be accepted to the choral conducting master's program at any school. It also bothers me that when A was driving, he would often take both hands off the wheel to "conduct" a portion of a currently playing piece. Um, the ensemble can't see you. And if you haven't studied the score, it's really not worth trying to conduct what you've heard as it's happening. Two, you're on a busy interstate. Three, the brakes on your car are grinding. DON'T take your hands off the wheel. Pay attention. Stop bragging. And by all means, do not turn on Eminem and then try to call it something that pleases God. And don't tell me about your previous girlfriends, what you've done, and how you want to start this new relationship with some girl from choir. I don't care.
So I was stressed, emotional, angry, tired, and carrying germs from choir tour. And visiting a city with which I am relatively unfamiliar. And also the only person in the group who had been to any professional conference before.
It was a recipe for disaster and disappointment in many ways.
However, I truly enjoyed seeing Helmuth Rilling conduct Mendelssohn's Elijah, an oratorio in German. It was excellent - beautifully sung, played, and portrayed. I loved it. We also attended a gorgeous, worshipful church service planned by Anton Armstrong, director of the St. Olaf choir. We heard many wonderful choral ensembles from across the country and experienced many different styles of choirs, music, and stage interpretations. I learned how important it is to me to appear professional onstage, to practice bowing, and to have a good suit so that my behind looks as nice as my smile side. I learned what choral sounds I like, what choreography works, and how formations change the sound of an ensemble. I went to music reading sessions that broadened my knowledge of repertoire, and picked up free perusal copies at the exhibits. Ooo! And free chocolate at the exhibits. They know how to get you...
All this to say: I'm so glad I'm back home. I'm so tired, my throat is sore, and I came home early from school today so that I could nap and do homework. I feel stressed because I'm behind in school work and I can't afford to be sick. My husband has been taking care of me, and I'm so thankful for him. I love being together with him, and missed him so much these past 17 days. Thanks to God for the blessing He's given me in my husband!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
thankful, and looking forward to rest
whew. I just got back from a 10-day tour with my college choir, and it went well! Most details fell into place as planned, people were friendly, and we had safe travel. Our concerts were also good, despite some less-than-perfect spaces for choral music. Sadly, though, many students got sick on our tour. There was one night when 15 of our 63 singers were sitting out - that hurts!
Our final concert was Sunday, and it went well! We sang in our college's chapel, which brought back many lovely memories for me. My parents and my husband were able to be there, and it was wonderful to look out on the audience and see faces I know and love.
This tour, I served as the Choir Manager, which means that I was the primary contact person for each of our destinations. I planned our itinerary, booked hotels, served as mediator for some other housing arrangements, managed details of our concert dress, and made sure we had adequate first aid supplies, thank you notes, and friendly "how to stay healthy" reminders. The more difficult things for me were making corrections to choir members' behavior. This is a real challenge as a peer leader, even though I am at least three years older than most of the students. I found that my height (or lack thereof) and my smallish, high-pitched voice presented a logistical challenge when I needed to speak to the whole group and direct them to do certain things. I ended up appointing some "surrogate" leaders who would follow my directions and announce things to the choir as needed. Happily, most choir members were eager to follow and do what I asked.
I enjoyed being in Florida - what a treat to see sunshine, birds, flowers, and green leaves! It was lovely to walk to the beach from some of our performance venues, wearing flip flops and summery dress clothes. I enjoyed being with my friend, Nicki, and getting to know some other choir members. It was good for me to see the inner workings of tour, and to better understand the job of the director. It's a very big thing.
All this to say, I am thankful for safety, good music, a wonderful director, and good friends. Most of all, though, I'm so grateful to be home with my husband, whom I have missed dearly these past ten days. I'm really frustrated that I'll have to leave early tomorrow morning to go to a four-day conference in Chicago. I just wish I could stay home with him!
However, this conference is a great professional opportunity for me. It's expensive, inconvenient, and means another four days without my hubby, but I'm trusting that it will be worth it. At least, I'm trying to trust!
