Fa la la la la...la la la la!

Music is a huge part of our lives here in the Howard house!  Just yesterday we were able to observe one of Olivia's voice lessons with her voice teacher in Rochester.  She sang a Christmas tune and a few other songs she is working on for her audition book.  After the voice lesson Mom and I headed straight to church choir rehearsal...we are busy preparing for Midnight Mass.  We'll sing a few songs at a Prelude and then provide music for the mass.

Olivia and Grant are both in band and choir at school.  Grant's concert was first--at beginning of December.  It's so fun to hear the guys get more confident with the singing as their voices are finally settling down!  Grant is a leader in the baritone section and looking forward to singing with the All County Choir in January. 

Grant takes singing pretty seriously.  Back in 5th grade a group of boys quit and Grant said "It was too tough, they couldn't handle it."  :)  Below is the 8th grade chorus (with Grant front and center) performing "Rise Up Shepard".

Grant plays the trombone in band.  I am (not so) secretly jealous of this fact.  In 5th grade I wanted to play trombone but the band teacher told me "your arms are too short".  I ended up playing saxophone and liked it, but always wished I could blast away on a brass instrument!  Below the trombone section is featured in a play on the Dance of the Sugar Plums--"Dance of the Slippery Slide Trombones".  As with choir, band is split by grade level and this is the 8th grade band.

Signature smirk

Olivia's choir and band performed Monday night.  At the high school there are two choral and two band ensembles.  Olivia is an alto in the upperclassmen choir "Concert Choir".  Here they are singing an a capella "March of the Wooden Soldiers" (remind anyone of tap dancing in the ONU Holiday Spectacular?!)

one of Olivia's good friends Kelsey is the brunette on the right

Olivia plays the alto sax in band.  It's hard to see her during the concert so here's a photo when the band stood at the end of a number!  Band is also split into two groups, by audition.  Olivia is in the Wind Ensemble.  Both bands combine to play the Holiday Sing-A-Long at the end of the concert so that explains all the empty chairs.  Band and choir both did pieces which had the musicians spread out in the auditorium.  The band performed "Holiday Concert in the Round" and the combined choirs sang a piece in Latin  out in the house to open the concert.  It was an awesome "surround sound" experience. 

Olivia's friend Krista is the clarinet player in this pic

Below is a holiday tradition...the high school band playing "Sleighride" (they play it every year!  I used to love playing for the elementary schools the day before Christmas break.  Kids in the audience would always try to clap at the same time as the horse whip sound!)  

There was one more concert in our Holiday line-up this year.  Olivia was selected to sing with a 200 member High School choir (Festival Chorale) that had the awesome opportunity of singing with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for their Gala Holiday Pops concerts.  Last weekend Olivia (and 4 other girls from Newark...pictured below) performed 6 concerts with the RPO at the Eastman Theatre in Rochester.  I was also a member of the ensemble in high school and it was honestly one of the coolest things I remember doing.  To be able to sing with the outstanding RPO and on stage in that beautiful theatre is really something special.  The students were selected based on their NYSSMA solo scores, acceptance into various singing ensembles (like All County/Area All State etc.) and their teacher's recommendation.  Olivia was pretty worn  out from the concerts but she said it was worth it! 



Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre

Our final concert of the season (after Midnight Mass) will be on our 5 hour trip to my Nana's house.  Mom loves Christmas music so I'm sure she'll be crooning along with the radio on Christmas morning as we travel to the North Country!

♫ May your Christmas be filled with joyful sounds! ♫

Dreaming of Sugar Plums

Two weeks ago Olivia had the honor of dancing the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in her ballet company's (Studio for the Performing Arts in Newark) production of the Nutcracker.  Her teachers really set their expectations high and Olivia totally delivered.  Below are videos of the Grand Pas de Deux...a large majority of it is the traditional choreography (ie: if you youtube various versions of the Nutcracker Grand Pas de Deux you will recognize much of the choreography.)

If you're my (or Olivia's) friend on facebook chances are you've already seen these videos.  There are of final dress rehearsal.  The picture is a bit grainy because I had to reduce the size in order to post.  If you haven't seen them yet, please enjoy!  This is the first part which features the majority of the partnering work she did with her Cavalier, Curtis Mason.  Curtis is a sophomore at Newark and Olivia and will also be performing with him in Fame in March!

