The hard life of Jean Batailleur has never seemed so sweet. In the Patro Villeray auditorium, the small, crystalline voices of the student choir from the Léonard-De Vinci primary school mingle with the riffs guitar to bring this tune to life among others, straight from Louisiana. It’s dress rehearsal day and the Little Da Vinci meet the great Zachary Richard.
“I like his songs because they transmit emotions,” says young Keyla. “It speaks to us more because we understand the words,” adds Nahori, who got to know the singer-songwriter and his repertoire thanks to the school choir and who can’t wait to introduce him to his friends. parents, of Chilean origin.
This is certainly music to the ears of Jimmy Louis-Marie, musician and teacher in this school in the Saint-Michel district of Montreal. Because for several months, he has been working hard, with his colleague Valérie Carreau, to introduce his students to the French-speaking songs of Zachary Richard, who graciously agreed to come and have them sing, with a few members of his band usual, composed of other “greats”, Rick Haworth, Mario Légaré and Paul Picard.
“I have the opportunity, I don’t know if it’s to move the wheelbarrow forward or to put my shoulder to the wheel, but I always have a lot of fun doing this kind of project,” said straight away the poet left his bayous to spend the summer in Montreal and New Brunswick. With I have a song in my heart, a French album recorded in collaboration with immersion students in Louisiana, Zachary Richard had already understood the immense potential of music to make young people love the French language. This time, he is delighted to repeat the experience with children from this more disadvantaged background, mainly from immigrant backgrounds.
This is a great opportunity to make “a real positive contribution to the Francophonie” which will have a positive impact on their lives. “I’ve been in school long enough to know that increasing experience outside the box of the classroom is something that’s quite effective in terms of teaching,” said the man, who also launched a novel in autumn. “I am convinced that the children will remember it for a long time. »
Making “all French-speaking countries” resonate
And in this beautiful musical epic, it is Jimmy Louis-Marie, a Frenchman of Martinican origin, who sets the tone. “I thought it was funny to say that it was a Martinican who made children from the diversity of Quebec sing with songs from Louisiana! »
This passionate music teacher had become friends with Zachary Richard ten years ago, when he was hired in French immersion classes in this southern state of the United States. “I wrote to him because I was looking for a mentor, someone to accompany me and guide me. He answered me the next day. It clicked immediately. We always kept in touch. »
There is mostly English-speaking music, a little Latin, but very few children are exposed to French-speaking music
Arriving for new adventures in Quebec just before the pandemic, the substitute music teacher at the Léonard-De Vinci school has always had the objective of making “all French-speaking countries” resonate through music. Alexandre Belliard, Marco Calliari, Mamselle Ruiz… Every year, one of these singing artists came to class to give workshops and share their love of French-speaking songs with the students. “My common thread has always been the French-speaking world. And for the last year, I wanted to mark the occasion and so we will have this great man with more than 50 years of career and who will come pro bono to sing with the children and with his heart. Zachary understands where I want to go. »
Accompanied by students from the chamber orchestra of the Joseph-François-Perrault secondary school, the approximately 40 choristers of the Les P’tits Da Vinci choir will perform, in the company of this standard-bearer of the French fact in America, some songs from the vast French-speaking repertoire and several of the artist’s great classics. On the banks of Bijou Lake, Cape Enrage, The ballad of Jean Batailleur, The tree is in its leaves. “All the kids that are there, they didn’t audition. They are children who simply love to sing,” explains Mr. Louis-Marie.
Not enough French-speaking music
Several children are already immersed in a musical culture which is not necessarily that of here, notes the teacher. He hesitates, but still blames the media and radio stations here for not broadcasting enough songs in French. “There is mostly English-speaking music, a little Latin, but very few children are exposed to French-speaking music,” he observes.
In this context, it is difficult to reach families, to get them to take an interest in the culture here and in the greater Francophonie. But with the organization of such events, he thinks he has found “the right trick”. “For me, having a headliner and telling families “come see your child participating in this big concert” is a way of exposing them to culture. It is a great pride for us and for them. »
He is careful not to want to tread on “too political” ground, but he believes that with the means it has, in comparison with the rest of the French-speaking world in America, Quebec can do better. “It looks like the fight [pour le français] is not yet seen as a fight. To be able to fight, you must be proud of what you defend. I’m not saying that French is disappearing, but the feeling of belonging and pride is. »
A lucid optimist, Zachary Richard also does not hide his concern. “It is obvious that in North America, in Canada, outside Quebec and even in Quebec, the French language and French culture are threatened with assimilation in a fairly alarming way,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s a crisis, a catastrophe or the reality in which we live, but French is being marginalized. »
Hence the importance of giving children positive experiences that promote French, he adds. “This is the best way to reverse the trend. »
Jimmy Louis-Marie believes he has hit the nail on the head with the songs of Zachary Richard, whose theme revolves around resistance, the importance of standing up. As in the penultimate song of the concert, The ballad of Émile Benoit, where despite all the snowfalls and storms, “I will be there, you will not erase me”, reminds the teacher. “And that’s what I always loved about this great man. This is his message: in the face of the wind, we will always move forward. »