詩吟 Shigin: Concert this Sunday!

This coming Sunday, I will be singing a solo in front of the entire Northern Kyushu Shigin Club, as well as the lead teacher of this school of singing (called the "iemoto").

 

I'll write a brief explanation of the singing: Shigin is an old form of poetry recitation. The words change, but there isn't much variation of melody from song to song. Searching online, I found an article written by another JET who seems to have had a very similar experience to me: http://ajet.net/2011/07/06/culture-corner-shigin/.

 

The sheet music looks amazing! This is the closest example I could find online, though what I read is handwritten and in cursive (and therefore much prettier ;) [I am not sure if it would be appropriate for me to post my teacher's handwritten sheet music online, so I will refrain from posting a picture until I have gained permission] ). Honestly, the beauty of the sheet music is one of the reasons I am so captivated by the art. (The other, more important reason is that I adore my teacher and want any moment I can get to be near her.)

Shigin evolves with the level of the singer, so I can't yet add in all of the curlicues and warbles that she can do to the elongated vowels. The poetry words are sung quickly, and then the last vowel of the phrase is elongated and often rises or falls in a "spinning" way.

This lady sings it quite differently than I do, but this is the poem I'm singing. The title is "Koin-kun wo Tazunu."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDDD4w7yblA

I have been to a Northern Kyushu Club meet before, and sang as part of my group. I was the only foreigner present, and as such, I received quite a lot of attention, and have gained one or two fans. I have met the iemoto several times before, and recently I asked him if he had ever seen a foreigner in his club before, and he said not once in the 25 years he has been the head of the school.

Anyway, usually I'm pretty calm about my upcoming singing events, but this time I have the jitters!

Wish me luck!

Some Japanese School System Rules

Some facts I learned today:

If students get into physical fights, the violent student can be kicked out of school. Depending on the level of violence, the police will come to the school, and sometimes the student will be arrested or even imprisoned.

Elementary school and Junior High School are compulsory, but High School is not. So it is easy (relatively) for High Schoolers to change schools. However, since Junior High School is mandatory, if a Junior High School student is kicked out of a school, they will go to another school.

There is also the problem of 不登校 [futoukou], or students who don’t come to school for mental or emotional reasons. Sometimes students can come to school but can’t handle being in a classroom with other students, so they go to a special room and teachers teach them one to one. Sometimes students can’t come to school period, so they stay home; sometimes they student, sometimes they don’t, but in Junior High School the government will not let the Junior High School kick them out. I find the permissibility of indefinite absence interesting. Also, since more and more technology is being integrated into the classroom, it is becoming easier for teachers to be able to send a student home with a tablet and the students can study from home. There is worry that this will keep students from learning how to socialize, though. Hikikomori (I suppose this translates to roughly people with a severe social phobia that don't leave their houses) are a growing problem in Japanese society.