I finally returned to my disrupted series of after-school sessions at Cleveland School in center city Allentown. Several of the kids remembered me and songs like The Cat Came Back and others, so that was good. Still, it was tough dealing with the after-school scattered attitudes of these kids, unlike the group I am working with at Jefferson. I had to stop several times to talk about respecting each other in the group (and me, as well.) It was a tough job, especially after the early RR and long drive that morning.
One very bright moment happened with a new boy in the group, a lad who didn’t speak any English. I could see he was struggling with the songs but was taking clues off the other kids, especially with the hand movements that I use. He tried hard.
I asked him to come up and play Thunder Tube for Giants, and I change the chorus to El Grande. His eyes lit up with the novelty of playing such a strange instrument and his taking the lead on the instrument. Though I have no skills in Spanish language, I was able to connect with him socially and artistically among his peers. That was the good thing I was able to walk away with this afternoon.