Winterim Fair!

Tonight is winterim fair and I'm so excited. Putting together my presentation makes me really miss New York and the amazing friends I made there. My first host sister Allie really brought me into the group and my second host sister Sarah made me feel really at home. Without all of the people I met I wouldn't have felt comfortable away from home so long and I couldn't have done this without them. In every class I was surrounded by friends. Going to classes really made me feel grateful to go to Maumee valley, not that their schools were anything less than great but I feel very privileged to be in a community where everyone knows everyone and we can have they personalized experience that larger public schools lack. I'm also very grateful to have winterim and have the opportunity I visit other schools and countries and broaden my horizons. I know I will get to see everyone again and I won't lose contact with any of the friends I made in New York. I really have a greater understanding of what I need to do to get the best out of my education and I can't wait to share my experiences with everyone at Winterim Fair tonight. Everyone should come to the library and to the theater to 8:00 to see me perform the songs from my debut album The Trouble Is... :) see everyone there!

Studio Work

For the past week (and the last week of my winterim) I've been back at MV recording so that by the end of the week I'd have an album of my own. I had been writing songs while I was in New York and preparing in my voice classes at school so that when I got back I would have songs to record. The first day I had to make a layout for how sound signals pass through all of the system in our recording studio and how that changed the outcome of the sound. It took a majority of the day but it was really cool to finally have a clear idea of how our recording studio worked. I could probably record any instrument in our studio because of what I learned. After that I started recording my songs. It took the rest of the week to record everything and edited it. Every song goes through a process. First I recorded the guitar, next the vocals, and then I edit each clip using gain to make it as loud as possible and compression so that each clip doesn't peak and sound weird in the the final recording. Each song took about a day to edit entirely, although the editing process took a lot faster as I became more experienced. By the end of the week I had 3 completed songs burned into a disc that I like to call my debut album. It was the most amazing feeling having an album of my own that I can show to people. I'm so excited to show it to everyone although I have a really hard time listening to myself sing... But that's okay, it's all about having something to show to someone when thy ask, "What are you interested in?"

LAST DAY! :(

Today was my last day in we York and its devastating. Sarah and I woke up this morning to eggs and coffee cake, courtesy of Mrs. Flynn. We bought tickets to go see a semi- professional performance of The Sound Of Music for today so we saw that. It was really good. Watching all of the actors up there on stage really made me miss being a part of theater souvenir decided to try out for roles at other schools. Try out sound like they ate going to be soon (possibly the week after I get back) so as soon as I get home I must start practicing. These theater kids at PMHS really inspire me to reach out and try for different theaters when my own drama department isn't what I want. Needless to say I cannot wait to bring thief ideas to MV's drama clubs and see what kinds of improvements we can make to our own shows. ANYWAY! After the show we went back to Sarah's and got ready for the party. Everyone showed up at 6 and we ate fondue (THANKS MICHAEL!). We hung out all night, laughing, telling jokes, and singing of course, until 45 minutes before I had to leave. That's when things got serious and everyone started to get sad. They asked me to play... So I did. And Rey cried. It was heartbreaking. They kept asking me not to leave, like so had. A choice. Thankfully, everyone promised to visit and we exchanged address so I can write everyone letters, and the Flynn's drove me to the train station. When we got there we found out my train, which was supposed to leave at 11, wasn't leaving until 1 am, so I plan on sleeping all the way home. Wish me safe travels and goodbye New York. You've truly been amazing. I am going to miss all of my new friends tremendously. The experiences I've had here cannot be duplicated and I am so grateful to have done it all.

WENK WENK!

The last day of school was so bitter sweet. In every class I had I had to say goodbye to everyone. Every teacher said it was a pleasure and I told them I had a lot of fun (even if I didn't) and I was sad to go. At lunch, I sat down, finally satisfied with the food that the cafeteria had made. It was chili and baked potato day and I was pumped. I sat down and put my tray on the table... And then the fire alarm went off. I was PISSED! I got up and started toward the exit when Michael and Kevin stopped me. They handed me my tray and told me to take it outside, so I did. I waited for the fire alarm to stop with my tray in hand and Michael and Kevin laughing at me and taking pictures. Needless to say, I had a good lunch and I did get to get my chili and baked potato. After lunch I went to ceramics and got my pieces out if the kiln. It all looked perfect. After ceramics I want to my voice lesson instead of drawing and painting II, It was my last lesson and it was frustrating. My teacher decided that I needed to start singing with feeling and I know I can do that, but only when I'm confident with what I'm singing, and I was not confident at all. She was getting frustrate because I wasn't singing with feeling and I was getting frustrated because I couldn't sing. By the ended it was good and I was sad to not have lessons anymore, but those lessons were so frustrating. Maybe I'll take voice lessons when I get back. I feel like I should. After my lesson I walked around Eastman and got to see the theater and the music library. It is really beautiful downtown and around that area. That night we went out be saw a girl who goes to PMHS. She was singing at a enemy for breast cancer. She sang jazz music and she was amazing. Afterwards a couple of us went back to Sarah's house and hung out. It was an exhausting last day of school and tomorrow is my last day in New York al together. I can't wait for my party tomorrow!