More and more I've been thinking about what God might want for me, and I really feel peaceful about the thought that I might not have a career in music education that lasts longer than a few years. I think it seems like having this graduate degree will be good for me, but that I'm being called to motherhood. I wonder...
Our final concert was Sunday, and it went well! We sang in our college's chapel, which brought back many lovely memories for me. My parents and my husband were able to be there, and it was wonderful to look out on the audience and see faces I know and love.
This tour, I served as the Choir Manager, which means that I was the primary contact person for each of our destinations. I planned our itinerary, booked hotels, served as mediator for some other housing arrangements, managed details of our concert dress, and made sure we had adequate first aid supplies, thank you notes, and friendly "how to stay healthy" reminders. The more difficult things for me were making corrections to choir members' behavior. This is a real challenge as a peer leader, even though I am at least three years older than most of the students. I found that my height (or lack thereof) and my smallish, high-pitched voice presented a logistical challenge when I needed to speak to the whole group and direct them to do certain things. I ended up appointing some "surrogate" leaders who would follow my directions and announce things to the choir as needed. Happily, most choir members were eager to follow and do what I asked.
I enjoyed being in Florida - what a treat to see sunshine, birds, flowers, and green leaves! It was lovely to walk to the beach from some of our performance venues, wearing flip flops and summery dress clothes. I enjoyed being with my friend, Nicki, and getting to know some other choir members. It was good for me to see the inner workings of tour, and to better understand the job of the director. It's a very big thing.
All this to say, I am thankful for safety, good music, a wonderful director, and good friends. Most of all, though, I'm so grateful to be home with my husband, whom I have missed dearly these past ten days. I'm really frustrated that I'll have to leave early tomorrow morning to go to a four-day conference in Chicago. I just wish I could stay home with him!
However, this conference is a great professional opportunity for me. It's expensive, inconvenient, and means another four days without my hubby, but I'm trusting that it will be worth it. At least, I'm trying to trust!
More and more I've been thinking about what God might want for me, and I really feel peaceful about the thought that I might not have a career in music education that lasts longer than a few years. I think it seems like having this graduate degree will be good for me, but that I'm being called to motherhood. I wonder...
Sunday, February 13, 2011
deer dominos
It's a new game, evidently. It goes like this: one car has an issue, we call AAA, get it towed, and we send it to the shop. Day 3: get the second car stuck in our snowy driveway, and call AAA to get it out. Then we realize that this other car leaks excessive amounts of transmission fluid, and we just switch the two when the first is fixed. Two weeks later, when we finally get both cars back, I volunteer to drive students to and from our first choir concert of the semester in a city about an hour and a half from where we live.
Enter the deer. A whole herd, to be exact.
The trip to the concert was uneventful, with the exception of my day-long headache. The concert went well, and we departed for our campus. I had a full car-load with four passengers and myself in our nice Nissan, the newer of our two cars. We were about twenty minutes from campus when I noticed a group of deer running out in front of the car ahead of me. All of those deer and the vehicle ahead were unscathed. I assumed that was the entire herd...
...but it wasn't. What a startling awakening for my three sleeping backseat passengers - a sudden stop, crunched hood, car pieces splintered into the road, and not one, but two deer lying on the side of the road.
Being the driver, a leader in the ensemble and the oldest person in the car, there was absolutely no room for panic. I called my husband and asked him to come and meet us. I called AAA, and they managed to hang up on me before I got to the correct service area operators. I called our choir director to let him know what was going on, and had my passengers call someone on campus to pick them up. At this point, I didn't realize how badly the car had been damaged.
When my husband arrived, he took a look at the damage to the car. I had asked my passengers to stay in the car (safest and warmest option, anyway), and hadn't looked yet. I could see from the driver's seat that the hood was crumpled into an accordion shape, but didn't realize that the entire front end of the car was now concave.
My passengers' ride to campus arrived soon thereafter, as did the tow truck. It was the same truck driver that has answered our AAA call the past two times...looks like we're getting to be regulars. Since the accident was so severe, we also had to call the police to write up an accident report for our insurance agency. Nothing like an exciting evening, eh?
