TFS - Canada's International School

From the individual to the universal "Music is an international language," asserts Amaury Suchon, La p'tite école music teacher. Hailing from France, M. Suchon wasn't able to speak English when he arrived in North America seven years ago. He tells his students that it was through music that he was able to learn the language, make friends and learn new things, just as they are doing when they learn French. In his music class, students play instruments from different countries, move their bodies and discover the feelings that music can impart. He is impressed at how such young children – aged three to six – can hear different influences. "We listened once to Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and without telling them, I chose Winter," he explains. "I told them to move if they wanted to, and while they listened, very actively, they also started to hug themselves, like they were cold." These shared experiences continue as students reach the Junior School. Thomas Bell teaches Grades 3 to 5, and he reflects on the power of music. "Our program promotes not just an international perspective, but an openness of the mind and heart that can only happen when you make music with other people," he notes. "We have to listen to each other, and blend our voices, tolerate our own imperfections and those of others, and physically be together," he continues. "We sing songs of different cultures, learn about world music and different instruments. But at its core, it's even deeper. The arts are universal." At all ages, our students' artistic journey widens their awareness of both international and transnational issues, from building on cultural traditions to freedom of expression. Ultimately, this intercultural approach gives them deep insight into the universal human conscience, and creative ways to convey and live within it. Cultural appropriation in the arts While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, taking on another culture's artistic techniques may be a slippery slope to appropriation – the adoption of elements of an oppressed or minority culture. How do teachers help students discover techniques and styles from different countries without crossing this line? Ms. Crath deals with the issue head-on: "My students do a project on Aboriginal art, looking at the art, learning why it is meaningful to those who created it, and appreciating the stories they tell as well as the techniques," she explains. Because of the transdisciplinary nature of the TFS program, students are often learning about the country or culture in other classes as well, and she feels that this multi-faceted approach helps students develop sensitivity to these issues. With drama, Mr. Gonçalves says "it is almost impossible not to appropriate. But," he asserts, "it would be a shame not to do a Japanese piece because we are not Japanese. Respect is the most important thing." Vesna Markovic, senior visual arts teacher, agrees. In her classes, students learn about a new artist first by imitating their work. "You need to appropriate in order to practise skills," she says. The next phase of learning, however, is to interpret the technique and eventually incorporate it into their own toolbox of skills. "If something looks authentic, but is essentially a copy of the original, is this success?" A poster in Ms. Markovic's art studio asks, "Who are you?" and she admits that while it's an ambitious question to answer, it is also something that students want to answer. "It's dramatic, deep and important," she says. She returns to the idea of original work. "Our art students need to find their own personality and their own way to express it," she says. "We facilitate the process, but they have to rely solely on themselves. And when they find their own style, they are proud of themselves." This is, in fact, the sign of success. Vesna Markovic, Caryl Grimsley and Dino GonÇalves are joined electronically by Michelle Crath. Amaury Suchon warms up the young crowd at La p'tite école "We've been taught that knowing different languages lets you see things in different ways." —JOHN W., LEVEL IV 19 TFS ENTRE NOUS 2019

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