The Many Faces of Bunkasai
After all the waiting and wondering, bunkasai arrived. I could sense the change in atmosphere as I made my way to the school grounds. This may have been due, in part, to the blaring music...but it was also evident in the beaming smiles on my students' faces, a drastic change from the listless expressions that they normally sport.
The event began in the gymnasium. The principal and a few teachers made short introductory speeches and then the student council invited each class to send a representative to the stage to announce what the class would be presenting. The presenters came in two varieties. First, there were the cocky jock guys who presented like they were at the MTV teen awards. They swaggered up on stage waiting to deliver the one line that they had been assigned, but when it was their turn the cockiness dissipated and they rigidly stumbled through the line.
The second type of student was the loner. The kid was never seen talking to anyone in the class. This is the same kid who most likely single handedly put the class project together. They were up on stage to ensure that their class and their hard work was recognized, however, in most instances the crowd was already laughing at them before they even opened their mouths. Awkward. You could pretty much see complexes forming before your eyes.
After each class had been introduced, the festivities began. First was the school choir. They were quite impressive. While they were singing, I decided to move from my seat amongst my fellow teachers, to a seat in the center of the gym amidst the students where I could take better photos. As I sat down, the students stared at me as though I was doing the most absurd thing that they had ever seen. What strange things foreigners do.
The second act of the day was the boys from the English club, Atsushi and Takuro. They did two fantastic Beatles covers. I was especially impressed with Atsushi's rendition of "Let It Be." After the second song the boys peered into the crowd as though they were looking for someone. After a long pause, Atsushi says, "Chris....where is Chris?" Everyone looks towards the section where all of the teachers are sitting, but I'm not there, so I stand and give a wave, not exactly sure about what is going on. As soon as they see me they gesture for me to come on stage.
When I get there we have a little huddle, at which point I ask, "What's going on boys?" They inform me that they would like me to sing "Imagine" with them. There's a bit of a back story to this, so let me take you back to my second time hosting English club.
On this particular day we sat around belting out Beatles tunes like, "Hey Jude," "Let It Be," and "Helter Skelter." In between songs they asked me if I'd sing at bunkasai with them and I had agreed. BUT this was the first and last time that I heard anything about it up until the present moment, in which I found myself standing in front of 500 people who were waiting to find out why I was on stage. Awkward. Oh, and I shouldn't forget to add that I hadn't even HEARD "Imagine" in the past couple of years so I was pretty fuzzy on the lyrics. I mean I could remember some of the chorus, but there was no way that I was going to remember the verses or even what order everything was supposed to go in. However, I refused to let me students down. I had told them that I would do this with them and even if it meant butchering a classic tune, I was going to come through...at least that's what I was hoping for.
I smiled at them and grabbed the mic. As I turned to face the anxious crowd, I casually said to the two boys, "I should probably warn you that I don't really remember all of the lyrics, but let's give this a shot!"
The music starts...
I listen for the first little bit. I'm getting the feel for the song and jump in...
Imagine there's no heaven,
it's easy if you try.
No hell below us,
above us only sky.
Imagine mmhmhmhmm mmhmhm
hmmhmmm mhhm hmhmh mmmmmm
Nice one Chris.
I made it through the whole song with a smile on my face though and I was really glad that I had been invited to take part in the festivities. After the song, both of the boys bowed to me and said "Thank you so much Chris," with beaming smiles on their faces. It was a priceless moment.
Here's a video of the first two songs:
Next to perform was the school band. They did three fabulous songs. Here's a short clip to give you an idea of what they sounded like.
Following the band's performance there was a ten minute break, during which time I was informed that I would be one of the judges for the class singing competition. Sure enough, when they showed me to my seat there was a little namecard on the table in front of it reading "Kurisu" (my name) in Katakana. It was looking like bunkasai was going to be FULL of surprises for me!
The competition was a hodge podge of sorts. Some classes knew all the words to their song, had actions to go along with the singing and utilized some pretty impressive harmonies, while other classes simply read off of lyrics sheets and could barely be heard over the music. Overall I was impressed by the general level of talent that the students displayed, ESPECIALLY because I had never seen any of them practicing their songs!
Following the singing contest a local band called "The O.N.G" played a set. They were pretty good even though I couldn't understand what they were saying. Most importantly, the students LOVED them as you can see from the picture. They were jumping up and down and throwing each other around. I've got to give them credit, they know how to enjoy a rock show!
