Solo and Ensemble

Yesterday I got to attend the regional solo and ensemble festival with three of my voice students. Their times were very spread out so I was able to spend the entire day listening to singers and watch the adjudicator give his critiques and suggestions. It was SO very fun. It really made me want to take a few lessons again and brush up on my vocal and teaching techniques. And it really gave me the bug for being more involved in community music and other things. Unfortunately I have to keep telling myself that there will be a time and a place for that and right now is NOT IT.

Both of my female students did extremely well. Especially considering that one of them has been told she is an alto her whole life and I had her singing a soprano aria (she isn't really an alto, btw). The other one started voice lessons a month and a half ago, but she had great instrument to begin with. They both got I-s. My male student is going on to compete at the state level in the Bass category. He went last year as a bass and got killed by the older, more mature boys (he was only a freshman last year) so this year we had him compete as a baritone (where I personally feel he sounds the best right now). But the adjudicator loved his lower notes, so we are going to have to really work to richen (is that a real word?) his lower register so he can compete with seniors who can really rumble.

On the exercise front, I can now get through "Start It Up" with only a few pauses, so I am going to move on to "Ramp It Up" tomorrow and see if I can continue moving in the right direction. For those of you who thought I was way overdoing it, you have to realize that the tape I was doing was a 25 minute tape of basic squats, lunges, plies, and stretches. I was just SO out of shape that I probably would have been in equal pain had I only done five minutes of the DVD. By day four I felt markedly better and today I am pretty much back to normal. Which means it is time to move it up to the next level. I have been doing pretty good on my eating. I am not depriving myself of anything, but I am trying to be very aware of what is going in my mouth. I have a protein shake for breakfast, a snack later (cheese, or crackers, or fruit), I have a normal lunch (sandwich with meat and cheese, carrots, or a salad with grilled chicken), then another snack (this is where I usually splurge and have a 100 calorie cupcake pack or a protein bar), and then I have a normal dinner with just normal portion sizes. So far, my milk supply is good. I am eight pounds away from my birthday goal. GO ME!!