Sylvain Cosette announces a surprise to the students of the Felix Leclerc School

You had to hear nearly 220 youth from kindergarten to sixth grade cheering to fully understand the unique nature of this moment. “I give you I love you. I give you words of love. I give them to you forever,” they chanted in one voice.

“My birthday is in a week, and it's the best birthday present I've ever gotten,” the Grande Mer singer-songwriter marveled after the presentation by the entire arts and music studies school. It must be said that the teachers made the children learn the song by making them believe that it was for a project related to Mother's Day.

At the invitation of the Evenko Foundation, Sylvain Cosset was invited to discuss with schoolchildren. The organization whose mission is to “give all youth in Quebec the means to thrive through art and music” did not arrive empty-handed.

On the contrary, its representatives came to deliver three cellos, a bass, an electric guitar, snare drums, bass drums, congas, bongos, gongs, vibraphones and many other instruments.

“Touched and moved”

“You're truly the smallest audience I've ever had,” the singer said after performing a few songs from his set and even a cover of “You're Truly the Smallest Audience I've Ever Had.” yesterday From the Beatles. Because he is well aware of the Foundation's activities, he accepted the invitation to share some of his passion with children in his area.

Once you said “one of my favorite songs is” Forever'', I started screaming. I told myself that something was wrong, that something was going to happen. “When they started singing, I was really moved and touched,” says the artist.

“The rest of us are professional musicians. Learning a song is work. With all the guys and the musicians, for everyone to be together and play their part until the end, it was really good.”

— Sylvain Cosette

The artist made some secrets that aroused the public's great surprise, among other things, that he did not know how to read music and did not know the difference between a half note, a quarter note, or an eighth note. He revealed that he did not have the opportunity to learn music in school, but he started singing on his own at the age of fifteen.

“Getting to know the arts so early in life is really about catering to your own passions,” he emphasizes. “I was so embarrassed when I was young. I was Bonnie Until approximately 15 years of age. If I had had music before that, specifically to experience emotions, I would have loved that.

“And besides, I didn't like school. It would have given me a little reason to like school a little more.”

“It's like a pat on the back.”

For Felix Leclerc music teacher Julie Lefebvre, this donation is a “great gift” that responds to urgent needs. “It's like a pat on the back after all,” she says. It should be noted that the institution rose from about sixty students to more than 220 students within seven years.

“The students are definitely happy to see that they will be able to use instruments of this quality. They will be proud of them and their sound will immediately be very beautiful.”

Given what the organization was offering, it was the foundation's employees who approached the Evenco Foundation to express their interest in adding the machines to its collection due to increased attendance.

You should know that young people who attend this school specializing in music spend a lot of time practicing this specialty. “It's at least one hour a day,” reveals the professor, and it continues to increase in the second cycle.

“All the children do choral singing. It's really general music education that ensures the children in year three choose an instrument.

— Julie Lefebvre, music teacher at the Felix Leclerc School

Watching her students interact and asking Sylvain Cosset questions was a wonderful experience for the teacher. “We saw the bond that formed immediately between Sylvain and the kids. He became like a big brother, a star, holding his hands up. It was exciting,” she concluded.