Co-Presenter Suzanne M. Sharer
John Hersey High School
Arlington Heights, IL
scsharer@comcast.net
I am a French teacher in a large suburban public high school. Arlington Heights is a suburb northwest of Chicago, Illinois. I teach French 1 through Advanced Placement French. Over the past thirty-one years, I have organized countless field trips to a wide variety of cultural events. I have worked with Claudia Hommel twice, both times combining her cabaret program (Souvenirs de Paris, 1950) with a field trip to a French restaurant in Chicago.
In planning any field trip cost is always an important consideration. When combining a restaurant meal with another cultural event, the cost can quickly escalate - especially if a bus is needed to reach the location. As an attachment to this handout I've included a Checklist #1 as a guide for planning your own field trip. At Hersey our French Club has been very active in earning money through candy sales (Eiffel Bonbons, Advent Calendars, etc.). We are able to use this money to pay for the bus transportation which lowers the cost each student must pay.
Choosing an appropriate restaurant is critical to the success of the field trip. On Checklist #2 (attached) I review several things to consider in selecting a good restaurant. Once you have chosen a suitable restaurant, work with the owners in advance to establish proper timing of the event. What works best is to have the restaurant serve the main course before Claudia begins her cabaret performance. Then, during Claudia's intermission, the servers can clear the tables and serve the desserts before the second half of the program.
The first time I brought my students to attend Claudia's cabaret program, they were not
properly prepared for the event. Claudia's CD had been released only days before and the
notes that I had to work with did not compare to the excellent study guide which she has
since developed. Consequently, the students didn't really get involved in the performance.
Also, there were more than 60 students and the seating arrangements in this first restaurant
were not conducive to a cabaret performance.
This past April, I brought 40 students to "La Crêperie" in Chicago. The slides that you will
be seeing are from this field trip. Before the field trip, I used Claudia's improved study
guide which she has compiled from much feedback over several years from participating teachers.
I played her CD and handed out the words to some (not all) of the songs on the CD. This advance
preparation was definitely worth the class time. The students were much more involved in the
performance and felt like active participants. Claudia even had them all singing along with her.
In conclusion, in order to have a successful field trip experience, it is essential that you coordinate carefully with the restaurant and adequately prepare your students in advance. In my opinion, a field trip to a French restaurant is an excellent way to expose students to the unique cabaret experience.
The following are slides from the John Hersey High School French field trip to "La Crêperie" restaurant in Chicago, Illinois for a French meal and a presentation of "Souvenirs de Paris, 1950" by Claudia Hommel on April 26, 2000.
After the April field trip, my classes had an excellent discussion about Claudia Hommel's
cabaret performance. They expressed many positive comments.
However, the next time that I work with Claudia, I would like to host a performance at John
Hersey High School. Perhaps I would invite middle school French students from our feeder
schools or invite high school students from the other five high schools in our district.
I would have Claudia spend the day at our school and after her performance conduct a workshop
with the advanced students. During the workshop the students would have the opportunity to
delve more deeply into the history of this time period and to analyze the songs.
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