When the Toulouse Conservatory opens its doors to Ukrainian refugee children as piano apprentices

Three young Ukrainian refugees can continue their passion, the piano, at the Toulouse Music Conservatory. Radomyr 6 years old, Yaroslava 10 years old and Lada, 12 years old are brothers and sisters, they fled the war and their city of kyiv and arrived in France in mid-April. For a few days they have been following classes with three volunteer teachers.

Impossible to live without a piano

This Thursday, the mayor of Toulouse Jean-Luc Moudenc and other officials came to listen to their sonatas and their progress, while their Ukrainian teacher, remained in kyiv, also continues to follow them via videos. Valentyna, their mother, accompanies them to the pink city several times a week to allow them to practice their scales. The family is hosted in the Toulouse suburbs by a distant uncle. It is Anna, a teacher at the Toulouse conservatory, of Ukrainian origin, who has lived in Russia and who also speaks French who, with the support of the director of the Conservatory, activated her networks so that the children continue to play. Among the teachers, Olivier Chauzu: “In 15 days I saw things evolve, they progress in music but also in language. In three months I suppose that Radomyr (the youngest) will speak French! I try to help them and not to use too much vocabulary. complicated”.

“The lessons will continue until the end of the year, the children are receptive, very nice, very music lovers”, explains Anna, who will try to get them to join the Paris Conservatory next year because the family hopes to get closer to the dad, a scientist, who works in the capital.

In the meantime, Valentine rent an electric piano to his children so they can practice.“For them it’s vital”, she says. And it’s true that when Yaroslava is asked if she would see herself living without a piano, the young girl, despite being shy, doesn’t hesitate for a second: “Nope.”


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