A Little Hoarse at the Zoo

The laryngitis I was suffering from a few days ago had subsided, but my voice was far from normal. Nevertheless, the show, or in this case, the narration must go on. As a result, anyone buying the English version of the DVD of Asahiyama Zoo (Japan's #1 zoo, located in Asahikawa, Hokkaido) is going to hear a very sexy female narrator.

I couldn't control the huskiness of my voice, which was much deeper than normal. A number of times, I had to take a break to clear my throat in such a way that probably drove the producer up the wall. However, having performed for a number of years as a teacher as well as amateur singer, I managed to make it through the whole recording, which took at least 3-4 hours in order to make a 45-minute DVD.

Now the only problem is that if someone hears the narration and wants to hire the woman with that wonderfully sexy voice, I'll never be able to replicate it!

The Husky Narrator

Actually, I didn't do any narrating today, although I was supposed to. After having a cold for 3 days, I woke up this morning barely able to whisper, much less talk. The timing couldn't have been worse. This was the day to record the English narration for a DVD about Asahiyama Zoo. It was to start at 5 p.m. at Hokkaido Broadcasting Company. By that time my voice was audible but more suited to a narration about a frog pond than to flying penguins.

What we ended up doing was checking the captions, which consisted of putting spaces after all the commas more than anything. It could have been a real drag, but the footage of the animals in the zoo is so delightful that I really enjoyed the experience. Besides, it appealed to the "editor genes" that seem to run in my family.

If all goes well, on Monday I'll be narrating in my natural voice about polar bears, seals, spider monkeys, capybaras, penguins, orangutans, and other animals in the unique exhibits at Hokkaido's #1 Zoo.

(You can see the photos here and others at Macky's Flickr Site.)

Creating DVD Labels

Would you believe I spent the whole day, one entire day, creating labels for DVDs? I'd never done it before (actually, I'd never made a DVD until I got my new iBook G4 nearly a year ago), and it was really challenging getting the sizing right. The biggest problem was that the best part of whatever photo I used always managed to be right where the hole in the center punched it out. Anyway, have a look at a couple of my creations.

The first DVD I made was , naturally, of my cats, including a slide show to the tune of "It's a Wonderful Life," and several home movies of them playing and fighting. I still have to develop a slide show for the trip I took to Nara and Kyoto during New Year's with my friend, Kazuko Otsu. That will take more time since I have a number of historical facts I want to add from the brochures I collected. Anyone interested, simply send me your address!

Just a Whiff

Tonight was LNO (lady's night out) with my international women's group. Besides 3 Americans, there were women from France, Belgium, the Philippines, and Canada. So of course we went to an Italian restaurant!

Only 2 of the women ordered wine. One was sitting right next to me, with the glass of red wine practically under my nose. The smell was really strong. I couldn't believe what started happening to me with just one whiff. I got transported back to a time when I was heavily into red wine, and I could sense urges beginning to surface.

It got so bad that I had to change seats with one of the other women. I did *not* want to sit there all evening thinking about *not* drinking!

When the woman with the glass of wine asked what was happening, I explained that the smell was too much for me. I also said, casually, that I'd be happy to give a presentation to the group sometime [about alcoholism], if there was enough interest. Even though I've known her for quite some time, she remarked, "Oh, right, I had forgotten," and it was said in a very supportive way.

It was to this group of women that I first "came out" over 3 years ago, and from time to time I make it clear that I can't drink. In fact, I purposely avoided going to last year's Christmas party because it was an all-you-can-drink affair at a restaurant, and I let them know the reason I wasn't going. For me, it was a big deal to make that decision and tell them about it.

However, as I discovered this evening, my not drinking is not a big deal to most in the group. "Oh, that's right, CA doesn't drink." About the same as remembering that a couple of the women are vegetarians, when we choose a restaurant. Just that simple, hardly worth batting an eyelash over.

So the surprise at what just a whiff of red wine could elicit, in addition to the surprise that my alcoholism is something these women are mildly aware of but it's no big deal to them.

On Air

In the photo above is a building in Nakajima Park that I've never seen. It played a prominent part, though, in today's TV broadcast by HBC (Hokkaido Broadcasting Company) that "starred" one of my private students, Haruhisa Shirahama, and an American vet, Pat Olski.

