The Unknown

Today I jumped into the unknown.  I have taught string lessons for 12 years.  I have taught cello, violin, and viola.  I am super comfortable teaching these instruments.  A few days ago, my favorite mom of one of my favorite students called me and ask me a question.  "Will you teach Bethany singing lessons?"  I laughed out loud.  WHAT!?!  WHO ME!?!  What a joke!  While singing at a sing-along with my father, and I was feeling pretty good about how I sounded, he turned to me and said, "You have your father's singing talent."  The bottom line is I can't sing very well.  It has taken the better part of my life not to modulate every time I stop for breath.  These are the things that were going through my head.  But, I didn't go with my knee jerk reaction which was to say something like, "No way in..." I listened to the mom's request.  She said things that made sense.  "You teach a lot at IFamily and I am sure it wouldn't be much different."  Yeah, we do solfege and scales in music class.  We do SING scales.  "She just needs a little help to be able to sing a tune".  So no arias...I might be able to handle that.  I told her I would think about it. 
Well, today was my first ever voice lesson experience.  I have been in choirs myself.  I've even conducted ward choirs, though that does not really count for anything.  I seriously jumped into the unknown.  I have been thinking and thinking about this.  I dusted off a lot of books on the shelves of my mind all about teaching elementary school music.  I did learn a lot of stuff in college... if I can remember.  So, today I taught a voice lesson to a sweet tone-deaf 10 year old.  It wasn't bad!  We sang solfege with the hand signs.  She didn't hit anything right.  Which, I can understand.  So, we started aural skills, a mountain I am still trying to summit.  I started simple with a is-this-note-higher-or-lower game.  Bethany did great.  Then we went to interval work.  I picked the two furthest away intervals I could do, the 2nd and the octave.  "Is it Do-Re or Do-Do?"  It was rough but, I feel like this is what she needs and I felt confident and capable (a surprising feeling). 

I may like this unknown.  Don't get me wrong, I am not advertising voice lessons EVER. I just think this could work.  Me and Bethany.  It is a combination that works wither we are playing viola or sadly singing our do re mi's.  So, I am crossing my fingers as I continue this journey through the abyss.  The vocal abyss... ooh, that's catchy.  Maybe I should write an opera.  No way in...