Culinary Fundamentals; Friday, First Period [03/12].

[chef_chocobro]

"Good morning, everyone," Ignis greeted the class as usual from the front of the classroom with the usual nod, though he did seem particularly pleased with himself as he launched into today's lesson, with a small adjustment ot his glasses before he did. "I hope you've all had a very good week, and that you're ready for your next step in your culinary journeys. Today, we will be doing another deep-dive, as they say, into yet another staple ingredient that is used in a variety of different cuisines, is invaluable for its ability to pack a lot of vital nutrition in a small yet versitile container, and offers a variety of options when it comes to flavors, dishes, and meals. I am talking, of course, about none other than the humble bean."

He could practically hear Noctis's groans of dispair all the way from Insomnia.

"This planet," Ignis continued, "offers up an impressive array of beans"...which meant that the class was about to hear about several of them right now, but don't worry. He limited himself to only some of the more popular and familiar ones, but if you'd ever wanted to be able to list at least eighteen different variety of beans before today, you were in luck!

"Now, when it comes to cooking with beans, as with most things, fresh is always best. And since there isn't much to cooking from a can, we will naturally be focusing on using fresh beans today. Though it isn't strictly necessary, your beans will cook more evenly and faster if you soak the dry beans before cooking them, which can be a lengthly processs, but will ensure the best result. Luckily, since we are quite prepared, I went ahead and took the liberty of pre-soaking all of our beans for us, so that they are at peak preparedness for you to work with them today.

"So take a moment, choose your bean wisely, and we'll begin by draining and rinsing them off before turning to the stove..."

Which naturally lead into the expected detailed explaination of tending to your beans properly while cooking them, which a natural digression into various suggestions for seasoning and dishes to incorperate them into once they are finished, and then, once that was done, Ignis would also touch on using a pressure cooker in the case of one a bit more pressed for time.

"And that's it!" he concluded. "Simple, healthful, and hopefully delicious, the mighty bean is not to be trifled with and makes for an excellent addition to any meal. Let me know if you have any questions, and, if not, I'll let you all loose on the beans and let's see what you can come up with."

Intro to Performing Arts | Friday, 2nd Period

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Good morning," Annie greeted the class. The classroom was normal today, save for the fact that Annie had somehow acquired a piano. "We're finally going to actually talk about singing on key in class today -- I know, the anticipation must be killing you by now." Between spring break and teacher hangovers and being sidetracked by puppets, it had been a long time coming!

"If you're an experienced singer, then awesome, you probably don't need this next part, but for those of you who are maybe a little more reluctant, or think you don't have good pitch -- guess what, you probably just have a little bit of a disconnect between your voice and your ears, and we can fix that!"

She wandered over to the piano. "So, any easy step in singing on key is to find your note. What I mean by that is -- we all have unique speaking voices, right? Well, your natural speaking voice can provide us with the musical note that comes most easily to you." Annie reached down and plunked a piano key, the sound roughly the same note at which she'd said you.

"And then from there," she continued, "draw your words ouuuuuuut." And yes, she demonstrated on out, obviously, singing the word clearly. "Most people who think they can't sing either attempt too quietly, or cut themselves off before they can correct a pitch problem. Your first step is sitting with the note you're most comfortable with, getting that perfect, and then moving up and down in notes attempted until you find your range."

She plunked a couple more notes on the piano as a little conclusive flourish. "So, your job today is to take turns at the piano --" which meant that in theory, you'd be sort of performing for your classmates, the horror "-- and find your note. If you're already comfortable with your singing voice, then feel free to show off a little and show us your range with a song, if you want. Today's all about getting comfortable with how your own singing voice sounds."