Random Entry

Hey, guys! Things have been pretty intense lately, so I haven't written in a while.
I took my selective enrollment high school test.
I had two concerts.
We are still going to  choir practice.
My family came over from Kansas. That includes my aunt and three cousins. Also, my mom went to Europe for the holidays and my grandma is taking care of me.
Yeah, I got  alot going on.
Right after school, I'm going to choir to PARTY!!!
P-A-R-T- why? BECAUSE I GOTTA! I'm very excited! I wonder what we are going to do! It IS our last day of choir, after all.... Frankly, I am relieved by that aspect. I'll have more free time and I will spend less time worrying about how to harmonize with the sopranos and altos.
After that, I am going to go home and do my homework, a favorite thing to do while being tortured with the fact that winter break and Christmas are so close yet so far away.
Honestly, whoever made us get out the 23rd is a complete idiot without feelings. Just thought I should mention that.

Last time we went to choir (ages and ages ago, on Tuesday) we went to the senior center and sang carols on every floor! It was fun! I really enjoyed myself and it felt good to make people smile!

I also want to include that I have learned to play 'Old Abram Brown' on the piano! I have no idea how I did it!


Well, I do. I sang it to myself over and over and found the keys that were the right notes. Took me a long time, too.

I just want to include that our concert on the 18 went great! It was AWESOME! Especially when we sang 'Old Abram Brown'! That was my favorite part! I love that song! It is so wonderfully creepy!
We had to be actors as well as singers. That's what Mr. Wallenburg says, anyway. It's true,though. He doesn't just teach us how to sing, he teaches us how to act. During 'Abram Brown', we had to march stiffly, like zombies and we had to be stone faced and deadly serious. It was easy, but I almost burst out laughing when we had to pre3tend to age 60 years and shuffle around like crazy old people.
(No offense. I respect my elders.)

I called this entry 'Random entry' because it doesn't really have a purpose and it doesn't flow smoothly, it just flits from topic to topic.

So there you go.


Happy holidays to everyone!
Have a haaapy/merry (Fill in the blank according to what you celebrate)!

Hello, Roger's Park-ers!

Today, we went to Wrigleyville to practice for our concert on December 18.  The Roger's Park choir went also, so I met a lot of new people! My mother dropped me off, so I was the first person from the Humboldt Park choir to arrive. I didn't know ANYONE and I would have made new friends faster if it weren't for all the weird looks people were giving me. Everyone didn't stop staring at me, and it made me feel nervous. I felt so small and insignificant! Also, the auditorium we were practicing in was ENORMOUS and that obviously didn't help. Then, another Vivace named Derrik from my choir came and I was relieved even though we were nowhere near each other. The buses were late, but we went straight to work after everyone got situated. We practiced the "Monk version" of Jingle Bells and then we did the X111 century Jingle Bells dance party song. I can't reveal much more because I don't want to give away important concert info.... Sorry, folks but this remains classified. AT THE END WE DID ABRAM BROWN!!!!I LOVE THAT SONG! Even if it is quite creepy..... Listening to it in the dark with headphones that have surround sound when you are home alone is not a good idea.... 
I had so much fun playing my "talking drum"! I found out what it's called! :D YAY! 
Although it is made of two oatmeal cans taped together with some more tape on top, it has great sound! 
We are going to be accompanied by a harp, a pro drummer named Mr. Ferdinand, and a girl named Katie playing the flute! She is in Vivace and she sounds amazing! 
My dad picked me up and we stuffed ourselves at the buffet afterwards. And now I am at home writing this. Guess that's the end of this post.
Oh yeah. Almost forgot.






The Roger's Park kids made our choir look miniscule. 

Singing in a damp,hot,stinky, dark basement

The title is exactly what happened on Tuesday. Since our music room in Casa Central was being occupied for some strange reason, we had to sing across the street in a random hospital building.It was crowded and dirty. I was very disgusted by it, to tell you the truth. That is actually surprising because I don't normally complain about something unless it REALLY bothers me. And this was something that really bothered me. 


We practiced the whole concert routine for the eighteenth on December. It is the biggest concert of the year. VERY SUPER MEGA UBER important that we get all the stuff in order. Frankly, I think we're good. We just need some final touches here and there. That's all. Even so, we DO need our practice....


After we did that, Allegro left and Vivace practiced 'Ride by nights' and 'Balulalow' by Benjamin Britten. I'm still fighting for that solo! I want it so badly! I practiced for it so much that my voice gave out and i was so hoarse I sounded like a contralto. I WANT THAT SOLO SO BADLY! Also, I really love that song! So that's another reason why I want it so badly........
Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, we don't have school OR choir. We don't have school on Saturday either! FOUR DAY WEEKEND SUCKERS! YEAH!
Well.... I guess that everyone has a four day weekend.... I burst my own bubble.... That is just sad.


