The final day for the public presentation arrived and children seemed rather nervous (or maybe I should say excited).
Before taking them up into the classroom I had them walk into the auditorium where we had the first rehearsal where the music performance would be held and for all it sounded not to complicated a process it still took some time as they learned where to place themselves, in which way they should thank the audience and how the course certificates were to be handed.
They were overly proud to see how Ana and I had organised the classroom and because they were asked to have its tables "decorated" with some of the puzzles they had done during the second part of the course (so as to reinforce the names of the animals, some of which would come up in the songs) they got organised either in groups of two or on their own to rapidly finish that task before going down again to watch the last part of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf.
Gabriel and Salvador in the back row from left to right with Filipa, Tomas, Inês, Madalena and the siblings Pedro and Gonçalo in the front row from left to right (left picture).
Parents, grandparents and several other guests started arriving at a quarter to midday and soon after the children started singing the two nursery rhymes they had prepared. The obvious excitement and nervousness didn't hinder their musical performance in English. Some of them even channelled those into what ended up being their best performance of the week. Continuous clapping and several "bravos" could be heard in the auditorium and the truth is the children did deserve them all.
After having been awarded the certificates, which were handed out by the Head of the Aeronautical department of the centre, they all sat quietly as I had the photos of the week projected on the huge Auditorium screen.
Both parents, grandparents and even some of the Centre staff followed them into the classroom on the first floor so as to see the artistic exhibition, which had everyone mesmerised.
I must be getting old because by the end of the morning I was exhausted ... though undoubtedly overjoyed with the final result of this extraordinary effort which had everyone happy and looking forward to next year's Summer courses.
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