That's My Girl!

[illusiongrl]

C got the lead in Annie - her school's first ever musical! Of course, this does means I have to listen to the Annie CD for the next six months.  But a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do. That probably includes forking over for some really expensive voice lessons over the next few months, but I'll find a way.

Comments

well...

[illusiongrl]

I disagree. Professional singers take voice lessons. This isn't about her adequacy as a singer at all. The point is to have help with the fine tuning, and - especially because Annie sings SO much, and with such a range - it also helps tremendously with endurance. Voice lessons just make it physically easier to sing. Believe me - I've been singing for 25 years & having started voice lessons, it feels like I've never sung before, much less taken home an armload of awards in state competitions in high school. It's a whole lot more than just singing from the diaphragm (and despite having studied anatomy I never really understood what that meant until I started lessons this semester). I'm not going to take food off the table or anything, but she's 10 and this is her first musical ever and her first time singing on her own like this, so I think it will help reduce the pressure & overwhelm factor a whole lot, and make her physically capable of solo singing as much as she's going to have to without doing any damage to her chords. And most importantly, she's asking me for it, so I'm willing to find a way to make it work.

Voice is like any other instrument. If you're first chair in the band, the conductor expects more from you, so you study and practice harder. That doesn't mean you didn't earn it, but it does mean you're capable of more & probably study privately to deepen your understanding of the instrument. Same deal. While some vocal talent is inherent, once you get into the details, it's like any other wind instrument - only you have nothing to hold & control is a LOT harder. I gotta say, the more I learn, the more excited I am to teach it. I only wish I knew enough to help C now. Not that she'd listen to her ol' mom anyway...

Re: well...

[illusiongrl]

She's 10 - she doesn't know what she wants to be. But she does want help, so I don't see the problem. Lots of kids I went to school with took voice lessons, so it doesn't seem like a big deal to me. I wish to hell my mom had been able to afford any kind of training when I was a kid.

Look, I'm not committing to a lifetime of lessons here - just some stuff to help her feel capable and comfortable with doing a lot of singing in front of people. Of course she doesn't *need* it, but if it helps, then I don't see any reason not to.

Perhaps I shouldn't have over-dramatized the cost. It's really not that big a deal.