December is a very busy month for Vivace. I'll post up a schedule they gave us at choir.... At least I THINK they gave it to us... I forgot. 
Anyway, I will loathe the song 'Jingle Bells' as long as I live. I loathe it with a fury that melts faces. 
Why?
We're singing about 20 Jingle Bells songs in choir. They are all different versions, but after a while it seriously starts getting on your nerves. I don't mind it, though. It's fun. 
I love choir so much! And I love blogging about it! (ALTHOUGH ALL OF YOU MUST BE OPENING YOUR VEINS AT HOW BORING AND DRAB MY BLOG IS.... I admit that I officially stink at blogging. There. I said it.)
I want to focus n choir and on what we do in choir but I don't know how to make my blog more interesting. More..... more VIPER!!!
^^

Background INFO: Songs about dead guys and Latinos

The performance at my church was for Hispanic heritage month. We danced salsa to a song called "Latinos" by a group called "Project One". (OR for you Spanish speakers out there: "Proyecto Uno")
That's all. 






AND
WE ARE SINGING A SONG ABOUT A DEAD GUY BY BENJAMIN BRITTEN CALLED "Old Abram Brown."
It 
is 
so 
spine-chilling and creepy!!!!!
I got goosebumps just listening to us sing it.... I hop no one in the crowd gets a heart attack when they hear us in the future...






DEAD GUY SONG


Old Abram Bown is dead and gone
You'll never see him more
He used to wear a long brown coat that buttoned down before

NAZARETH FAMILY CENTER! :D

On Saturday I woke up at 7 and immediately started getting ready for the day. 
I had my choir uniform in one of those special bags you get when you take back your clothes from the dry cleaners. In a separate bag, I had my lunch, my choir binder, my shoes, and a T-shirt i was to wear at the SECOND performance I had later that day at church. (This was SUCH a hassled weekend.... I fell asleep at one in the morning every day and that really stank because it was a 3 day weekend.... we didn't have school Friday) 
We picked up the twins and Janet and headed for the Nazareth family center, where our performance was to be held. Until we arrived, I had absolutely no idea it was a hospital... and that it had an auditorium.


SINCE WHEN DO HOSPITALS HAVE AUDITORIUMS?!


Anyway....
We picked out our instruments for a future song we were going to sing and I grabbed what I call a string drum! (I don't know the REAL name. Don't judge me. ) You change the pitch of the drum by tightening the strings it has with your arm. It was so cool! After that......
PRACTICE
PRACTICE
PRACTICE
PRACTICE
We practiced for so long..... and we worked so hard..... I honestly felt dead for a few moments... (BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...... X X)
We had a snack break and then... more practice.
AFTER THAT we actually had lunch. In the hospital cafeteria. It wasn't bad, but Mr. Wallenburg said it was going to be a restaurant..... I don't think that counts as a restaurant.
For dessert we played something called the Chocolate Game.
We each had a HERSHEY'S KISS in our hands and whenever we heard the word left we would pass it to the left and vice versa.
Mr. Wallenburg told a story about the Right family and how they left home for a vacation. In the end some people ended up having six kisses in their hands, but everyone got their fair share. 


GUESS WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT?!


More 
practice.


o.O
I shall fast forward to 4pm when we started getting ready for the concert. The newbies could not wear their vests yet. The seniors were going to give them their vests in the ceremony, making them official members of the CCC. 
First, we sang an African song called "Maye" and it meant "Hello!"
We had to introduce ourselves and the crowd had to imitate our movements and say "Nakadima!"
Here is what happened.
MR. WALLENBURG: I am Mr. Wallenburg!
CROWD: I AM MR. WALLENBURG!
M.W.: No! No! No! No! YOU are not Mr. Wallenberg! I am Mr. Wallenberg! There is only ONE Mr. Wallenberg!
HI LA RI OUS !
At the end, we had to stand still so that all of the parents could take pictures of us.
M.W: Vela!
CHOIR: VEL-
M.W.: FREZZE!!
(CHOIR FROZEN)
CROWD: PICTURE! PICTURE!
M.W.:VELA!
C:VE-
M.W: FREEZE!!
 I t was like that for about five minutes. When it ended, I was very satisfied with myself! :D this was my second (AWESOME!) performance!

What does that mean?

On Thursday we did a review of the songs we will sing at the second concert. We also discussed what's going to happen. 
 The singers will arrive at Casa Central ay 10 AM. We'll hang out and practice and eat lunch until it's time to leave. That's when we change into tour uniforms and go to where the concert takes place. And I think you can guess what happens next. 

