sing, angel!

last night, i got to cash in on the best christmas gift ever™: a voice lesson, courtesy of the biscuit. i remember when he gave it to me, he was a little apprehensive, concerned that i might consider it a comment on my singing, and its need to improve. but the thing is, i KNOW he thinks i'm a decent singer, and that he likes the sound of my voice. so really, it was like giving a car buff a gift certificate to a really good local garage: it never hurts to have an expert look under the hood, even if there's nothing that actually needs to be fixed. and the sad truth is that, despite all the warblings i do with my guitar, my voice hasn't been properly exercised since i got out of college. so the prospect of having someone put me through my paces properly was just irresistible.

despite my enthusiasm, however, i was slightly apprehensive. i didn't know what to expect. in the long run, however, that was probably a good thing. because if i'd had a set image in mind of what this experience was supposed to be, world would have been set utterly askew. the back story is this: most of my voice teachers have been hard-line traditionalists. old school, mozart-loving, focus-the-sound-through-a-point-in-your-forehead types. so, to be confronted with a tiny little woman who wished to start with a few moments of tai chi and meditation was a little disorienting.

but good. very, very good. i will freely admit that i felt more relaxed and more centered after the exercises. and just singing, really flying up in the rafters was great. it was nice to know that some of my old problems (tense jaw) were still evident, but that i hadn't messed anything up yet.

at the end of the hour, i was saddened, because i get an enormous kick out of this sort of thing, but really can't afford regular lessons at seventy bucks an hour. but, since apparently christmas presents keep on giving even a couple months later, the instructor decided that she could give me a partial scholarship--if i did two lessons a month, i would only have to pay for one of them. assuming i can do those lessons in half-hour increments, i think i can eke out $35 a month to bolster my mental health; don't you?