Robert's singing debut

Robert has been in the children's choir at church for a year now, and Mary, the choir director, suggested when the summer started that he and I should cantor a Mass together.

I wasn't quite sure he was ready, and I couldn't really get Robert to practice music with me. But during the school year we also have a weekly prayer service before religious ed starts, and since those are geared toward the kids, it's all stuff the kids know, including Robert. So he stood up there with me, with his own microphone, and sang.

Once I knew he had it handled, I just tried to stay out of the way and let him do his thing. He did great!

I hear through the grapevine that Cate was beaming with pride. Robert also said he got plenty of compliments.

When she sings

We have a daughter who doesn't like to sing for her dad. That dad smiles intensely and gets all warm inside when he hears said daughter sing. Usually that happens when she sings along to songs on the radio or on the CD player in the car. It's all he can do to say nothing and just enjoy the moment.

And that's fine.

But she can definitely sing.

Yep, we're still here

General apologies for the huge gaps between posts. This fall seems to be busier than most. Here are a few cute stories we missed sharing. Hopefully I can add some pictures tonight.

This morning in the car, Colleen was singing a song for her preschool Christmas show, over and over. Robert was annoyed and "asked" her to stop. I reminded him that just a couple weeks ago he was singing his Thanksgiving songs (pictured at performance) and how it annoyed Elizabeth at the time. I asked him if he remembered what I said to her. He said with a scowl, "That I was definitely allowed to practice singing. I hate it when you're right, Mom."

Colleen was complaining about the sun being in her eyes in the car. I said that we could bring her sunglasses next time. She said, "My sunglasses don't work. The sun is boiling my blood! Do something!" Evidently her old sunglasses didn't cover enough of her eyes and would let the sun through. So the next time we were at Target we found these huge bug-eye sunglasses. Now the sun doesn't boil her eyes anymore.

Besides working extremely hard at school and earning terrific grades to prove it, the past few weeks for Elizabeth have been about The Birthday. Twelve years old last Tuesday. Colleen told everyone at preschool - "yesterday she was eleven and today she is twelve." Her birth"day" was actually drawn out over a couple of weeks, starting with Nonna taking her and a friend, Jack, to a wonderful performance of The Wizard of Oz at Hopkins High School. She had a blast; there were actual flying monkeys. Then two books from Mom and Dad that she just couldn't wait 5 days until her birthday to read so she got them early. Then her actual birthday with a package from Nanny (beautiful Guardian Angel that now hangs over her bed) and cupcakes with the special-made cinnamon butter cream frosting. Then from the St. Paul Colemans she got "awesome" Smencils and cold hard cash to go toward her new desk chair (note to self: get E to Ikea!). I confess that I succumbed to the ease of using the Thanksgiving gathering for the official "Happy Birthday!" where she (and others I hope) enjoyed her favorite Pineapple Mallow Pie (thank you to Betty Crocker and to Nonna for the loan of Betty Crocker) and got the coveted Star Trek reboot DVD from Uncle Ryan. She and Robert watched it 3 times the next day. With all the extras and commentary, they watched it practically all day.

We took advantage of our Friday off to clear some more boxes from the living and dining room so more and more it looks like we live her permanently. It's a great feeling to get the number of boxes down to regular storage, not moving boxes. Our garage is ridiculously large and my next big project is to organize the storage in there.

On an unrelated note - hey, where's the snow? The weather is very un-Minnesota-like at the moment and we're getting nervous about Christmas. Robert asked me after Thanksgiving, "Is it possible that we won't have a white Christmas?!"

Fa ... so, la-ti-do

When I auditioned for the Minnesota Chorale two months ago, I figured I was in it for the notes. Not the ones I'd be singing, but the ones I'd hope to get from the director. As in, "here's why we didn't select you and here's what you can work on."

So, when I was not only offered a spot, but offered it on the spot, I was a little surprised. And the whirlwind to being back on stage at Orchestra Hall two months later has been a rush. Six weeks of rehearsal, twice a week, almost three hours a night, learning a piece of music (Aida) I not only had never sung but had basically never heard before, in a language I'd never sung in before. (Why not Latin? Ugh.)

Other things I've done -- I've sung on a big stage (Kennedy Center) with a large group in a full orchestra. But this was a little different. There were more tenors in this performance (25) than every other choir I've sung with, combined.

I was a little worried when I had a really sloppy first act in Saturday morning's dress rehearsal, but I nailed down almost all of the loose ends.

In all, it was a lot of fun, certainly a great first project with the Minnesota Chorale. It's sounding like a lean season for the Chorale because of budgetary cutbacks with the Minnesota Orchestra, so it's perhaps not the best time to join the group, but many people have been in the Chorale for decades, and clearly, they must be desperate for tenors, since they took me. We'll find out later this week what else we'll be doing this year -- the thing about the Chorale is not everyone does every project, so I might only sing in a couple of things with them this year. But so far, it's been just a blast.

Very enthusiastic audience. Our Aida (Latonia Moore) was just spectacular. Verdi, of course, wrote a beautiful opera.

And afterward, Cate and I got to go out for a little late-night refreshment.

Singing a rainbow

Robert said something tonight that triggered my memory of seventh grade choir. Here are some of the songs we sang.

Keep in mind, this is 1985.

