and the grand supreme winner is…

I think most females can say they have watched at least part of an episode of TLC’s Toddlers and Tiaras for no other reason than plain curiosity. People wonder what on Earth these parents are going to make their children do next, how much money they are willing to spend on ridiculous outfits and fake hair and who knows what else. It’s something that most consider unnatural and therefore sparks interest in a viewing audience.

I don’t watch the show religiously by any means but I do catch episodes from time to time whether by myself or with my roommate, boyfriend or mom. Sometimes, when I’m at work, coworkers will also bring up the show in conversation and I’ve even had people compare me either to the little girls or the pageant moms themselves simply because I’m a dance teacher.

After this had happened a few times it made me start watching the show with a different purpose. I was no longer just interested in the outfits or what kind of routines the moms with little to no dance background were going to come up with. Instead, I was consciously looking for comparisons between beauty pageants and dance recitals/competitions.

Today, I have come to this conclusion. While there may be some similarities between the two, they are not able to be equally compared because while a dance competition is based on skill, a beauty competition is based strictly on appearance. Let me be more specific.

While watching an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras this afternoon a little girl, Rylan, who had placed 3rd runner up in her age division asked her mom why Emily, who had been crowned queen, do so much better than she did. The mom responded, “She just had a better day than you did,” which I thought I was a rather appropriate answer. Then the dad said, “You just need to practice more.” That’s when the light bulb went off in my head.

Growing up as a dancer, I went to class multiple times a week and built a foundation of consistent skills to then go out on stage and present to a panel of judges. Although at the time of competition I would put on a costume and wear my hair a certain way and put on stage make-up, I was being judged 95% overall on my ability to dance.

When I watch these pageants, these little girls are being judged on something that they technically aren’t supposed to have to practice. Sure they go home and “practice” their routines or their special walk or their smiles but those are things that a child should do naturally. Not only that, but pageants judge these children on their fake hair, extremely expensive outfits, fake teeth and quite frankly, fake smiles. A child who goes on stage and only copies with their mom is doing out in the audience isn’t genuine. It’s not a skill. There you go, beauty is not a skill. And at the age of five or six, who is supposed to tell one child that they are more beautiful than another?

What Rylan’s dad should have said was, “Well honey, Emily is just more beautiful than you are. That’s why she did better than you today.”

So here is my conclusion and my response to anyone who compares dance competitions and recitals to beauty pageants; dance is something you can practice and get better at., beauty is not.

HPV Returns

I’ve just graduated from college; I’m excited about searching for a job and moving my boyfriend to Houston from New Jersey. The last thing I needed was a phone call from my doctor a couple weeks ago telling me my last pap test came back HPV positive.

Once again, I face the uncertainty of doctor’s appointments and surgery and being cured. HPV is a virus, so my body is supposed to fight it off just like it would the flu or the chicken pox. Unfortunately, my immune system is not doing its job.

I have another appointment in June where my doctor will perform a colposcopy. That lovely word means that my doctor will “use a special magnifying device to look at [my] cervix,” according to WebMD. “If a problem is seen during a colposcopy, a small sample of tissue (biopsy) may be taken from the cervix or from inside the opening of the cervix.”

This colposcopy will determine whether or not I will need surgery again.

I worry, because if the HPV escalates farther than it did the last time and more drastic surgical measures are needed at some point, then it could jeopardize my ability to have children. Being a mother is what I’ve wanted more than anything in the world for as long as I can remember. There would be no point in living any longer if I were not able to conceive my own child.

After allowing my article on HPV to be re-printed in the Houston Chronicle I got some unwarranted negative feedback. It led me to want to clarify some facts, in particular my own past sexual activity and how easily HPV can be contracted by people who aren’t even sexually active.

“HPV through routes other than sexual is definitely possible,” according to the Health Science Report website. “One may be exposed to HPV simply by shaking hands as suggested in the finding of HPV virus under fingernails.”

When I was first diagnosed with HPV I had only been in two relationships where intercourse was a factor. Both of those relationships were completely monogamous and in the case of one, I was practically engaged. There was no case of “casual sex” as people love to throw out there. One of my favorite quotes from the television series The Golden Girls is from an episode regarding the HIV virus in which Blanche tells Rose, “this is not a bad person’s disease.” Neither is HPV.

