#two favorite cellists who look similar but oh so different

[soluknight]

Wip

[quarantineroulette]

2020 Releases that I listened to more than once / stuck with me in some way.

Excuse my pessimism, but 2020 was a year in which finding solace in music was of little use to me. I also had less time than ever to listen to music. I spent the worst of the pandemic displaced and with limited internet access, then moved to another city and switched careers, two changes which I still haven’t fully comprehended. I also spent 98% of my free time feeling too anxious about the future as a whole to do any sort of listening, focused or passive. 

Things eventually got settled enough that I could at least check out what various music publications were fussing about in their year-end round ups. Not the most ideal avenue for discovery, but this has been a hard, tiring year and, despite some very promising releases and trends, I still feel a bit hopeless. I can’t even really be bothered to do any sort of ranking or make things even with a “20 for 2020,” so instead here’s a summary of some music that stood out to me. I can promise there are at least 15 releases mentioned - you can do a “choose your own adventure”  and rank them as you wish. 

Without a doubt, the only 2020 record that truly elevated me to a place where I stopped stressing out about things was Protomartyr’s Ultimate Success Today. These guys are by far my favorite band right now and their fifth album gave me so many new reasons to love them, from the propulsive “Michigan Hammers” and its stock footage masterpiece of a music video to elegant closer “Worm in Heaven.” Saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and multi-instrumentalist Izaak Mills were deployed on most tracks and, rather than merely serving as a garnish for songs, their contributions added as much tension, heft, and brutal beauty as Protomartyr’s core members. Add in Half Waif’s Nandi Rose guesting on the Very Sad “June 21,” and you have one genuinely faultless release. In a similar vein, Algiers released their third and arguably strongest full-length, There is No Year, back in January and it served as a powerful, prescient (the title alone!) and just plain awesome reminder to keep fighting in even the darkest of times. 

This year I occasionally found myself praying for disco and I’m pretty sure Doja Cat’s sorta Chic-inspired “Say So” was the song I listened to the most in 2020 (yes, shame on me for a million different reasons). But little did I know 2020 was such an abundant year for mirrorball-indebted releases. Kylie Minogue’s Disco was a given, but what especially thrilled me were Roisin Murphy’s Roisin Machine and Jessie Ware’s What’s Your Pleasure? Murphy’s outstanding “Murphy’s Law” especially sounds like a lost classic from the ‘70s, while Ware’s titular “What’s Your Pleasure” is as fitting a Donna Summer tribute as any you could come across in the past 40 or so years. Ware’s record became slightly less cool when I realized she’s a podcasting mom who is friends with Adele, but What’s Your Pleasure?’s irresistible procession of Great Pop Moments solidifies it as one release I’ll keep coming back to. 

(Bonus: if you favor a no-wave / post-punk spin on disco, then look no further than Public Practice’s Gentle Grip). 

Ware and Murphy have been particularly prevalent on many of the major year-end lists, but I still carry a bit of skepticism about such things. Therefore, discussions such as this sub-Reddit (sorry) thread on regional picks has been useful in thinking outside the US and UK-favoring ranking systems (although there’s still a lot of anglo shit listed there as well). I’m hoping to listen to more releases from oft-overlooked countries thanks to some of these Redditors’ suggestions, although I’ve already spent a bit of time with Einsturzende Neubauten’s Alles in Allem and remain Team Blixa (if such a team exists). Despite my aforementioned trepidation, The Quietus’  list did compel me to check out the wonderfully somber offerings of Closed Circuits. This Portuguese artist describes himself as “Leonard Cohen being bothered by Coil,” and if that doesn’t entice you, I fear you may be a lost cause.  

This year we moved to Philadelphia, which means...A lot of things, but relevant to this summary, we found ourselves driving past some provocative graffiti stating “Make America Nothing Again” numerous times. Eventually I put two and two together and gave Nothing’s The Great Dismal a listen. Having not expected much beyond the clever marketing, I was pleasantly wowed by the quartet’s moody post-shoegaze offerings. I can barely discern any of the lyrics, but on vibe alone, The Great Dismal perfectly captures the heavy despair that permeated 2020. Add in Korine’s gloom-pop The Night We Raise and I can confidently say that Philly’s music scene is in good hands. 