The whole program started when Pat first came across photos of Nakajima Park on my website. He had been looking for information on the park because he was stationed there right at the end of World War II. He emailed me with a photo of the building in which the engineers had stayed, asking if it still existed. Because Haru, only 3 or 4 years younger than Pat, was a teenager at the time, I showed it to him. He not only recognized it but also knew what had become of it. Thus began a long and rewarding correspondence between our class and Pat, as well as many private emails between Haru and Pat.

The broadcast was scheduled today, August 15th, in order to coincide with shusen kinenbi, or the ending of World War II. Since the 6-minute segment followed a report on Prime Minister Koizumi's controversial visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, it might have been watched by a large number of people in Hokkaidoi (in addition to my friends, that is).

Because of the TV broadcast, I learned that the building, called Takushoku-kan, was in the park from 1918 to 1979. Below is a view of almost the same place in the park taken this spring. It's hard to believe such a large building stood there for so many years and now no longer exists. The rowboats are still around, though.

TV Crew Films at Nakajima Park

How is HBC (Hokkaido Broadcasting Company) ever going to make only a 3 to 4-minute segment out of all the material they've gathered from us? Today they interviewed my student, Haru Shirahama. After saying, "I'm a shy guy," he talked to them for nearly 30 minutes, pointing out places in Nakajima Park that have changed and where buildings used to stand, particularly the one in photo sent to us by Pat Olski, the American veteran.

HBC must have at least an hour and half of footage altogether. Once edited, it will show on August 15th, the day of the end of the war in Japan. I'm hoping that there's so much, they'll want to use it for a longer program, perhaps even bringing Pat to join us. It would be great to have Pat and Haru meet in person, and have them share their different impressions of Sapporo as it was when Pat was stationed here, from November, 1945, to April, 1946.

The TV Crew Comes

Although the segment on TV is only going to be 3-4 minutes long, the HBC (Hokkaido Broadcasting Company) TV crew spent a good hour filming my private English conversation class and interviewing me. The topic will be how we began a correspondence with an American vet, Pat, who was stationed in Sapporo for a few months just after World War II. Since one of the men in my class is only 3 years younger than Pat, a comparison of their views of Sapporo at that time is fascinating. (See my blog, Letters from Pat, posted June 8th, 2006). Sunday, there'll be more filming in Nakajima Park where Pat was stationed, and where my student, Haru Shirahama, and I first met while doing "radio exercises." Keep tuned!

Seals and Spider Monkeys

For the past two days I've been to the zoo, not literally but vicariously, through a DVD. The reason is that, at the end of the month, I'm going to be doing the English narration for the DVD, made by HBC (Hokkaido Broading Company). I've spent hours and hours going over both the narration and the subtitles, doing much more than proofreading them. The style used by the translator would have earned an "A" in my Academic Writing course. However, it was far too formal for the conversations in the video.

As I watched the DVD and edited the narration, I developed a tremendous respect for the Vice Zoo Director, Gen Bando, who had the vision for the development of the creative exhibits that have made the zoo #1 in Japan. What he wants most is that the animals be allowed to play freely in as natural an environment as possible, without cages or bars. Also, he has come up with some fascinating juxapositions of animals, such as spider monkeys and capybaras (the world's largest rodent, with webbed feet that allow them to swim).

Working on the translation of the narration and the subtitles presented a challenge. I ended up shortening many of the sentences, adding a lot of contractions and exclamations - the opposite of what I do with my writing students.

I also felt that the use of the historical present would be more vivid and fit the action occurring in the video. For example, "Asako, the elephant, plays with snowballs," is better than using "played," since the scene is of the elephant actually throwing the snowballs.

A greater challenge will come at the end of the month when I record the narration, particularly the sections where there is too much text to fit the visuals, no matter how quickly I speak.

The biggest result of doing this work is that now I simply have to visit Asahiyama Zoo. Wouldn't it be nice if, as extra compensation for all my effort, they gave me a season pass!

The Big Audition

Going to a big audition is ranks right up there being at an airport in England - hours and hours of sitting or standing around waiting. In this case, it was over 4 hours of waiting for about 5 minutes of singing. At least I didn't have to lug around any heavy baggage, only the score for Beethoven's 9th. (Of course, anyone boarding a plane to or from the British Isles doesn't have to carry around much else these days, either.)

