College Cello Audition

 Sylvia has been working hard to put together a video audition to send to several colleges she has applied to, since none of the schools are currently allowing in-person auditions or visits. Usually, a cello audition would be accompanied by a pianist, but nothing is done "as usual" these days. I think Sylvia has done a beautiful job here. We are so proud of her, and just love to hear her play.

Rye Soloist Competition

This girl amazes me.  She decided in December that she wanted to learn a cello concerto for the BNYS Rye Solo Competition.  In January she and Dr. R chose the Hadyn cello concerto, and she learned it really quickly.  On Sunday she practiced for half an hour with her accompanist, and this evening she played her audition for the judges.  AND SHE WON!!!

On Sunday, May 10, she will play the Haydn cello concerto as the featured soloist accompanied by the Bloomington Normal Youth Symphony!

We went to Krispy Kreme to have a celebratory doughnut!

SIUe Audition Day

I didn't take many pictures today, but it was a good one.  We arrived at Dunham Hall at 9am and checked in for the audition day.  The professor at the check-in booth was one Annah had met at IMEC, and he remembered her.  Annah went to warm up, and I chatted with him a bit more then found her and played her audition songs for her.  

At 9:45, she went to a music theory diagnostic (which she didn't have to do) and a session about being successful in college.  I went to a parents' info meeting, and had a few questions answered.

After the meetings, we met up and waited for her audition.  Annah was so happy to have learned that  there are 120 music students, about 40 of which are music education majors!  I realized that a year ago she would've probably thought that was too many, but after the experience at GU this year being the only music ed freshman and the whole group at the university only totaling 6, she now realizes that she needs a cohort and colleagues!

At one point, a voice student who had been assigned to her by Dr. T yesterday came and found us and asked if we needed anything before Annah's audition.  We met several other voice students, and they were so kind and welcoming to Annah and curious about her music and her story.  It was great to see her connecting with them.

Dr. Truckenbrod came around the corner to get Annah for her audition, and she was back in just a few minutes.  She sang Se tu mami and Still vie die nacht, and they didn't ask to hear anything else.  I think she did some sight singing, and they interviewed her a bit.  One of the professors had looked up our tiny village of Arrowsmith on a map and asked her about it!  She said it was "very chill" and 

Dr. T said she did a wonderful job and sounded fabulous!

We stopped at the car so Annah could change, then rushed over to the Admission office to catch the presentation.  

This is more pleasant to look at than private college tuition, but not as hopeful as a transfer student as it would've been for a freshman.  We will see in a few weeks, what it will cost us.

We opted not to take a campus tour, since we felt like we got pretty familiar with the quad over the past few days (and campus doesn't feel as huge as she thought it would), and had spent time in all the buildings Annah will be in for classes.  She is also already deposited for housing in an upperclassmen dorm with some friends of Ryan's.  She will have her own bedroom and share a living room area and bathroom with 3 other girls in Evergreen Hall, the newest dorm on campus.  

We went to Morris University Center (which Ryan calls the MUC, and Annah refuses to) 

and Ryan met us there.  

We had been given meal cards by the Admissions Office folks, and we decided to eat Chick-fil-a in the dining hall downstairs.  Ryan told us about his job responsibilities working there.

Since both Ryan and Annah had a lot of homework to get done, they decided to spend the rest of today together instead of Sunday in Greenville like they usually do.  So, we transferred Annah's things to Ryan's car and they headed off to the library to study while I headed home.  Then later Ryan took Annah back to GU.  Tomorrow will be homework/studying day for each of them.

I have to say I think Annah and I are both really impressed with and excited about SIUe.  It was a great couple days, and there will be a lot of great adventures and a great education for her there!  

For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. 

- Psalm 108:4 ESV

Spring Musical Auditions

For months, Sylvia has been elated that the spring musical will be Guys and Dolls!  She has been dreaming of playing the part of Adelaide since she was 7 years old. Auditions were this week, and she has been praying and preparing.  Caeden has gone from saying he didn't know if he wanted to audition to he was definitely not.  Then the day before auditions, Mr. R talked with him and convinced him that it would be better to audition and try it out and see if he enjoyed it than to not audition and regret it later.  So, the night before auditions, he took 30 seconds to prepare the audition clip.  Sylvia recorded his audition prep and sent it to Annah, because she was also trying to convince him to audition.

Sylvia and 3 other girls had a callback, which made her even more nervous about getting a part at all. The girl spent most of her Christmas break choreographing the entire show, but she was also prepared to not even get a part.

The cast list was posted this evening, and Sylvia said she feels like she is floating; she is so excited to get to play Adelaide!  And Caeden is happy to get to be part of the show too!  They will have so much fun putting this one together; I'm sure!

While Annah was home over the weekend, 

she got out her clarinet to play a little because she misses it!

When I went to town Monday morning, the moon was HUGE!  I couldn't capture it in an iPhone picture though.  But it was awesome!

ILMEA auditions always take place on Columbus Day, and this year I got to judge!  The auditions are  blind auditions, and I heard soprano II prepared song excerpts.  I really enjoyed it and hope I get the privilege again.

