My CIP is participating the chorus in Kyoto University. They have regular practice three times a week, including one for male part only, one for female part only, and one for the whole chorus. They are preparing for the on-stage performance at the end of the semester, on December 23^rd. The practice consists of two part: the muscle training and the voice tanning. The muscle training was designed to strengthen the muscle around waist and stomach in order to produce a better quality of voice.

I learned how to read stave through the practice. I used to be able to read it because I learned piano for several years when I was little. However, I’ve totally forgot anything piano-related before I came to Japan. I think it is a great opportunity for me to picking it up again. Also, What I noticed about Japanese student, or the Kyoto University student, was that they were all very serious about the practice. Although the group leaders always said that if one didn’t feel well, she or he can rest at home, there was very few people did not participate in the practice. Even when they had cold, they wore masks to the practice. I think it might be a general characteristic of Japanese, or, at least, Kyoto University students.

There are less communication during the practice than I thought. In my mind, college circles such as clubs in American colleges are the place where one gets to know new people and socialize, but the chorus hardly offer any chance. Also, there are some after-practice activity that members are merely going so often because they are so busy in studying. Although the communication is not enough during the practice, there are some other events that are opened to chorus members. They have picnic events every month and some special event depending on the time of the year. I went to one of the special event, Tsukimi (appreciating the moon), and had a chance to really talk to some members. However, most of them were too shy to start a conversation with.

It is also very interesting that they have a nick name system, which I think really changed the hierarchy system in Japanese college circles. It is usual that in circle kouhai has to be respectful to senpai because kouhai tends to have less experience. In the chorus, I think it is because of the nick name system that members are not as distant as an normal circle with a lot of members. It is also common in the chorus that a senpai make a nick name for a kouhai, and it seemed that there is one girl that is really good at creating nick name for everyone.

I appreciate the chance of having CIP within Japanese local community or university circles, and I do think that the CIP helped me understand Japanese college circles, at least the Kyoto University chorus. If I were to give any advice, I think that finding an activity that you like is very important as sensei said, but the time of the CIP is also very important. To consider both whether you like the activity you chose or not and if the time of the activity fits you schedule is extremely important.