I might have lied a bit at the start of this post - in saying I didn’t listen to music throughout 98% of the pandemic, I’m overlooking the many car rides spent revisiting Fontaines D.C.’s brilliant 2019 debut, Dogrel. While it didn’t impress me quite as much, this year’s A Hero’s Death was a mostly worthy successor, interspersing a few tranquil moments among the band’s more confrontational offerings. Not all of those moments worked for me, but these new directions were enticing enough for me to officially consider Fontaines a Band To Watch, if that’s still something people say. Oh yeah, and the video for the title tune slams. 

Speaking of music videos, I don’t usually rely on this medium for discovering bands, but that changed this year with Dehd. The trio’s videos are vibrant, conceptually clever, and relentlessly fun. Thank goodness that the music lives up to Dehd’s visual knack, with Flower of Devotion at times recalling The Jesus and Mary Chain and Roy Orbison in equal measure (especially on the stunning “Letter”). Emily Kempf’s versatile singing reminds me of everyone from Jana Hunter of Lower Dens to Carla Bozulich of The Geraldine Fibbers, yet it’s still bracing enough that every word she sings sounds utterly gripping. Who knows when gigs will happen again, but Flower of Devotion rocketed these folks to the top of my post-Covid gigging wishlist.  

Sparks is one act I can happily say I’ve seen numerous times. They are never ones to disappoint but, nearly 40 years into their career, the Mael brothers owe us nothing. Yet A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip is somehow an instant classic. It’s nothing short of astonishing that, at 75, Ron Mael can crank out a song that is equal parts insanely catchy, effortlessly humorous and deceptively sad, but he yet again nailed this trifecta with “Lawnmower,” to name but one. Russell Mael’s invincible vocals are in full effect throughout, particularly on the straight up lovely “Pacific Standard Time.” I would never even entertain the idea of using the term “pop / rock juggernaut,” but if it was regarding Sparks, I would at least not dispute it. 

(PS, special shout out to another singular duo of relatives, Prima Primo, who this year released my favorite song about Madonna since Sparks’ very own Madge tune, featured on 1988′s Interior Design.)

Finally, this list would absolutely be incomplete if I didn’t give mention to Bob Dylan’s fabulous Rough and Rowdy Ways. More than ever, 2020 felt like a year rife with stupid decisions, stupid actions and praise for mediocrity. A return to form from perhaps the greatest lyricist of all time is something many of us probably didn’t know we needed, but boy am I thankful for it (not as thankful as I would be for a second stimulus check, but still - next best thing). Dylan also gave us the fun bonus of having Fiona Apple guest on the outstanding “Murder Most Foul,” and of course Apple’s own Fetch the Bolt Cutters both featured her dogs as percussion and further solidified her place in the socio-political songwriting canon. Maybe there is something to be said for music after all!  

[daughter-of-dawn-blog]

Summer 2018 is Here

Summer Vacation 2018 – What my Kids are doing.

The summer has started and vacation time is here.  I thought my kids did plenty last summer but this summer is a doozy.  When I'm talking action packed it is pretty high up there on the action packed meter.  At least for my kids so far in their lives.  A lot of driving to different summer camps too.  Not so much fun but we all make sacrifices for our kids, right!  Shall we break it down?  Well follow me and see what my family is doing.

  My Youngest son

Our little guy just finished fourth grade.  As mentioned in a previous article he is in accelerated extra gifted class.  He absolutely loved the class.  The only thing that he had trouble with is Mandarin.  Learning any new language is a challenge.  I think learning Mandarin is more than challenging.  Everything really is foreign.  Besides the learning of new words and learning their meanings and pronunciation, there is the writing.  Mandarin characters are very complex.  If there is a missed curve or a missed small line, the whole meaning is changed and is wrong.  My Tiger wife really put in the extra time and work with my son throughout the school year to end it really well.