Sylvia auditioned for the vocal jazz ensemble and the orchestra.  She made both!

  Caeden was signed up to audition for choir, band, and vocal jazz, and was so overwhelmed by them all that he didn't prepare for any of them. He did do an audition for choir, but it didn't go terribly well.  He says next year he will only sign up and audition for one and he will prepare for it, so it wasn't a wasted day--he learned something.

Today, we had rehearsal after school on stage, and the volleyball team was getting ready in the gym for their last home game tonight.  We have learned to share the space pretty well.

There was a little confusion and miscommunication between our family members after rehearsal, but we ended up at the game [with all 3 cars.]  The pep band played!

And Midnight Blues sang the anthem!

Casting the Fall Play

This week we cast the fall play.  We held group auditions on Tuesday.

And callbacks this evening.

I'm excited that we have more than half of the acting cast who have never participated in Fall Play before--4 freshman, 1 sophomore, 7 juniors, and 2 seniors.

We had the first read-through today after school, and everyone laughed a lot and seemed to really like it.  It's going to be a fun couple months putting it together!

SEMO Music Major Day

Today we woke up early, had a quick continental breakfast at the hotel, and arrived at Southeast Missouri State University River Campus by 8am to check in for Music Major Day!

It was so nice to be greeted by Dr. Lamont, and because she had said so many good things about Annah, all the rest of the voice and music education faculty was excited to meet her!  After a quick greeting by the music faculty and students, the event attendees were taken to another building (There are only 3 buildings on the River Campus--all for students of the arts!) to take their theory placement exam.  I chatted with Dr. McFarland and Dr. Lamont for a while, then walked with Dr. McFarland over to the recital hall.

I sat in the back and watched the voice faculty work with some of the students who were there to audition in a masterclass.

It is such a beautiful space, and acoustically it is a fabulous space in which to perform!

Voice faculty, current voice majors, and auditioning voice students warming up together...

After the masterclass, Annah had 7 minutes before her audition.  She chose not to go downstairs to a practice room to run through her songs, because she didn't want to be late or to be winded after having come back up the stairs and straight into her audition.  So!  She waited outside the door of the recital hall, excited for her opportunity to sing!

I was glad there was a professional accompanist for her, and Annah said he asked the voice faculty to give her a gold star and extra credit for the way I prepared the music for him.  I got to stand outside the door and listen to Annah sing beautifully and confidently.  I could tell she was struggling a little bit because of the swelling in her throat, but she didn't falter.  I heard the voice faculty applaud and cheer her, and the head of the department said to me as he came out of the room with her to get the next auditioned, "SHE DID AWESOME!!!"  

Annah said they told her she has had a lot of really good instruction and training, and that she sings very intelligently.  We sat in a nearby lounge while the others auditioned, and chatted about the experience.  After about an hour and a half, Annah said, "Oh yeah, I forgot.  After I sang, they said, 'You are DEFINITELY admitted to the Music Department!  (Scholarships will take a little longer to figure out.)'  I cracked up!  Such a funny thing for her to forget to tell me!  I love that she wasn't nervous at all, and that even though this was the only audition she's done that was actually for admission into a program, she was just happy for the chance to sing and didn't get all worked up about it.  

After auditions, we attended an Honors Recital of current music majors, and it was very nice.  We had lunch in the dining hall with Dr. McFarland, and really enjoyed her company.  She answered a lot of questions for us, and was so curious about Annah and encouraging to her as she heard about her experiences.

Next, Dr. McFarland facilitated a great student panel.  They answered some great questions, and said a lot of things I was glad Annah could hear from current music majors!

Our final adventure on campus was what we had been looking forward to all day--sitting in on University Choir rehearsal with Dr. Lamont!

The choir is the top choral ensemble at the university, and Barb  said they are working really quickly to prepare for a concert called Child's Play.  This is just a few seconds of a crazy atonal nursery rhyme piece with constantly changing meter they were working on for it...

Annah enjoyed the rehearsal so much.  It was a GREAT DAY at SEMO!!!

But, she was incredibly exhausted!  We said goodbye to Dr. Lamont and thanked her, then went to the car to get more comfortable clothes for Annah to change into.  

 After getting changed, we hit the road back home. Annah slept almost the whole way, and we arrived home just after 7pm.  I had been so worried for the past few weeks about driving so far and to so many places I've never driven to/from, and potential bad winter weather/driving conditions, but all my prayers about my worries were answered.  We had no weather or travel problems at all!  Thank you, Lord!  And, I am really thankful for this special time to take this trip with Annah.  It was so awesome to get to spend 3 days just the 2 of us!  What a treasure and blessing!!!

Purple and Gold Days

Today we took Annah to attend Purple and Gold Days at Olivet Nazarene Univ.  It was a super busy day, with a full schedule from the moment we arrived.

We'd been told her audition was at 11am, and thankfully we arrived early for 10am check-in. As we were handed her schedule for the day, we noticed her audition was at 10:00!  She hurried to change, and we practically ran to the music building to warm up her voice!  She sang beautifully, and was asked to either come back to do a violin audition or submit on via video. Then she took a theory placement test.

