Open stage

I was invited to my school this evening. My students arranged what is called "open stage", which means that anyone at the school are free to perform whatever they like from one of the various stages found here. Usually this means performing some kind of music but it can also mean reading a piece of poetry or just telling a joke. The students in charge of the evening usually organize and function as sound/light technicians and often some, like this evening, bake some lovely cakes. 

Tonight the event was held in the schools café because they wanted an acoustic concert, soft furniture and, of course "fika", which is the Swedish excuse for gathering around a cup of coffee and a cake of some sort at any time. Some years ago we had a guest-teacher who never heard of fika-breaks and was, perhaps, a bit disturbed by the constant interruptions during his class, so he coined the expression "You have to earn your fika!" Us teachers has then tried to keep that expression as a rule. 

Only music students had signed up so we had an hour and a half of all kinds of songs from country music to a Stevie Wonder/ Michael Jackson medley. Some performed their own music, some had decided to "play something" only last night and hardly had time to rehearse . This is the second term of the one year courses so the students know and are completely relaxed with each other. The support and the love amongst them are very moving to experience. A lovely evening spent at "work". No doubt there is hope of a good future ahead for these young people.