CONCERT INFORMATION

TIME- 4PM TO 5PM

PLACE- NAZARETH FAMILY CENTER, 1127 NORTH OAKLEY BOULEVARD

SNEEK PEEK DETAIL: THE NEWBIES (THAT INCLUDES ME!!!) WILL SING "DONA NOBIS PACEM" AND THEN A SENIOR VIVACE WILL GIVE THEM THEIR OFFICIAL CONCERT VESTS, MAKING THEM OFFICIALLY A PART OF THE CCC! AWESOME!!!!!

Anywaaaaaaaay, I  sang the solo for Mr. Wallenburg and he smiled and said "Great! Keep working on it!"

What does that even mean? I don't get it....... 

TODAY

Today, we came about 5 minutes early and I got to draw. 
  Then, we sang one of the thousands of 'Jingle Bells' songs we are going to sing in December with Allegro. After that, we did a version of 'Jingle Bells' in the blues. It was fun! We snapped out fingers and put on sunglasses, bobbing up and down every time we snapped. When Allegro left, we practiced 'Balulalow' by Benjamin Britten. I am going to try out for the solo in the song.... WISH ME LUCK! 


After practicing ' A hymn to the virgin' and labeling solfege notes in 'Ride-by knights', we sang the famous 'Hallelujah chorus'. After that came a choir favorite: 'This little babe'. We've learned how to sing as fast as the original version, so that is a huge improvement. We're PROFESSIONALS when it comes to that song! Last but CERTAINLY not least, came another choir fave: 'Eiololo Fatsa!' 


Then it was over. It's sad how time seems to slip by like grains of sand slip through your fingers when you are enjoying yourself...  Things seem pathetically short....


I told Mr. Wallenberg I didn't want to go home and he laughed. He also encouraged me to try out for the solo, but I'm still nervous.....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTdskmpBBZQ




above is the link to the video of the solo. ENJOY!

Guilty!!!

Oh my goodness! I have not posted in quite a while! Well not much has happened so I guess you guys haven't missed out on much. No worries! This Thursday we didn't have choir for some reason.... I don't know why though, so it shall remain a mystery. This Thursday we were supposed to bring our uniforms but I forgot mine. All I need is the shirt!!! Then, my uniform will be complete! YAY! On Thursday we did a big review of 'Read 'em John!'. We also reviewed "There is no rose' and this song...... I forgot its name. FORGIVE ME FANS! We didn't do much, though. We just reviewed many Jingle Bells songs and songs we've sung before. How sad. My first blog in a long time and I have noting worthwhile to post..... How depressing....

Read 'em John!

Yesterday we sang a slave song called 'Read 'em John!'. It;s about how these slaves find a paper about the Emancipation Proclamation and they can't read, but they know it's important. They tell a guy named John to read it for them. This is all we have so far.
READ 'EM JOHN
Read 'em John! (x5) Oh John! Read 'em to us John!
Then we practiced a song called 'There is no Rose'. We will sing that song with the adult choir and we just have to sing random parts like " Hallelujah, Resmiranda, Paresforma, Gaudeamus, and Transeamus." Not bad. It sounds very pretty. We also practiced taking out our sheet music for the famous 'Hallelujah Chorus' song we're going to sing. We practiced some more Jewish Jingle Bells and some 'Wolcum Yole!'. It was basically just practice, practice, practice. It took us quite a while because lots of people kept getting stuck and lost- We were moving at a very impressive pace. I'm looking forward to practice tomorrow. Lately there hasn't been much to write about, so I hope tomorrow is a breakthrough. I'm getting tired of posting these bleak, gary, short blogs. I hope I'm not chasing all my fans away! (Just kidding.) STAY TUNED!

The Jingle bell Hora

One of the things we are focusing on in choir is how many composers stole the song 'Jingle Bells.' We sang it in Gregorian and Lydian chant. It was fun! Then, we stood up and danced a Jewish dance. It's very complicated, but when someone else does it, it looks easy. Yes. It's one of THOSE things. HAHA! We practiced the "Jewish version" of Jingle bells. (I DONT MEAN TO BE RACIST OR ANTI SEMITIST.)
We also reviewed some 'Vela, Vela'. It was an easy day, as we'd all been singing for 2 or more hours for three days straight already. Not much happened that day. It was like..... Like when you're really looking forward to something and it comes. You're left  like "Now what?" and you feel sort of bored. That was Thursday. I apologize for the dullness of this post. Thursday was not very exciting. I'm being honest aren't I? Isn't that what adults want kids to be these days? Besides revolutionists I mean? Just kidding. Lame out of place joke... More later. 

THE PERFORMANCE!

