What a dreary couple of months it has been! The kids missed more lessons than they received. The violin teacher at the conservatory, who teaches the second year students, was out for two weeks with Corona; the students themselves were in isolation or were sick much of the time. At the school where the beginners study, most of the kids were in lockdown much of the time. The school itself was closed for two weeks as Corona rampaged through the ranks of the students and the faculty. There were days when I showed up and there was one student in a class. And there were days when I simply didn't show up, because there were none.
But it looks like the drought is coming to an end. First of all, over the weekend the numbers started dropping, so it looks like the worst of this Corona wave is over. Second, yesterday everyone showed up. And third, and most exciting: the volunteers from the Rimon College of Jazz started their work at Elifelet.
Shiraz started two students on piano. The piano is in the auditorium, and it took us a while to find our ways through the labyrinthine corridors to find the place. The building was originally a high school, and it has since been carved up, remodelled and shifted about to make two elementary schools. But we finally found it, and found that the piano was moderately in tune, and Shiraz took over like a pro.
Tom started work with the chorus - so far only three kids, but we expect it to grow over the next weeks to more than 12. It was amazing to watch. At first the three girls were afraid to open their mouths, but by the end of the hour, they were singing their hearts out. They started with songs they knew - in Hebrew, English, and Tigrinyi - and then started learning the national anthem - Hatikva! There was certainly more than a hint of irony in hearing the kids singing about the Jewish breast yearning for a home in the East. But much of the song rang true; for these children, whose parents endured untold hardships to find a safe haven in Israel, long to be free, here, in the Land of Zion, in Jerusalem.
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| Kam's first piano lesson with Shiraz |
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| Tom and the fledgling choir. Wait a couple of weeks - the room will be full! |
