Northwood Elementary

Arrrg - it's frustrating not being able to speak! Tomorrow I'll be singing "Oklahoma Annie" with Evalyn's first grade class during her school's weekly "Rocket Launch" assembly. It's their turn to be the featured class and Evalyn's teacher asked if we could do this. So I haven't spoken all day in order to hopefully let my voice recover, since I brought it home pretty shredded from my last two days of performing.


Friday I did three programs at Northwood Elementary in Seminole, OK, one each for 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. These were relatively small groups, gathered in the library. I did an abbreviated "Oklahoma CenTUNEial" program of four or five songs, with some question and answer and discussion of how I did the research and songwriting thrown in. These all went really really well. I enjoyed the extra back and forth with the kids.

The faculty fed me a wonderful potluck lunch and then it was off to Fort Smith, AK for a night in a hotel. I found it highly ironic that after a year and a half of songwriting, recording, and performing for the Oklahoma Centennial, on the evening of the actual event, I was off spending the night by myself in Arkansas. Ah, well.

Saturday morning I did two shows for "Breakfast With Santa" at the convention center in Fort Smith. Here I am with Santa and Mrs. Clause, and then with my four lovely assistants, who gathered kids for my show and then sat with them to help with participation.



My voice was might croaky for both Santa shows, but my host kindly claimed not to notice. And maybe she really didn't - people don't know what I'm supposed to sound like, and they often express surprise that I'm having any trouble with my voice. To me it sounds awful! But if I just power on as if nothing is wrong, my audience reacts about the same as usual.

I'm very thankful that my voice held out at all for the last of my November programs! Now I get a nice long break from touring while I contemplate bug songs for the Summer 08 reading programs.