I'm not posting Curtis' solo here so here is part two, Olivia's Sugar Plum solo!  (you should also be able to watch these full screen if you click on the bottom right corner...I think!)

Aaaaaaand the Coda!

Yea Olivia!  Her poor little pointe shoes broke after/during this performance but she smiled through it. 
These beautiful pictures were taken by Jared Colletti, husband of one of Olivia's teachers during the performance.  (Click to enlarge.)

Everyone's favorite picture!!

In addition to being the Sugar Plum Fairy, Olivia also danced in the corps de ballet (Snowflakes and Flowers). You may recognize the pink flower costumes, a variation of the costume she wore as the Dew Drop Fairy last year.

That's Olivia over on the far right flying in the air!!

front, center

 She certainly has come a long way since her days as a goofy little Bon Bon!!

1998-age 4

2010-age 16

Hope your Christmas is filled with visions of Sugar Plums dancing in your head!

For the Love of Books

Today I received a voice message from one of my very best friends Sarah.  She just signed up for a library card and was super excited.  So who did she call?  Me.  (*editor's note: this was not Sarah's first library card ever, just first card since she's been in her new house with her hubby-2 years...well overdue...get it!!!)

My obsession with books, reading, libraries and bookstores started at a young age.  My obsession with lists and categorizing?  Shortly thereafter.  There is nothing better than a deliciously alphabetized bookshelf...or a multi-column spreadsheet noting vital information of "Books I Have Read".  I'll save you all from boredom and not attach said spreadsheet here for you to read.  If, however, you would like to share book recommendations you can find me (and my list) at http://www.goodreads.com/

I credit my love of reading to my mother, who not so ironically now works at the public library!  From a very young age I can remember sitting in the tub, head leaning on the edge listening to Mom read out loud.  Our favorites were the Little House on the Prairie series, Doctor Doolittle, Anne of Green Gables (geez maybe I should credit obsession with lists and reading/doing things in order to my mother as well!) and all of E.B. White's books.  My brother, sister and I all share the same memory (different times) of Mom calling Dad in to finish reading the end of Charlotte's Web.  She was too choked up to do it.

I read on my own as well.  This picture proves it.  I won a reading contest in first grade and as you can see I am very excited about this feat. (each bubble gum represents one book...yes I read that many)

 I loved picture books too and my personal library was always full thanks to my book-gifting aunts and Nana...all lovingly signed on the inside cover with the date and the occassion.  After I acquired my bright red "My First Sony" which allowed you to record, I practiced my various character voices while reading a personal favorite "Where the Wild Things Are".  I also loved using the tape player for read aloud versions of "Frog and Toad", "Little Bear" "Amelia Bedelia" and funny "Fox" books by Edward Marshall.  Here I am nerding out in a book fair parade-kindergarten and first grade.  I am modeling two of my favorite series--Berenstain Bears and of course, Angelina Ballerina!  The fantastic artwork was done by my dad!

I loved books so much it's fair to say that I collected them.  Later in grade school when the new Baby-Sitter's Club book came out I couldn't wait to get my hands on it (especially if it was a Super Special!)  Our family friend who owned a kid/book store in town (Kidlets!) sometimes kept the newest one behind the shelf for me to come in and buy.  Or we'd make a trip to the mall.  The bookstore would have to be the last stop before home because I would be too excited and have to read the book RIGHT THEN.  On the 20 min ride home I usually devoured a substantial number of pages. 

I'm so glad that there is a genre of books written specifically for Young Adults (YAs).  Post Baby-Sitter Club there wasn't much for me to get excited about.  Mostly it was books we were forced to read in English class.  Some good, some not.  My interest waned.  I was left reading Mary Higgins Clark-loved them then but haven't picked one up since 10th grade. 

I read some great books my senior year for AP English but didn't really start picking up reading for fun again until college.  My friends there were (and still are) a great resource for recommendations.  I haven't really stopped reading since. 

Did I mention I work at a publishing company? 

I've had a few requests for posts about me so I hope this counts...