It's a wonderful thing that God gave my husband a new, better paying job with better hours in a place that's a little closer. He provided for our needs, and I know He will continue to do so. We are all safe, healthy, and we have each other. The rest will be taken care of.
Enter the deer. A whole herd, to be exact.
The trip to the concert was uneventful, with the exception of my day-long headache. The concert went well, and we departed for our campus. I had a full car-load with four passengers and myself in our nice Nissan, the newer of our two cars. We were about twenty minutes from campus when I noticed a group of deer running out in front of the car ahead of me. All of those deer and the vehicle ahead were unscathed. I assumed that was the entire herd...
...but it wasn't. What a startling awakening for my three sleeping backseat passengers - a sudden stop, crunched hood, car pieces splintered into the road, and not one, but two deer lying on the side of the road.
Being the driver, a leader in the ensemble and the oldest person in the car, there was absolutely no room for panic. I called my husband and asked him to come and meet us. I called AAA, and they managed to hang up on me before I got to the correct service area operators. I called our choir director to let him know what was going on, and had my passengers call someone on campus to pick them up. At this point, I didn't realize how badly the car had been damaged.
When my husband arrived, he took a look at the damage to the car. I had asked my passengers to stay in the car (safest and warmest option, anyway), and hadn't looked yet. I could see from the driver's seat that the hood was crumpled into an accordion shape, but didn't realize that the entire front end of the car was now concave.
My passengers' ride to campus arrived soon thereafter, as did the tow truck. It was the same truck driver that has answered our AAA call the past two times...looks like we're getting to be regulars. Since the accident was so severe, we also had to call the police to write up an accident report for our insurance agency. Nothing like an exciting evening, eh?
It's a wonderful thing that God gave my husband a new, better paying job with better hours in a place that's a little closer. He provided for our needs, and I know He will continue to do so. We are all safe, healthy, and we have each other. The rest will be taken care of.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
an encouraging bit
My plans for tonight include going over music to prepare for Women's Choir rehearsal tomorrow. I'll be preparing a Herford analysis (Schenkerian analysis "lite" for those who are musically minded) so that I can get the pieces learned, and I'll be writing a rehearsal plan for about 25 minutes of class time. Not bad.
However, I had been feeling rather unmotivated, and was thus on Facebook and answering email and making a phone call about my vacuum. (There will be another post detailing the frustration that is the vacuum.)
A member of the Men's Choir, for which I was the assistant conductor last semester, contacted me in FB chat and said he wished I was still conducting Men's Choir. I was flattered, and asked about rehearsal. Evidently, it didn't go very well, since the new assistant conductor is new to conducting a choir. I was able to help the choir member to see that maybe the new conductor just needs some constructive feedback, and some encouragement. "Hmm - that's an idea!" he said. He seemed encouraged, himself. I am happy with how I handled myself as a teacher in this moment. I resisted the urge to dwell on comparisons between us, and let the student know that this new conductor really does want to do well. If only I could always be graceful, right?
And this is when I go back to work....or start, rather. :o)
However, I had been feeling rather unmotivated, and was thus on Facebook and answering email and making a phone call about my vacuum. (There will be another post detailing the frustration that is the vacuum.)
A member of the Men's Choir, for which I was the assistant conductor last semester, contacted me in FB chat and said he wished I was still conducting Men's Choir. I was flattered, and asked about rehearsal. Evidently, it didn't go very well, since the new assistant conductor is new to conducting a choir. I was able to help the choir member to see that maybe the new conductor just needs some constructive feedback, and some encouragement. "Hmm - that's an idea!" he said. He seemed encouraged, himself. I am happy with how I handled myself as a teacher in this moment. I resisted the urge to dwell on comparisons between us, and let the student know that this new conductor really does want to do well. If only I could always be graceful, right?
And this is when I go back to work....or start, rather. :o)
Monday, November 1, 2010
november?
Grad school has been dizzyingly busy.
This past month, I conducted in a masterclass with Dr. Rene Clausen, a well known composer and the director of the Concordia Choir. It went really well, and I was inspired. It was a much-needed bit of inspiration in a semester that has been difficult.