Wednesday was FAN-TAS-TIC! We got there early- we were the first ones- and the security guard kicked us out of the building because according to him, there was no choir that day. So, we waited an hour and baked in the sun. By the time Ms. Fowler came, five other people ha arrived. She took attendance and we waited another hour for the rest of the choir to come. We waited, a group of hot, thirsty children dressed in jeans and red shirts standing around and looking bored. BECAUSE WE WERE BORED. There was nothing to do but wait as the people trickled in one by one. FINALLY, when everyone arrived, we got on the bus. A parent chaperoned us. I sat next to Veronica and Karen sat with Janet in the seats across from us. We sang all the way! It was so much fun! We sang 'Rolling In The Deep', 'Party Rock Anthem', 'Vela,Vela', and 'Someday'. Most when I wasn't singing, I was waving to random people on the street, laughing at the surprised looks on their faces when they saw me and waved back. Casa Central is very close to Navy Pier, so it was not a long ride. We got off and walked to the 'Grand Staircase' , singing 'Eiololo Fatsa' until Sheila told us to stop. "We can't give previews!" Haha! After waiting for all of the sections to arrive, we stood there and waited for the audience to settle down. Then, one of the conductors said " Why don't we warm up with a little 'Vela, Vela'?" HM! More like " Why don't we SHOW OFF OUR MAD SKILLS with a little 'Vela, Vela?'" So.... we did. It was so fun! I found my mother and the twin's mother in the audience. GUESS WHO ELSE CAME?! MY MUSIC TEACHER MS. KOFFMAN! (I'll just call her Ms. K) That made me VERY happy. My music teacher is a very special person for me and it felt great to see her waving to me from the audience. 


Then Mr. Wallenberg came. When he arrived, everyone started clapping. He smiled, looking surprised, and took a bow.
Finally, after waiting for what seemed to be an eternity, the performance began.  First, we sang 'Yen Yere Guma'.  Let me tell you this: singing and dancing on a puny staircase with 20 people around you is hard. It was cramped, I thought I was going to fall and be laughed at.... Thank goodness that did not happen!
 Next, we sang 'Jubilate Deo' in a round... It sounded beautiful! Heavenly, in fact...
When we sang 'Shosholoza', I almost screamed. There were soloists from the concert singing with us, and during the 'Shosholoza' song, a girl sang a VERY HIGH,LOUD note because the song is about a train. She was supposed to be imitating a train whistle and when I saw the vid it sounded awesome. But on stage, I thought someone was being killed! :D
Then we sang another song and, unfortunately, I don't know the name. 
RANDOM SONG
Hallelujah! Salvation and glory!
Honor and power unto the Lord our God.
He is great! And the Lord he is omnipotent!
(SHAME ON ME! I FORGOT THE REST! AND I LEFT THE LYRICS IN THE CAR....)
Then we sang 'Seasons Of Love'. It's my mom's favorite! 
There was something I was TERRIFIED ABOUT. We had to sing a 9/11 song. Every time we sing that song, I cry. I sob uncontrollably. I don't know why, though. I was only three when it occurred and I don't know anyone who died or was involved. I'm a very emotional person, so I guess the word got to me... When we sang that song, I stretched the bottom of my shirt so much and squeezed so tight I thought it was going t rip. There were a few tears, but I blinked them away. 
We also sang 'Someday'. I've loved that song ever since I heard it on a U.S. Cellular commercial last year. 
SOMEDAY
Sometimes in my tears, I drown.But I never let that get me down
And when negativity surrounds
I know someday it'll turn around
Cause all my life I've been waiting for, I've been waiting for
for the people to say 
that we don't wanna fight no more. There'll be no more wars
And our children will play
Someday, someday, someday
'Dona Nobis Pacem' was sort of funny. During each song, the conductors were telling the audience the words and encouraging them to sing along. There was an elderly man with glasses that stared at us, eyes bulging out of their sockets, and sang as if he couldn't open his mouth wide enough for us to make out the words. HILARIOUS! I almost started laughing!
However. there was one thing about the performance that rattled me quite a bit. We were to sing ' We shall overcome'. The only problem with that was... WE NEVER LEARNED THE SONG!!! But when the soloist started singing, we all just jumped in and it was a miracle. We said the words correctly and no one made a mistake! What a relief! 
Another song we sang-I'm not going in order, by the way, so those of you who were there and are reading this and going "WHAAAAAAAAA-" can calm down now.- was called 'Shalom'. It was in Hebrew and I had no idea what it was saying.  (Not a surprise anymore.)
At the end, we were told that we were going to be on the news. WGN NEWS AT 9. OH MY GOODNESS! HOW EXCITING!! 
As soon as we got off stage, I ran towards my father. ( RANDOM  OUT OF PLACE FACT: My parents are divorced.) I'd seen him come in during 'Jubilate Deo'. He said I sang beautifully and that he was proud of me. Then I spun my 9 year old step brother and 6 year old step sister in a circle and got kissed on the cheek by my stepmother. After that, they left. 
The Hernandez Family went ahead when they saw my mother, Ms. K, and Mr. Wallenberg talking. I hugged my music teacher and thanked her for coming. Then, I said goodbye to Mr. Wallenberg and we walked aimlessly through Navy Pier. 
UNTIL I SAW A HAAGEN DAZS. 
I was STARVING, so I asked for ice cream and the three of us walked in, looking at the long line like "UGH."  After a while, my wish was granted! I got a fudge brownie caramel and chocolate thing and held it triumphantly in the air. The three of us ate our ice cream and stared at the lake, chatting between bites. Unfortunately, Ms. K had to leave after that. We caught up with the Hernandez family and went to dine at......
Mc Donald's. 
I fell asleep in the car and we got home exhausted. BUT I STILL HAD HOMEWORK TO DO. I finished it quickly and fell asleep before I hit the mattress. 
The concert was amazing! I'm doing what I love and I am so happy! More later!