The day of the big audition for the Sapporo Symphony Chorus arrived. I spent all morning getting my body into good physical shape, first doing half an hour of yoga. Then I warmed up with a CD by Claude Stein, whose workshop on The Natural Singer I had taken at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Finally, I listened to a hypnosis tape by my sister entitled "Standing Ovation for Actors".

When I arrived at the site at noon, I was delighted to see 5 other women from my chorus, 1 alto and 4 sopranos, also in the classroom filled with one-arm desks where we had to wait. There were 2 basses as well, with number of women, perhaps around 60, far outnumbering the men. In some ways, it relieved the tension to be with people I knew because we were all in the same boat and had a chance to compare notes [pun intended].

At 12:30, we were ushered up to another room with long tables. It got much quieter, many of the applicants intent on studying their scores or listening to music through headphones. As each person's number was called, we had to proceed to the outside of one of the two audition rooms. There were 5 chairs lined up, and, after sitting in the farthest one from the door, we did a kind of musical chairs each time one of the singers came out of the audition.

When we got to the chair closest to the door, we were handed a one-page score which we had exactly one minute to examine, without making any sound. The one I got was in the key of C, not too challenging, with only one sharp and one flat thrown in for flavor. It would have been a lot easier, though, had I been able to hum through it and had there not been a young man standing in front of me with a stop watch.

It came time to enter the audition room, and I was surprised to find only one judge. I introduced myself, as instructed, by number (#89), name, and part (I emphasized that I was a Mezzo). The accompanist played a chord on the piano and the first note. I started sight reading the piece, which we were to do unaccompanied. In a couple places, I got a little lost, but the pianist was extremely kind in playing just a note or two in order to help me out. Under any other conditions, and with accompaniment, I'm sure I could have done it perfectly. As it was, I stayed pretty much on key.

Then came the bars I was to sing from Beethoven's 9th, a section of the quartet done by the soloists. That I got through with only one flub. In fact, I was surprised at my own confidence and lack of nervousness. Of course, I had sung the piece more times than I can count, although not that particular solo section. What's more, I knew that my pronunciation was superb, in that I had asked a German friend to help me out the week before.

Everyone in my chorus seemed relatively at ease as we went back to the first classroom to wait. We put our chairs in a circle, and some people had brought food to share (such a Japanese thing to do). I felt a bit sorry for those who had come alone, although I also had my computer with me to do some work while waiting. When the last bass to audition joined us, we thought the wait wouldn't be much longer, but we were wrong. An hour passed, and then another half hour. Our conversation died down. I got out my computer, and another soprano got out a book to read.

Finally someone came in to put up the numbers of those who had made the first cut. People rushed over, so I just took my time packing up my computer. After about 2 hours of waiting, 2 more minutes were not going to make much of a difference. The other women came back saying, "CA, what's your number?" "89," I told them. "Are you sure?" "Yes." I looked over, and the numbers were large enough that I could see the 89 on the board. Everyone in my chorus had made the first cut!

Again, we went up to the room with the long tables, this time fewer people, but still a considerable number of women, most of them sopranos. This time we were to audition in a quartet, so people were called out in fours. Since there were so many more women than men, they sometimes called only one or two numbers, always one of a soprano and sometimes an alto, whereas most of the men had to sing the section over and over again.

As each person in our group returned, we peppered her with questions, such as how fast the conductor was having them sing, and if they took a "cunning breath" on "welt," which goes for several measures. By the time my number was called, much more quickly than for the first round, the same tenor had been singing nearly the whole time, and the poor guy's shirt was soaked with sweat.

The alto and bass that I auditioned with had also sung with others before me, and their voices were all very strong. Mine, on the other hand, seemed weak, by contrast, since a high A is near the top of my range. (I keep saying that Beethoven never would have had the Sopranos sustaining those high notes had he been able to hear at the time when he wrote the Symphony.)

To my chagrin, I botched my entrance. In the section used for the audition, the alto starts, and then the soprano comes in. I didn't have the timing right because it was so sudden to start in the middle of the piece. We started again and, this time, I kept my eyes glued on the conductor.

