choral Mindenki


Everybody Should Have a Voice (Part 2) Marcia Russell, WMEA State Chair, Choir


In part one of this article series, I ref- erenced the Hun- garian short film called Mindenki. The English title is “Sing,” but the Hun- garian word literally means “everybody.” SPOILER ALERT:


I will discuss the ending of the film, so you should probably take 25 minutes and watch the film. Visit singshortfilm.com. It’s available on iTunes, Amazon, Google- Play, etc. I think by now you can even find it on YouTube. The film won the 2017 Academy Award for best short film.


The movie is about Zsofi, a new girl to a school with an acclaimed choral program preparing for a competition. Zsofi is


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discouraged from singing in the choir and asked by her teacher to mouth the words. Zsofi is befriended by a gifted singer and popular leader named Liza. Liza observes that Zsofi, who originally loved to sing, is more and more withdrawn. Zsofi explains that she was asked to mouth the words, and together they discover that many other students have been asked to do the same. The teacher believes that this is the only way the choir will be good enough to win the upcoming competition. Liza is em- boldened to address the teacher, revealing to all of the students who has been asked to simply mouth the words. The teacher uses this as a means to justify her behavior, but the students secretly plan their response. At the final competition, when the teacher raises her hands to conduct the song, the entire choir makes no sound and mouths the words. After the teacher runs off stage in shame, the choir begins to sing, with everyone sharing their voice.


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I was so touched by the film that I started to read blogs and interviews online. The film informed one of my affective out- comes for the school year: discovering how kindness can be contagious. I was inspired by an interview of the director of the film, Kristoff Deak by A. Martinez and Lori Galaretta for “Take Two.” Listen to the interview here: http://www.scpr.org/ programs/take-two/2017/02/21/55177/ sing-is-about-giving-a-voice-to-the- oppressed-and/ (actual URL) OR https:// tinyurl.com/ybgn5quo (friendly URL).


I recently showed the film to my sixth grade choir, just a few days after their very first concert. I asked my students some of the same questions from the “Take Two” interview.


The survey questions were:


1. Have you ever experienced an event such as Zsofi in which an adult has discouraged you from doing something


that you enjoyed? Describe your reac- tion.


2. If this has never happened to you, how would you respond if this happened to a friend?


3. Do you think the teacher’s approach was coming from a selfish desire to be the best or a compassionate place in that she wanted everyone to succeed?


4. Were you surprised by the ending? Do you believe that a group of young students have the power to shine a light on things and effect change?


The overwhelming response to the film was positive (They did not mind the chal- lenge of reading subtitles!). Only one of my students responded to the first question with a yes. “My football coach said I was too weak to play the game. I was really mad and quit.” The majority of them re- sponded that they would be devastated if something like this happened to them, and almost all of them would respond in a way to help their friend. They were shocked that the students would try to “teach an adult a lesson,” but this was a great mo- ment in the film for them. We have had much discussion on whether or not their response would have repercussions not shown in the film and they have made connections to “poetic justice” in their literature circles.


I hope to have my older singers watch this movie in the future, and I anticipate a slightly different response. I would like to hear from any of you who may decide to view this film with your choirs, and welcome discussion on whether or not the film can be used to practice more real inclusion in the choral setting.


Marcia Russell teaches general music and choir at Platteville Middle School, grades 4-8, and is a member of the Wisconsin CMP Committee. Email: russell@platteville.k12.wi.us


January 2018


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