Admissions had scheduled her for a meeting with the Worship Teams coordinator at 10:15, and there was no way we were making it across campus for that. So, one of the professors who heard her audition was so kind to call the Worship Teams coordinator and he came to meet us!  He took us to the Rec Center where he treated us to Starbucks while we chatted about how the Worship Teams work.  

We were scheduled to meet with the Marching Band Director next, but since we arrived late to that meeting, we waited outside his office. He still met with us and another family even though he had a lunch to get to as well.  We really enjoyed talking with him, and Annah would definitely love to be in his marching band if she attends Olivet!

We next ran back across campus to attend the fancy luncheon.

Dr. Bowling spoke, and there was also a question/answer panel of Olivet students.

After lunch, Jeremy attended a financial aid session, and Annah and I went back to the music building for an info session with Dr. Jones.  We had attended basically the same session with him last spring, but had some good questions answered today.

Probably the most informational session of the day was with two wonderful professors in the Education department.  They talked about state licensing and testing requirements for teachers, the student teaching process, and gave Annah a sheet detailing all the coursework she would be required to complete.  They were so kind and knowledgeable, and it was very helpful! 

We also realized it would take more than just 4 years to complete a Music Education degree at Olivet, and that she would need a car on campus right off the bat for observing in her education major--things we hadn't thought of before.

After the last session, we met Marissa in the library, then walked to her dorm to drop off Annah's things so she could spend the night.

Annah thought Marissa's dorm and room were pretty cool.  Marissa is in her first semester at Olivet, and is LOVING it!!!

We took Marissa and her fiancé, Tommy, out for pizza at Mancino's. Yum!  

They told us about how they've started a worship team at a struggling church a few minutes off campus.  Annah went there with them tonight to watch a movie.

Annah and Marissa stayed up until almost 2am chatting, so I'd say Annah got a little taste of the real college experience!  She says she feels a little intimidated by the campus, but knows she would enjoy the experience if she attended Olivet.  She has several friends there too.  It will be exciting to see where God takes her for her college education!

Visiting Greenville U

Jeremy and I took Annah to Greenville University for a Preview Day and scholarship audition, and had a wonderful visit!

Exactly 2 years ago, Annah and I went with Allison for the same events!  Now she is a sophomore at Greenville and loving it!

Working on AP Calculus in the car on the drive over on Sunday...

We saw Allison sing with the GU Choir in concert at a church about 20 minutes from campus Sunday evening.  It was a beautiful concert!

We took Allison and Joyce back to campus, where they attended the Rend Collective concert. 

We headed right over to the Super8 to get some rest.

Sylvia and Caeden held down the fort at home.

After breakfast at the Super8, the first thing we did on campus this morning was attend an Admissions session.  Then we went to Chapel service!

The service was unusual in that it was all in Spanish (with translation), and we really enjoyed it!

It's a very small, beautiful campus, which we toured after chapel.

Jesus the Divine Servant

After the tour, we had lunch in the Dining Commons, then a Financial Aid session, then a session about the MacAllister Honors Program, of which Annah has applied to be part.

Annah and I had to leave the Honors Program session early to get across campus to get changed and warmed up for her scholarship audition.  

Annah did a great job in her audition.  Had I not been accompanying her, I would've been a puddle on the floor outside the choir director's office.  Instead, I got to play the role of voice teacher and worry about playing well enough for her to show what she can do.  She sang When I Have Sung My Songs and Quella Fiamma.  

She auditioned for the Director of Choral Activities, the head of the Worship Arts program, and the head of the Music Education program.  She had to present a resume, a list of every piece of music she has sung and performed, and an essay about why she wants to study music education. They also asked her questions after she sang, and she answered very well.  I could tell she felt comfortable and at home there and with all of the professors.
She stayed in Dr. Wilson's office to do an audition for choir, and I stepped out in the hall with the music education and worship arts professors. They were very complimentary of Annah and asked me several questions about her while she completed sight-singing and range-testing exercises in her audition.

After chatting with the professors, I noticed this awesome sheet of quotes on the bulletin board in the voice department...

Next, Annah took a theory placement test. Then all 3 of us walked back up the hill and Jeremy treated Annah to a bunch of GU gear in the Panther Closet (school bookstore). 

We enjoyed some hot coffee and tea while watching the snow fall quickly.

Then we went back to the chapel so Annah could sit in on choir rehearsal.

Allison took Annah by the hand, and helped her feel right at home during rehearsal.  It was pretty sweet to watch them sing together again!

I happened to be recording a few seconds of the choir doing warmups, when Annah recognized a warmup I'd taught her last summer that I remembered doing in college in Chapel Choir!

They sang some Christmas carols...

Such a lovely space to rehearse in!

They also rehearsed parts of Messiah for their upcoming performance on December 2.

Annah loved every moment of it, and really hopes she can attend Greenville next fall. She feels at home there, and we can see her there as well.

After rehearsal, we went to Joe's Pizza with Allison and Joyce, Ryan, and Mike, who had come over during choir rehearsal from their visit to SIUe. We had such a nice dinner together, I forgot to take a picture of us all.  

It continued to snow all the way home, but it didn't put a damper on our day!  What a wonderful, blessed day.