In the past two weeks, the College Choir has performed in three concerts; we had to travel to nearby cities for two of those concerts. This is a feat of organization, and I'm pretty sure I couldn't have done it and stayed sane, had it not been for the help of the choir president. He has been great at putting tour crews together, organizing driver lists, and making sure our equipment is set up. We had plenty of obstacles to overcome, but everyone has been so cooperative and willing to help. It seems like we have a great group of people this year!
I enjoyed a piano recital tonight - something I missed in these past three years. My undergraduate years were filled with this sort of thing, and I didn't really cherish these opportunities like I do now. High-quality, free concerts? okay by me.
Whew. Research for my research class is exhausting. I've confirmed that this is not for me. I am so done with my topic - but I still have to keep digging. It seems that as soon as I've answered my initial curious question, I just don't have the drive to go on.
Brad finally did get a job, for which we're both grateful. We have enough money in our account to make our bills this month, and we will have a little bit left over. A blessing, for sure! We're not thrilled with the hours that his job demands - 10am to 11pm, M-Th, but we are trying to stay positive about the blessing of a job.
These past few weeks, we've been operating on a one-car system - a tough thing, since Brad drives 70 minutes to a nearby city for work most days. I have had to depend on the charity of my friends to take me to and from school... a humbling experience. I'm grateful for my friends.
It seems that this first semester has been about simply keeping my head above water, doing just the bare minimum - making ends meet, finishing today's homework, doing the little household chores and neglecting the bigger ones. I was thankful for a canceled class this morning, which allowed me to do laundry, bake bread, mend a pair of pants, and wash the pile of dishes...not to mention sleeping in and cuddling with my husband, whom I rarely see. It makes me want to cry! I'm so tried emotionally and physically. I am not very old, but I feel the effects of this on my body. I'm not as young as I was in undergrad... funny, yes?
A good friend at school has agreed to pray with me once a week, and that has been great. I'm so glad to have her friendship and to be able to support her in prayer, as well has having her support of me.
There is more left to do this evening...so I'm out.
This past month, I conducted in a masterclass with Dr. Rene Clausen, a well known composer and the director of the Concordia Choir. It went really well, and I was inspired. It was a much-needed bit of inspiration in a semester that has been difficult.
In the past two weeks, the College Choir has performed in three concerts; we had to travel to nearby cities for two of those concerts. This is a feat of organization, and I'm pretty sure I couldn't have done it and stayed sane, had it not been for the help of the choir president. He has been great at putting tour crews together, organizing driver lists, and making sure our equipment is set up. We had plenty of obstacles to overcome, but everyone has been so cooperative and willing to help. It seems like we have a great group of people this year!
I enjoyed a piano recital tonight - something I missed in these past three years. My undergraduate years were filled with this sort of thing, and I didn't really cherish these opportunities like I do now. High-quality, free concerts? okay by me.
Whew. Research for my research class is exhausting. I've confirmed that this is not for me. I am so done with my topic - but I still have to keep digging. It seems that as soon as I've answered my initial curious question, I just don't have the drive to go on.
Brad finally did get a job, for which we're both grateful. We have enough money in our account to make our bills this month, and we will have a little bit left over. A blessing, for sure! We're not thrilled with the hours that his job demands - 10am to 11pm, M-Th, but we are trying to stay positive about the blessing of a job.
These past few weeks, we've been operating on a one-car system - a tough thing, since Brad drives 70 minutes to a nearby city for work most days. I have had to depend on the charity of my friends to take me to and from school... a humbling experience. I'm grateful for my friends.
It seems that this first semester has been about simply keeping my head above water, doing just the bare minimum - making ends meet, finishing today's homework, doing the little household chores and neglecting the bigger ones. I was thankful for a canceled class this morning, which allowed me to do laundry, bake bread, mend a pair of pants, and wash the pile of dishes...not to mention sleeping in and cuddling with my husband, whom I rarely see. It makes me want to cry! I'm so tried emotionally and physically. I am not very old, but I feel the effects of this on my body. I'm not as young as I was in undergrad... funny, yes?
A good friend at school has agreed to pray with me once a week, and that has been great. I'm so glad to have her friendship and to be able to support her in prayer, as well has having her support of me.
