Voice Lesson 4 Music - Beethoven's 5th

Same exercise as the Strings...

Voice Lesson 2 - Self Portrait - Marc Chagall

What is Chagall saying about himself in these portraits? After all, he chose the stokes, the colors, the expression...How might he complete these statements for either or both portraits:


I am...

I feel...

Base your statements on the picture, not your feelings. If you think you have an idea what Chagall is saying about himself, what is your evidence that supports your idea?

Voice Lesson 1- Self Portrait: Van Gogh

What is Vincent saying about himself in these portraits? After all, he chose the stokes, the colors, the expression...How might he complete these statements for either or both portraits:


I am...

I feel...

Base your statements on the picture, not your feelings. If you think you have an idea what Van Gogh is saying about himself, what is your evidence that supports your idea?

Voice Lessons 5 - Mr. Jones Musical Self-Portrait

If I had to pick a song that really speaks to me as to who I am and what I hope to be, this is it!

Voice Lesson 3- Adagio for Strings, Op. 11

Listen to the music. What kind of voice does this music have. What if this music was a type of self-portrait? How might you complete these statements that capture the voice of this self-portrait?

Pro & Con

It seems that today our leaders could not agree on a law that celebrates Motherhood, Childhood, or the glorious Americanism of Fireworks on the 4th of July and the deliciousness of apple pie! But that has happened before and since the truth is that most Americans are good and reasonable folk when not pressured by the fear that tough times bring, this too will pass. (Remember: Desperate Times call for Desperate Measures). The problem is that for MOST Americans times are not desperate AT ALL! Yeah, OK, things are not going the way we want and the world has got a boat-load of problems, but in the grand scheme of things we are FAR better off than most.
I found this site that might be helpful to gain some perspective. If we could just calm down and analyze issues reasonably, and KNOW in our hearts that there are reasonable perspectives on BOTH sides of an issue, we might, just might, gain some measure of understanding AND sophistication.

This last aspect is what I want for my students: Sophistication: go ahead look it up!
(Pay particular attention to the antonyms)
Anyway, as usual, I digress...take a look at ProCon.org It gives a fairly objective perspective from folks in the "fight" on various issues. All you need is an e-mail address to register.  Be sure to include Spring Forest as your organization.
To me a sophisticated person does not jump to one polarized view or another without giving the matter some serious thought. It is completely OK, in fact a duty of citizenship, I believe, to take time to consider views that you don't initially agree with and not be opposed to the idea that you could be wrong in your initial judgment(s).
Take a look at the definition and consider it. Take a look at the Pro/Con site - pick an issue that you are interested in - particularly one that you have your mind "made-up" on - and consider the other side without passion, but with intellect. It is a tough exercise, but worth it.  Enjoy!

P.S. Parents - this is a great exercise to engage your children in thoughtful discussion!