I love to read books that friends recommend.  I think it's very telling what someone will recommend.  It's a little insight to the person they are...no pressure HA!  I would love to hear your book recommendations.  I'm a fan of fiction and prefer character driven plot that's beautifully written.  Two of my favorites authors are Margaret Atwood and Toni Morrison.  I also love funny memoirs like the authors David Sedaris and Laurie Notaro.  (just to give you a few ideas!)

Leave your recommendation in the comments or send me an email!

Happy reading!

All Elf-ed out

Merry (early) Christmas from the Howards!  Yeeeeeee haw!

Click HERE

It will only be up for a few weeks so enjoy it while you can!

Oh the Drama!!!!!!!!!

This October Olivia Grace-d the stage with her presence playing the role of Nellie in the melodrama "Dirty Work at the Crossroads" at Newark High School.  She was thrilled when cast because it added another character that ended in "ie/i/y" to her resume: Tessie (Annie), Kelli (Dear Edwina), Gertie (Oklahoma) Minnie (Farnsdale Avenue), Bambi (Curtains).  She is destined to play this type of role!  Maybe it's this hair...?

These lovely locks took 2 hours to perfect...with mom and I both curling!  The people that sat behind mom one performance swore this was a wig. 

A melodrama is an exaggerated drama (You must pay the rent!  I can't pay the rent! etc.)  Olivia's character, however, was not your typical helpless damsel in distress.  She worked to outsmart the villian all while running a bed and breakfast next to the railroad tracks.  There was live piano playing throughout the show which added to the silent movie feel.  Of course there was a villian in a cape, heroes being tied to the railroad and lots of dramatic "takes" to the audience.  Did I mention peanut throwing?  The audience was encouraged to boo the villian and thrown peanuts on stage.  Oh live theatre.
Here's the cast posing for a publicity photo:

As always Olivia had lots of fun backstage (and onstage) with her cast. 

Here she is with her friend Norene:

And here she is photobombing this picture...creeper!

Ah!  Isn't she lovely?!  :)

Next up is FAME in March!  I'm choreographing and Olivia was cast as Iris Kelly (the ballerina!!) Thank goodness her last name ends in "y"...got to keep the tradition going!



The Howards Go To Washington

This past Labor Day Weekend Mom, Dad, Olivia and Grant took a quick trip down to our Nation's capital. Olivia had been briefly on a trip with a friend a few years ago. This was Grant's first DC experience. Mom and Dad hadn't been back since they took me in 1993. They really enjoyed seeing all of the new monuments and exploring the museums again.

Their trip started out with a double decker bus tour through DC. The first stop they made was Arlington National Cemetery. There was sooo much walking! Grant's goal was to find the famous graves so they made their way to Joe Lewis' and of course JFK's.
The next stop was Lincoln Memorial. They walked the whole length of the Reflecting Pool and stopped to walk through the WWII monument. Of course, jumping and goofy photos are a Howard family favorite tradition so enjoy:
Olivia jumping in front of the Washington monument...
Grant taking a bite out of the Lincoln Memorial (or I think it could also look like he is trying to drink from the fountains!)
Backs against the Washington monument...
The family in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

The view of the Capital Building across the Mall.

Next up was the National Museum of Natural History. They discovered the missing links...

and then tried to take on the dinosaurs...

Next on the agenda was the National Museum of American History. Mom has always loved the First Lady gowns since she first saw them on her first visit to DC as a 12 year old with her family. She was excited to see the Jason Wu dress that First Lady Michelle Obama wore:
The next day they spent some time at the Jefferson and FDR memorials.


Mom especially liked the water elements in the FDR memorial...


Washington is beautiful at night:




They were all tired but happy to retire to their fancy hotel that featured a piano in the middle of a pool!

The next morning the fam rounded out the trip by stopping at Mount Vernon...something Mom really wanted to do. They stopped at Monticello last year coming home from Virgina Beach so it seemed like a perfect way to end the DC trip.

Olivia and Grant will both have the opportunity to revisit DC with their senior class (Olivia's trip will be next year!) but it was great to be able to experience DC with the family first.

Watch for a blog entry from Olivia soon about her European travels this summer!