There is more left to do this evening...so I'm out.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
who's the crazy?
I am. I have been running around like crazy, and have lost 2 lbs without trying. That's great, right? ha.
this has been a very very long week.
On Monday, the choir began rehearsing in our performance space. Not too big of a deal, except that we needed to use the timpani, chimes, and suspended cymbal from the band room. For those of you that don't know, moving percussion from the band room means crossing five doorways, each of which has a bar in the middle that must be removed to transport these large instruments. Then each instrument must be lifted up the five stairs of the stage and rolled to their proper positions. This is a monumental task, and I had it accomplished with the help of other choir members for rehearsal on Monday morning, and left things in place for Tuesday morning.
What I didn't realize is that the instrumental ensembles also needed these instruments for their daily rehearsals in the afternoons. I had assumed that the choir director had secured the use of these instruments, and that there would not be a need for me to worry about that. So wrong.
And the instrumental ensemble director was very upset!
Long story short, it was a week of moving instruments back and forth.
My other major duty this week was to assign choir robes to each choir member. In that process, I discovered that previous assistants had made a mess of the hemlines on the robes, and that many of the robes have to be repaired - re-installing zippers, fixing seams, sewing pleats back in place - all in fine, heavy velvet. I started by measuring all the robe lengths, and found that only a handful of these 80 robes remain at the length they were when they were shipped from the factory. Most have been hemmed to varied lengths to accommodate the people who previously wore them. A few issues with this:1. some were hemmed with fusible webbing, a type of glue that is ironed on to keep a hem in place while it's sewn. However, this glue does not come off of the fine velvet fabric and leaves white dots all over it. When a hem is taken out for a taller person, the glue shows! So frustrating. 2. Other robes seem to have been hemmed without an accurate measurement all the way around, leaving the front too high and the back too low, or some combination of that. 3. Another robe or two has actually had fabric cut off the bottom of it. Problem! This is very expensive fabric. You don't just cut it to make it two inches shorter.
It should have been a rather easy task to assign robes, simply getting a record of the choristers' heights, and giving a robe of the appropriate (approximate) length, within the S, M, L, XL, and XXL sizes. It looks best if everyone's robe is about the same length off the ground, within 1 inch either direction. It's okay with me if this is not perfect. It just has to be something that they're not going to trip on that is about mid-calf length. But it wasn't easy. And I assigned some robes to two different people.
This week also involved memorizing 40 minutes of music for the concert, along with the rest of the choir. Not an easy task for me, but one I accomplished. Yay!
At the same time, I had a few assignments to finish. One of these stands out as a first in my academic lifetime - I actually didn't read the instructions thoroughly, and missed two major parts of the assignment. I realized this just minutes before it was due, and couldn't finish it that day either. Why? Oh, because someone had used the very reference book I needed and left it in his library carrel instead of returning it to a reshelving rack or to the shelf where it belonged. The main librarian and I searched for an hour before we found the book. At that point, I had another commitment and couldn't complete it. I arrived home, had dinner, and planned to return to the library, only to find that my car wouldn't start. Problem!
I eventually finished the assignment the next afternoon, 25 hours late and I'm not sure it's the correct information. However, it's done, my professor seemed understanding, and I'm not going to dwell on it. (whew)
This week was also my husband's first week at his new job, which is from 10am to 11pm four days of the week. We would like to have some awake time together, so I had been planning to nap during the afternoons and stay up to greet him when he gets home. Somewhere in that plan, I missed the nap part a few of these days, and have been suffering for it. 7:00am comes way too early!
Now it's finally the weekend, and I've been struggling all day to find pertinent information for my 50-minute research presentation on Wednesday. Should I have started earlier? Probably, yes. Could I? I don't think I could have handled it this week!
Positives from the week: My husband loves me. I read my Bible every day except one. I brought flowers from my garden in to my desk at school. I ran a mile in 40 seconds less than my time last week. I got a lovely package of autumn things from my mother-in-law. My husband actually has a job! My car is not permanently on the fritz. I got three loads of laundry done. I vacuumed most of the house. My kitties have had food, water, and a cleaned litter box (at least once a day).