Just another Thursday

It actually felt a little weird waking up on Thursday morning and not having Allie screaming "IT'S THURSDAY!" and throwing a party in her room. I got ready and the Flynn's drove me to school just on time (one thing I've failed to mention is the Flynn's uncanny ability to arrive at school between the first bell and the second bell. I'm used to being half an hour early to school at MV!) US history is the same as always. We read all of the amendments and the kids have a rest tomorrow... Which I will NOT be taking (no way). AP Lang was exciting because the kids have to read Hills Like White Elephants and Hemingway is one of my favorite writers of all time. We read this story last year in my sophomore class and so I already know what the meaning of it is. It will be interesting to see what the PMHS kids have to say about it. In choir, we sang the song about Jericho and made Spongebob references until Mrs. Rice threw a fit. Michael, Kevin, and Justin were screaming, "Chocolate! He's selling CHOCOLATES!" For a good 15 minutes. In voice class, I practiced my piece for tomorrow's performance. I'm really nervous but at the same time I can't WAIT to finally get my chance to sing for the class in a way that I am comfortable. At my Eastman lessons I have to sing higher than I'm used to with songs I'm not very familiar with so being able to sing in my style (for the most part) in a song that I feel comfortable with is a blessing. At lunch, we talked to the theater director for a really long time about Fiddler while Michael and I made a beautiful piece of abstract art out of ranch dressing, squash mush, and a poor art. I wish I had taken a picture to share with all of you. You would have been disgusted. After lunch I went to ceramics but I couldn't really do anything because all of my pieces were in the kiln so I sat around and helped Todja with her coil pot. In drawing and painting II, I finished my Chuck Close interpretation of the picture of Dylan and Natasha. I would take a picture if it but its a surprise so you ALL have to wait. After school I had a voice lesson at Eastman so I went home and practiced my song. The lesson went pretty well. I sang through Someone Else's Story, a song from the musical Chess, a few times with my teacher and she told me I should buy a book like the one she was letting me borrow. I don't know a lot of musicals but I did recognize a song from the musical Nine (thanks Joné!) and I tried to sing it for my teacher. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be for a sight singing so maybe I'll try it tomorrow too. The song is called My Husband Makes Movies and its a really good song. After voice lessons I went home and took a nap on the couch while Sarah and Sean had their voice lessons in the basement. After that we skyped Kevin and watched YouTube clause is until I just couldn't stay awake anymore. Tomorrow is my last night in Pittsford and I'm so sad. It really hasn't hit me all the way yet that I'm leaving. Everyone is coming over Saturday to throw me a party before I leave and I'm almost dreading it because I know it will get really sad. I just have to remember that everyone is planning on visiting so this won't be the last time I see them. Thank goodness for that. I've made some true friends here in New York.

TIRED!

I'M SO TIRED! WHY?!

4 more days

It's already Wednesday and it feels like a Monday. Same old same old with classes except today in US history we talked about the election. In English we talked more about Orwell and stared up a discussion about a short story by Malcolm X. In chorus we sight sang and I learned the tenor part of a song about Jericho. In voice class I practiced the piece that I will be performing for the class on Friday and got some good tips from Ms. Rice. After my free period I went to honors physics and that's when I blogged about my opinions on teaching methods. (Still I apologize for the frankness if my teaching methods blog.) Lunch was great but I do miss Organic Ann, Allie's mom, packing my lunch every day. Sarah and I were standing in line for lunch (it was chicken parm day) but by the time we got to the front of the line there wasn't any chicken parm left :( it was very disappointing. In ceramics I glazed my bird. I tried to pick colors that were both realistic and beautiful (which isn't that hard because nature is often beautiful). When I get it back I will post a picture so everyone can see my ceramic skillz (that's right skills with a z!). In drawing and painting II, instead of working on my nearly finished drawing of Dylan and Natasha, we had a critique day. Everyone in my class went upstairs to the library and we talked about each others pieces and gave compliments and ideas for the future. It was fun but I would really like to finish my art project before I leave. I learned early today that I will not be at school for my last drawing and painting II class and so I have to finish my drawing piece tomorrow. I hope I'll be able to finish it in time. After school everyone came back to Sarah's house and we watched the first half of Fiddler On The Roof because the theater club is putting it on in a few months. Apparently Fiddler is 3 hours long and none of us knew that so we didn't get to watch all of it but, enough to get an idea. After everyone left, Sarah and I layed around all night playing guitar and singing as well as watching Adventure Time. Her father requested that we learn a song and perform it for him before I leave on Sunday. I think we are going to do it. Tomorrow I have a voice lesson at Eastman and I'm so nervous. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how it goes. Only four more days in Pittsford, New York and I know now that I'm really going to miss it.