Feeling very cheery and definitely going through a 'I love my job' phase, mostly because I have taken a good look at my working week/year and made some changes. But the last couple of months have been splendid. I have had a lot of good opportunities and I have met some brilliant folk. I know that there will be times when this isn't the case, so I thought I would remind myself of how much fun this job can be.
Twitter can be a right cesspit, but it can also be a joy, and I met two people on it that I have met up with 'IRL' and they are both terrific! Bruce Ncube and I have been chatting since lockdown, and last week he came to Northumberland to run a workshop with my choir - I got to be a very happy participant for once! I can totally recommend doing a workshop with him.
The other person is a wonderful singer who I might be singing with....... more anon!
I got to go back to my old school, Cramlington JLV, to help their fabulous singing teacher, my friend Sophie, run the singing part of their transition day 'Play Day'. The Music Department bring students from the primary schools together and we all learn a few songs to practice and perform with the high school students, who were awesome, as are the staff! It was marvellous. That same week I conducted my beloved Harbour Lights choir at Feltonbury, a fab local music festival on at the same time as Glasto. Then the following weekend I ran a Masterclass singing day, which was terrific fun. The songs! The food!
Becca and I have been running Stretch & Sing sessions for years, and one of our regular participants invited us up to the hills above Alnwick for a morning last week, and doing yoga under the trees and singing amidst the birdsong (OK, yes, the sheep as well!) was memorable. The beauty of these sessions is we can do them ANYWHERE. Woods and seashore are planned, and a couple of online things......I get to sing and do yoga and get paid. How blissful.
Newcastle-bound for BlueJam Singers on Saturday, where the group are proving really supportive to each other and starting to create songs as well as harmonies. BlueJam Arts has been an enormous influence on me throughout the last twenty years. My lovely friend Jilly Jarman strengthened my belief that the BEST fun is in creativity and improvisation - I am absolutely buzzing after these sessions.
I haven't even mentioned online and in-person lessons which are always interesting and make me learn as well as teach. Oh, and yesterday saw a new and fun opportunity - I worked with a band on their harmonies and voices, a whole afternoon of delicious music in my kitchen - I hope my neighbours thought so, but they couldn't have failed to be impressed, they were awesome. Any other bands need a bit of coaching.......?
All of this keeps the enthusiasm bubbling and the brain working. New things always cooking. And speaking of cooking, the next thing is teaming up with my lovely Alison Scott for our Summer Soup & Sing on the 15th July near Corbridge - the theme is WILD! I'm going to get my cookbooks out for the supper......
See you soon!
PS So I think I have managed to squeeze all of my fave words in here - splendid, brilliant, joy, terrific (at least two of those), awesome (two), fabulous, marvellous, blissful, lovely (my most overused word) and delicious.
AWESOME!