And God has a plan.
this has been a very very long week.
On Monday, the choir began rehearsing in our performance space. Not too big of a deal, except that we needed to use the timpani, chimes, and suspended cymbal from the band room. For those of you that don't know, moving percussion from the band room means crossing five doorways, each of which has a bar in the middle that must be removed to transport these large instruments. Then each instrument must be lifted up the five stairs of the stage and rolled to their proper positions. This is a monumental task, and I had it accomplished with the help of other choir members for rehearsal on Monday morning, and left things in place for Tuesday morning.
What I didn't realize is that the instrumental ensembles also needed these instruments for their daily rehearsals in the afternoons. I had assumed that the choir director had secured the use of these instruments, and that there would not be a need for me to worry about that. So wrong.
And the instrumental ensemble director was very upset!
Long story short, it was a week of moving instruments back and forth.
My other major duty this week was to assign choir robes to each choir member. In that process, I discovered that previous assistants had made a mess of the hemlines on the robes, and that many of the robes have to be repaired - re-installing zippers, fixing seams, sewing pleats back in place - all in fine, heavy velvet. I started by measuring all the robe lengths, and found that only a handful of these 80 robes remain at the length they were when they were shipped from the factory. Most have been hemmed to varied lengths to accommodate the people who previously wore them. A few issues with this:1. some were hemmed with fusible webbing, a type of glue that is ironed on to keep a hem in place while it's sewn. However, this glue does not come off of the fine velvet fabric and leaves white dots all over it. When a hem is taken out for a taller person, the glue shows! So frustrating. 2. Other robes seem to have been hemmed without an accurate measurement all the way around, leaving the front too high and the back too low, or some combination of that. 3. Another robe or two has actually had fabric cut off the bottom of it. Problem! This is very expensive fabric. You don't just cut it to make it two inches shorter.
It should have been a rather easy task to assign robes, simply getting a record of the choristers' heights, and giving a robe of the appropriate (approximate) length, within the S, M, L, XL, and XXL sizes. It looks best if everyone's robe is about the same length off the ground, within 1 inch either direction. It's okay with me if this is not perfect. It just has to be something that they're not going to trip on that is about mid-calf length. But it wasn't easy. And I assigned some robes to two different people.
This week also involved memorizing 40 minutes of music for the concert, along with the rest of the choir. Not an easy task for me, but one I accomplished. Yay!
At the same time, I had a few assignments to finish. One of these stands out as a first in my academic lifetime - I actually didn't read the instructions thoroughly, and missed two major parts of the assignment. I realized this just minutes before it was due, and couldn't finish it that day either. Why? Oh, because someone had used the very reference book I needed and left it in his library carrel instead of returning it to a reshelving rack or to the shelf where it belonged. The main librarian and I searched for an hour before we found the book. At that point, I had another commitment and couldn't complete it. I arrived home, had dinner, and planned to return to the library, only to find that my car wouldn't start. Problem!
I eventually finished the assignment the next afternoon, 25 hours late and I'm not sure it's the correct information. However, it's done, my professor seemed understanding, and I'm not going to dwell on it. (whew)
This week was also my husband's first week at his new job, which is from 10am to 11pm four days of the week. We would like to have some awake time together, so I had been planning to nap during the afternoons and stay up to greet him when he gets home. Somewhere in that plan, I missed the nap part a few of these days, and have been suffering for it. 7:00am comes way too early!
Now it's finally the weekend, and I've been struggling all day to find pertinent information for my 50-minute research presentation on Wednesday. Should I have started earlier? Probably, yes. Could I? I don't think I could have handled it this week!
Positives from the week: My husband loves me. I read my Bible every day except one. I brought flowers from my garden in to my desk at school. I ran a mile in 40 seconds less than my time last week. I got a lovely package of autumn things from my mother-in-law. My husband actually has a job! My car is not permanently on the fritz. I got three loads of laundry done. I vacuumed most of the house. My kitties have had food, water, and a cleaned litter box (at least once a day).