Regardless, I now have the disease and I have to do whatever is necessary to fight it and win. I really cannot afford another surgery emotionally or financially so I have to hope that it doesn’t come down to that again. When it comes down to it, that’s really the only option I have.

the end of the tunnel

Most people talk about seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. That was me a couple of months ago. Yesterday I saw the end of the tunnel and today I actually stepped out of it and into the light. It was an amazing feeling.

Today I turned in my very last college assignment. After five long and stressful years, I am finally graduating from college. It’s funny now, because I have the next three days to do whatever I want and I have no idea what to do with free time. It’s something I’ve never truly had before. I mean, I have dance each night but during the day I don’t have any plans or any requirements or obligations and it’s crazy for me.

I have some things I want to do before graduation like getting my nails done and getting my cap and gown ready and doing more laundry than I could ever imagine and things like that but I have no restrictions really on when I get up and where I go and what I do. In all honesty, it’ll probably drive me nuts because I’m so used to being on the go all the time that I’ll have to stay busy.

I was thinking earlier this evening about how busy my life really has been and I’ve realized that I probably will never be as busy from the this day forward as I have been on any given day in the past five to nine years. Going to school and working three part time jobs was just as insane as it sounds and I’m so happy to be done.

Now, if I could just secure a decent day job then my life would be much better.

: D

Don Giovanni (revised post)

Last weekend, as part of it’s 25^th anniversary, the Moores Opera Center at the University of Houston performed it’s version of Mozart’s classic opera, Don Giovanni. The experience as one of mixed feelings for me, but the overall feeling that I had upon leaving the theater was one of great happiness, despite the opera’s tragic ending.

Moores Opera Center founder and director, Buck Ross, is known for his unique approach to the stage, and this production was no different.

Although I am a classical musician, I play an instrument for a reason. Even with years of training, I would never become a fantastic singer such as those who were on stage Saturday night. The immense talent combined with the direction and creativity of Buck Ross make every opera performance not only enjoyable but also approachable.

Don Giovanni was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with Italian libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte and was first premiered in Prague in 1787. Although over 200 years old, this work is still performed regularly. The reputation of both the work and the opera ensemble contributed to a rather large audience for this particular performance.

As the lights dimmed on the audience and lit up the stage, Don Giovanni appeared. He was dressed in black slacks, a white button-front shirt and a black cowboy hat. I was confused at first until the next scene, where with the use of multimedia effects, I realized that this particular version of the opera was set in Washington, D.C. It was immediately obvious that this opera was going to take place in today’s day and time and this point was emphasized by the costumes, multimedia effects and props, including an iTouch. From the very beginning, an opera written before the Constitution of the United States was even signed, became relateable to the audience. The story line isn’t far off from any of today’s realities; a man who goes around town sleeping with every woman he can get his hands on regardless of whether they are single, engaged or married and in the end is murdered and dragged to hell. Yet something as simple as costumes or set could have easily hindered the story rather than accented and supported it.

In addition to the modern-day libretto, the opera was outright humorous. The audience frequently broke out in bursts of laughter, a common characteristic of the work of Ross and his performers.

As a former member of the Moores School Opera Orchestra, I was sad to witness one of the worst performances ever given by the ensemble. I was fearful on more than one occasion that they would have to stop playing and begin again due to everyone being in different places in the music. The opera orchestra has struggled in the last few years with conductors, but it is still no reason to nearly fall apart in the middle of a performance and do a serious disservice to the wonderful people on stage.

Overall, Don Giovanni was a very enjoyable performance and a great addition to the multitude of operas that the Moores Opera Center has brought to life over the last 25 years. I know Buck Ross and his performers will keep me coming back and exploring the world of opera even after my time as a student at Uh is over.

The Importance of Music Education (column three)

As the value of standardized testing within the public school system grows, the importance of music education wanes. With an unstable American economy, budget cuts are inevitable, and it is a known fact that the arts are always the first to suffer monetary loss. It may be easy to feel at first glance that music education is simply the fluff of a child’s school career, but in reality, it is the backbone.

