News & Updates

Okay kids, you get a free voice lesson if you get the title of this blog entry. There is nothing more geeky than a group of classical musicians. We make Trekkies look like cool hipsters. Oh well.

There are no gigs for April but after a busy March and the two gigs I'll have in May, I'm happy for the lull. I was also subbing for an alto section leader at St. James Anglican church in the lead up to Holy Week. All in all, I had some very enjoyable musical experiences with the Laudate Singers, the Vancouver Inter-cultural Orchestra and with the St. James Anglican Church choir.

When referring to the unpredictable weather in March, especially on the West Coast of British Columbia, the phrase is "In like a lion, out like a lamb" is often used. This certainly applies to my musical life this month. The Laudate Singers have three concerts this month. The first two are Organic Voices on Sat., March 10th at 8:00 pm at St. Andrew's United in North Vancouver and on Fri., March 23rd at 8:00 pm at Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver.

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An ordinary day sometimes becomes extraordinary. On Monday, January 23, I got a phone call from a dear friend of mine to say that his wife had suddenly collapsed, had no pulse and wasn't breathing. He did CPR on her and after nearly two weeks in ICU, she's recovering and is able to sit up on the edge of the bed for short periods of time. On that Monday, she was gone from this world for 10 minutes until the paramedics arrived and restarted her heart. If her husband had not done CPR, she would not be alive.

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The Christmas season and the ensuing Christmas break creates a gap in the year. It's as if normal, everyday life goes on hold for approximately three weeks and then, once New Year's Day is over, one is expected to jump right back into normal life and routine as if there was no break. Having a break is nice of course but the disruption of routine makes it more difficult to get back into the rhythm of the weeks. It's even harder for a special needs four year old who thrives on routine, hence the more frequent meltdowns.

Another year has come and gone. 2011 had its highs and its lows both globally and personally but as a new calendar year begins, I feel very lucky. I have a great husband, two wonderful little boys, the best siblings, kind and loving parents, a job that I love and I won the life lottery by being born in Canada in the first place.

Halloween is over and I have to write that Halloween is better with kids. We took both Benjamin and Daniel trick or treating for the first time and they loved it. We had to run to keep up with Ben. Of course, we didn't go far and we're eating most of the candy; we are responsible parents, after all! We live in a predominantly South Asian neighbourhood and Halloween and Diwali occur within a fews days of each other which means an almost nightly fireworks display. Ben was growling with delight!

October is turning into a pleasantly busy month. My voice studio is active as always. Our boys Daniel and Benjamin are like twins right now in that they are at approximately the same level and into everything. Still, they seem to love having students around. They'll even clap for students and greet them at the door. At 4 years and 16 months respectively, they are truly adorable.

The wonderful thing about the West Coast is the fact we have seasons. We went from dressing in summer clothes to starting the furnace all within the space of five days.

The change of seasons brings a new year in a way. It's certainly that way for teachers, even private music teachers like me. Now that my beautiful little boy is 15 months old and my other little boy is nearly 4 years old, I am expanding my teaching roster. If you or any of your friends are interested in taking voice lessons, beginner piano or theory lessons, I now have some extra openings.