Date: Sat, 9 Jul 2005 13:48:47 EDT
From: CNJBoi00@aol.com
Subject: Keiths Choir College Experience-Chapter 4

Copyright 2005-Tenor LK.

This story is about 2 men creating a romantic bond that will include sexual
activity...If you are uncomfortable with this activity, you should click
the back button on your browser's toolbar now and not read on.
Furthermore, if you are under the age of 18 (or 21 in some states and
areas) and are on this site you should also do the same...although; it is
your hide...if you read on...it's your fault...not mine!

Keith's Choir College Experience
Chapter 4
By Tenor LK

****BEFORE THE STORY BEGINS****

This next chapter, until the end of the story, will deal with some heavy
music stuff...so when I feel the need, I will stop and explain what's going
on (after all, a good musician/story teller does that for people who may
not understand all of the particulars of a specific subject/topic) If you
would like more info on what I'm talking about in the story, just let me
know via e-mail and we can chat about it!


And now, here we go!


Steve and I spent breakfast talking about my favorite topic, us! I felt him
trying to figure out what makes me tick with every question he asked, from
birth date to my Mothers favorite composer...and I did the same to
him...I'm glad I found someone who find it important to learn about a
person's life as well as try to be a fixture in it as well.

After breakfast, Steve went to his piano proficiency exam.  Pretty much,
they listened to him play piano, and decided if he still needed to take
lessons or not...at the CC, all singers are required to take piano, just
like all keyboardists (pianists and organists) learn how to sing.  While he
was there, I went to my Voice meeting...to meet the woman who would help me
find my voice for the next 4 years of my life.

When I reached her office, in one of the older buildings on campus, I
noticed that it was not actually her studio, but it belonged to a different
professor. (I hadn't realized that there was a difference between Adjunct
Professors, who just teach one class, and regular Professors who teach
anywhere from two to four different classes, and at different levels as
well).  There were a few other students who arrived earlier then I did, and
they were discussing composers they liked.  I just sat staring out the
window, getting lost when I heard:

"Uh, hey there...do you have a favorite?"

Of course, being the brilliant mastermind I am, gave a wonderful response,
"A favorite what?"

"Composer...I like Mozart....But Tim here loves Broadway and Andrew Lloyd
Webber...can you believe it?"

Yes, I could...but instead of being sarcastic right up front, I bit my
tongue and came up with a better diatribe,

"Actually, I like both of them, and to think, they are both envisionaries
of their time....Mozart shaped Opera, while Webber shaped musical
theatre...there's no real reason why you shouldn't like both.  I think
however that the guy who really outdoes them all is Rachmaninoff."

"Hmm...I like your style...I'm Dayna, but everyone calls me Dee for short."

"Hi Dee, I'm Keith, its nice to meet someone who likes `my style'"

As the rest of the students in the studio came in, Dee, Tim and I chatted
more about composers we liked, and what we thought about our professor.
Now, coming from a background that really didn't include Opera in my
training, didn't let me know much about Faith Esham.  Well, I got an ear
load from Dayna.

"Faith is only one of the most respected soprano voices in the world, she's
sung in all of the major opera houses in the US, as well as Covet Garden,
La Scalla, singing loads of roles, she's known for her Michaela performance
with Placido Domingo and Julia Minguez which you can find in any music
store."

"Oh my God...wow! I really didn't know! I have a seriously famous voice
teacher!!!"

"Yeah", Tim perks up, "She sings a lot at the Met as well, performing
original works by American composers, and she went to Julliard and studied
with the same teacher as Renee Fleming"

The little boy from the shore (that's me!) got really nervous. "Wow, I
can't believe it!"

"Believe it; your friend pretty much has followed my life's story!"

She was standing there, listening to everything we said, none of us had
noticed she even walked into the room...rather, how could we...she was
short and petite, a beautiful woman who had aged with grace and dignity.
Blonde hair that fell straight down to her shoulders, blue eyes that could
tell stories no one would ever dream of...Faith Esham seriously looked like
she belonged on a stage.

"I am so happy to be here at Choir College, to bring the gift of song to
students who are serious about their education of music, and most
importantly, voice...I should tell you that your lives will seriously be
richer then any millionaire's, just because of what you are
doing...preparing for a career of performing, singing, educating young and
adult students...not many people get to study a trade that they love so
much as I suspect you do...and yes, I called it a trade...Singing...just
like an accountant, a steel worker, or a corporate executive, you will go
through a rigorous program set not only by myself, but by you, to teach,
learn, and grow from the music of your choice.  I hope to get to know you
extremely well, and to benefit from your learning, as much as you will
benefit from listening to me run my mouth" she chuckled, as she said the
last statement.

Let me tell you, she won me with this first statement...it was everything I
was looking for in a teacher, as well as everything I wanted to ever pass
onto students that I would teach one day.

"Here I have my teaching schedule for the two days I'll be here, I also
teach a private studio in New York, as well as at another college up
north. So lesson scheduling will be very important as I will not be around
much for make-up lessons.  You should also be aware that I am still
performing, so there will be weeks where we'll miss lessons due to
that. But have no worry, we'll make them up!"

As we filled in lesson times and brought schedules together, she sought us
out, one by one, and spent a few minutes chatting to her "team".  When she
reached me, she called me by name.

"Keith I assume? only because you are the only male in the room that looks
like a tenor!"

"Ah, yes, Ma'am...does it really tell?"

