Manufactured Nostalgia?

The Japanese school year starts in April and ends around mid March. So the current school year is just about over. And the schools are all in the middle of their end-of-year events. But at my junior high they'd scheduled a special song event. It seems that this school is really good at, and proud of, its skills in chorus-style singing. So last week was the school chorus contest. Each class in each grade sang two songs: one they could choose and one mandated by the head music teacher. Then they were graded on performance and conducting, and the best class from each grade was chosen.

Yep. Two songs times sixteen classes plus the 3rd year mixed choruses groups A and B equals 36 songs in a poorly ventilated town hall auditorium. But most shocking was the end of the day. After choosing the winning classes and the best student conductors, there was a photo-retrospective for the 3rd year students to remind them of all the good times they had over the years.

Followed by a video message from their teachers from the first or second years that had gone to other schools.

Followed by a skit by the underclassmen showing their appreciation.

Followed by an interview session with the teachers chosen most popular by the class and their comments on the third year students.

Followed by a final song with choreographed group dance performed by the entire 3rd year class.

Can you imagine that? Like in one of those made for Family Channel movies, the entire class ran up on stage and started singing and dancing along to some radio-friendly (Japanese) pop song in unison.

. . .

I'm glad these kids have a good enough school environment for them to enjoy so much about being students here. And I can't honestly begrudge them actually liking most of their teachers, the lucky little bastards. But I do have to wonder about what receiving so much ready-form memory-fodder does to their ability to process unscripted events.


Eh, maybe I just can't let go of my hatred over being forced to watch Grease.