I had my singing recital today! I sang Do I Wanna Know by the Arctic Monkeys. I was supposed to be up second but instead I was up first which was kind of funny because that’s what it was like at my guitar recital too. I think I did ok! My timing was alright, I remembered all the words, I think my pitch was more or less ok. I don’t have a video of it though so I can’t tell you for sure. It was a tiny audience but I was still nervous and had a bit of a wobbly leg ha ha. But I did ok! And I want to do it again.

The next song I’m learning is Today by the Smashing Pumpkins, which was a popular song when I was in high school. Real classic! I remember watching the music video on Muchmusic back when they actually showed music videos all the time. No youtube then! I had the cd and listened to it all the time. So it will be fun to learn plus it’s got some high notes that are in my range. A lot easier to hit than the high notes in Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

I’m still not sure what I am doing with these music skills. I’m enjoying myself right now I guess while I am in a learning process. I am also learning Do I Wanna Know on my telecaster. It is kind of long compared to other riffs I’ve learned, so it’s taking me a while and I kept missing two notes when I started practicing. But I think I have it now. I found it sounds better when I turn my amp up. But I also don’t want to be an annoying neighbour. I remember one of my guitar teachers said he played six hours a day at one point and I’m like, probably not going to have that much time. Especially considering I am teaching right now. But also it would prob annoy my neighbours, although I do have a headphone amp.

It’s interesting doing this because I remember when I started my video art career it basically began immediately while I was still in a learning process. I spent at least 6 years formally studying film and video plus a ton of workshops and all that. It took years to feel competent and yet I was releasing videos immediately. So it’s funny having this sort of cocoon of wanting to learn enough before I go out and record with the intention of releasing music professionally.

I think it’s also that I am collecting skills right now though, because I think I want to sing my original songs and that means I am going to have to learn songwriting too. So I don’t know. Also maybe I would just be a session musician and not perform in public.

Although I like performing publicly. I do feel like I want to sing again for sure. I think the music school I go to has concerts twice a year, so I hope I can do it again. I am also very ready to go back to learning an assortment of songs and not just working on this one.

Teaching has been going ok! I’m not really going to talk about it on my blog for student’s privacy. But I feel pretty good about it.

The Minneapolis murders by ICE are so fucked up, it’s starting to be overwhelming when I see it on social media. I feel for the people trying to protect their community from those murderous ICE officers. But what also scares me is that this is just the tip of the iceberg and we don’t see the murders that are happening in custody away from the cameras. And also people are disappearing. When I was in Argentina I went to one of the places of memory where people were tortured and then disappeared. And they had the plane there that was used to drop bound drugged people in the ocean or river. It’s just so concerning what is happening in the States right now and I hope the people there can turn it around. Someone told me fascism doesn’t have a very long lifespan if you look at fascist governments historically. But that doesn’t meant they don’t do a lot of damage.