もっともっと強くなりたい

[mereilin]

Few 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＾＾

Comments

[ringlat.livejournal.com]

15 hours a week, that's a LOT! We only have like 3 hours of class a week!

Hey, I'm aiming for N2 by autumn as well!! It'd be ideal if I could get to N1 but I think that's probably impossible... and there's definitely no way I could get there in speaking.

I know what you mean about the "English-speakers" thing, I always get really confused when speaking in Swedish to an English native (or one who sounds like a native) because it just feels so stupid. On the other hand I also sometimes end up using Swedish just because I want to prove that "yes, I can speak Swedish too, it's not just YOU" haha.

[mereilin.livejournal.com]

It is a lot! I always think it's not that much, but I have six regular partners that I talk to weekly, and sometimes we're really chatty... ^^;

N1 is a very big hurdle. Honestly I'll be thrilled if I can drag myself up to N2 by December. My studying has a lot of gaps, so I need to get serious.

Ever tried HelloTalk or italki for language partners?

[ringlat.livejournal.com]

Nah, I reaaally don't like voice chatting or instant messaging in a foreign language for some reason (I get really nervous about that you're "timed" and can't use ex. gestures) and I also really need someone with the same interests as me, otherwise I don't know what to say and the "friendship" breaks off super fast.... I thought that, theoretically, I should be doing it if I "really" want to improve but D :

I'm taking the Swedish version of the N1/N2 test soon, finally signed up for it again (last time was like 3 years ago and I failed due to stupidity, not due to ability) so I hope to finally be able to take -any- University class I want from then on... There's stuff like Icelandic class held in the summer that I could definitely pass, but I couldn't even register for it because I didn't have proof that I know Swedish (=classes or this test).

But, I reached "N1" level in Swedish after just a couple years of living here and doing absolutely zero special study, no textbooks, not even using Swedish every day (and in the same way, I'm slowly improving even now). N1 still doesn't mean you're perfect. So if I specifically study my butt off while using the right materials I think I could get there in Japanese, if conditions were ideal. I have to do stuff like get new glasses (current pair is like 4 years old), somehow find a quiet place to study every day, get my keyboard fixed (5 broken keys — the computer I'm using right now, and that I use for class, I can usually only use after midnight) and somehow stop myself from eating food that goes against my diet and disrupts my brain (the BIG one!!). I keep messing shit up for myself just because I get the urge to try out some new risky food or something and then, bam, bad mental state for 4 or more days afterwards where I basically don't study at all...

[ringlat.livejournal.com]

By the way! I made this page about how my Japanese degree is so far, if you're interested:

https://lusentoj.neocities.org/tutorials/jpgram/dalarnastudies.html