what have I been doing

So I left Nashville, went back to Utah, and had a great time with Rob and the kids. We did a lot of travelling (you can read about that in the July archives on Our Nine). I didn't sing more than a few tongue twirls and lip rolls in the Provo townhouse. Maybe I missed the great acoustics in our Beijing house, maybe I just didn't want to wake up sleeping kids, maybe we were too busy eating great cheeseburgers, nachos, going to movies, shopping, chasing Grant.

Two Thursdays Rob drove me up to Centerville to have a lesson with a voice teacher named Katie Hill. She is an amazing person, a gifted singer, teacher, and pianist, an encyclopedia of facts and a fountain of insights. I studied with her for about a year or so when Rob was in Law School at the University of Utah. She is retired faculty from the U. We talked about singing into the hard pallette to sweeten the tone. We worked on Wie Melodien Zeit es Mir, talked about the translation and diction and making the notes smooth and connected. I was grateful for Rob and the kids' support with that.

I found a randomly lain (how do you spell that) (is that even a word) magazine at the checkout line at Smith's Yoga and Joyful Living. I thought it must be my destiny to buy it. I was fascinated. Aside from breathing and yoga techniques it had so many interesting articles about Indian culture and philosophy and religion. I read them and was impressed by how their beliefs helped give me a new way of looking at my own. I think developing a peaceful, quiet mind is so important as a singer. I want to spend more time practicing yoga and meditation.

So now the kids are back in school. I'm back to singing in my acoustically live kitchen and practicing with Jessie. We meet today. And, oh dread, back to facing the recital that I have been planning for too long. It just has to be okay to do it myself and not worry about it getting a stamp of approval from someone to be ready to share it. Jessie and I have an approximate date in mind. Next we need a venue.