A Fantastic Concert
Author: Theresa Stearns Gallatin Co. H.S.

An overall great experience! I overheard my jaded senior boy (who wasn't going to attend until I spoke to his mother) say to a freshman boy, "That was better and a lot more fun than I thought it would be!" High praise coming from him. I taught my students some basic "concert moves" such as throwing their arms in the air and the call and response in "Technocumbia." This let them know it was OK to loosen up and do it during the concert, to get into the music and rhythm. I also taught them a couple of basic salsa steps that we practiced with some of Justo's songs. It helped them internalize the music and lyrics. I used the karaoke in the classroom to fill in the blanks on lyric sheets and to sing along. The use of the video with lyrics on stage felt familiar to the students and kept them focused as successful participants. An energetic warm up person from the host school could work the crowd for 5 minutes or so teaching concert moves, call and response competitions between grade levels or gender. Maybe a karaoke or lipsync competition or a Jeopardy contest between sets. Again, a fantastic concert. The students listened intently to your message, internalized it and will reflect on it well into the future. Thank you for coming to our small corner of the world in southern Illinois. I'm glad we had very nice weather for your visit this year. Muchas gracias.