I just got back from a whirl-wind trip through Western Europe! It was a spectacular trip though Spain, France, Scotland, Italy, and Germany, taking place over the course of 4 months. Ok, so I didn’t leave Seattle, but I did lead the students Sacajawea Elementary in a three-tiered music residency exploring art music, folk songs, and dances of Western Europe.
Back in October, we kicked off our adventure with a multi-media assembly program. The program opened with a traditional piano solo from Spain, the Malagueña. I also performed piano pieces from Hungarian composer Franz Liszt, Austrian born Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and a French composer, Madame Cécile Chaminade. We all sang along to Here Comes the Sun from England’s Fab Four, also known as the Beatles. The assembly culminated with a few dance steps and a sing-along to Italy’s traditional song, Funiculi Funicula. It was a treat to play on the newly tuned piano to such a lively and engaged group of students!