 The Littlest Cellist

My son started taking cello lessons this year with the same cello teacher that my older son and daughter learn from.  He really is an amazing teacher.  I can't recommend him highly enough.  He is already up to Suzuki Book Three and finished the year playing the Humoresque at his recital.  He was also lucky to be picked for his school talent show and played this piece in front of his school.

Music Camp

This summer as I write this he is at a three week music camp in upstate New York!  One of my wife's friends actually told us about this camp a couple of months ago.  We were able to apply late thanks to her and were successful in auditioning and being accepted.  This is the first time that he has gone away for any length of time.  My wife is worried silly because you can't call them.  She actually sent him a letter yesterday.  We don't know how it will go but we will let you know when we pick him up in three weeks. 

My daughter

My only daughter just successfully finished seventh grade.  She settled into middle school this past year and has a growing circle of friends.  She had a great year academically passing all of her classes with flying colors! 

CTY – Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth

After taking the SCAT test this past year she qualified and was able to enroll into CTY.  She is gone for three weeks this summer taking a creative writing course in Roger Williams University.  Since this is her first experience away from home and being in a real “college” like experience I was curious to see her reaction.

  We walked onto the campus and I could see a glimmer of a smile.  As we were walking around the campus and signing up for everything and getting her books the glimmer was starting to show in her eyes.  Slowly ever so slowly curiosity on her part was turning into realization that this might be more than just interesting.  We got her keys to her room and found her dorm.  We found her room and saw that it was in a nice suite with multiple rooms.  The room was nice and clean with a beautiful view of the bridge that led to Newport.  Her smile was growing from ear to ear. 

The nail that sealed it was when we went to have lunch at the cafeteria.  Oh my Lord!!!  I forgot how much food there was at college cafeterias.  However, Roger Williams took it to an amazing level I never thought possible.  My daughter was gone.  She loves food!  The food was glorious.  She couldn't contain herself.  I knew right there and then, there was going to be NO home sickness for her…  She would enjoy every one of those meals to the fullest.  I just warned her about the freshman 15 and told her please don't have that happen in only three weeks!  She is there right now.

Music Camp Part II

My daughter was accepted to the same music camp that my son is at right now in upstate NY.  She will be attending that a few days after her CTY session ends.  There are two divisions at the camp, a junior and senior division.  She will be attending the senior session for four weeks.  I will update this when she goes and finishes. 

My oldest son

My oldest son has been busy from the moment we landed on our trip from Paris(Read about that here). That is when we received the email that he was selected to The New York Youth Symphony and within days of that he was notified that he was selected to All-State.  Since this was Junior Year this was going to be the Big One!  Let's break it down.

School Work

My son enrolled into four AP Classes this past year, American History, AP English, Statistics and Biology.  His last academic class was Honors Pre-Calculus/Calculus and Orchestra to round it off.  It was tough, real tough.  Any parent who has had kids go through it knows what I mean.  If your child is going to be a junior, the best advice I can give is to make sure your kid can maximize their time by utilizing time management skills.  Any student that has aspirations to go to an elite college has multiple things going on besides school work.  The extra-curriculars, the volunteering, the clubs, teams and just trying to squeeze out some time for fun and relaxation.  This is the make or break year and if you've come this far you have to finish it, right?

The results

My son is good at math but NOT great.  He ended the year with a final grade of an A-.  All the other classes he got A's and A+'s.  He finished the year strong and I am more really proud of him.  I saw how many nights where he only slept for a couple of hours and went to school.  It was really tough to watch but it also made me more than proud.  I knew that he was the type to do what it took to get things done when it mattered.  A useful trait when going into the real world. 

Standardized Tests

My son took the SAT twice so far and he will take it one last time this summer.  The first time he took it he did okay but not great.  After thinking that he was ready by taking a few practice tests and getting in the 1500's he took the test.  He had a rude awakening that was a shock to him and us.  He received a 1410 with a 23/24 on the essay.

