Two Weeks Later

It's been two weeks since my last post and I've yet to really study for the ESE test. I've managed to find plenty of things to fill my days with anything other than cello practice as well. Did finish some old projects -- things that have been on my to do list for over a year. Entertained out of town guests and friends. Cooked treats for hubby. Caught up on TV eps that we follow. Played games in real life and FB. Made 80+ flash cards of new Chinese words/phrases to learn. Memorized a Chinese folk song and a poem by Ai Qing. Signed up for the July ATC whose theme is "Birds" at Drawspace.

Guess I must be mostly "externally motivated" on the cello. Without a pressing cello project, other things become more important. Still it sure would be nice to finish Suzuki Book I this summer. On the other hand, Book I is certainly not inspiring me to practice. I need to do some "negotiations" with myself to see if I can get moving again. I used to have a rule in place that I couldn't play on FB if I hadn't practiced the cello that day -- I may have to resort to that again!

Back to Normal?

The past week has been just getting organized after my 3 week trip in Europe. First, there's the photos and travelogue to post. My friends and family have been vicariously enjoying my adventures since 2002. It's a lot of work but nice to have the logs later. I probably wouldn't do them just for myself. Yesterday, I finished all the homework my chinese teacher assigned while I was out of town.

Today, I visited SMA and reacquainted myself to the cello after a two month hiatus. R ran off the checklist and all systems are go for continued practice.

I had signed up for a class to cover ESE for FTCE and registered for the test July 13th. However, a phone call today states that the class has been cancelled. Oh well, guess I'm going to have to do self-study. SOP for me.

Back in Miami

I've returned from Europe. Not quite ready to practice anything at the moment. Maybe I'll get back on track next week.

Travelogue from latest trip May 18 - June 10, 2009 Feel free to skip the narrative and just look at the photos. I am hoping to do a specialized guide for Sofia and Smolyan sometime in the near future.

A Post from Sofia

Went to my friend's daughter's school program today in Sofia. The kids performed a nice bulgarian folk dance along with poetry readings, patriotic songs, choreographed pop tunes, kung fu exhibition, american idol style solos, and a rock band.

Vocal Mimicry and Rhythm.

I've been trying to teach rhythm to a student.  What finally seemed to work was having the student sing the tune with words before attempting to play.  I was telling my husband about my success when he showed me an article about Snowball. Seems that vocal mimicry and rhythm are neurally connected.  Now if I can somehow apply this to my cello playing :)