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The ChorusLes Choristes

Dina Au, Cedric Cheng, Johnson Chu, Doris Chung, Edmond Kar, Ken Lau, Charisse Mok,

Ahmood Tsang

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Plot Summary

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Background

Financially

Psychologically

Post WWI

I

FranceStruck!

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The School: Bottom of the PondFond de L’Etang

Underprivileged

Orphans

Juvenile Delinquencies

Aged ~8 - 16

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Students

Pierre Morhange/pi:'ɛʀ 'mɔ:ʀɔ:ʒ/

Pépinot/'peɪpɪnɒ/

Protagonist Single-parent Angel face;

Devil mind

Parents died in WWII

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Mondain /mɔ>'dɑ̃> /

• Wrecker

Corbin /'kɔ:ʀbɑ̃> /

• Kind-hearted score stand

Students

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Teachers & Staff

Mr Clément Mathieu

/'kleɪmɔ> mɑ̃'tjœ/

Principal Rachin/'ʀæʃɑ̃>/

Protagonist Music teacher

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Uncle La Père Maxence/lɑ̃ pɛʀ mæ'kʃɔ>s/

• Kind-hearted Janitor

Mr Chabert /'ʃɑ̃bɛʀ/

• Patriotic PE teacher

Mr Langlois /lɔ>'glwɑ̃/

• Piano-playing mathsteacher

Teachers & Staff

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Principal Rachin

Principal @ Fond de L’Etang

“Action – Reaction”

A real educator?

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Activity 1

Ahmood Principal Rachin Doris Miss Teacher Nice Mathieu Johnson Mr Teacher Bad Cop Chabert

writes something bad about the headmaster Rachin on the white board

When Rachin comes into the classroom….

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How do you feel when Rachin asks Mathieu to pick someone as scapegoat and punish the whole class?

Activity 1

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Activity 1 (video)

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Activity 1

Discuss with your groupmates, what philosophical perspectives are observed?

Hints :try to think of some Chinese philosophical perspectives

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Rachin – A Legalist?

Legalism

法家Han Fei Zi 韓非子

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Believes that human are inherently bad

Merely education is not adequate to rectify the bad nature of human

Clear rules/laws have to be set on people have to obey the rules/laws in order to maintain a stable society

People have to obey what the head says

Rachin & Legalism

Legalism

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Legalism in the movie

Rachin

Emphasize strict obedience the rules

Students must obey and follow the rules

Always requires students to keep silent

‘action-reaction’

punishment, rather than teaching or inspiring students, is a better way to make students obey the rules

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Rotten Idealist

Desperate Realist

Principal Rachin’s Educational Philosophy?

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Profit

Fame

Fortune

Rachin’s Educational Philosophy?

Selfish

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Rachin’s Educational Philosophy?

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~ A Realist

Reasoning

Corporal punishme

nt

Discipline

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~ A Realist

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Mondain: A victim of Realistic Principal

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Mr Clément Mathieu

Employed as school teacher

Was a composer, but didn’t went very successful

Inventory teacher? A teacher of love?

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Activity 2

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Activity 2

Uncle Maxence was seriously hurt by Le Querrec

If you were Mathieu, what would you do? Would you punish Le Querrec and take him to the principal?

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Activity 2 : Any alternative way?

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Activity 2

Discuss with your groupmates, what philosophical perspective is evident?

Hints : try to think from the Chinese philosophical perspective

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Mathieu

great believer of student's potential promote personal expression thrive hard to arrange environment that

encourages them to find areas of interest

Example: setting up of a choir → stimulates children to

use their potentiality

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Idealists

Idealists’ Perspective:

believes developing perspective only be attained in :

a deliberate, slow, gradual, maturing process.

→ simply use humanistic, warm, sensitive approach as a wake-up call to their inner heart.

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Both Dewey & Mathieu believe : → music, voices as a tool can transcend

minds. the role of a teacher (Dewey) : → to orient learners toward experiences that

lead to growth → to provide continuity to those experiences.

Pragmatist

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Postmodernist

raise the kids that is underrepresented, marginalized.

this school seemed to be the last resort for 'hopeless kids'. And unlike his principal, he treated them with heart.

e.g. orphaned boys, or boys whose parents don't have means to support them (financially and/or socially)

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Why not Realist ?

X basic skills

X scientific

X prepare for world of work

X Realist usually feel conforming to the school order / administration would be wise.

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Confucianism

What is Confucianism in educational perspectives?

• Believes people are teachable, improvable and perfectible through personal and communal endeavor.

• Emphasizes self-cultivation, emulation of moral exemplars, and the attainment of skilled judgement rather than knowledge of rules.

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ConfucianismWhat is Confucianism in educational perspectives?

Requires a teacher be one who has developed their own character.

Does not use structured classes but encourages the strengths of students and improves their weaknesses.

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Confucianism and MathieuTeaching methods from

ConfucianismApplication of Mathieu in the film

To develop students’ interests in learning

To observe students’ behaviors and to communicate with them in order to have a comprehensive understanding of them.

Mathieu asked their students what they wanted to do when they grew up.

Mathieu found that the students had a good voice for singing so he composed for them every day.

Mathieu has positively recognized the students’ incentives so as to maintain their self-esteem.

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Confucianism and MathieuTeaching methods from

ConfucianismApplication of Mathieu in the

film

Uses music as a tool for teaching and cultivating “li” (propriety ; 禮 ).

Believes people possessing the same potential, and that education is the corrective means to stray from ethical behaviors.

Establishes a harmonious relation between teachers and students.

Mathieu has tried to use music to cultivate his students.

Mathieu believes different students have the same potentials to be explored.

Before teaching the music• Students were naughty and

did not follow the rules. After teaching the music• Students became obedient

and established a sense of trust to Mathieu.

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Mencius and MathieuTeaching methods derived from

MenciusApplication of Mathieu in the film

Believes people at birth are naturally good (kind-hearted).

Recognizes the importance of human education and cultivation.

Le Querrec has hurt Maxence but Mathieu has not punished him or taken him to the principal.

On the other hand, Mathieu requires him to help look after Maxence every day after class by working at the infirmary.

Rather than punishment, Mathieu gives the opportunity for Le Querrec to compensate his fault.

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Music (choir) in the eyes of Rachin

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“Music has helped with discipline”

Music (choir) in the eyes of Mathieu

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Music in Confucianism :

a device for self-cultivation a vehicle of self-expression a force of social stability a political tool a medium of communion between man,

nature and supernatural powers

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Music in Confucianism :

“Personal cultivation begins with poetry, is made firm by rules of ceremonials, and is perfected by music.”

(Lunyu, in the chapter “Tai Po”

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capable of completing

the personal development

of the individual

one’s ethical values are

cultivated and one becomes

the ideal Confucian gentleman

an honourable person, a

paragon of moral

integrity.

Moral integrity = Confucian

idea of humaneness

(ren 仁 )

Music in Confucianism :

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Music in Confucianism :

the essence of music is humaneness

A man who is not virtuous cannot claim to be a musician nor have anything to do with music

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Conclusion

傳道To Preach the

Ethics

解惑To Solve the Confusion

授業To Teach the Knowledge

唐。韓愈《師說》HAN Yu, Tang

Dynasty, “What is a Teacher?”

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Reflection

Why do you think music is chosen as a vital subject

to change the kid’s life and not math or physics instead? What

does music mean to you?