"It does, and it's Faith, you don't have to be so formal with me, we're
colleagues, and most importantly, voice student and voice teacher...a bond
that's quite important to start off at a comfortable level, since we are
working on training for life."

"Ok, Faith it is then!"

"Excellent! I notice here that you are a music education major...so you are
interested in teaching?"

"Yes...I can't see myself doing anything else"

"Keith, I have to tell you, you are my first tenor student.  It will be a
learning experience for us both, so we'll be spending a lot of time with
reading, using an alternate approach to singing then normal, I don't say
this to discourage you, but I want you to know that the technique will be
different, since I have never had the `presence' of a tenor in my studios
before."

"Wow, I'm par for the task!"

"Great...well, we shall work well together I think, positive students
really make the best students.  I have to continue wandering...have a great
day!"

"Thanks, Faith! You too", and with that, she continued her way to another
student.

Since I had filled out all of the forms needed for her, I left the studio
and went off to the bookstore.  I was extremely blown away with how honest
she was with me, and her honesty also scared me.  Being her first tenor
student wasn't my expectation of having a great education in learning about
my voice.  But in the back of my head, I just felt that I couldn't leave,
and that I needed to give her a chance.

I moved long slowly to the bookstore, which was located in the commons
building on the ground level and picked up my books.  The lady at the
register was extremely nice, and helped me find books that I wasn't able
to, and told me which ones I would have to come back for in a few days,
since all of the books weren't in yet.  I also stopped into the mail center
down the hall form the bookstore, to see where my mailbox was.

I decided that it was time for lunch finally (all I seem to do is wanna eat
recently) and I walked up the turning staircase to the cafeteria.  Looking
around, I spotted the two mikes, my RA and Steve's roommate.  It looked
like there were more people arranged to be sitting with them, and all of a
sudden, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I smelled the sweet sent of
CK-Be...I knew who it was at once.

"Sweetie, we've been waiting for you...how did your Voice meeting go?"

As I turned around I saw Steve...tray in hand, and a smile that just made
you want to cry tears of joy.

"It was great, but we'll talk about it later, where are you sitting...With
Mike and Mike?"

"Yes, Cloie is still in line, and the girl you ran into is gonna join us
too...Shanté...right?"

"You got it!" I went in to get food from the kitchen as he went to sit.

Moments later, with my favorite meal on my tray (Macaroni and Cheese, with
a turkey sandwich) I joined them all at the table; where there was an
instantaneous buzz floating around the area.

"You know, Scott McCoy is a great teacher, an excellent tenor voice to boot
with a fabulous range...I think he teaches every tenor in the place" RA
Mike was stating.

"Really," I said, a little bit in shock, "That's not true...I have Faith
E. and she seems like she's gonna be good...Who do you have Steve?"

"Um...Scott" he said, a little less excited as before, "I thought it was
weird that you and I didn't have the same voice teacher...I mean, don't
they try to keep you with a teacher of the same voice type here?"

"No, actually they pair you up with a teacher who they think you mesh well
with, positive experience being the best experience" Cloie said, "I got
paired up with a Juliana....and I think she's awesome."

"Oh, ok., well...it doesn't matter...I'm happy nonetheless" I said, trying
to hide a little bit of jealousy I felt being one of the only tenors in my
class to not have the "dubbed" tenor teacher.

After lunch, Steve and I went to my room so that I could pick out
repertoire to play for my piano exam, which would be that afternoon. After
looking through book after book of piano stuff I had, I needed a little bit
of help picking something out, so I went to sit on the bed next to him.

"What did you play Hun?" I asked.

"Oh, the Andantino to Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2...it's just
something I learned for fun..." ("andantino" is a tempo marking meaning a
little less then walking tempo...most major works have a tempo marking
written before that musicians use to identify the piece...especially if it
doesn't have a title.)

WHAT! I knew Rachmaninoff like the back of my hand...it wasn't simple at
all...hand crossing and what not, key changes out the whazoo...plus, it's a
concerto piece...

"Um...and since when were you going to tell me you played piano?"

"Um, I figured you would find out sooner or later...it doesn't matter"

"I guess...if you say so...I just think it's awesome that you have two
talents that go together well."

"I'm sitting here wondering what little thing I can pull out so that I
don't embarrass myself too bad today...and you go in playing one of
Rachie's most famous works!"

"Well, I'd be more then willing to show you a thing or too", he said moving
closer to me on the bed.  By the way, Gerald and I had un-bunked the beds
that morning...true to my thinking on the fact that we would be spending
time on it...and I didn't want my baby scared of anything!

"Yeah...and what would that be? Piano or other things?" I start to grin as
he gets closer to my lips.

"Well, we can learn piano anytime...right now I just want to learn you."

It proved to be a very interesting minute for us, and I do mean minute,
because as soon as our lips met...

"WOAH! Sorry..." Gerald came crashing into the room, several books and bags
in hand.

"Its alright, we were looking to get a little work in before my piano exam"

"What type of work is that...the sustaining breath technique?" Gerald joked
and left the room.

"Alright Casanova, take me down to the piano practice rooms and listen to
me play Clementi's Sonatina 1 before I go and let the piano department kill
me" I said.  Steve, being the awesome guy he is, agreed to coach me through
the work.


Authors Rant:

Here is chapter 4, a little later then I wanted, but its here, so there we
go.  One of my readers suggested a mailing list to keep you guys updated on
chapters coming out and what not.  If you are interested in this, give me
an e-mail saying so, and I'll set it up next week.

Again, comments are always welcome at CNJBoi00@aol.com
Until next post!
LK