I sing, therefore I teach.

This has to be quick since I have Latin class in an hour. Again my fantasy of a Wednesday where all my students arrived on time for their lessons went unfulfilled. My 11:30 called early to tell me that she was sick with tonsilitis, so I called my 10:30 to tell him to come at 11:30. He had a good lesson, working through an amazing Brahms song written for low voice. But I realized when I arrived at school that I couldn�t find my red folder, the one I keep my students� information in, where I keep track of their lessons and progress. It wasn�t in my knapsack and it wasn�t among my scores in the part-timer office. I realized that I had left it next to the telephone at home because I needed it to find my 10:30�s telephone number. So, immediately after his lesson, I rushed home, had a quick lunch, retrieved my red folder, and got back to school just in time for my 1:30.

I had to do some damage control with that one. This is the girl who has been studying from too early an age and has developed bad habits which obscure the real voice within, producing a lot of tension. She was starting to have self doubts, noting that the tension was worse and things that were once easy were now impossible, et cetera. I first asked her if there was something specific bothering her: if it was me, school, being away from home (she�s from Vancouver, three time zones away) for the first time, choir, or a combination of any or all of the above. Then I reiterated what I had said about how changing singing teachers is a very traumatic thing, and how it was normal to expect regression. In her case, though, the tension is a real problem. Anyway, I reassured her that she was in the right place, and even told her what I rarely tell a gifted student, for fear of fostering an �attitude�, that she has more coming into the programme at Bushop�s than most graduates have leaving it. I told her that she has a beautiful voice and already quite an accomplished technique, but she has picked up some bad habits along the way and we have to get rid of them somehow. Then I gave her a big hug (she�s even tinier than I am, so it was easy) and everything seemed fine after that. Phew!

My 2:30 was a joy to teach, except this girl talks a little too much. I learned all about how the girl who sits in front of her in choir just realized that she (my student) is now the main squeeze of the guy she (the girl in front) used to date, and was giving her the evil eye all during practice. Then I had to hear the story of how they met. Some kids will do anything! But seriously, this one made my day. She�s very enthusiastic, wants desperately to learn how to sing better, actually laughs at my jokes and finds my antics entertaining, plus I think she really believes that I know what I�m doing, unlike other students who are very unhappy about studying with a different teacher, or one whose methods are different from their former teachers�. Oh well, this is university kids, get used to it.

My 2:30 did tell me some interesting stuff, though, relating to my r�le in choir. Apparently at Sunday�s rehearsal which I left early because Hubby and I had to wander around Sh�brooke looking for the natural history museum, the self-confidence of the soprano section on my side of the stage dropped enormously after my departure because I wasn�t there for them to �hide behind�, as my student said. This makes me wonder if I am in fact doing Jamie a service by being there. On the other hand, he says that the sopranos have never sounded so good, so maybe it is a good thing after all.

My 3:30 had warned me she wouldn�t be there (this is the girl studying privately) and I got to go home early and take Buddy Boy to Mr. Beattie for a haircut. We had an early supper and then Hubby and Little Princess went off to orchestra practice and Buddy Boy to karate. An hour later I headed out to writing group, which was really quite fun. When I got home at 10:30 Little Princess was monopolizing this computer with an English essay, so I just went to bed. Neither of the kids will be home tonight, so there is a definite possibility that I will get to update this evening, instead of sneaking in these early-morning posts.

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