Entry tags:

music

A Moment of Youthful Enlightenment?
Last week, I played flute with two friends (bassoon and clarinet) at a local Middle school. We presented an all-French music program with slides of various French paintings that (more or less) went along with our music (I glommed the slides from the internet for the Powerpoint show with the bassoonist giving a bit of background for each piece). All the students in the various French classes sat on the floor while we played.

The coolest part, though, was the last piece - the aria Habanera from Bizet's opera, Carmen. What literally rocked the students back on their heels was that, with our trio playing softly in the background, their French teacher, who has a wonderful voice, up and belts out a powerful rendition of one of Music's most sultry seductresses.

(Want to hear Maria Callas sing this aria?)


Another stereotype "Aw-she's-just-the-old-French-teacher" preconception bites the dirt. The eyes came popping out of the kids' heads, the jaws universally dropped and you could almost hear the collective "Woooowwwww!!!!" as the lightbulbs started coming on over their heads with their realization that maybe their teacher just might have a Life outside of the classroom. The best lesson of the day had nothing to do with French. You would have loved it!