Nashville - Orientation

I'm here! I'm at Ben Speer's Stamps-Baxter School of Music. Two weeks of learning the ins and outs of Southern Gospel singing.

It's been a long day. Rude customs agents, lost luggage, and all the rest. The airport in Atlanta is so big you need to take a train to get from one part to another.

The schedule is crazy! All day classes, with the emphasis on theory, ear training, and sight-reading, all in the "shape note" tradition. I'll be able to properly explain shape notes in a few days - I hope!

Awesome concerts every night, and vocal technique class every day - yes, EVERY day - with Allison Durham Speer! And my Gaither-fan-friends should know we have concerts coming up by Allison, Ben, Stephen Hill, and Anthony Burger.

But for tonight, I'm being the keener. I have my clothes unpacked and my books out on my desk. My bed is made and my alarm set for 6:30am. The pictures of Gerald and Sebastian are propped up by my copy of The Prophet.

I'm ready to work.