  Our whole family was shocked to say the least.  Though we were happy with the 23/24 on the essay, the score was not what we thought he would get.  I know, I know some of you must be thinking what a jerk.  That is a fine score, blah, blah…  I'm okay with the criticism because I know what I am, a Tiger Dad.  Our whole family worked our asses as a collective to do everything we could to help my son get into the best school he could get into.  A 1410 would not cut it.  After reading horror stories this year of Asian males with 1560's not getting into Boston University, we were scared!

Round Two

My son didn't have time to take the SAT again until March because of too many time conflicts.  We were so nervous.  Everything hat he had worked for was going to be up in the air until he took the test again and got his results.  It was so stressful for all of us.  He took the test and we waited…

The Wait

So what did I do during the waiting to keep me occupied?  I started going on reddit and College Confidential.  I was on College Confidential to do research on safety schools if he bombed. There is a reddit subtopic for SAT that is good.  You have kids that took the test and discuss the test and the questions that they thought were difficult.  After two long weeks… The results were in.

SAT Scores

After all the hard work that was put in during the past summer with taking online SAT courses with Prep Expert.  After bombing on the first try of the SAT.  After the months of not taking the test because my son was too busy with other extra-curriculars and lastly after the two weeks for the tests to be graded.  Judgement Day had arrived!  My son logged into the College Board site, put in his credentials and opened up the link for SAT Test Scores.   The Score was 1520!!!  Hahahaah!!!!!  He did it and we were so proud of him!  We were giving each other high fives and basking in the knowledge that our dreams were still on track.

  Final Word on Standardized Testing

The score of 1520 was great and that put him into the 99 percentile.  We were more than pleased as you can tell by the gif up above.  We decided that he will take it one more time to see if he could raise his score up just a little more.  I've seen videos on YouTube and other blogs that there is no reason to take the test again once you score above 1500 but every one of them are not Asian males.  As stated earlier, there are Asian students with the same background and similar everything as my son and they were denied into every Top tier school.  I think that we've come too far to say to ourselves in the future, “What If”?  So one last time to see if he can raise his score more and if he doesn't, then so be it.  At least we gave it our all. 

The Rest of the Summer

My son is finishing his last year of interning and volunteering at the Summer Engineering Camp that he has been a part of since sixth grade.  He's making some money and fulfilling his National Honor Society Volunteer Hour Requirement at the same time.

During the month of July he is making sure that he writes his common application essay and at least five of his favorite schools supplementary essays.  On top of that he has to continue with his cello practice in order to audition again for the New York Youth Symphony.  Lastly, study for the SAT one last time. 

A Reward for his Hard Work

There is a reward at the end of the tunnel.  I'm not a monster that wants my son to go crazy.  As in life there must be rewards for hard work and I think this is a great reward.  One of his best friends invited him and another buddy to go to France for two weeks in August.  It's in a small town in the southern part of France.  I looked on Google Maps and it looks absolutely amazing!  Better yet another of his best friends will be traveling in Italy and it will only be an hour away from where my son will be staying.  They might be able to hang out together while over there.  That would be so amazing for them.  So, he would have a place to stay but just needs to buy a plane ticket and have spending money.  How could I say no to that?  I hope he has the time of his life!

Here's hoping that all you Tiger Moms and Tiger Dads have the best summer vacation of 2018!  If any of you have any questions or comments please go to our Facebook page and leave them there.  I will answer as best as I can.  I would love to hear what other students and parents are doing this summer! 

The post Summer 2018 is Here appeared first on Tiger Dad -The Hidden Partner to every Tiger Mom.

[gchu95]

Summer 2018 is Here

Summer Vacation 2018 – What my Kids are doing.

The summer has started and vacation time is here.  I thought my kids did plenty last summer but this summer is a doozy.  When I'm talking action packed it is pretty high up there on the action packed meter.  At least for my kids so far in their lives.  A lot of driving to different summer camps too.  Not so much fun but we all make sacrifices for our kids, right!  Shall we break it down?  Well follow me and see what my family is doing.

