Everyone just got back from a singing practice for the graduation ceremony in a couple weeks. Everyone in the whole school will sing the school song, of course, and a song chosen by the music teacher. Then the graduating students will sing another song. I'm continually surprised at how much Japanese school kids have to sing. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but the kids don't get to choose electives like band or choir. Those are after school clubs here. Also, all of the students study music, art, home ec. and shop. Part of that music class is singing. They even have singing skills tests from what I've heard. No wonder the Japanese are so obsessed with Karaoke! They're conditioned to it from a young age. I am by no means saying that they are all good...because they're not, but even my shyest Japanese friends will get up the nerve to sing Karaoke. Being a rather musical person myself, I have no trouble taking a turn at the mic. In fact, I bring my guitar and play for my classes about three times a year. Of course I make the students fill in the missing words in the lyrics on a worksheet while listening, but they seem to enjoy a break from the regular class. I have noticed that the Japanese shyness automatically returns when confronted with an English song. Even if the lyrics are simple like the Beatles "Hello, Goodbye," they freeze up frightened. Of course there are exceptions... I sometimes catch the third graders (9th graders) singing Back Street Boys songs in the hallway. I instantly scowl my disgust at them, but they don't know much of the songs anyway and it doesn't last long. If the songs that I sing in class have a Japanese version (Country Roads for example) a few kids will sing along in Japanese, but goodness forbid they try the words in English.

Speaking of singing at me school, our school does have a choir, but from next year, it will consist of a grand total of two members. This year there were about five. Whenever they wanted to participate in a competition, they had to convince other kids to temporarily join to fill the quota. The band, called the Brass Band Club though it includes woodwinds, consists of only girls and maybe only about twenty members. At the same time, we have a science club of about 35 boys and one girl. Of course there are many various sports clubs, including handball. Not the inside and similar to racket ball kind of handball, it's the soccer with your hands kind. I'd never heard of or seen it before coming to this school. These clubs meet every day before and after school. They meet longer in the summer, sometimes until 6, but ,since Japan doesn't practice day light savings, they have to finish early in the winter to be home before it gets dark. I think, in my case, having been a member of the band, I would prefer the American style. My house was pretty far from school and if I couldn't take the bus right after school, someone had to come pick me up. I think it would have taken me over an hour if I had had to walk home in Middle School. I really feel for my students who live far away; with no school buses and not being allowed to bike to school, they have a long walk every morning and evening.