Janet Greene in Bhutan for a special workshop at KILU Music School in March!

In the middle of March all of us at KILU Music School had the pleasure of welcoming Ms. Janet Greene to a special weeklong workshop for our students. Janet who specializes in early childhood education, has spent decades teaching music in the US in both Elementary schools and her own music school. Her work is deeply influenced by the Orff/Kodaly approach, and integrates music, movement, the language arts into a wholistic musical education that is simultaneously engaging and effective.

A mutual friend, and my beloved college advisor, Will Johnson suggested that I meet Janet before leaving for Bhutan, as I had many questions about teaching music to children, and was seeking advice and suggestions from many different sources. And so a few weeks before my departure, we met at a coffee shop in Sebastopol and clicked right away. I carried the thought with me, that if the opportunity ever came up, it would wonderful to be able to have Janet come and work with the children here in Bhutan.

After being here for a few months, I realized even more clearly, how beneficial it could be for our children, us as teachers, and the entire community here if I could manage to bring Janet over to do workshops for the children and the teachers and inspire all of us with her great approach to musical education.

So, this plan that started as a small seed, magically came into fruition, and Janet was able to come here, on a purely volunteer basis and be with our students for a week. Her classes with our students were a smashing success! It was remarkable to behold how she masterfully engages the children, and catches them under her spell.

Our children were delighted by the time they got to spent with Janet, and all of us at KILU were inspired by watching her teach. I learned so much by observing her teaching, and have continued to utilize many of the songs, games and activities that she shared with us during her time, as our students just love these activities!

Aside from spending time with our students, we also organized a special two day workshop for “regular subject” elementary school teachers on the topic of how to integrate music into the “regular classroom” here in Bhutan. Janet trains teachers all over the world on this very subject, so I thought it was important not to miss this opportunity and share her knowledge and experience with the teachers here, particularly as the government here is very active in a comprehensive reform effort of the education system so that it moves into a more wholistic, integrative approach that truly embodies the values of Gross National Happiness (GNH) which is the guiding philosophy of the Bhutan’s government. We had a remarkable turnout of about 60 teachers from all across Thimphu elementary schools, and the workshop was truly wonderful to be a part of. The feedback that I received from the participants was incredible, and the excitement and enthusiasm that these teachers felt from the activities that Janet with us all was palpable throughtout the entire workshop. In fact, by way of my students who study in different schools, I know that many of the teachers have already been incorporating some of the lessons, and activities that they learned during this special workshop.

On a personal note, I had a wonderful time with Janet, we did a little bit of traveling together during her stay here, which was fantastic and shared many wonderful conversations and music!

In short: THANK YOU, Janet!!!

-Noam

Reflections

Nothing quite compares to the exquisite beauty of the mountains south of Thimphu (actually the mountains all around Thimphu), with the beautiful and diverse appearances of the sunlight, which light the mountains and the trees, every day, differently. And the bellowing clouds, and peace and calm that the mountains exude. It’s quiet, to walk towards the mountains from KILU School towards home, it feels quiet and it quiets me inside.

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I think it’s been easy to take for granted the fact that here in Bhutan an entire society seems to run based on values such as patience, generosity, and non-violence. It’s been a remarkable experience to live in a place where there are no displays of violence, people are not rude to you, or short, or mean, or aggressive. The only time someone has been rude to me in my nine months here was in Jakar, and it was an American tourist. It’s hard not to take it for granted when you’re in it, but the fact of the matter is that there is patience all around, and even more so, there is generosity.

I don't want to be naive and suggest that somehow this is a utopia. Human beings reside here and with that, come negative actions and emotions. Like every where else in the world people mistreat one another here, I am sure. There is domestic violence, there are thugs, there is corporal punishment, sexual harrasement, abuses of power and abuses of every kind. But, compared to every other place in the world I've ever been, this place is "heaven on earth" in terms of the way people treat one another. Sure, I believe my experience in Bhutan is what it is partly because I am a foreigner and as such, I am treated very well here. But, beyond the patience, generosity and non-violence, there is an openness, an inquisitiveness, a friendliness and generosity of spirit all around that is truly wonderful.

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Here in Bhutan, another thing that I’ve taken for granted is the fact that no one judges you by your nationality. As a foreigner, between the ex-pats here, and the way Bhutanese think of us, no one seems to care what country you are from. It’s not a label that matters. Above all, you are a human being, and are treated that way, without much attention given to your nationality or ethnicity. That’s been refreshing, it’s almost like here, I can just be Noam. Not an American, not an Israeli, just Noam, a human being.

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In terms of the international community here. It's a small one. I've wondered in recent months, what is it about this place that brings together such sweet, gentle, kind, warm, people to it. It’s as if it is a magnet for wonderful people. Warm, kind-hearted, helpful, generous, interesting and fun to be around. It’s amazing!!

Impermanence is embodied in the international community here. People come and people go. It's almost as if I can look at the past nine months here and divide them into three different social waves of terrific people that came and went. Of course there was a group of people that was already here when I arrived, but most of them have left. A second wave came between december and february, and now we are in the third wave which started at some point february. It is indeed a great lesson in impermanence as I have bonded with several dear friends who are now no longer in Bhutan, and soon I will say goodbye to those who are still here.

I feel quite blessed that I have such wonderful people enter my life and I am confident that we will continue to be in each others' lives.

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A Must Read Article by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

A phenomenal and comprehensive piece by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche on Bhutan and the multitude of issues it faces as a society and nation. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Bhutan.

Here is the article as it appears on Kuensel Online.

-Noam