My self-assessment, which I gave to the other sopranos, as that my notes were fine (I have a good ear and no problem staying on key), my timing was good, except for the initial entrance, and my pronunciation was great. However, my voice was so weak in comparison to the other three that it was then that I knew I probably didn't pass the audition. The others weren't as forthcoming about how they had done, but I knew at least one of them was a bit discouraged. We walked back to the subway station together, wondering how long we'd have to wait before we'd find out the results.

[Thursday, 4 days later]

I was teaching my intermediate English conversation class and telling them all about the audition. It was one of the women in that class who had first found the information about the formation of the Sapporo Symphony Chorus on the Internet and printed it out for me. I told them I'd let them know.

I went back to my apartment, across the hall from my office/classroom, and a letter from the chorus had arrived. I opened it, rather hesitantly, but couldn't understand it completely, so took it back to my classroom to ask my students what it meant. "You passed!" they exclaimed.

I really thought I hadn't made it, so I was stunned. Then I began jumping up and down, shouting, "I'm in! I'm in!" We all hugged each other, and I was so glad I had the chance to share the good news with them.

Later I learned that two of the four other sopranos in Sapporo Academy Chorus had also gotten in, one of whom has studied in England for a year, so I'll already have some acquaintances. The only sad part is that it means quitting my dance class, which I've been taking for over two years now. I'll keep taking private lessons from time to time, but I'll miss the other three women in the class.

I can still hardly believe it.
I'm a member of the Sapporo Symphony Chorus!!

The Tipping Point

Substitled "How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference," this book by Malcolm Gladwell is a fascinating exploration of how trends get started. He discusses so many phenomena, from how Paul Revere successfully aroused the Colonials in the Boston area to fight the British to how removing graffiti from the subways of New York helped to make the transportation system safer.

To quote from his conclusion: "The world--much as we want it to--does not accord with our intuition. . . . To make sense of social epidemics, we must first understand that human communication has its own set of very unusual and counterintuitive rules.

"What must underlie successful epidemics, in the end, is a bedrock belief that change is possible, that people can radically transform their behavior or beliefs in the face of the right kind of impetus. This . . . contradicts some of the most ingrained assumptions we hold about ourselves and each other. We like to think of ourselves as autonomous and inner-directed, that who we are and how we act is something permanently set by our genes and our temperament. . . . [But] to look closely at complex behaviors like smoking or suicide [he gives the example of an epidemic of suicides in Micronesia] or crime is to appreciate how suggestible we are in the face of what we see and hear, and how accutely sensitive we are to even the smallest details of everyday life. That's why social change is so volatile and so often inexplicable, because it is the nature of all of us to be volatile and inexplicable."

The book has helped remind me what social beings we are, and to what a huge extent our actions often depend on our surroundings and the actions of others. A trivial example is how, in Japan, people are very obedient about not crossing the street against a red light. However, when traffic is extremely light or non-existent, if one person crosses, others will follow suite, as though they've been given permission.

Another more serious example is the difference I saw in reactions to the Vietnam War and the Gulf War in the 90s. I was in the Boston area both times. During the former, the Peace Movement was huge, with thousands marching down Massachusetts Avenue and congregating on the Boston Common.

During the latter, I was on my way to a class one evening near the Town Square in Waltham and saw a small group of peace activitists, maybe only half a dozen, on a street corner holding a sign against the war. This was at a time when it seemed that almost every building was plastered with yellow ribbons, and the few who had the courage to speak out were glared at, if not worse. Tears sprang to my eyes as I passed by; I wanted to show my support by joining them, but could only say, "Thank you."

Where were the thousands who had joined the protests in 1969? Surely many of them were still in the area. Yet, it was easier to join a popular movement than an unpopular one.

The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun

An absolutely fabulous, must see movie: http://www.eightprinciples.com
It really made me think about my priorities and it's fun to watch!

Up the Ski Jump

Hiked up Okurayama Ski Jump with members of my international women's group today. Weeks of training by going up the stairs at school and at subway stations helped. However, my calves were still sore the next day [added later: and for the rest of the week]!

Becoming a Spark Person

It was at 12:34:56 p.m. on 7/8/90 that I first began my venture in sobriety. If I had managed to stay sober since that date, it would be 16 years today (it being Saturday in Japan). As it is, I have around 8 1/2 years, and I feel good about that.

In celebration of my initial anniversary, I've joined Spark People. The past 2-3 months have been sugar and chocolate-free for me most of the time. Now it's time to get even more serious about developing good eating and exercising habits.