TUESDAY!

On Tuesday we received our tee shirts!!! They're red and they say ' Creating a better world' and on the back it says 'Chicago children's choir' . SWEET! :D 


When we walked in, Ms. Cole said " Where's your slip?" In my mind, I screamed. "OH GOSH I FORGOT!!!" That's what I said-in a quieter, calmer voice of course- and I asked Ms. Cole if I could go downstairs to tell my mother. I ran down the three flights of stairs and sprinted to the corner, where my mother was parked. " QUICK! SIGN THIS! FAST!"  In a flash, the slip saying whether I would go back with the choir bus or a parent was filled out and I ran back up the stairs to give it to Ms. Cole. After that, we got our SUPER AWESOME TEE SHIRTS and sat down with the rest of the choir. Nothing really happened that day, We just reviewed the songs we were going to sing on Wednesday. We also went over some rules. Mr. Wallenberg was going to go to Navy Pier with the Rogers Park choir, so a parent was going to chaperone us. He said that if we gave the parent any trouble, there would be serious consequences. Serious consequences as in " You won't perform in the next performance." WHOA. 
We were to be quiet on the bus and if we wanted to sing, we had to be quiet while doing that too. Those who were returning on the choir bus had to stay after the performance and they had to follow one of the teachers. It was basically one huge review. The only thing that stuck out was the fact that our performance was the very next day!!! I was so excited!!!! 
OH WAIT! THERE'S ANOTHER THING! WE SANG EIOLOLO FATSA AGAIN!!! *sigh* Such a fun song!!! After that we left. It was a slow Tuesday. Not much going on. 


That night, I dreamt of the choir singing at Navy Pier....

Uniforms

Today, we went to get our uniforms. It's a red vest with the CCC's logo written on it, a long-sleeved office shirt, and EXTREMELY LOOSE black pants that look like they are a thousand sizes too big. They say that's how it's supposed to be. Whatever. I'm not going to complain. I get my pants on Tuesday! Hurray! :) I am also very excited for Wednesday! I wonder what the tee shirts look like.... hmmmm.... Only three days left! ;)

CRAMMING

We had to learn a whole bunch of songs in just one hour. When we walked in, Ms. Cole told us to assemble our binders. She pointed to a table with a pile of papers and black binders. We put our names on our assigned numbers-I was #28- and filled the binders with: a packet of songs, a small book with songs from Benjamin Britain, a paper with about seven different songs on it, and the same foreign language song we sang last time. I know the name now! *VICTORY DANCE!!* It's called 'Or Zarua'. You know the song that ended with 'Hallelujah!'? I know the words to it! Tell you them later. LET'S GET BACK ON TRACK. We sat down with the rest of the group and the rest was just a blur. We learned A LOT of new songs.


VELA, VELA (African)
Vela, Vela sikubone    (come, let us see you!)
Thina ma CCC!  (we are the CCC!)


ANCIENT MOTHER
Yen Yere Guma 
Buena Noche, buena noche
Yen yere guma
buena noche
como/eta/ute
yen yere yen yere yaaaaa buena noche
buena bunea noche como/eta/ute!


9/11 song
I need you, You need me
We're all a part of God's body
It is His will that every need be supplied
You are important to me, I need you to survive (x2)


I pray for you, you pray for me
I love you, I need you to survive
I won't harm you with words from my mouth 
I love you, I need you to survive (repeats)


It is His will that every need be supplied 
You are important to me, I need you to survive (x2)


SHOSHOLOZA (African)
Shosholoza
Kulezontaba
Stimela siphumone South Africa
Wernuybaleka


DONA NOBIS PACEM (Latin)
Dona nobis pacem pacem
Dona nobis pacem (x5)


CCC THEME SONG
Jubilate deo jubilate deo Hallelujah!