One of the most wonderful things about music education is its far reaching effects. Music sinks into the holes and corners of places where it would never seem to make a difference. One of the most notable of these places is in a child’s overall education. The National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1998 found that “high school music students have been shown to hold higher grade point averages than non-musicians in the same school.” When a child is given the opportunity to learn and study music, they are given invaluable tools necessary to learn any subject. Music provides not only a sense of discipline but an outlet for emotion. It gives students an opportunity to release any anger or tension or sadness and not only create something beautiful, but build the necessary skills of concentration and persistence that help them to succeed in all other subjects. “Music enhances the process of learning,” said R.R. Konrad. “The systems they nourish, which include our integrated sensory, attention, cognitive, emotional and motor capacities, are shown to be the driving forces behind all other learning.” If administrators want their students to have better standardized test scores, then they need to emphasize the benefits of music education.

Education isn’t the only benefactor of music, crime rates are too. The United States Senate reported in 2000 that “students who participate in school band or orchestra have the lowest levels of current and lifelong use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs among any group in our society.” When students participate in school music groups they become part of a family. It could therefore be argued that music is no different than a child joining a sports team but there’s one major difference; in music, there is no violence. “With music in schools, students connect to each other better; greater camaraderie, fewer fights, less racism and reduced use of hurtful sarcasm,” said Eric Jensen. There is rarely ever a place in the world of music where a musician is forced to be completely alone. In the professional world musicians will play unaccompanied pieces of music from time to time depending on their instrument or the setting but for the purpose of music education, the child will never feel alone. They always have other band or orchestra members cheering them on and helping them not only through their musical studies, but in all aspects of their lives.

Another wonderful characteristic of music is that it has positive effects on everyone. James Catterall found that “students of lower socioeconomic status gain as much or more from arts instruction than those of higher socioeconomic status.” Music is the universal language and therefore it has no boundaries for who it can benefit. Music education is no longer reserved for the wealthy and the members of the elite society. In fact, it hasn’t ever been because even back in Mozart’s day, street musicians could learn to play music by ear. Music lessons are now available to everyone and money does not buy talent in a child.

Economic times are tough right now and schools have to decide what areas are best to spend what little money they have anymore. Music is more than just black dots on a white page and a teacher waving their arms around. The lasting effects of music education are endless and limitless.

i came across a forgotten quote

“Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic, the fear which is inherent in the human situation.” – Graham Greene

Instrument Maintenance (column two)

At approximately 6:30 pm on Monday, my beloved oboe was severely injured and remains in critical condition. Okay, I’ll stop being so dramatic but my oboe does need to take a little trip to the oboe repair shop after the cork fell off her bottom joint.

Just like children, pets or cars, a musician’s instrument needs to be maintained on a regular basis and often needs a trip to the “doctor’s office” every now and then. Anything that is used as much and as often as a professional musician’s instrument is bound to not be in perfect working condition at all times.

In particular, the oboe needs a tune-up at least once a year. An oboe is comprised of many little silver keys and many more tiny screws that keep all of those keys not only attached to the main wood of the instrument, but also keep each key moving when it’s supposed to in order to produce the correct pitch. You might never think about it but everything from putting the instrument together and taking it apart over and over to the weather can affect the adjustment of the oboe.

The adjustment is literally the lining up of the keys and the accuracy of each key moving the way that is should. If a screw is screwed too far in by just half a turn or is unscrewed by half a turn, it can completely change the oboe to sound a different way or play a different note than expected.

Another issue oboes tend to have is the disintegrating of their cork. The oboe is broken up into three parts, the top joint, the middle (or bottom) joint and the bell. About every year or so this cork tends to break because of constant use and weather. The cork is wrapped around the circular part at the bottom of each joint, called the tendon, so as to facilitate its fitting in with the other joints. The cork needs to be greased regularly so that it’s very easy to put the oboe together and take it apart. For me, I think cork grease is stinky and greasy so I use chapstick instead and it works like magic. The cork isn’t very thick though, so it’s expected that it will fall off and need replacement on a regular basis.

I’ve been dealing with this middle joint issue for over a year now because when the cork first started falling off and cracking, I was in the middle of concerts and my senior recital and couldn’t be without my oboe for a couple of days while it was being fixed. So I did the next best thing and used scotch tape to keep the cork intact. Well, I’ve been successful now for over six months but on Monday night, while teaching an oboe lesson, the tape gave up too. So a trip to the repair shop it is!

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