  My Youngest son

Our little guy just finished fourth grade.  As mentioned in a previous article he is in accelerated extra gifted class.  He absolutely loved the class.  The only thing that he had trouble with is Mandarin.  Learning any new language is a challenge.  I think learning Mandarin is more than challenging.  Everything really is foreign.  Besides the learning of new words and learning their meanings and pronunciation, there is the writing.  Mandarin characters are very complex.  If there is a missed curve or a missed small line, the whole meaning is changed and is wrong.  My Tiger wife really put in the extra time and work with my son throughout the school year to end it really well.

 The Littlest Cellist

My son started taking cello lessons this year with the same cello teacher that my older son and daughter learn from.  He really is an amazing teacher.  I can't recommend him highly enough.  He is already up to Suzuki Book Three and finished the year playing the Humoresque at his recital.  He was also lucky to be picked for his school talent show and played this piece in front of his school.

Music Camp

This summer as I write this he is at a three week music camp in upstate New York!  One of my wife's friends actually told us about this camp a couple of months ago.  We were able to apply late thanks to her and were successful in auditioning and being accepted.  This is the first time that he has gone away for any length of time.  My wife is worried silly because you can't call them.  She actually sent him a letter yesterday.  We don't know how it will go but we will let you know when we pick him up in three weeks. 

My daughter

My only daughter just successfully finished seventh grade.  She settled into middle school this past year and has a growing circle of friends.  She had a great year academically passing all of her classes with flying colors! 

CTY – Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth

After taking the SCAT test this past year she qualified and was able to enroll into CTY.  She is gone for three weeks this summer taking a creative writing course in Roger Williams University.  Since this is her first experience away from home and being in a real “college” like experience I was curious to see her reaction.

  We walked onto the campus and I could see a glimmer of a smile.  As we were walking around the campus and signing up for everything and getting her books the glimmer was starting to show in her eyes.  Slowly ever so slowly curiosity on her part was turning into realization that this might be more than just interesting.  We got her keys to her room and found her dorm.  We found her room and saw that it was in a nice suite with multiple rooms.  The room was nice and clean with a beautiful view of the bridge that led to Newport.  Her smile was growing from ear to ear. 

The nail that sealed it was when we went to have lunch at the cafeteria.  Oh my Lord!!!  I forgot how much food there was at college cafeterias.  However, Roger Williams took it to an amazing level I never thought possible.  My daughter was gone.  She loves food!  The food was glorious.  She couldn't contain herself.  I knew right there and then, there was going to be NO home sickness for her…  She would enjoy every one of those meals to the fullest.  I just warned her about the freshman 15 and told her please don't have that happen in only three weeks!  She is there right now.

Music Camp Part II

My daughter was accepted to the same music camp that my son is at right now in upstate NY.  She will be attending that a few days after her CTY session ends.  There are two divisions at the camp, a junior and senior division.  She will be attending the senior session for four weeks.  I will update this when she goes and finishes. 

My oldest son

My oldest son has been busy from the moment we landed on our trip from Paris(Read about that here). That is when we received the email that he was selected to The New York Youth Symphony and within days of that he was notified that he was selected to All-State.  Since this was Junior Year this was going to be the Big One!  Let's break it down.

School Work

My son enrolled into four AP Classes this past year, American History, AP English, Statistics and Biology.  His last academic class was Honors Pre-Calculus/Calculus and Orchestra to round it off.  It was tough, real tough.  Any parent who has had kids go through it knows what I mean.  If your child is going to be a junior, the best advice I can give is to make sure your kid can maximize their time by utilizing time management skills.  Any student that has aspirations to go to an elite college has multiple things going on besides school work.  The extra-curriculars, the volunteering, the clubs, teams and just trying to squeeze out some time for fun and relaxation.  This is the make or break year and if you've come this far you have to finish it, right?

The results

My son is good at math but NOT great.  He ended the year with a final grade of an A-.  All the other classes he got A's and A+'s.  He finished the year strong and I am more really proud of him.  I saw how many nights where he only slept for a couple of hours and went to school.  It was really tough to watch but it also made me more than proud.  I knew that he was the type to do what it took to get things done when it mattered.  A useful trait when going into the real world. 

