The Classic Voice

So, I went to college in New Orleans for voice.  It was the best College of Music.  There was a girl, who was blonde, shorter, and pretty substantial, who was in choir school since 5th grade until not sure when.  Everyone else and all the organists in the Cleveland area in the summer, where I was the oldest, seemed to have started, the singers at I guess 16-17, as the impression or possibly until the last moment and the organists, which I found I guess looking up organ stuff for college, 15, which was the same time I wanted to start.  I was told to start sooner.  I think at 16 I heard good organ music, like the pretty kind, with bells and later heard the authentic kind, that summer..  Growing up, the music teacher's daughter was in choir since 2 and took piano later and was taking gymnastics and probably played guitar.  Her dad was a psychiatrist, and she had a pony and a pool.  I heavily studied or looked into Céline Dion, not interested in all the technical details, at all, though.  I also met a girl who did singing since 8, was just starting and was fluid but several years younger and just seemed a bit dead.  She was set to stay and become an opera singer.  I know years later, she was singing.  She was in singing and theater at Rhodes but switched to just theater, I think, or something else, even, maybe.  I had a friend who was in choir for 1 big mass.  I think she started private voice.  I don't know when.  She did piano and ballet before.  She quit singing and spited it.  I tried to start voice at 12 but was too shy.  I took piano from the teacher and didn't have time to practice.  This friend influenced me to go to a real ballet school, but it was private.  She was mad I didn't do ballet because she'd do it, too.  My mom never drove that much.  I told my mom I wanted to sing when I was 7.  I said, "I want to sing, somehow."  I might have asked her several times rather forcibly.  I was intent.  I was already in gymnastics and ballet.  Actually, I quit ballet, and we didn't find another school.  I did more gymnastics.  When I was 5, I told my parents I liked to sing.  My teacher was black.  I got interested in Michael Jackson singing for the whale movie because we studied whales and got on TV, when I was 6.  At 7, I said I wanted to be a singer when I grew up and my dad helped me learn "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," on the keyboard.  I was known for playing by ear when I was 9 and was applauded in school at 7.  I remember when I was 6 or 7 at this event this lady played Peter and the Wolf, and I punched in 1 note, didn't realize that I did it in time.  Well, it was like I was perfect but didn't know how to play what she played.  It was easy but like sorta you think it's taxing as she goes along.  My aunt sent me Wee Sing songs at 6, and I watched Barney for the singing.  For some reason, I liked being a little kid but always did.  Well, not when I was a toddler.  My aunt sent me piano songs, and I had them my 1st lesson and didn't tell the teacher, who was impressed, because it was out of etiquette.  I was into old-fashioned things.  American Girl, my mom wanted me to read the Swedish girl though I liked the spunky redhead from 1776.  I also liked the Little House books and got up to The Long Winter but looked at the pictures very intently and studied a lot of the words, mostly, "Deep in the woods of Wisconsin," on the back.  So, I was known for memorizing well.  Sometimes, I practiced there just an hour before the lesson, and I was really good, with 2 hands, that time.  We had events where we played for each other, and I may have messed up.  I forgot the song I memorized for my 1st recital because it wasn't chords.  I learned later from a music teacher at school to play chords for hymns, before moving, and she said to not stop piano and to start organ.  So, I didn't sing enough alone but did sing popular musicals and danced but didn't record it.  I had a 3 head lamp with different colors I brought downstairs.  The piano really, really helped a lot, and I don't know anyone who did a lot of piano and singing.