Category: Argentina

Wrapping Up In Argentina (Student performance and time with amigos in Cordoba)

9/28/2014

Hello!

Long time, no post- yet again. Currently I am in the Buenos Aires airport, with a bunch of time to spare before my flight to Ecuador, so it is time for a little update.

Two weeks ago, things began wrapping up at Colegio Marin. Students finished their songs, and prepared for our performance in front of their peers during the lunch block. I am very happy and proud of what they were able to create in just four weeks. Here are a few photos for now, and be on the look out for some audio clips to be uploaded in the next couple weeks.

Grade 11 students rehearsing on the stage

The audience

Mid-performance

During my final days with Marin, we also took some made some videos of the original songs. Check out one of my favorite songs below, and hear a bit about their take on the songwriting process at the end of the clip.

My last week in Argentina was spent in Cordoba with my friends Marisol and Anoush. It was great seeing them again (we met last year in Armenia as Birthright volunteers) and having them show me around the area a bit. Cordoba is a beautiful place.

Jamming to some Argentinian Folklore rhythms with Marisol's Dad.

Playing tunes by the river in Cordoba with some new friends

A group of young strings players in Cordoba that are composing and performing music for video games and films. Pretty sweet!

Saying farewell to my friends after their performance with the local Armenian club dance group.

All for now. Onward to Ecuador in a couple hours! See you soon.

-T

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Looking Back, Looking Ahead

9/14/2014

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The countdown is on!

If everything goes according to plan, at this point there are about 10 weeks left of this journey. I can hardly believe it. Time keeps on zooming by.

I did some calculations today, and I have worked with well over 1,000 students so far this year. The students have ranged from just 3 or 4 years old (Thailand) to 19 and 20 years old (Tanzania). I have worked with kids from the upper class, along with some students from very low income backgrounds. The students have come from all over the world, in 7 schools, across 3 continents, with two more schools still to go.

Together, we have written around 100 songs, some created mostly by me, some totally by the students themselves. Songs about love, loss, growing up, too much homework, graduation, cats, the beach, loosing a friend, world peace, and so much more.

It has been an honor and a great privilege for me to take on this project. And I am incredibly grateful to all of YOU for helping make this happen. To all of my backers on kickstarter, everyone who follows along with the blog, and all of the people I have met along the way that have given me rides, bought me lunch, hosted me in their homes, and shared their stories with me- please know that I appreciate you.

I have been thinking a lot lately about what is next for me and for this project. My dream is to bring songwriting and creative music making to even more students around the world, but I know that what I am doing now is not sustainable. I don’t have the skills and resources to maintain this alone, so as of right now I am working on figuring out if it is possible to grow this into something beyond just me, and how best to do so. This is something I believe in, and I know the potential is there, so I am excited to see what happens next.

Be on the lookout to updates about the final documentary coming out later this year. (There will be a trailer released too that I’m quite happy about). More to come soon!

Nos vemos,

-Thomas

#MusicIsLife

With the Palma family.

Grade 10 students at Marin

El Rio

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Argentina

8/29/2014

Hello world!

Last time I wrote an update was on my last day in South Africa, about two weeks ago now, so this post is long overdue. Week one at Colegio Marin in Argentina is almost complete!

After my train ride, and a brutal plane flight (from Joburg- Abu Dahbi- Sao Paulo- Montevideo), I arrived in Uruguay with no suitcase. Not a huge deal- but a bit stressful. 1:00 am in a new country with no bag after over 48 hours of travel is not an ideal situation to be in. My bag arrived 3 days later, right before I left for Argentina, so in the end everything was fine. I had a great time in Montevideo and met some cool people. The weather was sunny and warm and people were out and about drinking a ton of mate.

Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, my friend Alexia picked me up from the ferry ride across the river. I spent a night with her and her family and we explored her neighborhood (Belgrano) a bit which was quite nice. Buenos Aires definitely does seem like a European city in some places.

After my night with Alexia, I moved out of the city center with my friend Talin (I met both of them during Birthright Armenia last year) and her family in order to be closer to my school. I stayed with Talin for the weekend and had a lot of fun trying to speak some Spanish with her family while they tried to speak some English with me. I've hung out a few times with Talin and her friend Alin (who also happen to play music together) and have enjoyed it quite a bit.

I began teaching on Monday at Colegio Marin, and it has been awesome so far. I love it! The students and teachers here are all very warm. (The typical kiss on the cheek with everyone here seems miles away from the strict no touching policy in Oman.) I am living with an older gentleman who works with the school. It has been interesting hearing about the city and his opinions on everything Argentinian- from the politics to the women to the food and everything in between. Last night we enjoyed a few cold cervesas and some live music down below his apartment. Next week I will go to a new host family, but this week with my host has been great.

There is much more to report on, but I need to go teach, so I won't take any more of your time. More from students and what is going on at Colegio Marin next week.

Until next time,

-T

Talin's Family

Mate

Montevideo

Wrapping Up In Argentina (Student performance and time with amigos in Cordoba)

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Argentina

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