Leo’s Adventures Around the World

So, about yesterday -

450 adorable kids, 1 epic story, and 2 fascinating (questionable?) pie-(soups?).

What a blessing, privelege, dream-like yet absolutely real joy it is to be back here. In Airdrie, in the sun, in this winter wonderland driving along the sublimely pure white, soft-blanketed, glittering snow caressing the endless rolling hills that ascend and blur into the light jade-blue skyline. Fluffy clouds, gentle orange light, a hazy glow. A sweet, peaceful warmth.

And then, we arrive at the elementary school. Sign in at front office, walk into gymnasium. Maitreyi checks the mic.

Me - “Um, where is the piano?”

Blank stares all around.

T-10 minutes. Welp, this is what we’re superb at. Spontaneity! Team work! Challenge accepted. Vice principal and teachers put their heads together, and minutes later, a keyboard rolls in. YES.

I poke around on the instrument. “Um, why is this tuned up a half step?”

Blank stares all around.

I continue to press every button on the synth to reset or transpose the pitch. Nope. Everyone tries to help. Chaos. T-5 minutes. Can we let the kids in now? Sure, sure. 450 sweet, chirpy tiny figures march in single-filed into the gynasium, grinning and waving at us. I continue pressing buttons and Maitreyi tries to tune all the strings up - if the instrument wasn’t already under enough strain and about to crack in this shockingly dry weather.

The music teacher comes in, we scramble more, and suddenly, somehow - MAGIC, we got it! Transposed the key up a half step. Phew. Alright, here we go. Time to entertain our largest cutest audience to date.

From there, what a wild and fun adventure with these wide-eyed, curious, heart-meltingly sweet kids, all shooting up their little hands to participate in every question, cheering with the utmost joy, clapping along the pieces and driving us faster and faster until we’re laughing and about to fall off our instruments.

Infinitely endearing. What art and music and collaboration can facilitate. Especially at this age. To share this passion and imagination and joy, our hearts were fuelled with a familiar, innocent, youthful, exuberant energy that reminds us again and again - this beautiful chaos is what we must celebrate and continue to pursue.

And how spectacular, fun, and bizarre the 450 brilliant minds’ co-created musical story was. The journey of Leo! Leo who first went to China to eat Chinese noodles. Then went to India to go shopping! And then wandered across the seas to Australia, where - uh oh! He got bit by a SHARK! But thankfully found a bandaid. And finally? He came home to good ol’ Canada where…

He jumped off a cliff -

(?!)

… And landed on a herd of buffalos!

(Thank goodness.)

Oh, were we having fun. Being surprised, being challenged, being awed by the tiny moments created with these precious souls. The laughter we shared, the confusing pauses in between, the rupture of cheers at the final standing ovation. And? Most tenderly, the high fives and personal conversations as the kids were walking out of the stadium - telling us how much they enjoyed the music, how a song made them cry because it reminded them of their grandma. How they must now beg their parents for a violin. And how they wanted a hug.

This is what it feels like to connect through music. The infinite tenderness and joy through sharing, co-creating. And what a privilege to play a tiny part in faciliating this magic.

The rest of the day, we took a stroll along the Bow River in downtown Calgary, worked on administrative tasks at home, and then decided to celebrate PIE DAY (3.14) by having some fun with Mama Wang co-creating some kind of monster gluten free diabetic-friendly lemon meringue.

And, the short of that story was - our teamwork was a bit less on point than the morning, but perhaps equally if not more … creative? Resulting in some liquidy soup like lemon curd, and an increasingly salty and perplexing “All Miss American Pie’s Rejects” lemon-chocolate-cheesecake-salted-egg-yolk-mousse-pie-thing.

Killing it, duo DP.

And that’s all for now.

Running off to our next party with the high school band at Burt Church! More stories soon!

Derpily Yours,

Tong