Standardized Tests

My son took the SAT twice so far and he will take it one last time this summer.  The first time he took it he did okay but not great.  After thinking that he was ready by taking a few practice tests and getting in the 1500's he took the test.  He had a rude awakening that was a shock to him and us.  He received a 1410 with a 23/24 on the essay.

  Our whole family was shocked to say the least.  Though we were happy with the 23/24 on the essay, the score was not what we thought he would get.  I know, I know some of you must be thinking what a jerk.  That is a fine score, blah, blah…  I'm okay with the criticism because I know what I am, a Tiger Dad.  Our whole family worked our asses as a collective to do everything we could to help my son get into the best school he could get into.  A 1410 would not cut it.  After reading horror stories this year of Asian males with 1560's not getting into Boston University, we were scared!

Round Two

My son didn't have time to take the SAT again until March because of too many time conflicts.  We were so nervous.  Everything hat he had worked for was going to be up in the air until he took the test again and got his results.  It was so stressful for all of us.  He took the test and we waited…

The Wait

So what did I do during the waiting to keep me occupied?  I started going on reddit and College Confidential.  I was on College Confidential to do research on safety schools if he bombed. There is a reddit subtopic for SAT that is good.  You have kids that took the test and discuss the test and the questions that they thought were difficult.  After two long weeks… The results were in.

SAT Scores

After all the hard work that was put in during the past summer with taking online SAT courses with Prep Expert.  After bombing on the first try of the SAT.  After the months of not taking the test because my son was too busy with other extra-curriculars and lastly after the two weeks for the tests to be graded.  Judgement Day had arrived!  My son logged into the College Board site, put in his credentials and opened up the link for SAT Test Scores.   The Score was 1520!!!  Hahahaah!!!!!  He did it and we were so proud of him!  We were giving each other high fives and basking in the knowledge that our dreams were still on track.

  Final Word on Standardized Testing

The score of 1520 was great and that put him into the 99 percentile.  We were more than pleased as you can tell by the gif up above.  We decided that he will take it one more time to see if he could raise his score up just a little more.  I've seen videos on YouTube and other blogs that there is no reason to take the test again once you score above 1500 but every one of them are not Asian males.  As stated earlier, there are Asian students with the same background and similar everything as my son and they were denied into every Top tier school.  I think that we've come too far to say to ourselves in the future, “What If”?  So one last time to see if he can raise his score more and if he doesn't, then so be it.  At least we gave it our all. 

The Rest of the Summer

My son is finishing his last year of interning and volunteering at the Summer Engineering Camp that he has been a part of since sixth grade.  He's making some money and fulfilling his National Honor Society Volunteer Hour Requirement at the same time.

During the month of July he is making sure that he writes his common application essay and at least five of his favorite schools supplementary essays.  On top of that he has to continue with his cello practice in order to audition again for the New York Youth Symphony.  Lastly, study for the SAT one last time. 

A Reward for his Hard Work

There is a reward at the end of the tunnel.  I'm not a monster that wants my son to go crazy.  As in life there must be rewards for hard work and I think this is a great reward.  One of his best friends invited him and another buddy to go to France for two weeks in August.  It's in a small town in the southern part of France.  I looked on Google Maps and it looks absolutely amazing!  Better yet another of his best friends will be traveling in Italy and it will only be an hour away from where my son will be staying.  They might be able to hang out together while over there.  That would be so amazing for them.  So, he would have a place to stay but just needs to buy a plane ticket and have spending money.  How could I say no to that?  I hope he has the time of his life!

Here's hoping that all you Tiger Moms and Tiger Dads have the best summer vacation of 2018!  If any of you have any questions or comments please go to our Facebook page and leave them there.  I will answer as best as I can.  I would love to hear what other students and parents are doing this summer! 

The post Summer 2018 is Here appeared first on Tiger Dad -The Hidden Partner to every Tiger Mom.

[lavoixdelavantgarde]

Summer 2018 is Here

Summer Vacation 2018 – What my Kids are doing.

The summer has started and vacation time is here.  I thought my kids did plenty last summer but this summer is a doozy.  When I'm talking action packed it is pretty high up there on the action packed meter.  At least for my kids so far in their lives.  A lot of driving to different summer camps too.  Not so much fun but we all make sacrifices for our kids, right!  Shall we break it down?  Well follow me and see what my family is doing.

