Kerry Renzoni
Program Director
Department of Music Education
Department of Music Education
I cannot emphasize how happy and grateful I am to return to Torremaggiore. It has been three years since I have been here. Yesterday, we had a beautiful ride through the mountains. My heart melted as Torremaggiore came into view on the hillside. We were greeted at our B&B by Signore Grassi, and he cooked us a fabulous four course meal yesterday, featuring local cheese and bruschetta, tortellini in brodo (in broth), veal scallopini limone, followed by fruit for dessert. To see the B&B and the town through my students’ eyes has been such a joy! They seem to already love it here and have spent the day exploring town. As it is Sunday, everyone was out on the main street promenading after church. Dr. Weber and I strolled down the main street and stopped for a delicious cappuccino at a local cafe and watched the world go by. Tomorrow, we will visit town hall to meet the mayor and other dignitaries. This is very special because Buffalo is a sister city of Torremaggiore. Mayor Brown’s picture is in the mayor’s office here, as is the Erie County flag! We will also start our work with children at Scuola Elementare Emilio Ricci! Returning to this town feels like returning home - I have missed the people, the culture, the history, and the food so very much!
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Ciao a tutti! I have been behind in blog posts because I have been primarily focused on trying to understand and speak Italian. I cannot believe how exhausting it is trying to focus on a second language! The first day in Torremggiore was especially exhausting. There were many, many people trying to speak to me in Italian, while others were speaking English. Every day gets a bit easier though. I have learned that the residents of Torremaggiore greatly appreciate when you try to speak Italian with them, and they are very patient. I have learned how speaking the same language forges an immediate bond between people. Though language is such an immediate conduit into learning and connecting with another culture, I have been in awe of the many ways in which our students have connected immediately with the children and teachers at the elementary schools in Torremaggiore.
Throughout this trip, I have been struck with how music has connected our students and professors with those we have met. The students have been singing since they arrived in Italy. They sang on the bus traveling to Torremaggiore, at dinner while watching a music television station, while walking through the streets of Torremaggiore, and almost every other place they went. The music majors sang songs they have learned at Buffalo State (including children’s songs I have written) and all of the students sang popular music, sporadically breaking out in harmony. Even the professors joined in singing occasionally! I have noticed how people in Torremaggiore and beyond have responded quickly and kindly to such events. The music seems to bring everyone together immediately. At lunch during our day trip to Lessina Marina, our tour guide Mario remarked that he loved hearing the students sing and asked for individual students to share a song. Rebeca sang “Think of Me” from Phantom of the Opera and “Batti Batti” from Don Giovanni. Brianna sang “Sandcastles”, a song that Beyonce made famous. Those small moments seemed to forge a lasting bond between our group and the tour guides we traveled with that day. It was a very special experience. At a medieval dinner that members of the Borgo Antico Torremaggiore Society hosted, our group sang “Amazing Grace,” followed by the residents of Torremaggiore in attendance singing a song. We then sang “You are my Sunshine” and “When the Saints Go Marching In”. and then the residents sang another song. Again, that exchange of music seemed to bring both groups of people together. Though we could not all communicate through language, we were able to communicate immediately through music. On the last day of teaching at San Giovanni Bosco, the fifth grade students broke out into singing the song “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho”, a song we had taught them during our castle lesson the week before. As I joined in singing with me, it once again occurred to me the power of music - they were able to communicate their happiness, joy, and learning through singing. I was able to communicate my happiness and joy through singing with them. Music is so very powerful.
It has been a busy week of teaching! This week, I had the pleasure of co-leading music instruction for the elementary school students at San Giovanni Bosca with the IPDS Italy students. We ran two music classes for PreK and Kindergarten students and led a music event for fifth grade students in an 800-year-old castle! Prior to the trip, IPDS students co-wrote books in both English and Italian, which all included a song at the end. For example, Christine and Krissy wrote a book about winter in Buffalo and included the song “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” at the end of their book. Moving from room to room, I was impressed with how the students co-taught, weaving music into their lessons beautifully. As I was observing the students teach, I noticed that the strategies they used to guide children in reading the book were similar to the strategies they used to guide children in learning to sing the songs. As I was observing the IPDS students teach, I noticed they used a contextual approach, reading the book in its entirety and singing the song in its entirety before breaking both down into manageable chunks. When the children struggled reading or singing the chunks presented, the IPDS students would break the content down into smaller chunks or slow the speed at which they repeated the words or music. Another commonality was that they would invite the students to read the book or sing a song in small groups or even by themselves. The fact that similar strategies can be implemented to teach both literacy and music was fascinating to observe and speaks to the potential parallels between language acquisition and music acquisition, and language literacy and music literacy. We have arrived in Rome! Twelve students and four professors from Buffalo State have arrived to begin a two-and-a-half-week adventure through Italy. The students have spent the past two days exploring Rome and all of its incredible sites. Today was the Epiphany, a very special day in Italy. Pope Francis addressed thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, followed by a parade which featured a beautiful display of pageantry. Rome was bursting with energy today, with families promenading through the streets and attending events around the city. There was even ice skating next to Castel Sant’Angelo on the Tiber River. It was 65 degrees and sunny, warm enough for a gelato!
After a four hour drive through the mountains, we have arrived in Torremaggiore! Yesterday, we were greeted by the kind hosts at the Bed and Breakfast Cavour. After a brief tour of the town, we settled in for a delicious dinner made by Signore Grassi, the owner of the B&B Cavour. One of the dishes is a typical pasta dish of the area, made with rapini. This morning, we walked to an open air market, seeing more of the city on our way. There are many stray dogs and cats that seem to be well fed by town residents. The market featured well-made clothes, meats, fruits, vegetables, and a plethora of cheese. It was a very special way to begin the day. As we rounded the corner, we could hear cheering from the elementary school, San Giovanni Bosca. A sign reading “Benvenutti” was hanging over the entrance. As we entered the courtyard, we saw children cheering and waving pom poms- on one side the pom poms were red white and blue for the United States, and on the other side the pom poms were red, white, and green for Italy. Children were also holding flags and a banner welcoming us. There was Italian music playing through a sound system, and the children were singing along. After greeting the teachers, the principal made a beautiful speech in Italian about how he is happy to have us visit Torremaggiore, and how much he appreciates the teachers at San Giovanni Bosca and trusts them to implement the school curriculum in their own way. |
Dr. Kerry RenzoniI am Coordinator of Undergraduate Music Education and Associate Professor of Music at Buffalo State. I have been to Italy several times and this is my second time visiting Torremaggiore! Archives
January 2023
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