And God has a plan.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
tired. happy. and a little nervous.
it has been a beautiful sunny day in the land of Linnea. however, she woke up with very itchy eyes and hasn't been able to wear her contacts. blasted allergies.
worship rehearsal was this morning, and it's nice to not be the leader this time. this is a full month for me - two auditions, leading worship often, a musical at the end of the month, and Easter prep thrown in for good measure. so much to do.
i came home shortly after noon, and couldn't find anything i wanted for lunch in the fridge. call it the American overprivileged attitude, call it the stomach flu i had the past three days - nothing looked good. in fact, i threw out a bunch of stuff that i didn't eat this week because of being sick. is this a bad thing? well, the stuff i threw out was bad. so DH took me out to lunch - i haven't had an Arby's jr. roast beef in ages. it was yummy, of course.
good news - found my sunglasses. this made me smile! i had purchased these sunglasses before we were married so that i could use them on our beachy honeymoon, and they mean a lot to me just for that reason. so glad i found them. besides all that, they're really pretty.
i spent a lot of the afternoon cleaning (read: not moving much at all from the couch beginning tuesday afternoon through wednesday afternoon = messy house and neglected chores), since DH's composition student and her mom were coming over to do some recording this afternoon. i wore myself out. i just don't have the energy that i'm used to just yet.
regardless, my house looks much better than this morning. yay.
it didn't feel like a saturday. can i have another one, please?
i'm working on preparing for my grad school auditions (aforementioned), and i had a fabulous voice lesson yesterday to check up on the work i've been doing. the teacher was so encouraging and helpful! i would enjoy studying with her. i wonder if God will have us stay here, or if His plans will lead us somewhere else. i'm trying to listen and to be open to where He would have us be. it's not easy. But the voice lesson was great! i have some good pointers to help me to put the finishing touches on my audition music before this coming friday. thanks are due to a good friend who's in the grad program here and recommended that i study with this teacher.
as to the conducting portion of auditions, i have a beefy Bach piece to delve into some more. it's one of those beautiful German double-choir motets with long melismatic passages between the voice parts. so lovely. but so full of stuff to understand, interpret, and teach. this would not be so bad if i had been the director, choosing music back in june, studying it all summer, and presenting it to a choir in september. as it stands, i received the music just a month ago. i've done a herford analysis, which is helpful, but i still can't get the tune solidly ingrained in my skull. oh, to have choir every day! i miss that about my undergraduate work. and about teaching. to sing every day...to have (or make) real time for singing every day.
all this to say: i'm a little nervous. i'm not sure that i'll be showing my best self, considering the way that i've been stretched, overexterted, and pressed for time. it's wickedly difficult to hold five jobs (teaching piano, accompanying class voice, nannying, church music administration, accompanying the high school musical) and to still care for my husband and home. and kitty cat. how do working moms do this? hire out? i haven't been able to put much time in. this blog thing isn't helping, except to relax me before i dive back into Bach's blackness. (love that alliteration.)
sweet note - Green&Black's organic chocolate is amazing.
i love the sparkling snow and how it dusts the pine tree out my window. God is good.
i love when my husband's smile is so sincere that he gets little dimples in his cheeks - when he's looking at me.
and i really do have more than i need. so many blessings. and so much need for God's strength, courage, and direction in my life. don't we all?
worship rehearsal was this morning, and it's nice to not be the leader this time. this is a full month for me - two auditions, leading worship often, a musical at the end of the month, and Easter prep thrown in for good measure. so much to do.
i came home shortly after noon, and couldn't find anything i wanted for lunch in the fridge. call it the American overprivileged attitude, call it the stomach flu i had the past three days - nothing looked good. in fact, i threw out a bunch of stuff that i didn't eat this week because of being sick. is this a bad thing? well, the stuff i threw out was bad. so DH took me out to lunch - i haven't had an Arby's jr. roast beef in ages. it was yummy, of course.
good news - found my sunglasses. this made me smile! i had purchased these sunglasses before we were married so that i could use them on our beachy honeymoon, and they mean a lot to me just for that reason. so glad i found them. besides all that, they're really pretty.
