but I love music, and I love almost all of it. (Can't say I'm a huge rap fan, for example.)

Bear with me whilst I babble, particularly if you have any sort of vocal or performance experience.

When I was a younger, when not reading or writing and that sort of thing, I spent a lot of time playing musical instruments. I started with the recorder at eight, and then fiddled with the harmonica. I played the piano for many years, I played two ukeleles that were appropriate for the size I was, and the guitar when I got bigger. Finally I played the clarinet starting at age twelve. My favorite of all was the piano, followed by the guitar. I must admit, the clarinet was good for a girl's embouchure, however.

Anyway, from ten through about eighteen I could often be found pounding away on the piano. It relaxed me, and I loved it. I could lose hours at a piano. It was the same with the guitar. But then I moved out of my house and was without a piano until 1999 when I started working as a TA for the anthrogeek department and bought a keyboard. It's short some octaves, but it has a nice touch and a good pianoish sound. And it was a fine price. So I would play that quite a lot, though the missing octaves became more of an issue than I had expected it would. And the Avadore was born and the playing was rare. Little boys like to play, too, don't you know. *sigh* So I often have the desire to play, but little kids mean no playing :). Besides, my empty hands time goes to writing. And, uh, yeah. Same story with the guitar. Kids don't like their mother to have their hands too empty.

I also used to do a lot of theater and a lot of singing. And I wasn't bad, you know? I wasn't a magnificent singer, but I really wasn't bad and often my parts for theater productions involved solos or parts where all my lines were sung. I did choir, and ensembles, and solos when sufficiently bribed, and it was fun. And then, again, at about eighteen I quit singing except for fun. (Like singing Weezer and The Smiths with Bevin.)

Now, we all know what happens to a girl when she doesn't practice any skill, right? It goes down the toilet. So, I can sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and don't ruin my kids' ears, but it's not Pavarotti. (Okay, it was never Pavarotti, but I'm sure you get the point.) I lost my range, my vocal control, my sound quality, and most of all I lost my confidence. It was always an intuitive thing for me, really, and I sort of flushed that with lack of use. I am by no means the singer I was sixteen years ago.

So I sort of got involved in this singing thing again. This lady got the idea from another woman that I might sing in a quartet for a dinner this Thursday night. When she called I told her I'd be happy to help her out, but I was not a great nor a fine singer, though I'd do my best. That's all she evidently wanted. (I really hope she didn't think I was being modest.)

I no longer attempt music publicly anymore. I must have been on crack to agree.

So I was given the music and learned the alto part, as asked. I showed up for our first practice Sunday evening, and they asked the two of us singing alto if we'd sing the second soprano part instead. Cool. I can learn that part, too. Whatever. But I have this chest/head cold. This is really affecting my ability to sing, which wasn't great in the first place. And then they decided we would all do solos.

Now, as we've established, this once wouldn't have been a big issue, but it is now. I think I have stage fright, for the first time ever. EVER. And my singing ability is impaired anyway. Other than drink my lemon, honey, and ginger infusion and practice, practice, practice, but not to the point of burning out my vocal cords, does anyone have any suggestions for aiding one's vocal ability and self-confidence?