  My Youngest son

Our little guy just finished fourth grade.  As mentioned in a previous article he is in accelerated extra gifted class.  He absolutely loved the class.  The only thing that he had trouble with is Mandarin.  Learning any new language is a challenge.  I think learning Mandarin is more than challenging.  Everything really is foreign.  Besides the learning of new words and learning their meanings and pronunciation, there is the writing.  Mandarin characters are very complex.  If there is a missed curve or a missed small line, the whole meaning is changed and is wrong.  My Tiger wife really put in the extra time and work with my son throughout the school year to end it really well.

 The Littlest Cellist

My son started taking cello lessons this year with the same cello teacher that my older son and daughter learn from.  He really is an amazing teacher.  I can't recommend him highly enough.  He is already up to Suzuki Book Three and finished the year playing the Humoresque at his recital.  He was also lucky to be picked for his school talent show and played this piece in front of his school.

Music Camp

This summer as I write this he is at a three week music camp in upstate New York!  One of my wife's friends actually told us about this camp a couple of months ago.  We were able to apply late thanks to her and were successful in auditioning and being accepted.  This is the first time that he has gone away for any length of time.  My wife is worried silly because you can't call them.  She actually sent him a letter yesterday.  We don't know how it will go but we will let you know when we pick him up in three weeks. 

My daughter

My only daughter just successfully finished seventh grade.  She settled into middle school this past year and has a growing circle of friends.  She had a great year academically passing all of her classes with flying colors! 

CTY – Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth

After taking the SCAT test this past year she qualified and was able to enroll into CTY.  She is gone for three weeks this summer taking a creative writing course in Roger Williams University.  Since this is her first experience away from home and being in a real “college” like experience I was curious to see her reaction.

  We walked onto the campus and I could see a glimmer of a smile.  As we were walking around the campus and signing up for everything and getting her books the glimmer was starting to show in her eyes.  Slowly ever so slowly curiosity on her part was turning into realization that this might be more than just interesting.  We got her keys to her room and found her dorm.  We found her room and saw that it was in a nice suite with multiple rooms.  The room was nice and clean with a beautiful view of the bridge that led to Newport.  Her smile was growing from ear to ear. 

The nail that sealed it was when we went to have lunch at the cafeteria.  Oh my Lord!!!  I forgot how much food there was at college cafeterias.  However, Roger Williams took it to an amazing level I never thought possible.  My daughter was gone.  She loves food!  The food was glorious.  She couldn't contain herself.  I knew right there and then, there was going to be NO home sickness for her…  She would enjoy every one of those meals to the fullest.  I just warned her about the freshman 15 and told her please don't have that happen in only three weeks!  She is there right now.

Music Camp Part II

My daughter was accepted to the same music camp that my son is at right now in upstate NY.  She will be attending that a few days after her CTY session ends.  There are two divisions at the camp, a junior and senior division.  She will be attending the senior session for four weeks.  I will update this when she goes and finishes. 

My oldest son

My oldest son has been busy from the moment we landed on our trip from Paris(Read about that here). That is when we received the email that he was selected to The New York Youth Symphony and within days of that he was notified that he was selected to All-State.  Since this was Junior Year this was going to be the Big One!  Let's break it down.

School Work

My son enrolled into four AP Classes this past year, American History, AP English, Statistics and Biology.  His last academic class was Honors Pre-Calculus/Calculus and Orchestra to round it off.  It was tough, real tough.  Any parent who has had kids go through it knows what I mean.  If your child is going to be a junior, the best advice I can give is to make sure your kid can maximize their time by utilizing time management skills.  Any student that has aspirations to go to an elite college has multiple things going on besides school work.  The extra-curriculars, the volunteering, the clubs, teams and just trying to squeeze out some time for fun and relaxation.  This is the make or break year and if you've come this far you have to finish it, right?