Theme from Ice Castles
Ben
Brian's Song
You Light Up My Life
Sing a Rainbow
For church, Pass It On and Amazing Grace.

So Robert got three completely new songs for him tonight. And I got to curse this steel trap of a brain that can remember every lyric from songs from 24 years ago but not to fold the shirts the way Cate wants them.

Tales from the bedtime

While I've been at church the past two nights, Cate has taken more of a hands-off approach with bedtime, leaving Robert and Colleen to their own devices after a short time.

This involves a lot of giggling and shoving. And eventually, sleeping.

Thursday night, Colleen sang songs to Robert to try to get him to go to sleep. Her memory is rather limited, but she sang Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Jingle Bells. But Robert had enough pretty soon, and stopped listening.

"I think Robert loves Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, you go try that."

So Colleen goes back to the bedroom and asks, in her customary outdoor voice: "Robert, do you still love Twinkle Twinkle Little Star? Robert? ROBERT? RO-BERT??"

Colleen came back and reported: "Mom, Robert stopped talking. I can't see his face, there's a pillow over his face."

Yes, Colleen, that's the international sign that he's sleeping.

"He stopped talking!"

Cate replied: "You stop talking! Go to sleep!"

Robert related later that he wasn't really asleep. Robert playing asleep and lying still for any amount of time is a tremendous effort.

Last night I got home before they fell asleep. Robert had been singing for Colleen but was already out of songs, so I finished them off. "I don't sing Up on the Roof or Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," Robert told me.

Future diva, that one.

Audition time

I've been preparing for almost a month for tonight's audition with the Bloomington Chorale. I didn't have to audition to get into the group, but there are many solo parts in this spring's concert series and I'm hopeful of getting at least one.

This has been a great experience. I heard the chorale sing in concert back in December and decided this would be a good outlet for me, since I was looking for something in addition to the church choir. This group, like most, has a very small tenor section. I'm one of four.

It turns out three of the four of us are auditioning tonight. There are about a dozen parts available. It's comforting to know I'm not the best in this group, not by a long shot, but it was suggested to me that I should audition anyway, as they can split the parts up.

I've been working pretty hard on two pieces and when I saw nobody was auditioning for a third one, I threw my name in just for the heck of it. I've been trying to take care of my voice as much as possible -- if you can picture just one drink on Super Bowl Sunday! I've had more tea to drink in the past 24 hours than beer.

And I'm a little nervous. The last time I had an audition I cared this much about, it was to get into the music school in college. And that was taped. This would be a little different, and if I'm fortunate enough to be given a piece, it'll mean for the first time that people are paying to attend a concert in which I am soloing.

Note that I didn't say people are paying to hear me solo. I'm not that foolish!

Now I'm just killing the last few minutes before leaving. I don't want to be late, but I suspect I'll be very early.

Bedtime for bozos

I've been dusting off my repertoire of late. With Cate out of town I'm in charge of the bedtimes again, which is something that usually only happens when Cate works nights.

If Cate's in the house, Colleen and Robert (Colleen, mostly) just aren't willing to be put to bed by me. We'll give it another try when Cate comes home. But so far, somehow, the three nights Cate has been gone have all been nice and peaceful.

It reminds me of how the whole children bedtime routine got started, of course, with Elizabeth. We had a devil of a time getting her to sleep when she was little. (Actually, up until about the age of seven, but who's counting?) It always involved singing, some swaying, turning around in a circle, anything to calm her down and get her to sleep.

Since it was Christmastime, of course, Christmas carols were top of the mind, and one of them has stayed in the rotation for a decade: Silent Night. (If you have kid sleeping troubles, give it a try. Great song!) Elizabeth's other two songs were Up on the Roof and You Are My Sunshine.

When Robert came along, he was content to listen to Elizabeth's songs for a while, but eventually expressed a desire for his own. So he got I've Been Working on the Railroad.

And of course, Cate has her own set of songs. She tends to sing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, and An Irish Lullaby. Neither of us knows the other's songs. And the kids seem to understand that just fine.

Speaking words of wisdom

The Beatles are making a comeback, at least in our house. Elizabeth recently received 1, the compilation album with all 27 of the Fab Four's No. 1 hits. And it's been a hit here.

Elizabeth and Robert listen to this constantly and Robert in particular loves to sing along. When he found out I could play Let it Be, for example, he joined in on the chorus.

For Elizabeth, the favorite song is Eleanor Rigby, and she was doubly impressed to hear -- from both me and Cate independently -- that the lyrics were in our literature texts in junior high. She likes how it's different -- if you recall, there are no drum, guitars or bass in the song, just a string quartet. Plus, she keeps her face in a jar by the door.

Robert's favorite, not too surprisingly, is Ticket to Ride. Presumably it's the love of trains playing a part.

But Colleen is the cutest. Her favorite song off the album is Yellow Submarine. Except, of course, that for most of a week she insisted that it was Blue Submarine. Only today did we manage to convince her otherwise!

We're within a week of packing up the piano. I'll miss my music.

Happy Birthday

It's birthday time around the Coleman household, with Mom's birthday today and Colleen and Uncle Ryan's birthday tomorrow.

It's been a busy weekend here, with a flurry of activity yesterday morning for Cate leading to nap time in the afternoon and daddy time for the kids. So, not much fancy going on in this post, except for this special greeting from us to the birthday folks.