Jailhouse Rock

by | Jul 20, 2023 | Singing

July 2023: It’s a little known secret, but our singing teacher Bharati Soman and our executive director lead a karaoke night at the Alexandria Detention Center every summer evening on Wednesdays. We began on June 7 and end on August 30. It’s been quite an adventure, and we didn’t expect such a positive response. (I say “we” loosely. Bharati does the work and I, the ED, sing loudly and badly). A few of the guys show up faithfully and have really become comfortable singing and soloing. A few sang in high school choirs and it shows. They still have the pipes! I imagine them telling their story to Simon Cowell when they are released one day. City

We can’t take our phones inside and record our amazing singers, so we’re posing in front of the gate. Bharati is on the left, holding her all-important pitch pipe and I’m on the right.

I Like to Sleep!

by | Mar 12, 2022 | Singing

March 11, 2022 – The kiddies at Casa Chirilagua were a little sleepy yesterday during our “Fun Friday” time with them, so they wrote a song about sleep. Why not? Meet them where they are, right? They sung to the tune of “I like to Eat Apples and Bananas” and you have to admit, it doesn’t get much more adorable. Actually, only one of the three groups of kiddies was sleepy. The other kids learned “Shake the Papaya Down.” and sang “We Don’t Talk about Bruno” (aren’t we all singing that?) Our older kids also learned how to draw treble clef and bass clef. Shoutout to our highly professional and fast-thinking singing teacher, Bharati Soman, who knew just what to do with this sleepy little crowd!