Francophone music is very rich and varied. I have a collection of ever growing bookmarks here that are resources to francophone music.
My personal connection with francophone music was strengthened when I met Connie-Fredericks Malone, the sister of the late Carole Fredericks, who sang with Jean-Jaques Goldman and Michael Jones. Below is a blog post I wrote about Carole's music.
Tant Qu'elle Chante, Elle Vit...
I first heard of Carole Fredericks in session by Nancy Gadbois at AATF. Carole sang with Jean Jacques Goldman and Michael Jones in the trio of Fredericks, Goldman, and Jones. I had heard of Jean Jacques Goldman, but I didn't know of Carole Fredericks and wanted to learn more about her life.
The following year, I attended the AATF conference and Carole Frederick's CD and teaching guide were on sale at the booth. When I purchased my CD, I chatted for a while with the very pleasant woman who had sold me my CD. There was a session on the music for Carole Fredericks later that day and I was looking forward to the presentation.
I arrived a bit late at the session because there were several sessions going on at the same time and I wanted to try to have a glimpse of all of them. When I entered the room, there was a video of Carole singing on the big projection screen and I was hooked... After the video was over, a woman got up and started to speak about Carole and I recognized the pleasant woman from the AATF booth who looked so much like Carole. Connie Fredericks Malone, the sister of Carole Fredericks spoke about Carole's music, her life, and her death in Senegal in 2001 of a heart attack.
After the conference was over, I went up to tell Connie how much I had enjoyed the conference. As I started to speak, tears started rolling down my face for a reason I can not explain. Connie reached out and hugged me and she had tears too. Little did I know that this was the beginning of a collaboration that would change my life.
When I went back to school and played the music for my students. They LOVED it. They also loved the videos and the story of her life. I wrote to Connie to tell her how much my students had enjoyed the music and we kept in touch. I was asked to write lessons for the Elementary/Middle School resource book of Couleurs et Parfums for Tralco Publications and to present my lesson with Connie, Karen Traynor (of Tralco Publications, and Valencia Siff at AATF in Baton Rouge. The following year, I presented with Carole, Karen, Carole's husband Jim, and Anne Jensen at AATF in Liège, Belgium. The presentation can be downloaded here .
Here is a great blog post about the life of Carole Fredericks, links to music videos . Carole is buried at the Cemetery of Montmartre and I was able to visit her grave in the summer of 2008. Visiting Carole's grave was a special event that I will always remember. Tant qu'elle chante, elle vit.
Carole is one of my inspirations for becoming proficient in a second language, displaying incredible courage, and for her humanitarian efforts.
Who inspires you and why?
Mon Vidéowall
