A universal language
“Music deserves to be the mandatory second language in every school in the world.”
Paul Carvel (Belgian author).
Musical education at the Lycée Français is based on the principle dictated by the French Minister for national education: “shared musical pleasure”.
Music is a source of pleasure and joy since it affects us emotionally. It is our role to help our students understand and appreciate the nuances of this art form.
Musical education is given in French from pre-K to 9th grade, by Marie Erinkitola and Marick Fargues.
In pre-K to K, students have the opportunity to discover instruments (such as castanets and tambourines) and dance to music together. They develop an ear for music as they learn to recognize change of instruments or of tempos. Lastly, they learn to sing, accompanied by Marick Fargues on the guitar, piano or accordion. In the primary school, students discover various aspects of the world of music through singing, listening, playing instruments, musical games, sight singing, history of music and musical projects.
In the middle school, students work in particular on rhythm, melody, music recognition, harmony and vocal projection. Through various individual or group activities, the students learn to appreciate major musical works of various genres, compose songs, express themselves, talk, think and gain self-confidence. They also take part in school trips for example to the opera or a musical show.
From the primary school through 12th grade, students can also take part in various musical activities as part of the extracurricular programs offered by the Lycée. They can take part in the following activities:
-Guitar
-Piano
-drums
-Flute
-Violin
-Cello
-Orchestra
-Choir (with Marick Fargues): the choir and the orchestra perform regularly in public, in shows organized within the school or elsewhere, such as at the Alliance Française.
For more information, click here.
Marie Erinkitola, music teacher for grades 1 to 5
Marie Erinkitola has taught music in the primary school since 2003. Since this time, her goal has been to inspire children to adopt music in all its aspects, by following a firm curriculum that evolves regularly. Marie is also in charge of the end-of-year show for the primary school, in which all the students participate. Marie holds a music teaching and musical artist diploma.
Marick Fargues, music teacher for the pre-school and middle school
Marick has shared her passion for music with the students of the Lycée Français de Chicago since 2000. Marick plays flute and accordion and participates in many recitals and concerts. She is also a member of the “FrenchCabaretDuo”.