Why are we cramming? BECAUSE OUR FIRST PERFORMANCE IS ON OCTOBER FIFTH! These are all the songs we're going to sing.  SURPRISE!
For those of you who want to know, it's at Navy Pier's Grand staircase at 5:30 PM. October fifth is a Wednesday. After practicing, Mr. Wallenberg gave us some more info. There was no practice on Thursday because of a Jewish holiday. Next Tuesday, we had to arrive early because that was the day we would get our performance shirts. (A red tee shirt with the CCC logo, I think) On Wednesday, we had to come at 3 because the bus leaves at 4. For the performance, we have to wear blue jeans and the red tee. I am sort of nervous because we were going at a very fast pace and there were some songs I didn't understand. Wish us luck, because our last practice is this Tuesday. THEN, A DAY LATER, WE WILL BE DRAGGED TO OUR MUSICAL DOOM. MUAHAHAHAHA! (Just kidding! :)  ) SO EXCITED! I'll post more later!

Coffee, frogs, love, and Eiololo Fatsa!

 We were having practice in the basement that Thursday because there was something going on upstairs. We sang a song about coffee.
C-O-F-F-E-E coffee is not for me!
Not for children is this awful brew! Makes them nervous and ill-tempered too!
If you should drink one cup, you won't give coffee up!

Pretty cool! It's a fun song! Later, Carl Villa's father came and sang a song about a little frog called 'Coqui'.

This is what a Coqui looks like. When they croak, It actually sounds like they're saying 'Coqui!'


He sang and played the guitar, tapping the sides of it so that it sounded like a drum. Mr. Wallenberg made him sing it a second time and he added a quick 'Coqui!' here and there to make it seem as thought the little frog was singing along. After he left, we sang 'Seasons Of Love'. Then Allegro had to leave and we labeled the notes from a song called 'Wolcum Yole!'- ALSO Benjamin Britain-in solfege. We practiced 'Wolcum Yole!' for quite a while. Halfway through, the Hernandez sisters had to leave. I didn't know why.  "Does she have to go with you?" he asked, pointing to me. They shook their heads and I was relieved. I really didn't want to leave.

Suddenly, Mr. Wallenberg said " Put away your books! It's time for Eiololo Fatsa!" The senior Vivaces cheered but I had no idea what was going on. Later, I found out it was an African song, accompanied by a dance.

EIO, EIO, EIO! Eiololo Fatsa! (x3)

EIO! Kalibitso Nantate! 

I don't know what the words mean, but it's a great song! Too bad it's so short.....

While we were doing that, I realized I've made alot of friends in the choir. Sheila, Kate, Mandy, and Mimi. 

They're really nice girls and I hope that one day, we will be good friends. I shall post more later!

Hallelujah!

 We were late that Tuesday. The four of us just walked in and we found everybody sitting down, listening to Mr. Wallenberg explain something. I-being short- was put in the front and Janet, Karen, and Veronica are taller than me, so they were put in the back. I was seated between two Allegros and Mr. Wallenberg said they'd help me. They did nothing whatsoever, but I didn't mind. We sang the CCC 'theme song'-at least that's what Mr. Wallenberg called it- and all I know is that it ended with 'Hallelujah!' I haven't the slightest idea what the other words were or meant. (They were in a foreign language.) After that, we sang ANOTHER foreign language song and wrote the notes in solfege. Then, we spent our last few minutes with Allegro singing a song about a race horse who was taken to work at a farm because he was too old to race anymore.
Look at me!
Can you believe that once upon a time I was so sleek! So fast! A real superstar!
But now I'm old and gray and hitched up to a broken wagon,
relegated to hauling hay!
All the day!
That's as far as we got, unfortunately. When we finished, Allegro left and Vivace practiced singing the rest of 'This Little Babe.' We were split into groups: Alto, First Soprano, and Second Soprano. I am a second soprano and so is Janet. Karen and Veronica are first soprano, so they were in a different group. We sang the song in a round after listening to the original version. Thank goodness we didn't sing as fast as they did! After we finished that, the senior Vivaces tried to show us a song from last year, but apparently they failed miserably because Mr. Wallenberg started laughing at them. Too bad... It seemed like a fun song......
I'll post more soon!

Yonder come day!... And Benjamin Britain with Bonnie and a magic beach ball.

 So here's the 411 on things. I have friends. Their names are Karen Hernandez and Veronica Hernandez. They're twins and they are my age. They also have two older sisters named Janet and Sarah. Sarah is too old to join the choir, but Janet can. They're good singers. 
THEY'RE IN THE CHOIR WITH ME.
When we walked in, Ms. Cole said,"Oh, hi again Viper!" and Mr. Wallenberg was impressed. "Wow! You deliver! I ask you to bring one person and you bring me three!" He did the tests and made all four of us sing a round to see if we could focus on our part while other people were singing. We could! They made it in! Mr. Wallenberg said they were to be in Vivace and he started this HUGE SPEECH. It was about how even though we were in Allegro level, he put us in Vivace because he felt that we would "Grow and bloom" in Vivace. He said he felt we were all hard workers and we could take the challenge. That was on Tuesday. I looked forward to our first project on Thursday with an "I'm going to vomit from the excitement!!" feeling. 