To do that, I have to add two major elements to my routine. One is putting about half as much on my plate as has been my custom. The few times I've experimented with that, I find that I can be just as satisfied by eating less. Often I end up finishing what's on my plate somewhat mechanically, rather than out of need for or enjoyment of the food. Nutritious snacks, fruit or some kind of protein, between meals also help me to keep my energy up. I have to make sure to stock up on these items. I can no longer eat like a 15-year-old or even a 50-year-old!

Second, I need to get moving. On a humid, albeit cool, day like today, that's easier said than done. (In fact, regardless of the weather, it's nearly always easier said than done.) I have plenty of *ways* of getting more exercise - a beautiful park to walk in as well as lots of yoga and dancing videotapes. Unless I make use of them, however, many of my clothes are going to continue to be snug or too tight to wear.

I sense that becoming a "spark person" is certain to help. To quote from the site, "The SparkDietTM is a four-stage process that helps you make the elusive jump from 'dieting' to a 'fresh, new lifestyle.' These stages zero in on the keys to a lifestyle transition that fixes the problem once and for all - motivation, healthy habits, and confidence." What's more, it's free, which is pretty unbelievable (although it's possible they get income from subtle endorsements for certain brands).

On the Spark People site, you can set goals in terms of weight loss, food intake, and exercise. It will calculate how long it will take to reach your ideal weight. (The date it gave me happens to be my 62nd birthday, although it doesn't really seem possible that I'll weigh under 130 pounds by then. However, I'm going to stay optimistic.) The site has ways of planning meals and keeping track of calories/carbs/fat and nutrition. It has a means of tracking how many calories you've burned through exercise.

Anyway, the timing seems right for me. My concert's over, I have only 1 more week of classes at 1 of the universities, and 3 more weeks at the other 2. I have 1 month coming up (August) when *all* I'll have is private classes (including a new private student), lesson planning for the 2nd semester, an audition for another chorus (connected to the Sapporo Symphony), a hike with my international women's group, my dance classes, chorus rehearsals, and my Macintosh Users' group - in other words, a quiet month!

Today I've already been happy with what I've done for my body - a 30-minute walk in Nakajima Park and 7-grain cereal with banana, raisins, and yoghurt for breakfast. As part of the Spark plan, my goals for today are:

Eat 2 fruits or veggies (ridiculously easy!)
Get 8 hours of sleep
Tell 1 person about my goals

Well, with this post I'll have accomplished all 3, so I'm a successful Spark Person today!

4th of July on the Kitty Hawk

Little did I know, as I enjoyed a reception on board the aircraft carrier, the Kitty Hawk, that around 6 hours later, North Korea would be firing test missiles into the Japan Sea. It wasn't much comfort that the missiles landed closer to Russia than to Otaru, the seacoast city of Hokkaido where the Kitty Hawk was docked.

(Unknown to me at the time was the information put out by the International Action Center that "on June 14, the U.S. Air Force held 'a quality control test' for its 500 Minuteman III missiles. One of these missiles traveled 4,800 miles towards the central Pacific, and three test warheads landed near the Marshall Islands." Yet, the U.S. is going ahead with sanctions again North Korea.)

In addition, being a pacifist, I had somewhat ambivalent feelings about celebrating Independence Day on a warship. Nevertheless, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that ended up being fascinating, particularly talking to a number of officers at the party.

One question I had for the officers was about their ribbons, and I got explanations about what they meant - all the way from expert in shooting (near the bottom) to a commendation for serving in Iraq. Several officers told me how tedious it is to rearrange the ribbons each time they receive a new one, since they have to be in a set order. (Various ribbons and their order of preference can be seen at: U.S. Navy Medals and Ribbons. Also, if they get worn, they have to be replaced, at the expense of the officers. When wearing their dress uniforms, they must attach medals, which is even more time-consuming, although they assured me that the medals can all be mounted together.

When we went up to the flight deck, where my Japanese friends asked another officer, a mechanic for the jets, about the rectangular sections of the deck that were standing at an angle. He explained that they were to prevent the exhaust coming out of the jets with enormous thrust from sending any of the crew rolling into the sea! He told us all about the safety precautions. Of course there are initially classes on safety. However, after that, anyone who's going to be working on the flight deck simply sits and watches for a number of days. After that, they are taken around by a buddy, literally hand held as they learn the operations. Finally, they are ready to work on their own. Even then, there can be terrible accidents. He described one he saw in which the cable that catches the jets as they're landing accidentally broke and cut off the leg of one of the crew members. He assured us that he's seen such a hideous accident only once in his 12 years of service.

