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もっともっと強くなりたい
Mar. 10th, 2017 10:04 pmFew things, in no particular order ...
Taking a hiatus from Japanese class because I need to be a responsible parent and pay a tutor so my son can pass calculus and graduate high school, instead of blowing money on a hobby. But I'm still studying every day and talking to language exchange partners an average of probably 15 hours a week. I might have posted this before, but my resolve is solidifying to finally take a JLPT exam this year. I'm aiming for N2 by December. Go big or go home, I figure.
I applied and was accepted for a staff position at the anime convention in Boston at the end of the month, but, disappointingly, I've been assigned to the American guests. I didn't know how to properly prepare for my first real interview involving Japanese, and the interviewer was left with the impression that I can't speak the language. I have a lot of trouble mustering Japanese when I'm talking to native English speakers, which I guess is a barrier I'll have to get through if I want this to be anything more than a hobby.
Also as of two days ago I'm an official member of a real live garage band. Getting there was quite the ordeal. After my first audition I went home wondering if it was time to give up singing. The other girl who auditioned after me had an AMAZING voice. Weeks went by before I finally heard from them, and I went to a callback audition. They really liked me, they said, but couldn't I get some more power in my voice?
I didn't know whether I could or not, but I spent every free moment over the next five days working at it. I realized in the process that over the last 20 (!!) years singing with my current group I've gotten really lazy -- it's a vocal trio, and we seem to always be pulling back to feature the lead instead of the lead voice (which alternates among us) pushing forward. And we rely on the microphones a LOT. It's a different genre, sure, but singing is singing... right?
So... I need to give a shout out to this voice teacher on YouTube -- the lessons he charges for must be incredible, because the free ones are really good.
Thank you, Eric Arceneaux and AApproach.com.
So not only did I get some power, but I sang for three hours all up and down my range without straining my cords, and I had a lot of fun. The band has another female singer, so there's an emphasis on harmony, which is one of my favorite things in the world. In fact, it was my harmonizing ability that kept them calling me back, even though I really needed to level up to match the other singer's intensity. She's got a head start, but I think I can keep up, and I'm really excited about this project.
No gigs in the pipeline yet (they're getting a new guitarist up to speed as well and there's a lot of material to learn), but I should think we'll be up and running by summer, which would be awesome. And best of all, these are really nice people, the kind I wouldn't mind spending hours hanging out with. It's a little early to call it a win, but I'm optimistic.
おやすみ＾＾
Taking a hiatus from Japanese class because I need to be a responsible parent and pay a tutor so my son can pass calculus and graduate high school, instead of blowing money on a hobby. But I'm still studying every day and talking to language exchange partners an average of probably 15 hours a week. I might have posted this before, but my resolve is solidifying to finally take a JLPT exam this year. I'm aiming for N2 by December. Go big or go home, I figure.
I applied and was accepted for a staff position at the anime convention in Boston at the end of the month, but, disappointingly, I've been assigned to the American guests. I didn't know how to properly prepare for my first real interview involving Japanese, and the interviewer was left with the impression that I can't speak the language. I have a lot of trouble mustering Japanese when I'm talking to native English speakers, which I guess is a barrier I'll have to get through if I want this to be anything more than a hobby.
Also as of two days ago I'm an official member of a real live garage band. Getting there was quite the ordeal. After my first audition I went home wondering if it was time to give up singing. The other girl who auditioned after me had an AMAZING voice. Weeks went by before I finally heard from them, and I went to a callback audition. They really liked me, they said, but couldn't I get some more power in my voice?
I didn't know whether I could or not, but I spent every free moment over the next five days working at it. I realized in the process that over the last 20 (!!) years singing with my current group I've gotten really lazy -- it's a vocal trio, and we seem to always be pulling back to feature the lead instead of the lead voice (which alternates among us) pushing forward. And we rely on the microphones a LOT. It's a different genre, sure, but singing is singing... right?
So... I need to give a shout out to this voice teacher on YouTube -- the lessons he charges for must be incredible, because the free ones are really good.
Thank you, Eric Arceneaux and AApproach.com.
So not only did I get some power, but I sang for three hours all up and down my range without straining my cords, and I had a lot of fun. The band has another female singer, so there's an emphasis on harmony, which is one of my favorite things in the world. In fact, it was my harmonizing ability that kept them calling me back, even though I really needed to level up to match the other singer's intensity. She's got a head start, but I think I can keep up, and I'm really excited about this project.
No gigs in the pipeline yet (they're getting a new guitarist up to speed as well and there's a lot of material to learn), but I should think we'll be up and running by summer, which would be awesome. And best of all, these are really nice people, the kind I wouldn't mind spending hours hanging out with. It's a little early to call it a win, but I'm optimistic.
おやすみ＾＾