Practices are Tuesdays and Thursdays at Casa Central from 4:15 to 6. Since that Thursday was the first practice, there was going to be an open house type of thing that lasted until 6:30. We had a church activity that day, so we couldn't stay for the open house. I walked in to see everyone marching in a circle and singing. I made myself a name tag and jumped in. This is how the song goes:


Yonder come day! Day is a-breaking!
Yonder come day! Oh, my soul!
Yonder come day! Day is a-breaking!
Sun is a-rising in my soul!
Sun rise! Sun rising down yonder! Sun rise! Sun is arising in my soul!
Yonder!(x6) Sun is arising in my soul!
We sang in three parts. High, low, and very low. (I'll call them pitch parts) and we also sang in a round. By the way, it sounded awesome!! Then, we played with Ms.Fowler's magic beach ball-which cost eighty-eight cents at Party City... she told us for some strange reason-and we had to count how many times we could stop it from hitting the floor. Our group got 27 and Mr. Wallenberg's group got 20. We won. While we played, I made friends with a senior Vivace named Sheila. We joked about how our group was going to get past four.
Mr. Wallenberg told us the choir rules. 
!) No making fun of anyone.
2) Don' waste time
3) Go to the bathroom before choir
I think they're fair rules! After that, we sang 'My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean' and did pitch parts again. Not surprisingly, we sang it in a round afterward. It sounded great! I made another friend while we sang that song: Kate. She was really nice. Then, Vivace and Allegro sang 'Seasons Of Love' together and after we did that, we split up. Vivace had to go to a VERY,VERY small, cramped room. I felt very bad for Karen. She has Claustrophobia. The whole time, she just stared at the words in her carol book that she held with her shaking hands and didn't say a word. Poor Karen! We sang 'This Little Babe' by Benjamin Britain. I was very brief, but it was lots of fun! After that, came the end of choir practice and open house. We told Mr. Wallenberg we couldn't stay. "Oh... alright then! Take your snack and go!" I thought he would be mad, but he wasn't, thank goodness. And that was our first practice. 
I enjoy choir very much. We get to work as a team and do what we love.In choir, there is no 'shy' because it's impossible to be shy when you are having fun and surrounded by friends. I LOVE IT! Fill you in on more later.

