'Twas the morning of Christmas 5am in London-town, while the flat-mate was sleeping, one diva crept down. The coffee was brewing; the toaster went pop; our Diva sat waiting poised at her lap-top. The package of presents had arrived just before, and diva had piled them onto the floor.
She waited and braced for a marvelous sight, when the screen started flashing and gave her a fright!
She ruffled her hair and straighted her hat, ensuring everything looked just that. And then with the click of her little mouse, all of her family was there, in her house!
'Hi Oma, hi Opa, hi mother and dad, hello brother's girlfriend and hello to you Tad!' Everyone cheered when our heroine smiled and raised up their glasses to toast their dear child!
So its a twist on a classic, but this year's Christmas was as great as it could be. I woke up at 4:30am to celebrate with the family over Skype as they opened presents and enjoyed their Christmas wine. It was almost like being there. We stayed online for the better part of two hours, and laughed like crazy. The only thing that would have made it more perfect was some hugs!
Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy New Year!
PS: My brother is not named Tad, but it had to rhyme with dad, so Tad it is!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
A book with a misleading cover
When I'm not entertaining princes or attending diplomatic parties, I spend a little time teaching singing to the youth of London. Recently, the mother of one of my young students approached me, asking if I taught adults as well. 'Of course I do!' I replied, thinking she wanted lessons for herself. Turns out, it was actually her 24 yr old son that was looking to improve his car-singing technique. Great I thought, taking his mobile number from her, and planning to call him later that day.
Over the phone he sounded lovely. A deep voice with a bit of a cockney accent, and he was very enthusiastic. We arranged to meet up the following Saturday, for a "taster" lesson; to talk about his goals and what I could do to help him.
Fast forward to Saturday morning; my new student was set to arrive at 10:30am. I was waiting patiently in the front entrance of the school, when a thug walked in. There he was, standing 6'4", jeans so baggy I'm sure you could fit three of me in them(!) and hanging so low I was concerned I'd see something un-toward. His hat sat jauntily sideways, wide brimmed and bright coloured. He looked at me with a sort of side-ways glance and said : " y'alright?"
Now for those of you who don't know this, "y'alright?" is a standard greeting here in London. Kind of like "Hi, how are you?" Wherein no one actually cares how you are or if you are alright. But that doesn't stop me from replying: "
I'm fine thank you, can I help you sir?" (I use sir for fear that this thug might hurt me if I don't show him proper respect)
He replies with a sweet " I'm here to see Janel?"...
This is when I realize that this thug is my newest student! WHAT!?! It can't be! How could someone like this want to sing? But okay, lets see what happens.
I awkwardly invite him into my music studio and ask him some pressing questions about his musical intentions. It turns out that he really loves hip hop and R&B and wants to be able to sing them better. His goal is to be able to rock a tune at a Karaoke bar. He has dabbled in acting and realises that being able to sing would help his professional cause. He is also very interested in developing proper breath support. Hmmmm.
After I explain to him that I come from a classical background and so know very little about R&B, but would do my best to connect my technique with his musical style, we start the lesson. I don't think I have ever been so surprised. The thug was possibly the keenest student I have ever encountered. He approached every exercise with enthusiasm and focus. He didn't shy away from the silly sounds I made him make and he paid careful attention to his breath and posture through out the lesson. It was really amazing. Here I was, afraid of the young man when he walked in, assuming the worst based on his appearance, only to discover that under all that gangster-fashion was a hard-working and committed student who was truly excited about learning to sing. Wow.
Over the phone he sounded lovely. A deep voice with a bit of a cockney accent, and he was very enthusiastic. We arranged to meet up the following Saturday, for a "taster" lesson; to talk about his goals and what I could do to help him.
Fast forward to Saturday morning; my new student was set to arrive at 10:30am. I was waiting patiently in the front entrance of the school, when a thug walked in. There he was, standing 6'4", jeans so baggy I'm sure you could fit three of me in them(!) and hanging so low I was concerned I'd see something un-toward. His hat sat jauntily sideways, wide brimmed and bright coloured. He looked at me with a sort of side-ways glance and said : " y'alright?"
Now for those of you who don't know this, "y'alright?" is a standard greeting here in London. Kind of like "Hi, how are you?" Wherein no one actually cares how you are or if you are alright. But that doesn't stop me from replying: "
I'm fine thank you, can I help you sir?" (I use sir for fear that this thug might hurt me if I don't show him proper respect)He replies with a sweet " I'm here to see Janel?"...
This is when I realize that this thug is my newest student! WHAT!?! It can't be! How could someone like this want to sing? But okay, lets see what happens.
I awkwardly invite him into my music studio and ask him some pressing questions about his musical intentions. It turns out that he really loves hip hop and R&B and wants to be able to sing them better. His goal is to be able to rock a tune at a Karaoke bar. He has dabbled in acting and realises that being able to sing would help his professional cause. He is also very interested in developing proper breath support. Hmmmm.
After I explain to him that I come from a classical background and so know very little about R&B, but would do my best to connect my technique with his musical style, we start the lesson. I don't think I have ever been so surprised. The thug was possibly the keenest student I have ever encountered. He approached every exercise with enthusiasm and focus. He didn't shy away from the silly sounds I made him make and he paid careful attention to his breath and posture through out the lesson. It was really amazing. Here I was, afraid of the young man when he walked in, assuming the worst based on his appearance, only to discover that under all that gangster-fashion was a hard-working and committed student who was truly excited about learning to sing. Wow.
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