Tuesday, January 8, 2008

NO LONGER A BOY TENOR

I was in the 8th grade when Mrs Schneider took an interest in me --or my singing voice to be correct. I sat in the first row and suddenly she was standing next to me. Now, I have always been a fairly confident boy ( cocky might also be appropriate) but she had a hairdue that looked like a birds nest; even a large bird. But sing away I did, not quite knowing why she was so close to me. Had I done something? Was I to be punished ? The class ended and it was the last class of the day so when she asked me to stay over, I had some real concerns. She moved over to the piano and asked me to sing a scale. You remember Do Re Mi don't you? She was seated at the piano and I was finally in a positiion to look down into her hair Much to my relief there were no birds there.This may sound silly and I suppose it is but most of us in her class often wondered about that. Wonder no more: I will explain to my classmates the full scoop. Back to the piano where she now has some popular music in front of her. She asked that I begin to sing some of it. I was quite familiar with most of it and so I sang away, when suddenly my voice began to change. I struggled to stay on pitch and she looked at me and said "Well Jimmie, we will have to enter you as a tenor". I looked at her and asked, "Enter me where?" She replied, "There is a voice contest coming up in 6 weeks and I would like to enter you into it". I looked at her, somewhat amazed and said, "Mrs Schneider, I don't know how to sing!!" Once again she replied, "Jimmie you have a lovely voice and by the end of 6 weeks you will be prepared to be the best in the city". "Wow" said I, totally at a point of confusion. That began my career in voice which scaled to the height of mediocrity. Since that day, I have sung most of the rest of my life---Glee clubs, Choirs, a Men only group, funerals and weddings. I entertained on the stage of the High School and, oh yes, I came in second at the city wide contest. I actually had begun my career on the stage at age 4 where I sang "Ice Cream, you scream, we all scream for Ice cream". My grandmother had sent me up there so she could win a bag of groceries or 6 dinner plates. I had to do it the next week also, so she would have a total of 12 dinner plates. My career started very early and would you believe, I am still singing in various groups but am wise enough to never sing solo again. I am now on oxygen and my voice sounds like a crow had escaped into the air. It's a man of learning that knows when to quit.

3 comments:

QuiltingFitzy said...

Another great story!

Hope you never get storied out, I love reading them.

Gypsy Quilter said...

How wonderful to have such an influential teacher, even with a hair style to invoke speculation. Can you tell me please, does someone in the family still own grandmother's dinner plates?

Lea said...

Hi, Sir. I'm from your daughter Marcie's blog.
What a nice story. I enjoy reading your memoir.Thank you for sharing us. :-)
Lea from U.S.M.C base in Japan