THE APPALLING AUDITION

  I was auditioning for the Chicago Children's Choir at Casa Central in Humboldt Park. That Thursday was one of the most thrilling Thursdays in my life. I didn't have any time to change my clothes. My audition was at four thirty and my mother picked me up from school at about three fifty. I gulped down a cough drop on the way, thinking it would help, but it obviously didn't since I almost choked on it. On the outside, I was a pale, unmoving statue. On the inside, I was running around in circles screaming " OH MY GOSH! I'M GONNA DIE!" at the top of my lungs. Not a very pretty picture. I gave myself a mental pep talk as I walked up to Casa Central, but the sight blew it to smithereens. Now, I am going to tell you the truth. I am pretty short. ( I don't mind. I actually LIKE being short. SO THERE! :D ) I'm four foot six and I have to look up at things all the time. When I looked up at Casa Central. I couldn't decide whether it was one of those scenes where a person looks at a heavenly palace and hears a chorus of angels singing, or where a poor soul is being dragged to a dark, looming castle with thunder and lightning in the background. As I climbed to the third floor with my mother, Cecilia Obras, I remembered all of the things my friends and teacher told me when I sang ' What A Wonderful World' a capella in front of the school. I know it sounds EXTREMELY conceited, but it made me feel better. I opened the door and walked in. A lady with light brown hair tied back in a ponytail and blue eyes smiled back at me. "Are you here to audition?" she asked. I said yes and then she asked me my name. "Viper." I said quietly. To hide her expression, she ducked her head as she read the list of names. Viper.... Yes! Here you are!" We shook hands and she told me her name was Ms. Cole and she was one of the teachers. I also met Ms.Fowler, another teacher with short blonde hair and brown streaks. I became comfortable while taking to them and relaxed. While my mother filled out some papers, I paced back and forth, waiting for my turn. BAD IDEA. It only made me nervous. Anxious. Terrified. Any title for " I fell like I am about to have a heart attack, scream, and jump out the window." My mother tried to comfort me by saying I would do fine and I was great and BLAH BLAH BLAH. It didn't really help. 
   Suddenly, I heard a loud, cheerful voice saying " And the next one up is... Viper!" We both walked toward each other. The voice belonged to a man with gray hair and large, expressive brown eyes framed by thin wire glasses. " Hello, Viper! My name is Mr. Wallenberg! Shall we begin?" 
I wondered what he saw when he looked at me. A short girl with shortish brown hair and brown eyes wearing a Navy polo shirt and khakis? Or did he see something else? I'm still wondering...
Mr. Wallenberg did some tests. He played notes on the piano and asked if I could echo them back, determined the range of my voice, and we sang 'Twinkle,Twinkle, Little Star' together. Then he sat down and smiled. " Are you going to sing for me, Viper?" he asked. I nodded. "Yes." He leaned forward excitedly. "What are you going to sing for me?" ONE THOUGHT RAN THROUGH MY HEAD FOR THOSE THREE SECONDS: GOODNESS GRACIOUS ALIVE!! WHAT ON EARTH AM I GOING TO SING?!
"Ummm. I'm going to sing 'What A Wonderful World'". I had no other choice. It was the only song I knew by heart. (No offense, Louis Armstrong, but after singing it SIX TIMES it gets  bit old.) He nodded, still smiling, and I took three steps back. " So...yeah." WHY DID I SAY THAT?! SOOO STUPID! (IF YOU AGREE WITH ME, I DO NOT BLAME YOU.)
I sang.
PICTURE IF YOU WILL: You are singing in a dead silent room with a bunch of strangers and they are all staring at you. You want this more than anything and the idea of messing up could make you go into cardiac arrest. The sixth stranger's eyes are very wide and he is staring at you with a blank look on his face the whole time you're singing with a blank look on his face as he leans back and covers his mouth.
I finished singing and laughed nervously as I felt myself turn red.  "Uhh... I finished." Mr. Wallenberg, the blank look still on his face, clapped three times and stared at me. "That... was beautiful!" I thanked him and we did some more tests-higher up on the ladder of difficulty. He told me to call my mother. "LOOK!" he exclaimed. He played three notes and I echoed them back. He looked at my mom and his eyes said " ISN'T THAT AMAZING?" my mom's eyes said "So?" 
" That was a very difficult test." he stated. "She has a good ear." The he started talking a thousand miles per hour about Allegro*-the beginner level- and Vivace*-the advanced level. 
'Wait." I stopped him. " Am I in?!" My level of stupidity seemed to be at an all time high/ "YES! YOU'RE IN!" I immediately burst into tears. "Thank you so much!" I sobbed. " You don't know what this means to me." 
"Aw! You're the first one to... aw! So cute! Come here!" He gave me  hug and I cried even more.




The dust has settled. I am in Vivace. (VEE-VAH-CHEY) I will have to learn to read music on the way, so I will have to work very hard.  "Are you up to the challenge?" he asked. I nodded and almost jumped as I clenched my fists and shouted "YES!" He told me I looked like a hard worker-I AM-and that I had lots of spunk-I DO. " I like people like you!" He said. WHAT THE HECK IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN? To this day, I haven't the slightest idea what he meant. Leave comments. Help me decipher the message! :)
When it was all over, I ran down all three flights of stairs- almost tripping down the way- jumped out the door and shouted "I DID IT!!!! I'M IN!!!" I got a lot of weird looks.... haha!
I didn't tell any of my friends until the very next day. (I like to leave people hanging, remember?) My teacher congratulated me. And announced it to the class. And made i tone of the announcements on Friday assembly. So now the whole school know I'm in the choir. That's.... great?! (I don't want to sound conceited again.)
Mr. Wallenberg left me with a mission:BRING PEOPLE. So can you guess what I did? Stay tuned!!!

Hi!

   To all of the people who are reading this: Hi!
I know that's two "Hi!"s in a row now. You can't blame me for trying to be friendly, can you? Anyway, my name is Viper Cecilia Obras. I am thirteen years old and I am in eight grade. It's my duty to inform you that this blog will be about my life in the Chicago Children's Choir. If you don't like fun, music, singing, personal opinions, and witty remarks, don't read this.
 There are a few things you should know about me. (After all, it would be strange if you were reading about a stranger you know nothing about, right?) Let's start with the basics. MANY people have asked "Your name is VIPER?! REALLY?!" with a shocked look of disbelief on their faces. YES. My name is Viper and, honestly, I actually LIKE being named after a poisonous snake. Another thing I like about my name is that IT'S AN ANAGRAM IN DISGUISE!!!! 
  Viper C.Obras. ISN'T THAT NEAT?! Who else has a name like that? (It's a rhetorical question. Don't burst my bubble by answering.) I love my name very much and I wouldn't change it for anything in the whole world!
MORE RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME. I like to read, write, draw, listen to the radio 24/7, and sing. You will learn more about me as you read my blog. I'm the type of person who likes cliffhangers. I like to 'leave people hanging' as you can see. THE ONLY WAY TO FIND OUT MORE IS.... TO READ MORE. Leave me questions, comments, opinions, and insults at your leisure. It's a free country. :)