#9 Start a school choir with my partners in crime.

This 30x30 item is proving to be an interesting one, given that my partner in crime and I have no formal musical training.

However, our little choir had their big public debut last Friday at the school Anzac Day assembly. Despite getting off to a wobbly start- read: wrong music was initially played over the sound system- our little cherubs sang their hearts out. We covered One Day by Matisyahu, complete with sign language. Yep- 3 verses, a chorus AND sign language. A huge achievement for a bunch of 6 and 7 year olds.

I'm not entirely comfortable with posting school-related videos containing kiddies on my blog, so you'll just have to trust me when I say WE WERE AWESOME.

Our inspiration is drawn from this amazing choir from New York....

However we are by no means as talented as them (probably due to the previously mentioned fact that our choir is lead by 2 teachers with no formal musical experience!)
Check out their amazing blog here.
Now who wants to argue that arts aren't an important part of the curriculum?

Musical Mondays

The Man and I went to the Mark Ronson gig on Friday night. Wowee. A night of general frivolity.

Today's Musical Monday is dedicated to Mark Ronson and the Business International. And Boy George. You rock my world.

Musical Mondays

A Valentines' themed Musical Monday today.

This song brings back memories of barefoot stomping around on the dance floor at our wedding, with my wedding dress hitched up.



Check this website out for more dead-set amazing concerts to 'take away' performed in random locations.

Sweet, sweet designs.

Musical Monday

Today my heart is a little bit heavy.
My little sister flies away today to a faraway magical place called London. For an indefinite period. Boo.
Who will laugh at Monkeys on Dogs with me?



Enough with the sad sack stuff.
Here's something a bit more upbeat.



Travel safe, little sis.

Musical Monday

On Friday night we climbed aboard the Sufjan Stevens Spaceship. He was dressed in psychedelic lycra, he was backed up by go-go dancers and had old-school space cartoons happening. Nothing like a conceptual album based around aliens and outer space.

He encored with this classic.... AND BALLOONS FELL FROM THE HEAVENS. Bliss.

Musical Tour del Mondo II

So the first Musical Tour post made me think about some of the cool musical experiences I've had whilst travelling... so drumroll please and in no particular order....

PAVAROTTI & FRIENDS, MODENA, ITALY:
Ah- the Prodigal Son. Once upon a time, I lived in Modena, aka the Hometown of Ferrari, Balsamic Vinegar and Luciano Pavarotti. Each year, Pavarotti would stage a charity concert and invite some 'friends.' The year we went, Pavarotti was joined on stage by Lionel Ritchie, Ricky Martin and Deep Purple (just to name a few!) Random collection of musicians? Yes. Memorable? Definitely.

ACCORDIAN PLAYER, WALTZING MATILDA, HVAR, CROATIA.
Wandering the cobble-stoned streets of this beautiful Croatian island, I stumbled across an empty restaurant with a lovely waitress out the front offering honeyed figs (sounds a bit biblical, no?!) Being enticed into the courtyard, an accordian player started playing. Upon finding out about my Australianess, he launched into a version of Waltzing Matilda. He then requested I scribe the lyrics down onto a napkin. Turns out he spent his teenage years in Australia. Attending my school's brother high school. Small world!

KARAOKE, TOKYO, JAPAN.
Touts try and entice you into their karaoke studio. We decided we liked the look of one particular tout, so he led us up a darkened stairwell. Once we had fixed up the financial side of things, we were shown to our suite. You get a song book to thumb through.... which happens to be the size of a phone book.

And then the fun begins....


The best part of it all is that each suite has it's own telephone to the front desk so you can phone your drink orders through. Genius!

Interested to hear about your favourite musical traveling moments....

Musical Tour del Mondo

January in Sydney is sweaty, salty, sultry and all about the Southerlies that sweep across the city of an afternoon, cooling the city down. Sydneysiders in January bear sun-kissed skin and revel in holiday mode.

Sydney's January is also synonymous with the Sydney Festival, when the city opens it's arms to musicians, artists and entertainers from across the world. Sydneysiders get the chance to travel the world without leaving the comfort or summer beauty of their Harbour City.

Here are some glimpses into this year's Festival that have allowed me to daydream about faraway lands without the cost of a plane ticket......



Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro from Japan... potentially the world's funkiest funk band (and just so cute that I want to squish their cheeks.)




Check them out and visualise squishing their cheeks here...
Our next overseas trip (departing next week) is to India. This year's Festival has had quite an Indian influence, which has gotten me all excited about the Indian adventure to come....
We were treated to a Bollywood spectacle thanks to AR Rahman (who did the music to a little film you may have heard of... Slumdog Millionaire.)

JAI HO!

Then one of the most haunting and uplifting musical concepts, direct from Rajasthan, India... the Manganiyar Seduction.

43 musicians compartementalised into a 'magic box' structure with each box being bordered by carnival lights and red curtains, and each musician being 'revealed'as the music unfolds. Unlike anything I have ever seen....

Hailing from Montreal, this is a shot from DJ Poirier's set.
The streets are closed off and DJs spin sets at various points around the CBD. It's about as close as Sydney gets to Carnivale..... (which incidentally is to be the Honeymoon destination for Boy Traveller and I next year... bring it on!)