english choir, paseo baquedano, and la cioccolata (jueves, 5 agosto)

After observing classes today I went to the first choir rehearsal here. Volunteers are required to do some sort of fun, extracurricular activity with the students. Typically this takes the form of a debate team, public speaking, art projects, or cooking typical American food. I was able to talk to the choir director here and get an English choir started. It´s an a capella group with four part harmony, and all the songs will be in English. Because Colegio Inglés is a Methodist school, the songs we teach have to be hymns or have some sort of religious meaning.

The hard part is narrowing it down to just a few songs. I am trying to get things ready with the choir because in 2 weeks we´re going to Santiago for a week long music conference. There is still so much music to teach them! I taught them ´Amazing Grace´ today and got them to learn it in four parts. Next week I´m going to teach them either ´Down to the River to Pray´or ´Battle Hymn of the Republic.´ The choir director also wants to teach them ´Swing Low Sweet Chariot.´

My students seem to like singing in English so far. It´s sort of a problem bc there are 17 kids in the choir, all girls except for 2 boys who sing tenor and bass. However, the two boys that do come are good and can each hold their own parts. I just need to either recruit more boys or find a way to make things sound more balanced. I´ve also had to teach pronunciation of the song and sing along with the altos, who have troubles holding their part if I´m not singing with them. By the end of the rehearsal they were able to sing their parts without me, but I need to build their confidence because I can barely hear them. I think part of the problem is only a few students in the choir know how to read music. Hopefully I can work on this with them, but as for now, teaching them music is helping them improve their English and be motivated about it.

After choir, Artemio and I walked down Paseo Baquedano, which is a pedestrians-only street (hence the term paseo). We looked in a few shops, an art gallery of indigenous-inspired art, and the main plaza which is called Plaza Prat. There is a big clock tower, theater, and a bunch of sidewalk cafe type of places there. There is also a market where I bought a necklace, a ring, and some more earrings. I also bought a pair of green and yellow striped handmade pants which are traditional clothing in Chile. Artemio and I walked around the corner from the plaza where my host mom works as a chef at La Cioccolata. We ordered fresh fruit juice and enjoyed that. Back at home, my mom had prepared asparagus soup. I love asparagus! Then I read my book about Chile and made a list of places I want to visit for weekend trips, and I made a few things for my classroom. Today was nice because I got to see more of the city. For the first time in many days I get to sleep in tomorrow!

written by

Sara Florecita on August 5, 2010 from Iquique, Chile

from the travel blog: año de dos inviernos (Chile 2010)

Send a Compliment

comment on this...