The event began in the gymnasium. The principal and a few teachers made short introductory speeches and then the student council invited each class to send a representative to the stage to announce what the class would be presenting. The presenters came in two varieties. First, there were the cocky jock guys who presented like they were at the MTV teen awards. They swaggered up on stage waiting to deliver the one line that they had been assigned, but when it was their turn the cockiness dissipated and they rigidly stumbled through the line.
The second type of student was the loner. The kid was never seen talking to anyone in the class. This is the same kid who most likely single handedly put the class project together. They were up on stage to ensure that their class and their hard work was recognized, however, in most instances the crowd was already laughing at them before they even opened their mouths. Awkward. You could pretty much see complexes forming before your eyes.
After each class had been introduced, the festivities began. First was the school choir. They were quite impressive. While they were singing, I decided to move from my seat amongst my fellow teachers, to a seat in the center of the gym amidst the students where I could take better photos. As I sat down, the students stared at me as though I was doing the most absurd thing that they had ever seen. What strange things foreigners do.
The second act of the day was the boys from the English club, Atsushi and Takuro. They did two fantastic Beatles covers. I was especially impressed with Atsushi's rendition of "Let It Be." After the second song the boys peered into the crowd as though they were looking for someone. After a long pause, Atsushi says, "Chris....where is Chris?" Everyone looks towards the section where all of the teachers are sitting, but I'm not there, so I stand and give a wave, not exactly sure about what is going on. As soon as they see me they gesture for me to come on stage.
When I get there we have a little huddle, at which point I ask, "What's going on boys?" They inform me that they would like me to sing "Imagine" with them. There's a bit of a back story to this, so let me take you back to my second time hosting English club.
On this particular day we sat around belting out Beatles tunes like, "Hey Jude," "Let It Be," and "Helter Skelter." In between songs they asked me if I'd sing at bunkasai with them and I had agreed. BUT this was the first and last time that I heard anything about it up until the present moment, in which I found myself standing in front of 500 people who were waiting to find out why I was on stage. Awkward. Oh, and I shouldn't forget to add that I hadn't even HEARD "Imagine" in the past couple of years so I was pretty fuzzy on the lyrics. I mean I could remember some of the chorus, but there was no way that I was going to remember the verses or even what order everything was supposed to go in. However, I refused to let me students down. I had told them that I would do this with them and even if it meant butchering a classic tune, I was going to come through...at least that's what I was hoping for.
I smiled at them and grabbed the mic. As I turned to face the anxious crowd, I casually said to the two boys, "I should probably warn you that I don't really remember all of the lyrics, but let's give this a shot!"
The music starts...
I listen for the first little bit. I'm getting the feel for the song and jump in...
Imagine there's no heaven,
it's easy if you try.
No hell below us,
above us only sky.
Imagine mmhmhmhmm mmhmhm
hmmhmmm mhhm hmhmh mmmmmm
Nice one Chris.
I made it through the whole song with a smile on my face though and I was really glad that I had been invited to take part in the festivities. After the song, both of the boys bowed to me and said "Thank you so much Chris," with beaming smiles on their faces. It was a priceless moment.
Here's a video of the first two songs:
Next to perform was the school band. They did three fabulous songs. Here's a short clip to give you an idea of what they sounded like.
Following the band's performance there was a ten minute break, during which time I was informed that I would be one of the judges for the class singing competition. Sure enough, when they showed me to my seat there was a little namecard on the table in front of it reading "Kurisu" (my name) in Katakana. It was looking like bunkasai was going to be FULL of surprises for me!
The competition was a hodge podge of sorts. Some classes knew all the words to their song, had actions to go along with the singing and utilized some pretty impressive harmonies, while other classes simply read off of lyrics sheets and could barely be heard over the music. Overall I was impressed by the general level of talent that the students displayed, ESPECIALLY because I had never seen any of them practicing their songs!
Following the singing contest a local band called "The O.N.G" played a set. They were pretty good even though I couldn't understand what they were saying. Most importantly, the students LOVED them as you can see from the picture. They were jumping up and down and throwing each other around. I've got to give them credit, they know how to enjoy a rock show!
posted by Christopher Janca at 3:50 a.m.
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