Throughout the evening, there were a number of ceremonial activities, including speeches by dignitaries and the cutting of the cake. The finale was a fireworks display in the harbor which we saw from the flight deck (which would have been more impressive if I didn't live near the place where Sapporo has a huge display of fireworks, that go on for nearly an hour, three Fridays every July).

We only got to talk with one female officer, a helicopter pilot, and I only saw one other. One of the female crew members who was cleaning the washroom told us that there were 150 women in the lower ranks and 50 more in higher ranks, although she wasn't sure of the exact number of officers. A friend who visited a different day talked with one who was truly enthusiastic about her job, which turned out to be lowering and raising the anchor. I would have liked the chance to talk with more women to find out what it was like being at sea as a minority.

As we were leaving, we saw numbers of sailors returning from Otaru with shopping bags. Probably several had bought gifts from the many glass factories in the city to send back to friends at home. We also saw a large "63" in bright white lights on the side of the ship and asked about it. The ship was the 63rd aircraft carrier built by the U.S. Navy. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to board the ship before it is retired in 2007.


For more about the Navy's oldest active warship, see the official website of the USS Kitty Hawk.

Honban

Honban is Japanese for the actual day of an occurence, in this case, our concert. It was a huge success, one of the best I've ever been in. The conductor, Michiyoshi Inoue (whom you see in the photograph with me), was incredible. In rehearsals he had just the right images to get what he wanted from us. Since he has studied ballet, he also uses a great deal of body language. In fact, during the concert, there were places where he was kind of dancing, and others where he'd be rolling his arms to indicate the movement in the music.

The tenor, in his solo about being a roasted swan, if you know Carmina Burana, sang from the balcony behind us. He staggered like a drunk from the organ down to the railing and kind of hung over it. The conductor was also reeling during the piece, in a kind of imitation. In another comical solo, the baritone took off his jacket and, at the end, through it at the conductor (which was rehearsed), who stuck out his arms from under the coat to conduct the very last notes. Both solos got spontaneous applause.

Naturally, that had all of us enjoying the performance as much as the audience. One of the biggest criticisms of my chorus is that we always look so serious. Not this time! I was concerned that we might end up losing our focus on the music and make mistakes, but, instead, the heightened state that it produced resulted in a heightened focus. Our timing was great, and, for once, we were on pitch. (My ears actually hurt when we're not.) The silence at the end of each number was very telling. The audience was truly caught up in the intensity of it all.

O Fortuna!

Suddenly, with the concert only 3 days away, the conductor decided that we would sing the first and last piece of "O Fortuna" in Carmina Burana by memory! How I wish I had been memorizing it all along, since last summer when we first started rehearsing. Since the music is so repetitious, getting the words in order is an incredible challenge! I hope I don't make people on the subway, on the sidewalks where I walk, and in the school halls nervous when they see this foreign woman mouthing words to herself!

Apple Comes to Sapporo!

Finally we have an Apple store in Sapporo. It's especially great for those of us in the Sapporo Macintosh Users' Group, at least half a dozen of whom attended the Grand Opening.

Since I bought my new iBook G4 last September, I won't be in the market for a new computer for some time, but it'll be nice to have a chance to look in person at all the new Apple "toys," rather than just read about them. Some of the employees at the store speak fluent English, so all the better. There's also the possibility that we'll have some SMUG meetings at the store with free presentations on areas such as iPhoto and iPod.

I'm seriously thinking of getting an iPod. It's time to get all my music in one portable place. Gone will be the day of drawers and racks full of cassette tapes and CDs.

