Early Girlie Homeschool


Assignment: Select a few people in history to identify what their dreams were, and how they pursued them. 

"Being Elmo" tells the story of how Kevin Clash took his love of puppeteering all the way to Sesame Street. I certainly didn't expect Elmo's voice to come out of Kevin Clash! Although he has resigned from Sesame Street for personal reasons, he has given life to a beloved character. 

Earlie Girlie loved watching this documentary. She immediately wanted handmade puppets, and she's still wearing socks on her hands practicing voices. She is by far the least passive viewer I've known, which is why I do allow her access to media. I'm encouraged when I see her watching someone do something unique and positive moves her to be creative as well. 

I worried that seeing everything behind the scenes would take some of the magic and mystery out of that childhood world. Apparently not. She enjoys seeing how everyone works together to create beloved characters and produces stories. But, I'm glad that she doesn't have to know about the puppeteer's personal struggles. Nobody is perfect, not even Elmo. I think that is what makes the character accessible is his honest questions and genuine expression of love.

What inspires us in life is not only our passions, but what has challenged us.


Jim Donovan, one of my mentors! She asked to learn more djembe, and who I learned from so I showed her the Rhythm Foundation Tutorials. Super easy to follow.

"Music supersedes language barriers, culture barriers, and social barriers. Drumming does the same thing. So when you eliminate all those other boundaries, drumming is only about that spiritual experience."

"If music is the food of love, then opera is the voice of hope!" - Plácido Domingo.

I had to pry Earlie Girlie away from this documentary she found about tenors. She wants to learn all of their names. She asked for a bow tie and tux, and has been singing in a low vibrato. I tried explaining that tenors are (traditionally) male vocalists. I'm a soprano, which is the female counterpart to the tenor. She was not impressed. She wants to mimic the tenors.

She's already asked me to take her to see Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. We can barely pronounce their names, but she finds their music tearful, comforting, moving. She's debating about going on a plane, the nearest concert being in California, according to Domingo's website.

I can see where the operatic influences are in her life. Her night nurse used to sing to her in opera (sometimes at 3am). AIT also involved opera. The ever-presence of Sesame Street features opera quite frequently. They even created a muppet - Placido Flamingo - who sings with Domingo. She found a video of Domingo singing to Miss Piggy. Somehow, Jim Henson got everybody connected.  Music gets everyone connected. It's a powerful force in our lives.

 

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