Voice stuff

Zoe did make it to her choir rehearsals tonight. They are practicing a really difficult Mass for the Children. They are going to have a big concert at the end of the season that, unfortunately, Zoe will miss because we will be on our vacation.

Not that I am complaining... it is just that Zoe is going to miss this big choir performance that she is continuing to work really hard on and she is going to miss the performance of the musical theatre production she will be starting rehearsals for soon. I thought about just pulling her out of the musical theatre production (and I still might if they want me to) but Zoe said she wanted to do it anyway, and she could just practice for the chorus.

Anyhoo... She did have her session with the Choir conductor. He said the song was really hard but that Zoe was doing "fantastic" and that all she needed to work on was following along with the accompaniment. It is one of those songs where the accompaniment is really different from the melody you sing. So Zoe just needs to get confident enough in her part to not let the accompaniment distract her.

I can't say whether I want him for her teacher or not. She is really comfortable with her current teacher and I think that is important. I am just not sure how far Zoe will be able to go with her. YKWIM? This choir guy is all about voice and travels around the world for his music, is involved in projects "celebrating" the the music of different ethnic cultures, he's published articles and won awards, yadda, yadda yadda. So, you know, I am feeling like if he offers to take Zoe on as his one new student maybe we should go for it.

But Zoe's old piano teacher in L.A., (some of your may remember me taking about her) she was GREAT and her students were some of the best in the whole Southland. But she pushed Zoe too hard. She wanted Zoe to compete against little "prodigy" kids who practiced 3 hours a day. I said "No way" but somehow Zoe still ended up practicing an hour a day when she was only five. And Zoe will do that. She loves music. She doesn't complain about practicing. But this teacher was always pushing her to the very edge of her competency and it was too much and sometimes Zoe would cry. She only did this with her top students, the ones she though would win the competitions. But what is the point? I get it that she was from Russia and in she grew up under communism and she felt to have a talent and not work as hard as you could to make something of it was a terrible waste. But that is not our situation. Zoe really doesn't need to win any competitions. She certainly didn't need to win them when she was five or six. Zoe doesn't want to be a pianist anyway. She wants to be an astronaut. *wink*

So, of course, I over-think things. I don't want her to just have the best, I want her to have the best for her.

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We didn't homeschool today because I was feeling sick. But I rested and now I feel a lot better. Then Pere came home from work feeling sick and now he is cuddled up under a blanket on the couch watching the Lakers game.

Lastly I wanted to send loving thoughts and wishes for a safe and wonderful delivery to our AWESOME friends in Fort Wayne for the birth of their 3rd! baby and 1st baby boy. I am SO happy for you guys. We can't wait to meet Lil' Cupcake Hog.

still sickish

I started sneezing last night during dinner. Now I am headachy, sinus pressure, tired kind of sick.

Zoe says her throat doesn't hurt as much. I let her sleep in. Now she is watching Charlie and Lola and eating cereal. I am not even going to try to homeschool her. Sickness + Homeschooling = crying. I've learned my lesson not to even try to do lessons.

I am holding out hope that Zoe will make a full and miraculous recovery by this evening. She has a special voice session with her choir director. He is also the choir director and conductor of the adult choir, the director of music at two local churches, and teaches voice at a local college. He had degrees from Trinity college, American Conservatory of Music and Oberlin.

This meeting isn't really an audition. But he is considering taking Zoe as his one new student (he has one private voice student graduating this year so he has one space open that he mentioned to me.)

Tonight he was supposed to help her with a song her current teacher assigned her for an upcoming recital. It is a very difficult piece. And while he helped her I was going to be reviewing how he works with Zoe to see if I think he would be a suitable teacher for her. He has better credentials than her current teacher and, perhaps more importantly, he has access to many more opportunities for Zoe to perform. But we really like her current teacher. She is doing a really good job challenging Zoe without stressing her out.

***update***

Zoe started singing while she was reading her book. I asked her how it felt and she said she didn't know. Then she sang three more songs to decide. :) So far so good.

oh yeah, and I am sneezing less but I do hope I get a nap this afternoon.

Sick Kid

Zoe is sick today. I went into her room to wake her up this morning and she was practically in tears. She was wide-eyed and fearful. She said her throat hurt so much that it kept waking her up in the night.

So I set her up on the couch with lozenges, a pile of books, a blanket and her panda bear. She asked for chicken noodle soup for breakfast. I've closed some curtains to darken the room, so that she have a better chance of falling back to sleep.

I'm not sure what I'll do today. I still have 50 pages left on the 500 page book on Narcissistic Personality Disorder that I am reading. Mostly I'll just be hovering.

What's on the menu this week

Lamb with braised bacons and cherries

Scallop motoyaki and Chilean sea bass

Pork Tonkatsu (curry)

Hamburger with Bacon, Mac and Cheese and bacon baked beans

Pasta with Chirozo and basil in a creamy sauce

Salmon Burgers, cheesy cauliflower and rice

Homemade pizza with sausage and red peppers