Another item on my shopping list will be Airport, allowing me to go wireless and access the Internet on my computer anywhere in my apartment, rather than staying stationery. I first got excited about that when I attended the national JALTCALL Conference in June, where the "computer labs" were just movable desks, on top of which everyone was opening up their laptops. When will the classrooms where I teach be like that? (sigh)

[Photos by Don Hinkelman]

Trillirivos

I just discovered I've been using the wrong pronunciation for "trillirivos!" The word appears in one section of Carmina Burana, the piece we're doing for our concert on July 2nd. All along I've been singing "trillilivos," but it's actually "trillirivos." I didn't notice because most of the Sopranos make almost no differentiation between "L" and "R." Actually, I don't think the audience is going to notice, either. Since it's supposed to be a happy sound, I won't have any difficulty because I'll be enjoying my private little joke.

What do you like sports?

Today's homework for my freshmen English conversation classes was to write 6 interesting questions for me to answer. Frankly, I get tired of answering the same questions over and over again, particularly about what kind of Japanese food I like and whether I like natto (fermented soybeans). I got a few of those and several that I call my FAQs, so I simply pass out handouts with CA's Favorites and FAQs for Foreigners in Japan and CA's Answers.

This time there were a number of questions that were more interesting (for me), so I've copied them with my replies.

Q: If you had the money to buy whatever you wanted, what would you buy?

A: Medicine and food for children all over the world.

Q: What is the strangest present that you [ever] gave [someone]?

A: I knit a sweater for my boyfriend that stretched until it was so large that both my mother and my sister fit inside it. They really laughed over that one. In fact, they took a photo of them in the sweater.

Q: How do you think about "teacher"?

A: It's really important for teachers to listen and to make space for students to be themselves. That's when magic happens.

Q: What do you think of Japanese education?

A: I think the emphasis is too much on so-called experts handing down "knowledge." It's very teacher-centered. It ends up making students totally passive. I think students learn better through interaction than just by listening. I also think exams are meaningless.

Q: How about the American class?

A: Students talk more and ask lots more questions.

Q: Did you belong to club when you were a student?

A: Several - drama, music (Madrigal singers), newspaper, yearbook (I was the editor in my junior year), poetry, women's speaking club (I was president), etc. In high school, I belonged to Thespians and the Latin club.

Q: Are you a magician?

A: A hypnotist - almost the same.

Q: What Beatles song do you like?

A: "Imagine"

Q: Do you like "Anne of Green Gables"?

A: I read every book in the series when I was a girl. I have also visited Anne's house on Prince Edward Island.

Q: What do you do when you feel sad?

A: Talk to a friend, listen to uplifting music, read an inspirational book, cuddle with my cats . . .

Q: What kind of scenery do you feel relax?

A: Any place with lots of trees. I also like water - waterfalls, the ocean . . .

Q: Where is your favorite spot in your house?

A: In front of my computer - and in my bed (futon).

Q: If you can back to the past, do you wan to to back how old and why is it?

A: I want to be the age I am now because I'm so much wiser - and calmer and have more patience. It's wonderful being me now!

Q: Who's your favorite historical person?

A: Gandhi. I believe in non-violence.

Q: What's your blood type?

A: Be positive!

7-Bar Audition

"Auditions for the small chorus will be held at Nagai-Sensei's house." That's what I could make out from the announcement in Japanese passed out at rehearsal Wednesday evening. Apparently, with the concert only about 2 weeks away, the maestro from Tokyo decided that he wants the small chorus (of women) in one part of "Carmina Burana" to be even smaller. [See previous entry entitled "A Peasant Concert."] I wanted to be part of the small chorus so decided to go audition, but the only time I could go was Friday evening after a full day of teaching (groan).

When I got there, 3 other Sopranos were already practicing. Then Nagai-Sensei, our conductor, had us audition one at a time in a separate room. (His wife is a piano teacher, so her studio has 2 baby grands, and he has another in his music room.) I was the last one to audition. The other 3 Sopranos seemed to audition for a relatively long time (more than 5 minutes) with both the CD and the piano. In fact, I heard them singing the whole piece ("Floret Silva").

When it came my turn, he had me sing only the parts where there would be a smaller chorus - a total of 7 bars in 2 places. That was it. I sensed that my "audition" was only a formality. I think it means that I'll be in the small chorus for sure, but I won't find out until he announces it. Since there are more auditions Saturday and Sunday, I don't know when I'll find out.

While the others were auditioning, I started to feel a bit nervous, but I did some deep breathing and somehow felt totally confident when I was actually auditioning. How I wish I had had the same confidence when I first started singing in church choirs and in the Madrigal singers in college!

[Postscript: I got into the small chorus.]