St Thomas and Kingsdale French Music Project The Pearson News

St. Thomas High School and Kingsdale Academy Join Forces
for a French Music Project

by Marilyn Santucci

St Thomas High School and Kingsdale Academy are two of many schools in our community that have strong music programs. Recently, they came together for a music project that saw elementary and high school students work on a music project that celebrated the French language.

Led by Susan Strunc, a music teacher at St. Thomas, and Liana Goldsmith, a teacher and choir director at Kingsdale Academy, this collaboration was part of a broader provincial initiative by TéléQuébec. On Friday, September 27, 2024, hundreds of thousands of students from Quebec and other French-speaking regions of Canada kicked off the 28th Journées de la culture by performing Plus je sais, mieux je suis, an original composition by Alfa Rococo, accompanied by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Rafael Payare. Schools were encouraged to record their version of the song and submit it. This project demonstrated that, despite being an English school board, the Lester B. Pearson School Board values and celebrates the French language.

“The meaning of the song is about learning to coexist. Even though we are English sector we value the French language. Music is an international language and its beautiful that we can be fluid between languages. Language doesn’t matter,” says Susan Strunc.

Twenty-seven orchestra students from St. Thomas took part in the project. They practiced once a week after school, with just one month to adapt the song. Many of the students also had to learn a new instrument for the performance.

“Playing a new instrument part was exciting. It was a lot of fun and took a lot of hard work to play it. It was fun working with the little kids as well and they were very interested in the instruments and well behaved. I would spend many hours after school or during lunch to practice and perfect the piece,” says Olivia Moore, student from St Thomas.

“I play saxophone. I had 1 year of experience. When I saw the sheet music, I was unsure if I was able to do this. But I practiced hard and had the help of older students who mentored me,” echoed Marisol El Zarka-Guerra, student from St Thomas.

The project was especially rewarding for the 90 students from Kingsdale Academy, as it gave them the chance to collaborate with high school students and get a preview of what lies ahead in their academic journey.

“The kids were thrilled and found it an incredible opportunity to visit the school as future high schoolers. It gave them a glimpse into the music department and the experience of being on stage. It also inspired them to keep pursuing music. When they stepped on stage, they were eager, attentive, and followed instructions closely. In their reflection assignments, many shared how much they loved the sound of the instruments and how they felt the rhythm of the drums,” said Liana Goldsmith.

This project offered students a unique way to explore the French language and expand their vocabulary. It also introduced them to a new genre of music, broadening their musical horizons. For many students, music is where they truly excel.