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IC NEWSLETTER -
SPRING 2010 7
As Reine Jamili, 10, describes it aptly, the fifth
graders were going to “pop”. They had just
been told that they will be recording a song
in a studio. For her part, Bahia Mkhalati, 11,
began to scream with happiness. “I couldn’t
believe it,” she said. “This was my dream. I
always saw people on TV recording and now
it was going to be me.”
The song was difficult but the fourth and fifth
graders – most of whom had been singing
since first grade – knew they could do it.
“We had experience,” explained Reine with
much confidence. As so they set to work. Over
and over again they repeated the intricate and
poignant words of Nos Rêves.
“It was very difficult,” admitted Bahia who is in
the English section. “The French words were
tricky but I believed in myself. I knew I could
do it and I did.”
Randa Sabbah, head of the music department
and their choir conductor never doubted
their abilities. But even she didn’t realize “how
committed they were,” she said.
Given only two weeks to arrange, teach and
record a song for a music competition held by
theAEFE (Agence pour L’enseignment Français
à L’étranger) for their 20th anniversary –
Sabbah impulsively submitted a favorite song
of hers: Nos Rêves by North African composer
Michel Zadeh. The lyrics spoke about family
values, hopes and dreams – and had caught
Sabbah’s attention when performed by the
Petit Chanteurs de St Marc (heard in the film
The Choirists).
What she hadn’t realized is how difficult the
words were. Even she had trouble singing
them. “There was a lot of French diction and
the words had to go very fast on the notes,”
she said. “The modulation of the music was
not easy either. They had to sing, for example,
four measures in one breath which is quite
difficult.”
The students themselves, 22 of them, however,
were adamant to learn the song. The music
was divided into various
voices: main, second and
descant voices. A soloist was
chosen.
No sooner did Christmas
break begun, did Sabbah
begin arranging the music
of Nos Rêves. She knew
her students could shine
in this song. Thirteen other
schools entered the French
competition, among them
was a school choir conducted
by no other than her own
daughter,
Yasmina Sabbah
‘06
. “So as I practiced my
song, Yasmina was bringing
her students from another
school into our home for practice,” laughed
Sabbah.
Back at IC, the work began. Students stayed in
after school and came in on weekends. Over
and over again, they went over the lyrics and
music. They only had two weeks to produce
a winning song. Finally, they made it to the
studio.
Sabbah held their gaze. She knew they could
do it. The students knew that they could do it.
The music began. Voices were raised.
The recording went with a hitch. Every note
was in place. Every beat was in sync.
No one was prouder than the students
themselves.“Itwas somuch fun,”saidReine, her
eyes twinkling. “But,” she added confidentially,
“we were not allowed to talk in the studio.” As
for Bahia, she knows exactly wants she wants
to do: “Record more and more songs,” she said.
“And never ever stop singing.”
The AEFE compiled all the songs on a CD and
distributed them to schools in Francophone
countries. The recording of Nos Rêves can be
heard on the IC website or www.youtube.com
NOS REVES