The results

My son is good at math but NOT great.  He ended the year with a final grade of an A-.  All the other classes he got A's and A+'s.  He finished the year strong and I am more really proud of him.  I saw how many nights where he only slept for a couple of hours and went to school.  It was really tough to watch but it also made me more than proud.  I knew that he was the type to do what it took to get things done when it mattered.  A useful trait when going into the real world. 

Standardized Tests

My son took the SAT twice so far and he will take it one last time this summer.  The first time he took it he did okay but not great.  After thinking that he was ready by taking a few practice tests and getting in the 1500's he took the test.  He had a rude awakening that was a shock to him and us.  He received a 1410 with a 23/24 on the essay.

  Our whole family was shocked to say the least.  Though we were happy with the 23/24 on the essay, the score was not what we thought he would get.  I know, I know some of you must be thinking what a jerk.  That is a fine score, blah, blah…  I'm okay with the criticism because I know what I am, a Tiger Dad.  Our whole family worked our asses as a collective to do everything we could to help my son get into the best school he could get into.  A 1410 would not cut it.  After reading horror stories this year of Asian males with 1560's not getting into Boston University, we were scared!

Round Two

My son didn't have time to take the SAT again until March because of too many time conflicts.  We were so nervous.  Everything hat he had worked for was going to be up in the air until he took the test again and got his results.  It was so stressful for all of us.  He took the test and we waited…

The Wait

So what did I do during the waiting to keep me occupied?  I started going on reddit and College Confidential.  I was on College Confidential to do research on safety schools if he bombed. There is a reddit subtopic for SAT that is good.  You have kids that took the test and discuss the test and the questions that they thought were difficult.  After two long weeks… The results were in.

SAT Scores

After all the hard work that was put in during the past summer with taking online SAT courses with Prep Expert.  After bombing on the first try of the SAT.  After the months of not taking the test because my son was too busy with other extra-curriculars and lastly after the two weeks for the tests to be graded.  Judgement Day had arrived!  My son logged into the College Board site, put in his credentials and opened up the link for SAT Test Scores.   The Score was 1520!!!  Hahahaah!!!!!  He did it and we were so proud of him!  We were giving each other high fives and basking in the knowledge that our dreams were still on track.

  Final Word on Standardized Testing

The score of 1520 was great and that put him into the 99 percentile.  We were more than pleased as you can tell by the gif up above.  We decided that he will take it one more time to see if he could raise his score up just a little more.  I've seen videos on YouTube and other blogs that there is no reason to take the test again once you score above 1500 but every one of them are not Asian males.  As stated earlier, there are Asian students with the same background and similar everything as my son and they were denied into every Top tier school.  I think that we've come too far to say to ourselves in the future, “What If”?  So one last time to see if he can raise his score more and if he doesn't, then so be it.  At least we gave it our all. 

The Rest of the Summer

My son is finishing his last year of interning and volunteering at the Summer Engineering Camp that he has been a part of since sixth grade.  He's making some money and fulfilling his National Honor Society Volunteer Hour Requirement at the same time.

During the month of July he is making sure that he writes his common application essay and at least five of his favorite schools supplementary essays.  On top of that he has to continue with his cello practice in order to audition again for the New York Youth Symphony.  Lastly, study for the SAT one last time. 

A Reward for his Hard Work

There is a reward at the end of the tunnel.  I'm not a monster that wants my son to go crazy.  As in life there must be rewards for hard work and I think this is a great reward.  One of his best friends invited him and another buddy to go to France for two weeks in August.  It's in a small town in the southern part of France.  I looked on Google Maps and it looks absolutely amazing!  Better yet another of his best friends will be traveling in Italy and it will only be an hour away from where my son will be staying.  They might be able to hang out together while over there.  That would be so amazing for them.  So, he would have a place to stay but just needs to buy a plane ticket and have spending money.  How could I say no to that?  I hope he has the time of his life!

Here's hoping that all you Tiger Moms and Tiger Dads have the best summer vacation of 2018!  If any of you have any questions or comments please go to our Facebook page and leave them there.  I will answer as best as I can.  I would love to hear what other students and parents are doing this summer! 

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