i spent a lot of the afternoon cleaning (read: not moving much at all from the couch beginning tuesday afternoon through wednesday afternoon = messy house and neglected chores), since DH's composition student and her mom were coming over to do some recording this afternoon. i wore myself out. i just don't have the energy that i'm used to just yet.
regardless, my house looks much better than this morning. yay.
it didn't feel like a saturday. can i have another one, please?
i'm working on preparing for my grad school auditions (aforementioned), and i had a fabulous voice lesson yesterday to check up on the work i've been doing. the teacher was so encouraging and helpful! i would enjoy studying with her. i wonder if God will have us stay here, or if His plans will lead us somewhere else. i'm trying to listen and to be open to where He would have us be. it's not easy. But the voice lesson was great! i have some good pointers to help me to put the finishing touches on my audition music before this coming friday. thanks are due to a good friend who's in the grad program here and recommended that i study with this teacher.
as to the conducting portion of auditions, i have a beefy Bach piece to delve into some more. it's one of those beautiful German double-choir motets with long melismatic passages between the voice parts. so lovely. but so full of stuff to understand, interpret, and teach. this would not be so bad if i had been the director, choosing music back in june, studying it all summer, and presenting it to a choir in september. as it stands, i received the music just a month ago. i've done a herford analysis, which is helpful, but i still can't get the tune solidly ingrained in my skull. oh, to have choir every day! i miss that about my undergraduate work. and about teaching. to sing every day...to have (or make) real time for singing every day.
all this to say: i'm a little nervous. i'm not sure that i'll be showing my best self, considering the way that i've been stretched, overexterted, and pressed for time. it's wickedly difficult to hold five jobs (teaching piano, accompanying class voice, nannying, church music administration, accompanying the high school musical) and to still care for my husband and home. and kitty cat. how do working moms do this? hire out? i haven't been able to put much time in. this blog thing isn't helping, except to relax me before i dive back into Bach's blackness. (love that alliteration.)
sweet note - Green&Black's organic chocolate is amazing.
i love the sparkling snow and how it dusts the pine tree out my window. God is good.
i love when my husband's smile is so sincere that he gets little dimples in his cheeks - when he's looking at me.
and i really do have more than i need. so many blessings. and so much need for God's strength, courage, and direction in my life. don't we all?
Sunday, February 28, 2010
grrrad school is almost here
from a frosty February morning, just outside our back door...
so i'm finished with all three applications, and i'm actually already accepted at one school. one audition down, two to go...i can't believe i'm almost through this process for the third time.
yes, the third time.
the first time was right after my senior year of college - i applied and auditioned at two schools and was not accepted at either. at the same time, i had also applied for and interviewed for five teaching jobs...and finally got one in august of that year.
i tried again for grad school at the end of the next school year, while i was teaching. i was accepted, though not for the program i really wanted to be a part of. i also was offered a complete assistantship, which would have covered all my tuition. that would've been sweet. however, i married my husband that summer and we moved to the city where he had been accepted to grad school - a great, prestigious place that really suited his career needs. i cried about my loss, but have been rejoicing in his gain.
now, it's my turn again. i've really lost a lot of confidence in the past few years - i'm not sure i can do this! i'm sure i have potential, but i've begun to second-guess myself. can i do this?
i hope so.
so i'm finished with all three applications, and i'm actually already accepted at one school. one audition down, two to go...i can't believe i'm almost through this process for the third time.
yes, the third time.
the first time was right after my senior year of college - i applied and auditioned at two schools and was not accepted at either. at the same time, i had also applied for and interviewed for five teaching jobs...and finally got one in august of that year.
i tried again for grad school at the end of the next school year, while i was teaching. i was accepted, though not for the program i really wanted to be a part of. i also was offered a complete assistantship, which would have covered all my tuition. that would've been sweet. however, i married my husband that summer and we moved to the city where he had been accepted to grad school - a great, prestigious place that really suited his career needs. i cried about my loss, but have been rejoicing in his gain.
now, it's my turn again. i've really lost a lot of confidence in the past few years - i'm not sure i can do this! i'm sure i have potential, but i've begun to second-guess myself. can i do this?
i hope so.
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